Dealership detailing questions...

M

mrfjsw294

New member
Hey guys, its been a while since ive posted here, i see a few new changes to the site that look very nice. Anyways, im not sure if im putting this in the right forum (mods move if not). My question is to anyone who has ever worked at a dealership detailing. I saw an ad in the local about a large BMW dealership hiring professional flat rate detailer, so i gave em a call as im looking to change careers. Basically you get paid an hourly rate (e.g. $10/hr) they will give you a job to do with a time it should take to complete. (lets say wash/wax/interior is 2 hrs) you would get paid your hourly rate of $10/hr x's 2 hrs weather or not it takes you the full two hours or it takes longer than two hours, you get paid for the two hours. They also said that their flat rate detailers can work an unlimited amount of hours, meaning as long as the dealership is open, you can be working. They offer 401K, all the bene's, etc. etc.



Just trying to get some feedback (both positive and negative) from anyone who may have worked as a flat rate detailer before and anyone else who may want to chime in with their opinions. What kind of living should I expect to make? ( i know every dealer will be diff, but just in general) Would it be a decent job? They said they are building a new dealership and it should be finished this fall so the environment should be nice and up to date.



My ultimate goal is to start my own detail shop at some point in my life, im just not financially read for it at the moment. And working at the corner detail shop for 5 bucks an hour wont cut it either. (been there, done that)



What I like about it is I can work at my own pace and use MY methods, not have a boss peer down my back that thinks he is god of all that is detailing. Perhaps I can bring some quality back to the dreaded dealer details, autopian style! :cool:
 
I've done this and managed employees that have been paid via flat rate as well, from Kia to Jaguar and BMW to Cadillac.



The pay is only good while you have work. If it's not a volume dealer, no cars = no money, and depending on your region the winter slowdown might kill your motivation. You could bring a higher level of quality to the dealer and use your own process, but you've got to think about your account balance prior to the dealer's.



On the best of days our hungry employees made a little more than $20/hr with quantity not quality- forget about clearing that much trying to wash/clay/two or three step PC every full detail.



If I recall correctly, the last place I managed was:



$5 per courtesy wash/wheels (no dry), they could clear $35+ per hour if the supply was large enough.

$10 per wash/vac/windows/dry, usually 20-40 minutes each

$35-45 per new car prep, 1.5-2.5 hours this is tape lines/rail dust removed and fully waxed

$60-80 per 'full' detail
 
mrfjsw294 said:
My ultimate goal is to start my own detail shop at some point in my life, im just not financially read for it at the moment. And working at the corner detail shop for 5 bucks an hour wont cut it either. (been there, done that)
Click to expand...



Neither will $10 an hour.



They will probably expect a "detail" to be done in 2 or 3 hours, it takes me that long to do a proper wash/QD/dress.



The people that work there are often a bunch of stoned, unmotivated teenagers, do you want to be working with them all day?



Check out the other thread mentioned a few posts up, too.
 
Thanks guys for the very informative posts. I guess since I was away from the forum so long I forgot to use the search button. :confused:



So I guess it seems that most dealers are the same no matter what brand of car they are trying to sell. Quantity>Quality....



That type of work just isnt for me. I detail because I like taking a vehicle that has been neglected for quite some time and restoring it to like new again. That is where my satisfaction comes in.



It is probably at least worth an interview ( I have one set for monday) to see what they are really looking for and what they are paying. I'll briefly explain to them that on any given day I could make any of their detailers look like it was their first day on the job, in a nice way of course :p



I agree Bigpoppa, I dont think I could come close to being done with a full detail in 2-3 hrs.



Thanks again guys, this has helped.
 
I have worked in that same enviorment you talk of. This was my personal expierence, I was with Lexus for about 5 years as a flat rate detailer/car washer. This was a high volume dealer with a huge inventory. There were many problems with the dealership from a true detailers prespective. First, a real detail was only done on the used car trade-ins, and even then you needed to beat your alotted time to make money. This is what happens, you end up working with 15 other guys that think they are detailers, the used car trades get picked through, and just not enough of them to go around. The dealership gets busy and your forced to clean new car deliveries to make ends meat. Not a good option for anyone to look at as a career unless you want a management position. If you love detailing, and you want to learn more, make great money, and have steady work, think about going to a auto body shop. This is how I started before the dealership crap. You will learn so much from a bodyshop, wetsanding, high speed polishing, compounding. The actual trade of the pro detailer. Point is the dealership detailer is a highschool job, and if by chance they have a real detailer on site he's complaining about something. Do very good work, get your name out there, build a steady weekend client base, and go completely mobile. Anyone out there working at a dealership ?
 
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