Do you service car dealers?

[602rwtq]

The question of whether or not to service car dealers can be a difficult one. On one hand, they do keep you busy, which can be critical for detail shots that keep a small staff. You just can't lose those employees during the slow times because you're going to need them come summer or spring.



However, dealers simply don't pay well, and we've all had a lot of trouble collecting from some of them.



So...do you service car dealers? And on average what do you charge for a full detail?

 

[salty]

With no problem areas, I charge $180. Front line ready.

 

[MichaelM]

It would also be nice to know how much volume is performed...



We do work for only one or two dealers. We focus on retail work but being in the North East we need something to fill in when the weather turns sour.



Small shop, handful of employees, maybe ~10 units a week, wholesale.

 

[Richard Grasa]

Right now I have one dealer I do steady work for, right next door, a 10 foot walk to his door. And a couple others that send me some stuff here and there. I charge $100 for cars and $125 for SUV's and large trucks. If something comes in completely trashed, I charge accordingly, but is pretty rare. I've had other guys try to lowball me on price to do some disgusting jobs and I just tell them to get lost and see one of the hacks down the street. If I get the funding I'm after for a bigger shop and more employees then I will go after some more accounts, but for now just this one dealer is keeping me and my one guy pretty busy.

My dealer package includes a 1-step polish/wax, clean the wheels (acid if needed), dress tires, windows in and out, clean wheel wells, jambs, entire interior is scrubbed, shampooed and leather conditioner. If it needs to be compounded or extra stain removal, then it's more $. I use a high filler glaze for the beat darker colors since they don't care about correction, just make it look good enough to sell. I don't touch the engine bay, maybe just wipe and dress the plastics, but never any more because of the liability.

 

[Scottwax]

I haven't in a long time. Why turn down full price business for dealer prices? Most of the time I am busy enough that doing dealer cars would cost me money because I wouldn't be doing private party cars. Plus around here, they pay $60 tops. Illegal labor has killed the retail detailing business down here.

 

[safetyman2010]

Yeah probably 40% of my work is for dealers. I won't touch a full detail for less than $165 for a car (more for vans/suvs and prices go up from the minimum if they are tough) and that price is a "volume" price for guys that are sending me LOT'S of cars. None of this "what's your dealer price" garbage from guys that want to send 2 cars a year.

 

[safetyman2010]

I haven't in a long time. Why turn down full price business for dealer prices? Most of the time I am busy enough that doing dealer cars would cost me money because I wouldn't be doing private party cars. Plus around here, they pay $60 tops. Illegal labor has killed the retail detailing business down here.

Yeah it's a little higher down here - $100 details at the dealers has started to pop up again lately. Those guys never last but sadly there is always some idiot willing to pop up to take the last idiot's place.

 

[salty]

I hear you Scott. Every year there are more idiots.



My dealership experience has taken me many years to gain price. Dropped off one today, full interior detail, wash, engine and some spray can and touch up bottle work. $240. Still cheap for what the increase of their value is.



Paint needed much more, black, but I knew their limit for this type of vehicle.

 

[MichaelM]

Especially for those of you at the higher end of the pricing scale how much volume are you doing for those dealerships?

 

[602rwtq]

Okay, results are ready:

Half of detailers won't service car dealers



I wanted to find out what other detailers thought about working for dealerships, so I asked them through a couple of online forums. “To be or not to be” a dealership detail man is a hot topic for lots of experienced detailers, and lots of them have interesting opinions on the matter. Only one of the twelve detailers polled reported that they worked exclusively with dealerships. On the other end of the spectrum, there were three detailers who reported that they never worked with dealerships, but for different reasons. I asked detailers whether or not they regularly accepted detail work from dealerships. See the results below.



Average price to dealers: $160



Some detailers responded with specific prices they charged for dealership work. The amount charged varied widely - one detailer charged $100 per car and another $180. Perhaps the best way to establish a price point is to find out what dealerships are paying - by asking nearby detail shops, not necessarily the dealerships - and then run the numbers on what would be an economical, similar price for you to charge.



Survey sources:



http://www.autopia.org/forum/profes...ussion/139229-do-you-service-car-dealers.html

Poll: Do you service car dealers?



Original article:

Survey: Do you Service Car Dealerships?

 

[safetyman2010]

Especially for those of you at the higher end of the pricing scale how much volume are you doing for those dealerships?

I've had dealers that at peak were sending 50+ cars a month. Those days are over, most we normally get now are maybe 20-30 and maybe 40 in a big month.

 

[safetyman2010]

I hear you Scott. Every year there are more idiots.



My dealership experience has taken me many years to gain price. Dropped off one today, full interior detail, wash, engine and some spray can and touch up bottle work. $240. Still cheap for what the increase of their value is.



Paint needed much more, black, but I knew their limit for this type of vehicle.

I theorized years ago when the wages here were driven up by the government by $3.25 an hour that this crap would come to a stop but it's actually gotten worse. More shops keep opening and the increase in competition is driving the prices back 15 years for the bottom feeders. No way you are making money doing proper, full details for $100 or less then waiting 4-6 weeks to get paid. It's stupidity

 

[David Fermani]

You shouldn't look at how much you're getting per car, but how much money they're giving you each month or year. So many people get turned off when they hear you're only getting $80 for a complete detail. But when that dealer is giving you $8-10,000 worth of business each month, every month then do the math.



Used car market has changed alot here in Metro Detroit. Since the unemployment boom, dealers are hiring more competant people and keeping the detailing in house. That and there are more companies doing all the clean up work inside of the dealer which is making it less stressful for them to run the dealership. This is making it even harder for people to enter this market. The key is to offer a multidute of services that can cater to all the departments.

 

[safetyman2010]

You shouldn't look at how much you're getting per car, but how much money they're giving you each month or year. So many people get turned off when they hear you're only getting $80 for a complete detail. But when that dealer is giving you $8-10,000 worth of business each month, every month then do the math.



Used car market has changed alot here in Metro Detroit. Since the unemployment boom, dealers are hiring more competant people and keeping the detailing in house. That and there are more companies doing all the clean up work inside of the dealer which is making it less stressful for them to run the dealership. This is making it even harder for people to enter this market. The key is to offer a multidute of services that can cater to all the departments.

You're absolutely right it's all about the profit and it depends on what kind of operation you intend to run. However, I would much rather do 20 full details for a dealer that appreciates a fantastic job with consistent quality that I make a few bucks on than do 50 for minimal profit. In my experience dealers that are interested in low low cost details are the same guys that will drop you at the hint of another detailer doing the cars for a dollar less. Not the kind of work or working relationship I'm interested in.

 

[CosminTX]

i service everyone who can afford my service ... simple as that

 

[Scottwax]

You shouldn't look at how much you're getting per car, but how much money they're giving you each month or year. So many people get turned off when they hear you're only getting $80 for a complete detail. But when that dealer is giving you $8-10,000 worth of business each month, every month then do the math.

But to do that $80 detail, I'd have to turn down a full priced privately owned vehicle detail. The more they would give me, the more full priced jobs I turn down, the more it hurts me. I'd cut my income in half.



I can see it working for someone who regularly has open days in their week but a lot of us are pretty much booked all the time.

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

But to do that $80 detail, I'd have to turn down a full priced privately owned vehicle detail. The more they would give me, the more full priced jobs I turn down, the more it hurts me. I'd cut my income in half.



I can see it working for someone who regularly has open days in their week but a lot of us are pretty much booked all the time.

Well, to be fair your entire business model is a lot different than the type of operation that caters to dealerships. You don't have a fixed location, no crews or employees out doing work, it's just you, your son, and the trunk of a Honda Accord slinging out high quality retail work. It would be near impossible to service the volume of vehicles it would take to make that venture profitable in your situation.

 

[salty]

Hard to do it both ways. For me if I see dirt I have to clean it, which does not make me a dealership detailer. But I do a couple dealerships, that have had the other way. they will pay the extra $100 for it done right.

 

[RaskyR1]

Been a long time since I've done dealer work (2004?), but I was charging $100 per car back then and $150 for trucks, vans, and SUV's. Anything that was above and beyond the normal detail was subject to additional charges.



I do still occasionally get a few jobs from old dealer accounts, but they are all special interest jobs now requiring wet sanding or other highly involved work. I charge accordingly on those.



IME, most used cars managers are pricks and treat you like you're some kind of low life because your detailing cars...and I refuse to do cars for people like that!

 

[EcoAutoCT]

Rarely. I get calls for problem cars that their detail departments can't handle, fixing customer complaints about poor detailing service, and special interest vehicles for particular buyers. I have a few small dealers that recognize that spending a little more to get the vehicle done properly helps improve inventory turnover. But I don't market to them in any way- if they want it done right and are willing to pay they'll find you.