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R

Runaway-boy

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Well..some cardealers still do the actual detailwork themselves and I just wonder why that can be when they can outsource that job to professionals. In the long run the professional car detailers do a hell lot of better work for probably lower costs than they do. Cardealers should work with selling as much cars as possible and stay out of the detailing.



Is there any kind of statistics that shown how much more profitable it is for them to hand out that kind of work both in some kind of "satisfied costumar index" and in hardcore money?



Car sellers should do what they are good at-selling cars and we do what we are good at- car detailing.
 
Some dealers feel it is cheaper to do it in-house than to outsource it. One of the issues is insurance/liability (unless you get one of the detailers on their property).
 
Actually, what I don't understand is why detailers continue to put of the with the crap you go through from used car dealers. I did cars for a couple when I first got my business going, and not only are the cars generally crap, but they only want to pay between $40 and $50 max. Given the choice of detailing a privately owned Lexus for $85 or a Chevy Corsica bought from an auction for $50 that will probably take twice as long to clean...guess which one I would pick? Maybe some mobile detailers can specialize in dealer cars, but with what they pay, you have to work twice as hard to make the same money.



I can understand how a brick & mortar detail shop would need used car business to have the volume needed to keep their employees, but often the employees develop bad habits and short cuts detailing dealer cars and end up using the same techiniques on privately owned cars, whose owners are paying substantially more.



There is a detail shop near me, and judging by most of the cars on their lot, they are mostly doing used cars for the dealers on the main drag in Arlington where all the used car dealers are. In the last 5 years, they have changed their business name and owners 3 times. The last few times I have driven past, they have had very few cars in their shop.



Personally, if you can develop a strong private owner based clientel, you will be far better off. You might want to work a deal with a local golf course-most people take 3-4 hours to play a round of golf and they tend to have more disposable income and nicer cars. I had thought about doing that, but I already have regular weekly customers 3 days a week, and just can't tie up another day, otherwise I would never get to the call in appointments.
 
If you do decide to do the dealer thing, you'll work twice as hard for 1/3 of the money! I, myself worked for a company that does dealer's and most of the time @ $55.00 a car. Most of the time the cars were auction cars, totally trashed - they would pull out all the seats pressure wash (if you believe this) everything, only way to get the inside clean enough and sellable. At times, it would take 3 people to get one car done and to top it off the dealer was never happy, period!



Thank the head detailer in the sky I was doing pdr for them and not "cpr" for the cars! I really felt sorry for the labors (slaves) working for them at 50% per car - ouch. Anyway, stay away from dealers. Wax has a good idea, golf nuts USA - most of them have bucks and will pay top $$$ for a full detail. In the San Fernando Valley CA, A detail co runs their service 6 days a week from a country club, work never ends. I hope this input helps!
 
So if I skip the dealerthing the smartest thing would be to move closer to the local golf course. Too bad I didn´t concider that before I started up...Actually I am impressed over this forum...got to be the best one in the world for just detailing, and I´ve looked...





:bounce





So lets move and skip the dealers! They are a pain in the ...
 
Golf courses and office complexes are your best bet. Believe me, you will prefer dealing with privately owned vehicles a lot more.
 
But, we don't do dealer used car detail as the normal course of business!

We do recon some of the high line dealers better, cream puff cars, but the starting price is $165 and, depending on the result of the inspection form, may go to $240.

They pay it, they know from experience, that the vehicle will bring them $1,500 to $2,000 more, once our people have done the vehicle to the process/procedures we require.

Retail detail at the shops starts at $225 to $280.

Our main volume-how we did 15,000 vehicles last year, was new car prep or cosmetic pre delivery.

One thing I have to recommend to all, if you are not using an inspection form when pricing a retail detail or a dealer detail out, you may be leaving money on the table.

You can print ours out and modify it however you wish, if you don't have one. It is on our site, www.autoint.com and is under the Find a Detailers Section, look down at the bottom left hand side of the page that comes up. When you click it, it comes up.

Ketch
:up
 
Ron-that is a huge check list! I can usually eyeball a car and know how long it is going to take and whether or not I need to charge for extra services-but I am not perfect! A check list can make sure I don't miss anything. Being mobile, I normally don't do engines and we don't get acid rain in the Dallas area, so those are a few steps that I can leave out. I may condense the checklist for my particular business-should make my estimates even more accurate. Thanks!
 
Yeah it is large, but for a reason other than you to remember what to look for.



It is a "selling" tool. One that aids you in "up-selling" the client extras.



Let's say a detailers average price is $129.00 for a "complete detail", but as you go through the list with the customer, you point out that the vehicle has IFO, you then use the 30X magnifer and the pictures and text you can print out from our site, a couple of the technical service bulletins and explain that the ABC process should be done, after all the information of why is there-and not your words-and it is an additional $50 for the process.



Doing the ABC is cheaper and faster(once you understand it) than claying and you can't mar the clear. Makes the exterior detail go faster.



Then you walk them around and show them the condition of their black trim -many are permenantly stained by waxes, caustic self serve carwash chemicals, etc, "Sir/Madam, I can dress these parts as part of the normal detail, however, it is just a dressing, or (show Hyundai TSB) I can fix them once and for all and guareentee the work for a year, just $20 for the door handles and $15 a mirror,(etc etc). ETR-II is the answer.



Done correctly (and this is how a Midas, dealer, AAMCO etc have already condidtioned the customer to buy extras) and you just took a $129 detail up to $229 or more. There is no real extra labor time for the ABC and you should, with practice, be able to use the ETR-II and do the door handles, etc in no more than 15 to 20 minutes actual labor.



Just keep in mind, your attorney, your doctor, your accountant, the shop fixing your muffler, your brakes,they don't give you freebie services, they are professionals, chosen by you for their abilities, expertise.



Why should a professional detailer be any less of a professional and give away his services?
 
Ron, I'm wondering how you get a $200.00 plus for new car prep? Here in So.CA $85.00 tops at the dealers, if you are lucky. This includes wash, wax and dressing and only the high end dealers will pay for this! And the the usual sealant fee if any. It's understandable, when a "retail" car owner wants this done - what's the biz plan! have a good s.bowl
 
I'm thinking about becoming invloved with a company that makes all their money from working at dealerships. They do the paintless dent removal, pin striping, gold plating, etc. on cars that have already been detailed. It looks interesting. I would rather be in that business than trying to scrape a living doing cars for dealers. In Salt Lake there is too much of a migrant workforce to really compete in the dealership market anyway. I think I'll stick to private owners and auto auction buyers.
 
We price on services and volume.



There are 12 dealers who have the transports drop the vehicles at our main shop, some are wash, pull the plastic, vac, dress tires, clean windows and apply sealant.



These will prices will vary as some are pickups, etc.



The lowest price is $65 and can go up to $125.



Then we have 5 satallite shops, two located on dealer property.



The prices are the same, no favorites as word gets around pretty quick if one gets a better price for the same volume and services.



Recon details will also vary, but since we refuse to do "roaches", leave that to the butchers, ours start at from a low of $140 and go up from there.



Last year, I think our average dealer recon came out at about $180 due to the extras mentioned earlier.



The drop ship vehicles, we have retired folks who drive them to the dealerships when completed. Will not hire anyone under the age of 40 to do that, found out years ago the reasons that maturity has advantages.



Present employee head count for that division is over 70 working.



If one wishes to stay in business and make a living, and pay your employees a fair living wage, you got to be fair to all and do the quality work, don't chase business with discounts.



We also have moved into the truck access. business since we bought a competitor who was going under. Guess we have a good sales staff, as we made a good profit on that the first month, while he had lost money for over a year!



Ketch

:xyxthumbs
 
Hey jngrbrd, be sure you dont have to sign a no compete contract with the recon company. They can be VERY hard to get out of, and expensive. Jason
 
About no compete "contracts" there is no such thing - period. The basic common law makes it unlawfull! Meaning, any corp. or person cannot prevent a person from providing a living for themself. The big boys such as D_ _ _ W_ _ _ _ _ (fill in the blanks) scare the doody out of their techs in so called contracts, so they will not go solo.



They can however charge a fee for training and you may not solicit their accounts for "x" # of years after termation - but if one of their accounts should solicit you for service, too bad for your ex - boss! They called you and there is not a damm thing they could do about it - you did not solicit them, oh well. As the old saying " the last day you work there, may be the last day you work there." If you are in this type of jam, get legal advice such as I did to get out of a contract, as the laws very from state to state.
 
Ron-



I don't know what you do to get so much money out of car dealers. Around here, if you wont do the work for $40-50 a car, they will get someone else-which is fine with me-auction cars are not worth doing. When car dealers call me, I tell them the minumim is $100, and claying, extra dirty interiors, excessive paint scratches are extra. They actually try to get me down to $50 or so, saying I will make it up in volume. Yeah, right. I turn down a privately owned vehicle at full price to do an auction car for $50. :rolleyes:



Most of the new car dealers (probably all by now) have their own detail and make-ready staff due to the huge immigrant population.
 
Where I work the Car Dealers drop off the car with a peice of paper attatched to the key telling us when its needed by and than they say this is a delivery. And you can tell they love saying it because they say it in this "certain Voice" to tick us of because they know how much we hate deliveries :).
 
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