How can I detail more efficently?

T

twopu

New member
It boggles me how some of you can finish some jobs so fast. What takes some of you 3 hours to do would take me 6. I think I'm moving at a fast pace with my PC or rotary, but by the time I'm done 5-6 hours have pasted while some of you could have done the same car in half the time.



I try to be very meticulous and clean EVERYTHING (places they don't even look)!!! I give my customers what I would expect after a $100-$200 job. I know experience has a BIG part in it, but can anyone give me tips on how to speed up the process.
 
I just posted this another thread, but perhaps it can help here.









LOL! Yeah, when I say attack, I mean attack. I get really focused and zone out, I try to make every move, even just walking deliberate and efficient. After I unload here is how I start:



Apply degreaser to engine

agitate

pressure wash

blow dry

dress

shut hood/start motor



apply degreaser to tire

apply acid to wheel

scrub tire and wheel well

pressure wash area

clean wheel with alkaline degreaser to neutralize the acid

rinse

move to next wheel well/wheel area on that side, repeat

open doors on that side

spray degreaser into jams

wipe with mitt

close doors almost all the way

spray bug and tar remover along bottom panels

wash lower panels of vehicle

rinse jams and bottom portion of the paint



move to the other side and repeat



I then dump the bucket and mix up another



wash entire vehicle

leave wet

clay

rewash if necessary

rinse

dry

blow out cracks crevices

dress wheel wells



I then start on the interior while the outside dries thoroughly

first I vac

then I clean all the vinyl starting with the front driver's side door

apply APC scrub crevices with denture brush

wipe with MF

move to the driver's door sill, apply APC, scrub wipe

applt APC to pedals

move to dash/steering wheel area

move to center console area

then driver's side rear area

then I work my way around the passenger side and repeat

while I am on the passenger side, I do the headliner area



I then move to the carpets

apply APC scrub wipe with towel/extract if necessary

one more vac over everything to remove loose debris/lint from cleaning





I then move the vehicle in, dust it off with duster if necessary

tape/mask

begin doing test spots

polish vehicle

apply LSP

while the LSP is setting up I clean interior windows

dress tires

remove LSP/inspect

clean exterior glass

open all doors, etc to wipe out excess dust polish

dress trim



^^ That's a rough draft of my process for the average vehicle. ;D
 
BenP said:
What's really freaky is that's the exact same way I do it, except I dress the wheel wells right at the end.



Ben
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LOL!! I use to do that as well, but I found that dressing before polishing/finalizing the exterior that I do not have to worry about overspray on windy days. Even when using a heavy setting on a sprayer I would sometimes see over spray on paint and glass.



tinhead, too many variables with vehicles to say. An average detail for me with two steps with the rotary, one with the PC or cyclo, then LSP by hand would run about 5.5-6 hours. A tad longer if the interior is extremely nasty.
 
A few questions:

1) have you problems with wheel chemicals staining driveways ... I had that problem with E1 A2Z

2) What do you use to dress engine compartment?

3) Do you typically clay the who vehicle or just problem areas, e.g. bugs?

4) What LSP do you use that allow you let it "set up"?

5) You use APC for everything interior ... no woolite mixture?
 
NHBFAN said:
A few questions:

1) have you problems with wheel chemicals staining driveways ... I had that problem with E1 A2Z

2) What do you use to dress engine compartment?

3) Do you typically clay the who vehicle or just problem areas, e.g. bugs?

4) What LSP do you use that allow you let it "set up"?

5) You use APC for everything interior ... no woolite mixture?
Click to expand...





I have never had a problem with anything other than dressing staining driveways. I just switched to water based products to combat that. I have seen resdue in the driveway from extremely dirty wheel wells, but I just pressure wash that away when I pull the vehicle in the garage to buff.



Right now I use eagle one professional line water based dressing 1:1



Yes, I typically clay the entire vehicle



NXT, #21, EX, EX-P, Gold Class, UPP, WG, etc basically anything that needs to dry fully before removal.



Yep, APC for everything. Woolite doesn't work for my process. I find that it is either not strong enough or leaves to much residue in the carpets (making extraction a PITA).



Hope this helps.
 
ebpcivicsi said:
I..

.

.

tape/mask

begin doing test spots

polish vehicle

.

.
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Heh heh, it's that simply stated "polish vehicle" that sorta cracks me up. Some of us spend forever doing just that step ;) Being able to turn out that kind of work in the time it takes you is one reason you're so good at this stuff :xyxthumbs



Bet some of these jobs are *tough* in the summer weather you get ;)
 
All interior cleaning and dressing first



Spray, agitate,power wash undercarriage, move on to wells, tires and wells, then door jams



Engine degreasing.



Wash vehicle.



Work in sections : clay, tape off trim, compound polish, LSP, move on to another panel/section



While waiting for stuff to dwell or cure, set up for the next step or do "down time" tasks like cleaning or swapping pads.



Do final inspection including any QDing, going over glass, moving on to polishing mufflers and tips, those sort of items.



Still exhausting but keeps things in motions.
 
Accumulator said:
Heh heh, it's that simply stated "polish vehicle" that sorta cracks me up. Some of us spend forever doing just that step ;) Being able to turn out that kind of work in the time it takes you is one reason you're so good at this stuff :xyxthumbs



Bet some of these jobs are *tough* in the summer weather you get ;)
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LOL!! Well, when detailing the cars that I get, I am not looking at the paint through lighted magnification like *someone* I know. :D It just has to pass the full sun test. :buffing:



The summer is horrible for detailing here!! Products don't work, you're exhausted, etc. I try to drink about a gallon of water if I am detailing during the heat of the day (any less and I seem to get a headache the following day). I guess I can trade it for the *sort of* mild winter :)
 
twopu said:
It boggles me how some of you can finish some jobs so fast. What takes some of you 3 hours to do would take me 6.



I try to be very meticulous and clean EVERYTHING (places they don't even look)!!! I give my customers what I would expect after a $100-$200 job. I know experience has a BIG part in it, but can anyone give me tips on how to speed up the process.
Click to expand...



Why would you want to speed up the process? Why not do what you need to do to convince your customers that the job you provide is worth much, much more than the competition who only allows half the time to detail a similar vehicle.



The way I see it; time is money and good detailing customers recognize the fact that it takes time to do things right and they should be more than willing to pay for the time you spend working on their car.



A true detailing customer is someone who is more interested in getting the job done right, not getting it done fast. When someone wants it done fast, then that person really does not understand what detailing is all about.
 
Don't get me wrong, I don't want to sacrifice quality for speed. There are just great detailers on the board that can get a job done in half the time without sacrificing quality. I know the primary reason is just EXPERIENCE. I was just looking for tips/suggestions to be more efficient.



Thanks for all the input. I have my final detail on Friday, and I hoping to use your suggestions.
 
I notice that I spend too much time observing the paint finish while I'm polishing up the paintwork. I even spend more than 1 hour just to wash and dry up the car! I guess I need to learn how to speed up the process.
 
Depending on the vehicle I find that if I do vinyl before carpets that I end up with "splatter" on some of the vinyl trim after carpets are done. But if you do carpets first you then have to be careful and do a 2nd vac when all done to make sure you have gotten them dirty while cleaning the rest of the car.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
Why would you want to speed up the process? Why not do what you need to do to convince your customers that the job you provide is worth much, much more than the competition who only allows half the time to detail a similar vehicle.



The way I see it; time is money and good detailing customers recognize the fact that it takes time to do things right and they should be more than willing to pay for the time you spend working on their car.



A true detailing customer is someone who is more interested in getting the job done right, not getting it done fast. When someone wants it done fast, then that person really does not understand what detailing is all about.
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You make an interesting point. However, if you can cut down the amount of time spent on each car then you can do more cars in a day and therefore make more money. Also, a customer would likely be much more happy if they had to leave their car for 6 hours instead of 8 or more. Especially, if the car is the family hauler.



On the other hand if you're just an enthusiast, speeding up the process will give you more of your day back to do other things.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
Why would you want to speed up the process?
Click to expand...



:think: For the same reason we speed up any process? Why we drive instead of walk, fly instead of drive, use PC's or rotaries, dishwashing machines, clothes washing machines, dryers, computers, FedEx instead of mail...nobody here is talking about doing a crappier job, the question was how to do the job more efficiently. From www.m-w.com :



Main Entry: ef·fi·cient

2 : productive of desired effects; especially : productive without waste
 
Setec Astronomy said:
:.. the question was how to do the job more efficiently. From www.m-w.com :



Main Entry: ef·fi·cient...
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Yeah, people tend to use "efficient" and "effective" interchangeably. The trick is to be more efficient without being less effective ;) Both characteristics are important, especially when doing this stuff for money; they're not mutually exclusive, it's just a balancing act.
 
My point was that by definition (at least the one I quoted above), efficiency is doing the job faster with the same effectiveness. An old friend of mine used to like to say things like "you're not good, but you're slow". I'm not sure how you can sell a sevice based on "slower is better" if someone else gets the same results in less time; slower is better only if it's actually better, not the same.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
My point was that by definition (at least the one I quoted above), efficiency is doing the job faster with the same effectiveness. An old friend of mine used to like to say things like "you're not good, but your slow". I'm not sure how you can sell a sevice based on "slower is better" if someone else gets the same results in less time; slower is better only if it's actually better, not the same.
Click to expand...



I always say "work smarter not harder."
 
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