How long does a detail take?

How long does a detail take?

  • 1-2 Hours

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 3-4 Hours

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 5-6 Hours

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 7-8 Hours

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 8-10 Hours

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • More than 10 Hours

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
M

mschuyler

New member
There's a thread here that polls how many details people do in a day. Some answers range as high as five. I know OctaneGuy says he works on one car a day, which can take 6-12 hours, so that has me question what "detailing" means. Surely for five cars a day you can't do any PC work: Basically a quick wash, vac, and wax. Hence, the poll. (Hope i do this right. First poll.)
 
For me, at least 8hrs for a full exterior detail. This includes 3 step polishing.



I did a TSX this weekend and it took me roughly 10hrs. It was in bad shape though, swirled up pretty bad, and it was black.
 
Sometimes I think people get tripped up between Detail Work and Restoration Work. Obviously Restorations can take many polishing steps and typically exceed 8 hrs.
 
mosborn9 said:
Sometimes I think people get tripped up between Detail Work and Restoration Work. Obviously Restorations can take many polishing steps and typically exceed 8 hrs.
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Define "detailing"



This is how I define it



the practice of performing an extremely thorough cleaning and polishing of an automobile
 
rkf76 said:
Define "detailing"



This is how I define it



the practice of performing an extremely thorough cleaning and polishing of an automobile
Click to expand...



That's how I think of it, too. Regardless of the shape of the paint, or the dirtiness of the interior, a detail is "the practice of performing an extremely thorough cleaning and polishing of an automobile." If the paint is in poor shape, and the interior is dirty, that's just gonna take more work. A "Restoration" should be replacing rusty body panels, upholstery, repainting, and other major body work to repair/restore a car to working order.
 
mikebai1990 said:
Well, when you say a detail, what do you mean? Polishing, claying, waxing? Or a basic wash and interior wipedown?
Click to expand...



That's my question. The claim is that some people do five details a day. Personally, unless the car was in fine shape originally, I don't see how you can do a "detail" in an hour plus. To claim to be able to do so kind of flies in the face of the fine work a lot of guys do. If I do five cars a day, can I call myself a professional detailer, too?
 
my top package is a two day minimum job as I apply multiple coats of sealant on paint, glass, wheels, exterior trim and will wax as well if the customer wants it



Anything from three to six step refinish of the paint with the last two being chemical polish or glazes like VM and CG's



most are one day though with six to eight hours of buffing
 
I think it all depends in the level of correction that needs to be done. I've read about details that have taken more than a day, due to severe swirling, extremely bad contaminants, heavily stained interiors, etc. But I've also read about details that only take a few hours, like Justin30513. Sometimes, he takes 2 cars with major correction in 1 day. That's a lot of work there!



For me, since I do everything by hand, and I only do a polish with carnauba which is pretty easy to work with, it takes me anywhere between 3-5 hours, including interior. Hope this helps.
 
Im a weekend warrrior..Even on spanking new car, that just came out from the lot. I avg like 3 hrs on it. A 1 or 2 years car in a OK shape I can do in 4-5 hrs. If was a SUT/SUV thats like 7-8hrs.
 
Ever since i started using the rotory on every detail, I've saved an hour easy. The interiors slow me down with bad stains and such. I was taught that the wash must be a thorough one and the wash alone can take me almost an hour. Also wheel condition slows me down. I could spend 30 minutes a wheel in some extreme cases.. I had a 7 series BMW that had over 50k miles and I don't think the wheels where ever cleaned. But on average, a car takes 3 hours thats just needs swirl removal and the interior and wheels are in good shape.
 
A "detail" can take anywhere from 4 hours to 12+ hours. It just depends on how bad the condition of the vehicle is, and more importantly, how much the client is willing to pay.



I don't think this poll serves as much purpose as the 'How many details per week' poll because it's just like asking "How long does it take to mow your lawn?" Some people, 30 minutes... others, 4 hours... depends on the lawn.
 
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