How to speed up the process

M

mini1

New member
I'm a one man detail operation and I need to find a way to speed up the basic detail. Most of the vehicles are just taking way too long too complete. I can do most interiors fast, but the exteriors are taking way, way too long. I can't seem to get a 4 door sedan, in decent condition, with the entire interior/trunk/3 step exterior done in under 6 hours. Most are taking 6-9 hours. Big SUV's/trucks or cars in bad shape or cars with horrible paint are like 2 day projects.



Any ideas on how to speed the process up without cutting too many corners?
 
I'm using a Makita 9227C with a wool cutting pad and Maguiar's ultimate compound. I've been trying a bunch of different compounds, thus buying them at retail in small bottles makes sense until I find one that works well. I use NXT 2.0 wax.
 
Be organized.



Tools ready and accessible.



Polishes and chemicals full and clearly labeled.



Towels clean and separated by usage.



Work area properly lit and clean.



Don't stop and take 450 photographs.
 
mini1 said:
I'm a one man detail operation and I need to find a way to speed up the basic detail. Most of the vehicles are just taking way too long too complete. I can do most interiors fast, but the exteriors are taking way, way too long. I can't seem to get a 4 door sedan, in decent condition, with the entire interior/trunk/3 step exterior done in under 6 hours. Most are taking 6-9 hours. Big SUV's/trucks or cars in bad shape or cars with horrible paint are like 2 day projects.



Any ideas on how to speed the process up without cutting too many corners?
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I can't see how a full interior plus 3 step exterior can be done in under six hours. Other than knowing what products/pads work best to be most efficient, I don't think there's any other way to speed up the exterior process unless you eliminate steps. Polishes need time to be broken down and multiple passes may be needed so there's not much you can do to speed up the process there.
 
seriously i think this will happen for ya with the more exsperianced you get! for me have been around a while and work everything from high volume to car washes to dealer to bodyshops. it will happen for ya!! good luck
 
bufferbarry said:
seriously i think this will happen for ya with the more exsperianced you get! for me have been around a while and work everything from high volume to car washes to dealer to bodyshops. it will happen for ya!! good luck
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This is my 5th year. I used to work with 2 other guys at a larger shop and we would blow through cars in just 2-4 hours (at a slower pace then I'm working now). I'm working as fast as I can and I've done at least 1000 cars over the past 5 years. I'm not new, just new to working alone.
 
Automate your process. Prep every car exactly the same way every time. Once you get that down it becomes clockwork. Don't take a bunch of breaks. Don't jump around. Work in a systematic thurough process. make sure you have the right tools for the job. the one pad one product process is not a good one to have. Know your canvas. You should have a good idea about the car your detailing. IE. what condition it is, what kind of clear coat it has (if it has a CC) what products in your arsenal work best for the situation all well before you get started. Upgrade equipment if needed. And lastly. If you have all this set and it's still taking that long then who cares? Doing the job correctly is always more important then doing it quickly.
 
mini1 said:
I'm using a Makita 9227C with a wool cutting pad and Maguiar's ultimate compound. I've been trying a bunch of different compounds, thus buying them at retail in small bottles makes sense until I find one that works well. I use NXT 2.0 wax.
Click to expand...



I hope you not using only a wool pad. I went to a local dealer today (Sunday) and they were full of holograms because they probably only used a wool pad and / or poor technique. If you want to speed up the process you need a professional cleaner wax or AIO.
 
Jakerooni said:
Automate your process. Prep every car exactly the same way every time. Once you get that down it becomes clockwork. Don't take a bunch of breaks. Don't jump around. Work in a systematic thurough process. make sure you have the right tools for the job. the one pad one product process is not a good one to have. Know your canvas. You should have a good idea about the car your detailing. IE. what condition it is, what kind of clear coat it has (if it has a CC) what products in your arsenal work best for the situation all well before you get started. Upgrade equipment if needed. And lastly. If you have all this set and it's still taking that long then who cares? Doing the job correctly is always more important then doing it quickly.
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I do all the cars the same way. I've got a good system down, but it just takes too long. Customers don't want to wait and be without their car for 6-9 hours.
 
Get new customers. it's your job to completely explain to them what they are buying from you. If your process takes 6-9 hours to give them what they are after then that should be the end of that conversation. If they want it faster to the point that you need to cut corner to get it done then they need to go shopping elsewhere. I know it's not what you want to hear but the downside to this conversation is you agree to their ridiciolus demands and start cutting corners and now they are all p issed off at you for giving them a shoddy job. Clearly explain to them that time is the very least important thing when it comes to properly detailing a car and if time is truely an issue there are nice coin ops or swirl o matics all over the place that can "Clean" their cars in a matter of minutes. But if they really want a professional service then they need to understand you need to do it right for them regardless of how much time it takes.
 
If you are charging $700-1200 than 6-9 hours is ok. As many above have made reference too organization, defined process, and product choices all make a difference.



Another thing that can help is to get some training, being a mobile detailer I would suggest you get in touch with Joe from Superior Shine, he is an awesome teacher and detailer, and gives you his 20 years of experience without reserve.
 
Jakerooni said:
Get new customers. it's your job to completely explain to them what they are buying from you. If your process takes 6-9 hours to give them what they are after then that should be the end of that conversation. If they want it faster to the point that you need to cut corner to get it done then they need to go shopping elsewhere. I know it's not what you want to hear but the downside to this conversation is you agree to their ridiciolus demands and start cutting corners and now they are all p issed off at you for giving them a shoddy job. Clearly explain to them that time is the very least important thing when it comes to properly detailing a car and if time is truely an issue there are nice coin ops or swirl o matics all over the place that can "Clean" their cars in a matter of minutes. But if they really want a professional service then they need to understand you need to do it right for them regardless of how much time it takes.
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You made me think of another point. I'm in a highly competitive market, and I've got to keep the price down. I'd like to cut back on the exterior work and still have a similar result. I can't charge any more then I already am and I'm spending too much time on the exterior. I don't end up making much money on these jobs and the customers are still freaking out about the cost! I do have some customers who could care less about the time issue and will pay me 'what is takes' to get the car perfect using all Zaino products. Most will not.
 
reparebrise said:
If you are charging $700-1200 than 6-9 hours is ok. As many above have made reference too organization, defined process, and product choices all make a difference.



Another thing that can help is to get some training, being a mobile detailer I would suggest you get in touch with Joe from Superior Shine, he is an awesome teacher and detailer, and gives you his 20 years of experience without reserve.
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Oh, no. I don't make anywhere close to that. People just won't pay it. I'd have zero customers if I charged that. I'd be lucky to break $20/hour. That's why I'm looking to cut back and make more per hour.
 
you've been doing this 5 years and you're not even breaking $20/hr? How exactly are you living?I know it's a scary step but start raising your prices. You're going to end up getting rid of all this riff raff you're attracting and start getting some higher end clientel. trust me there are people in just about every area that will pay for a true professional service. even in my are I'm finding it rather easy to get $250 - $350 per detail and It really dosen't get much worse anywhere in the states than Flint Michigan.
 
to be 100% honest here, it just doesnt seem like you really want the advice people are trying to give you...you seem to have the "I already know that" attitude.



product choice is a huge help -

go with megs 105 instead of optimum hyper compound. (less working time with megs)

use machine applied waxes/sealants instead of hand applied ones.

use one all purpose cleaner for every single part of the interior where applicable. Use 5-8 pads instead of cleaning out 2-3



Also, when has a full 3 step and full interior been known as a basic detail? thats a full reconditioning detail, not a basic. Your basic should be something like a wash and wax or a wash and one step with a light interior, not full correction on the paint and full interior deep cleaning! That could be another reason you are not receiving the profits your work may or may not deserve (havent seen your work, or your location). Your "basic detail" would run about 450-500 from most people on this forum. If you are charging 150 only, you are seriously undercutting yourself and the industry!
 
Jakerooni said:
you've been doing this 5 years and you're not even breaking $20/hr? How exactly are you living?I know it's a scary step but start raising your prices. You're going to end up getting rid of all this riff raff you're attracting and start getting some higher end clientel. trust me there are people in just about every area that will pay for a true professional service. even in my are I'm finding it rather easy to get $250 - $350 per detail and It really dosen't get much worse anywhere in the states than Flint Michigan.
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This is a side job for me. I'm not living on $20/hour. I'm mobile and I come to the customers house and use their water/power. I don't have a location or dedicated detail vehicle. This saves a lot of money. It's not like I'm losing money on a leased building or stock pile of chemicals or expensive equipment. This helps a whole lot.



If there are a large amount of people willing to pay good money for a detail, I can't find them. I've tried every reasonable method of advertising and people still want something for nothing. I even had to run a promo last month just to get business and knock my prices down even further, because people just weren't getting the detail work done. They would call and want their entire car done for like $100 (which I turn down). If they couldn't get it done at that price, then they would just hold off.



In order to give people what they want I have to:

wash the vehicle

clean the wheels/tires

dress the tires/black plastic

clean chrome (depending on car, this can take a long time)

remove bugs/road tar

do a basic paint correction with basic compound/machine

wax/remove

clean windows

then on the interior:

clean all the hard surfaces, leather/fabric/vents/doors/jams/pockets/sometimes headliner/windows

prep carpets and remove stains

shampoo carpets/mats/extract



All this for $150 (sedan/wagon/coupe)-$175 (SUV/truck/CUV). People just won't pay more and will complain if I do less.



How can I cut back or restructure my prices?



Can people post exactly what they are doing for a basic detail?



Should I switch to an hourly basis for my 'show car' Zaino system? Right now it is $300 for a complete Zaino 5-7 step exterior and complete interior on a sedan. This takes me 12-15 hours. or should I put a cap on how many labor hours $150-175 buys the customer and let them decide what I should skip?
 
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