just had to vent!!!

O

ocd dave

New member
so i had to vent this out somewhere else cause the wife was tired of hearing about it :chuckle:



so as some of you know I'm still working at a dealership that i cant stand. EVERY DAY I see things go on that make my head spin or I am ordered to do something that makes me wanna put in my 2 weeks notice and today was no different. This afternoon on of my 9 bosses come up to me and says " we need all the swirls on this BMW removed with in 2 hours because we promised the customer it would be done by 4pm" right away I already didnt like the sound of what was ahead. i took a look at the car and it was the dreaded jet black with MAJOR correction needed on the hood. So I went to find the DA sander only to find out that we dont carry those sanding pads because they cause "over processing" so they expected me to hand sand the entire hood & 3 step the hood and fix the swirls in just under 2 hours!!!:hairpull:hairpull:hairpull



since time was an issue i had to wool pad the hood which took many passes just to look "ok" then finish down the rest of the car. I also had to recruit another guy who thinks that he's gods gift to buffing and you cant show him anything just to meet their promised time. so the 2 hours goes by and im trying to make the 9 bosses understand that this type of work take MUCH more time and different products. 3M wasnt cutting it.



the end result was no swirls on my side, still some swirls left over on the other guys side because according to him "bmw's swirls dont come out all the way" and defects were still showing on the $40k car. the only thing i could do was grit my teeth when one of the bosses said that it looked perfect.

idk what the customers reaction was cause they were late getting there but it is still in need of a lot of correction.



i just cant stand these kinds of days and i know that im better than this. and i feel like this place is eating my soul along with customers hope for a somewhat good quality vehicle.



im sure there are a couple of you REAL perfectionists out there who are stuck working along side of hacks& are in the same dealership boat. how do yall cope with it? ive been doing it for over 3 years and the "striving for perfection pride" takes a hit every day.
 
Dave,



I can appreciate what you're saying, but I think you need to lower your standards when you're at work. The dealer has low expectations, and most customers don't know any better.



If you're really serious about this, you should chat with your manager and explain to him what you can really do, and let him know that you could make the cars worth more money with your skills (assuming these are used cars). If you're doing new car prep, you're SOL.



If it's any consolation, the work you're doing is STILL 100% better than most of what's being done out there for dealer prep. Maybe you should consider working for a dealer that sells used exotics. That way you'd probably have customers with higher expectations, which may translate into a bigger paycheck and improved job satisfaction for you.
 
I hear you, but dealer work isn't for you, son. Not only do you strive for perfection, you also work with great enthusiasm and ethics. You are a rare breed. At least you get to do REAL detailing, as opposed to being like the guy on another forum who is complaining about the car wash processes his coworkers perform on customers cars at the dealer.



It's time to either do full time detailing (independently or elsewhere) and benefit from it, or change career. You know what, I met a few mechanics who used to work at BMW stores/dealers. These guys were telling me about the HACK jobs they perform on vehicles to claim warranty money from BMW.



lol...
 
Maybe you should think about starting your own business? But if you dont want to take it that far, maybe you can see if there are any other detailing jobs around



Good Luck ;)
 
Your abilities and goals don't align with the dealership's business model (speed/quantity customers, in most cases) or methods. :)



You just have to find a medium where you can exercise your skills and your way of doing things, and obviously the dealer isn't the place for that as you have learned. There's nothing like being used to detailing and then coming across a person/client/boss who wants your work, completed in 3 hours. It's a hair-puller for sure :2thumbs:.
 
I feel ya. Im in the same boat. 9 bosses and not one of em have ever done this kind of work. Plus in my experience the sales people dont care. Make it good enough to get it off the lot and then its the customers problem. Crappy way to do things, but when ya got 3 kids and car payments, you gotta pay the bills somehow. Maybe you'll get lucky and be able to strike out on your own. Either way keep your head up, do the best work you can and know theres something better down the road.
 
Why not throw some good ole #9 on the car, make it look perfect for a few days. Make your bosses happy. On the way out, congratulate the new owner on such a fine car, pull them aside and tell them the dealership doesn't pay for advanced correction on the cars, but here is your card and you'd be glad to help them out on your day off.



I think you will make yourself a lot happier if you concentrate on doing the best job for your dealership instead of getting the finish perfect.
 
OCD Dave- I guess it's easy to advise you to quit your job, but sheesh, these days I'd sure think twice about giving up a steady paycheck.



OTOH, if you don't like what you do for a living I truly believe it'll wreck your life. Make that "*LOVE* what you do for a living".



I think you need to find some way to resolve this without quitting. Talk to the appropriate person, change your "at work" standards, but do *something* so you can get through the workweek without being so unhappy.



And honestly, I have some not-so-Autopian opinions about "true perfectionists" who can't turn out a less than perfect detail without letting it bug them. You do the best you can, given the situation, and that's that IMO. Apply that to every aspect of your life and I'd say you'll be doing OK.
 
Accumulator said:
You do the best you can, given the situation, and that's that IMO. Apply that to every aspect of your life and I'd say you'll be doing OK.
Click to expand...



Very good rule to live by.
 
thanks for the advice and words of encouragement everyone!



true, i would love to just quit and venture out with my own business. i am planning on doin so next spring. for now my main job is a constant paycheck while i build up a customer base.



when at work i do try to lower my standards just to bring home the steady check & most cases i am able to do so. but from time to time things come up like what i was talking about earlier and my pride & that feeling of always trying to out preform my last job really take a hit.



on 1 hand i owe this place a lot because if not for them them i wouldnt have found a trade that i love doing. on the other hand (not trying to sound cocky) i feel that i have outgrown that place because my skills have exceeded the work load & the few people that really know what they were doing that i have learned from have left or are on their way out. to be honest ive learned more from everyone here Autopia in the past 5 months or so than i have in the past year at work.



For now i think ill just keep taking the good ole pride beatings untill the customers are there to the point that i can support the family.

i guess i just have to :wall when things this this keep coming up:laugh:



how everyone is doing well and has a safe and happy Christmas, or Holiday :)



P.S. my dealership doesnt allow me to post on the internet as to which one i work at cause i can get fired for that. and they have people looking all the time. but i can tell you thats its a major one.
 
Been there, Dave. I know EXACTLY how you feel.

Unfortunately, the "like it or lump it" policy, followed by the "we don't care what you think" corollary holds sway in places like that.
 
yakky said:
Why not throw some good ole #9 on the car, make it look perfect for a few days. Make your bosses happy. On the way out, congratulate the new owner on such a fine car, pull them aside and tell them the dealership doesn't pay for advanced correction on the cars, but here is your card and you'd be glad to help them out on your day off.



I think you will make yourself a lot happier if you concentrate on doing the best job for your dealership instead of getting the finish perfect.
Click to expand...





I was thinking the same thing! "Glaze them up, ship them out"
 
toyotaguy said:
I was thinking the same thing! "Glaze them up, ship them out"
Click to expand...





I like that thinking. That actually sounds better than taking a wool pad on the tougher swirls. Rushed wool application and improper (or lack of) follow-up procedures are always the culprits of dealer instilled holograms.
 
I was in this same boat for a while Dave. Its hard to comprimise what you can do and what you should do. Its a very frustrating position to be in. YOu got to realize one thing. You a getting paid to provide a service in there standards and not yours. Dealerships are all about turnover. Here you see many of us taking our time to perfect everything. You need to realize one thing. We get paid to do that. You get paid to clean cars. This will only change when you make it change. There is nothing in your power that can change it there. The hardest part for me was to grow a set and move on to my own. I did it with a wife and 3 kids. A mortgage, Car Payments. I had virtually no capitol and today its a different story. Please feel free to call me anytime if you need advice! Im here for you and completly understand.

Barry
 
Dave, I think you are too good for that place.. Why don't they use their time to make the cars look good rather than spying on the Internet if any employee tells the truth about them.. ??
 
Thanx Markk77, I guess in a corporate work that makes sense?!?! :nixweiss





Thank you very much Barry!!! I'll be taking you up on that soon. I know I'll never be happy until I'm my own boss & some seasoned know how will definitely be a great help! Thanx again, that really means a lot:hifive:
 
yakky said:
Why not throw some good ole #9 on the car, make it look perfect for a few days. Make your bosses happy. On the way out, congratulate the new owner on such a fine car, pull them aside and tell them the dealership doesn't pay for advanced correction on the cars, but here is your card and you'd be glad to help them out on your day off.



I think you will make yourself a lot happier if you concentrate on doing the best job for your dealership instead of getting the finish perfect.
Click to expand...





+1 The views of what makes US (The Caring Detailer) happy are not always that of the consumer or business. Unfortunately the inter-relation of the four variables of QUALITY, TIME, SCOPE and RESOURCES, play into every detail that we do. It is by managing these variables that you keep yourself SANE.



  • QUALITY (What "degree of excellence" can be achieved to meet the objectives?).
  • TIME (What is an acceptable duration for satisfactory completion of objectives?)
  • SCOPE (What objectives need to be done to constitute satisfaction?)
  • RESOURCES (Who and/or what products or equipment do you have that can help you meet the objective?)



Using the OP's case (OCDave) as an example:



“This afternoon one of my 9 bosses come up to me and says “we need all the swirls on this BMW removed with in 2 hours because we promised the customer it would be done by 4pm"”



This one statement provides you with the one important objective, which in this case, is TIME. You as the detailer know that the QUALITY (Compounding, Polishing, Jewelling, Glazing, etc.) will be severely limited given the SCOPE (a swirled up Jet Black BMW) of the project along with the RESOURCES provided (Other people, products and equipment). Since the weight of the project is heavily weighted on TIME, you as the detailer need a strategy that is going to meet that objective at the risk of the other.



The general consumer, in many cases, seems pretty flexible when it comes to TIME, because they prefer for their detail job to be done right the first TIME. However when working with some dealerships, “detailers that care”, are severely handicapped by TIME because of the “detailers attention” on QUALITY. Just remember who you are trying to please when someone gives you a TIME constraint. It is your manager and not you. Obviously each case is different, but in order to stay “sane” you have to have what I call, the “MICRO” / “MACRO” view.

• MICROVIEW – having the view of a polishing panel that is very focused on a very small area. It is at this view point where you can see micromarring, single compound swirls, very minor scratches and each speckle of flake in the case of metallic paints. You need a “directed beam” light source to bring some of the defects to view. In many cases a detailer focusing at this point of view is concentrating on complete removal of these defects. This point of view is required when trying to obtain optimal clarity which in many cases also improves gloss/shine. (Example products used Heavy/Light Compounds, Polishes)

• MACROVIEW – having the view of a polishing panel for very wide-focused area or in some cases the whole car itself. It is at this view where you can easily see oxidation, compound hazing, holograms, and deep swirls. Either a Directed beam or a Wide beam light source will easily show these MACROVIEW defects. A detailer focusing at this point of view is primarily concerned with increasing the overall gloss and not obtaining optimal clarity or complete removal of defects. (Example products used in this Point of view Glazes, Waxes, and Sealants).



“Detailers that care” have a MICROVIEW (sometimes a NANOVIEW (more about that in the paper)) of every panel/part of a vehicle that they are detailing. In doing so, they are able to spot flaws in a finish from one hundred feet back. In some cases we pull out Microscopes to look at a contaminant on a finish. This point of view is really what is needed to turn out the best QUALITY of workmanship, and I would encourage all to look at your polishing panels in this way. The reality however, is that polishing to a MICROVIEW takes TIME. If the SCOPE of the job requires this higher degree of QUALITY, then the more TIME it will take, unless more RESOURCES can be added. In expense terms, TIME is money; therefore the MICROVIEW can become rather expensive, but provide the general consumer with the best long term value.



On the flip side however, most people (which is what most dealership are trying to please) have a macro view of a vehicle (unless educated on the MICROVIEW) and only care about gloss/shine. This is where you as a detailer have to understand that this is what dealers want because this is what takes the least amount of TIME to accomplish and it may create a reason for the customer to come back for that “SHINE” that they had when they first picked up their vehicle. Dealerships make money by repeat service, efficiency with that service, and the end customer’s satisfaction. In many cases, dealerships define their own SCOPE for what they assume their customer wants, which in turn severely hampers the QUALITY and TIME of the detailing job. Additional RESOURCES can be thrown at the job, but the RESOURCES are usually still inadequate to meet the demands of an educated MICROVIEW customer. For a MACROVIEW customer, however, the dealership will succeed.



In OCDave’s case I see that you may have an opportunity to educate the used car manager/ or sales to these variables and then maybe you can become a liaison for QUALITY customer satisfaction. Sales should not be quoting the duration of a polishing job. It should be a service or detailing manager that does this. However, all managers (including the sales manager), understand these variables and when they learn that their end customer may be displeased with the end result because they failed to properly communicate the SCOPE of service, (which may cost them money later on) they will listen.



I am currently writing a paper on these very issues, because it is this type of information that I think that customers are lacking. I have been the recipient of many different vehicles that required my services because of a hack detail job at the dealership, because they had such an importance on TIME. I welcome them because it provides me with the opportunity to fix the issue, educate, and then build a long TIME working relationship with my customer.



So for all you “caring detailers” out there, who currently are working at a dealership, know that with an open mind and keeping to your work ethics, you have an opportunity to educate and/or perhaps have your own business very soon. OCD DAVE, you are on the right track. This is just a lesson for later.
 
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