About 99% of what I learned about detailing aside from trial-and-error, I learned from this forum. However, I've noticed that this forum is heavily weighted towards a boutique brand of detailing that in my experience:
* Is much more difficult
* Has lower profit margins
* Is less scalable
I am an entrepreneur by nature. I did not get into this business because I like to clean cars. I got into this business because I like to do something new every day while I pay other people to clean cars (not that I don't like getting outside and cleaning cars every once in a while, just not every day)
I'm writing this thread to see if there are any other people like me on here, and to see if a dialog can be opened up for us to share our experiences, hints, knowledge and know-how.
A few examples of the kinds of things I do:
* I avoid services that someone cannot learn how to do in a few days.
* I NEVER tell customers I will remove scratches or do wet-sanding. I tell them very light scratches will probably be removed or be less visible. I do this because:
a) It is difficult to communicate to a customer over the phone what kinds of scratches a detailer can and cannot remove and customers have a strong statistical likelihood of under representing the damage.
b) Most calls I get are from people wanting their cars to look shiny and nice and to clean out the interior that has been trashed by their two year old. Customers who are looking for a detailer experienced with a rotary and wet sanding are, in my experience, a statistical minority.
c) Proper scratch removal requires a high level of skill as well as assumption of risk. In my experience, it is much more profitable to operate to stick to jobs that are easier, less risky, less expensive for the customer, and more straight-forward.
* I NEVER use a rotary. Rotaries require a high level of skill and are risky. It is hard to train someone new in a reasonable amount of time to use a rotary. (I use Dual-Action Polisherers)
* I offer low-cost services in bulk. I use day-laborers for a lot of the wholesale stuff.
a) Quick washes, spray-waxes, vaccuum, and Dashboard wipe-down for $30 (minimum of 10 cars)
b) Auto dealerships
c) vehicle fleets
d) calcium/cement deposit removal for parking garages (2/3 posts I found on cement removal suggest using vinagar which doesn't work very well, I use something that dissolves it on contact)
e) The kicker for all this is I make a lot of money doing this stuff. Using advice and methods on here, I'd have to charge much more and make much less.
* I have computer software that I wrote myself that handles my scheduling. It uploads a calendar online so that the detailers can view what they are scheduled for and download and print out job information and invoices for the customer. I'm currently having a better version of this software developed my someone else.
* I use chemicles and products that work very well in my opinion, but seem to be vastly cheaper and easier to use than anything reccommended on here. (Seriously people, why would you want to work just to pay for your supplies and equipment?)
Some of the products I use are:
* Turtle Wax Ice Car Wash
a) Eliminates water spots
b) leaves paint glossy
c) costs $6.99/ gal @ Costco
d) I saw some clown on here offering some boutique car wash that looked like it did the same damn thing on this site for $30/gal.
* Stoners Products! - I order the cleaners in 5 gallon drums, 55 gallons at a time for the 55 gallon drum price. Shipping is free East side of the Mississippi and usually comes the next day. This company is awesome, they actually develop and manufacture the products themselves. (
Stoner is your factory direct source for professional detailing products and car wash chemicals & supplies.)
-) Bead Max (straight polymer sealant, aerosol can)
-) Spead Bead (polymer sealant w/ cleaners, aerosol can)
-) Polish and Seal (One step)
-) APC (heavy dillutions)
-) Wheel Cleaner (heavy dillutions)
-) Trim shine
-) Tarminator
-) Window cleaner
* Microfibres from Costco
* Odo-Ban from Sams Club
* Detailing brushes from Wal-Mart ( sells brushes that work great for cup holders and another that is awesome for the crevice between the seats and center console)
* Zaino - (A good value, in my opinion, for our higher end stuff)
My Question:
- I have a lot of questions, but the one I was looking for the answer too that got me side-tracked writing this post is:
---Where the heck do I get good polishing pads for cheap???---
I feel like polishing pads are such a rip-off. They wear out too fast for my taste and cost too much to be just a stupid pad. Right now I use EDGE pads which I think are expensive, but they last longer. I used to use the ones with the velcro backing plates and the backing plates would get all full of gunk that I couldn't wash off and quit sticking to the pads. I feel like pads should cost a lot less than they do.
