VanityDetailing
New member
I just moved to Jacksonville, FL a couple weeks ago, and have been steadily getting everything in line for my own business down here. However, the money was running thin. I was talking to a buddy of mine, whom is the parts manager for a HUGE dealership here (name removed to protect against slander/libel), and he said he could get me a part-time gig.
I went in, filled out the application, and then showed the GM my facebook page, with all of my "portfolio" of work. They told me I started at 9am the next day.
I got there, and was given a tour of the detailing dept... it was a big bay, big enough for a semi and a trailer, plenty of lights, and a drain in the floor... and let's not forget the floor. 2-3" of standing water at all times, and it was pitch black from dirt. UGH. Washing cars with a beat up WOOL wash mitt, out of a mop bucket with soap in it. Rinsing the cars with a garden hose, and uncharacteristically hard water (most of Jax has really soft water... water spots aren't a problem, except from the rain, except here). Drying them off with a chamois that looks like it's been there for a couple years, and then, using all Car-Brite products... the trauma of my detailing career...
Car-Brite "Wax-as-you-dry"... basically it's like quick detailer/quick wax, except it sucks. I actually got yelled at by the GM for using more than one microfiber per car.
Car-Brite Engine Gloss. It's like a male and female solution in one bottle... 3 sprays on the engine bay, wait 10mins, and the whole thing looks like you've dumped 2gals of engine dressing on it. Wipe off all the excess.
Car-Brite Tire/Interior Shine. Similar to above, except not as "reproductive." Same huge gloss though.
______ aerosol window cleaner (name removed again). Clean the windows, use it as a lubricant with a razor blade to scrape off stickers.
And there's more, that I just don't care enough about to go into detail. Basically, I was there to get cars ready for delivery. When I work on my own business' clients' cars, I'll spend on average 8-12 hours, per car. There, I did 20+ cars in 9-10 hours. If I wanted to get back into that kind of volume work, for junk money, I'd get back into the restaurant industry. I didn't realize it, until a week into it, that I absolutely hated it.
The kicker to all of this... I was working by myself on wednesday last week. I had 3 "lot cars" to do, and all needed to be buffed out, and that was my only workload for the day. I didn't realize that one of the cars I was buffing out, was a car that the DETAIL MANAGER had already buffed out, but never finished. I re-did the whole car, and got the other 2 done. It was BY FAR not my best work, nor was it work I wanted to really put my name on, but they looked a ton better than they did.
I went in on friday, to pick up my paycheck, and they said, "we need to talk." Uh oh. They said, "it's not working out. We need someone that's more 'volume-oriented' and not as 'detail-oriented.'" I said, "correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it the 'detail department'?" They said, "it is, but we need someone who can pump out closer to 30 cars a day... you were struggling to get 20. They looked great, but it's not really what we need. Plus, you made the Detail Mgr look bad when you fixed that car he did." I said, "so, basically, I'm being fired for taking pride in my work, and putting out a good product?" They said, "Essentially, yeah."
ROFL.
I went in, filled out the application, and then showed the GM my facebook page, with all of my "portfolio" of work. They told me I started at 9am the next day.
I got there, and was given a tour of the detailing dept... it was a big bay, big enough for a semi and a trailer, plenty of lights, and a drain in the floor... and let's not forget the floor. 2-3" of standing water at all times, and it was pitch black from dirt. UGH. Washing cars with a beat up WOOL wash mitt, out of a mop bucket with soap in it. Rinsing the cars with a garden hose, and uncharacteristically hard water (most of Jax has really soft water... water spots aren't a problem, except from the rain, except here). Drying them off with a chamois that looks like it's been there for a couple years, and then, using all Car-Brite products... the trauma of my detailing career...
Car-Brite "Wax-as-you-dry"... basically it's like quick detailer/quick wax, except it sucks. I actually got yelled at by the GM for using more than one microfiber per car.
Car-Brite Engine Gloss. It's like a male and female solution in one bottle... 3 sprays on the engine bay, wait 10mins, and the whole thing looks like you've dumped 2gals of engine dressing on it. Wipe off all the excess.
Car-Brite Tire/Interior Shine. Similar to above, except not as "reproductive." Same huge gloss though.
______ aerosol window cleaner (name removed again). Clean the windows, use it as a lubricant with a razor blade to scrape off stickers.
And there's more, that I just don't care enough about to go into detail. Basically, I was there to get cars ready for delivery. When I work on my own business' clients' cars, I'll spend on average 8-12 hours, per car. There, I did 20+ cars in 9-10 hours. If I wanted to get back into that kind of volume work, for junk money, I'd get back into the restaurant industry. I didn't realize it, until a week into it, that I absolutely hated it.
The kicker to all of this... I was working by myself on wednesday last week. I had 3 "lot cars" to do, and all needed to be buffed out, and that was my only workload for the day. I didn't realize that one of the cars I was buffing out, was a car that the DETAIL MANAGER had already buffed out, but never finished. I re-did the whole car, and got the other 2 done. It was BY FAR not my best work, nor was it work I wanted to really put my name on, but they looked a ton better than they did.
I went in on friday, to pick up my paycheck, and they said, "we need to talk." Uh oh. They said, "it's not working out. We need someone that's more 'volume-oriented' and not as 'detail-oriented.'" I said, "correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it the 'detail department'?" They said, "it is, but we need someone who can pump out closer to 30 cars a day... you were struggling to get 20. They looked great, but it's not really what we need. Plus, you made the Detail Mgr look bad when you fixed that car he did." I said, "so, basically, I'm being fired for taking pride in my work, and putting out a good product?" They said, "Essentially, yeah."
ROFL.
