Thinking about becoming a "weekend warrior"

W

Wicho

New member
I would first like to say sorry if my post becomes a little long. Heres my case, Im still in highschool and don't have a job. I get compliments on the apperance of my car almost everyday. Last Saturday while washing and waxing my car some lady that lives in the neighborhood drives up and asked if I was the one who washed my car, I replied yes then she what I charge. I was so stunned I didn't know what to say and replied " I don't wash cars " we both laughed and she drove off. My mothers friends have told me to wash their cars but I again declined. So now I am here thinking on how to start. I was thinking of making some business cards in my graphics class and hand them out to some friends and the higher end cars in schools. I also want to print out a price sheet to show to the customer when I show up or when they pass by my house. I currently don't own a polishing machine nor a shop vac. I will probably go out and get a shop vac this weekend. Also I have a limited amount of supplies to work with. Here's the list



5 clays bars

Mothers back to black

Oxy-clean

Megs gold class shampoo

Zymol cleaner wax

Megsgold class leather conditioner

Megs ColorX

Megs nxt wax

Rain X wash and wax shampoo

Eagle-one A2Z

Megs hot shine tire spray

Raggtopp cleaner

Raggtopp fabric protectant

Megs nxt car wash shampoo



Also have some brushes for the rug, rim, tires etc. Only have 2 MF towels though, have to stock up on those. Have some pads to apply the wax and polish also.



This is a list of the detail I am going to offer plus the price.



1. Wash and Wax

a. wash

b. wax

c. clean and dress wheels and tires

d. vacuum interior

e. clean windows

f. quick wipe down of interior.

$40 1 to 1 1/2 hours



2. Full detail.

Includes a wash and wax plus :

Clay the paint

Polish

Detail carpet and mats

Detail Seats/Leather

Detail interior plastics

$120 4-5hours



3. Extreme detail

Includes both wash and wax plus full detail and

2 coats of wax

Rejuvinate all black plastics

Detail headliner

Vacuum trunk

Spot treat any problem areas on exterior/interior of car

$160 6-7hours



Of course I will make variations for people who want a wash and wax but want to clean the headliner etc. I belive there is a good customer base around my neighborhood because of their cars ( high end caddys and bmw, benz etc). I will do all the waxing and polishing by hand to be on the safe side plus I don't have a machine now

:doh .

I plan on also handing out some business cards to my teachers and offer them a discount ( they can refer me to other teachers and give me extra credit heh ). Anyone who already has a steady business like this please give me some pointers/critisism on any part of my plan. Any help would be appriciated.



On a side note, I would like to know some products for the paint that would make the customers really "WOW!" when they see the car.
 
On a side note, I would like to know some products for the paint that would make the customers really "WOW!" when they see the car.
Click to expand...



to make your life easy, go with all Poorboys products. Very effective (all of them) well priced, very user friendly and shine like the sun!
 
What ever you do, you have to make sure to use a sealent, menzerna, poorboys, or my fav Zaino. You can't go wrong with Zaino. Just start with 2 bottles of z2 and zfx, with one bottle detailer spray to aid with removal on occasion. This is the best product to layer cause it cures instantly. It's non abrasive and easy to use. Due two coats then finish the rest of the car/truck. If you don't use a sealant and charge top dollar your customers will not be happy because the other stuff will wear out to fast. Ask yourself, would you shell out 100 plus bucks for a shine that might last three weeks? Then try topping with s100 wax, its a non streak non chalking wax thats easy on easy off. Key is don't let the S100 dry, just remove immedialty after applying it. Poorboys nattys is also a good topper but collects dust a little more long term, but is also easy to use and looks great like s100. This shine combo is tuff to beat and very easy! Try the Zaino Detailer spray at first only to remove excess when you need it and dilute it 50/50, after you make some mola buy some Z6 full stregth to be the last product you use on a car. This adds a little more shine and makes the car surface to repel dust. I buy clay magic clay lube for a general detailer spray by the case, its only 3 bucks per bottle about the cheapest out there, and you can use it as a detail spray to start and save you $. Also get some cheap micro fiber towels to start, its the most important product for a good and easy detail. To preserve them use soft terry towels to do the initial wipe then follow with micro. Don't use fabric softener or sheets when you wash your micro. Don't get into correcting paint problems until you've been trained. One mistake and you can find yourself paying for repainting a car. The products I told you about are completly safe, unless you drink them. Listen to what everyone says and if you chose my setup let me know and I will email plenty more tips. Some old man helped me out when I was young and got me started in this great occupation. Dont underestimate how important it is to use the right products for the wash. If the car has baked on dust and dirt, spray if with a degreaser like simple green thats dilluted before you touch it, then with water pressure hose off. Make sure your sponge never hits the ground and keep it in a breathable bag between washes. Lots of suds is good and always use a pro's soap, no dishwashing liqeud unless you are using it strip. When you make more money you'll buy cleaners like p21s, mothers, and AIO for this. Using dawn soap once aint going to hurt a car, but dont do it unless you have to strip cause ward cleaver just used the tutrle wax last week. If the water gathers you probably dont have to strip, if it beads or sheets it would be a good idea. It's not super critical but prep work makes the job pop trust me. Most people will be impressed anyway but when you start trying to impress yourself than you will know you have a career. MR clean auto dry get one. Wash and rinse one section at a time, the mr clean on filter setting will prevent water spots, this is a big deal. When you get to drying I would suggest the Absorber, its a synthetic sponge. If you buy a chamois wash it in the washing machine with clothes soap twice. Then run it through the washer twice w/o soap. This will get rid of the lanolin. I had to do a job over once cause I used a new shammy, what a rook? It was a long time ago but it still pains me how much work it was. To avoid this just buy the absorber. With no pressure run absorber along wet surface, youll be amazed. Always make sure its wet when you use it, and dont store it in container it will stink. Tires and wheels, can take forever unless you got this info. Find a good cleaner, I like 4 star, many other have their preferences. Spray on and with soft brush remove brake dust this is quick and it will look very presentable. Not as good as a mothers hand polishing but will take 10 minutes tops as opposed to an hour or more for a mother mag polish. Do this before you wash the car. Stoner tire spray is awesome, 60 seconds all 4 tires have a perfect shine. I have 3 cases of it. Dont buy Look Wet No Mess it doesn't seam to last as long as stoner. If its a car spray two cirlces around tire one oround inside and one outside. If suv do three circles and maybe two coats, try to avoid extra coats but it has to look good. Overspray isn't a prob. Do tire spray after wash duh, wipe off excess but the spray is amazingly accurate. The time and energy you'll save on tires will make evrything else seam smooth. To start this is a good, safe and cheap technique for the high school dude you is starting out. Try detailing spray on everything that needs it, chrome, hard smooth abs moldings, paint, etc. The link below is a forgiving detailing spray, some you have to be careful because they stain. I haven't stained anything with this stuff, buy a case it will help with your clay bars too. You cant find anything cheaper and I really like it!

Good luck young man. Q



http://www.autopia-carcare.com/clma49shcllu.html
 
You would be very smart to keep it simple. Try to look at offering your services from the customers' point of view. In other words; 'Find a need and fill it'.



Now go out there and find that lady who drove up and tell her that 'of course you wash cars' and that you would be willing to wash her car for FREE just to show her how good of a job you can do. That is a very good way to get other people talking about the car care services you would like to begin to offer. Remember, keep it simple.
 
Wow, a million thanks to Burly for the post, also a thank you to mirrior and td. VERY HELPFUL tips ! thanks again
 
I'd check with your local NAPA or other parts stores that carry Meguiars products and see if they will order you #80 Speed Glaze, and maybe #9 Swirl Remover in gallons to save you money on your polishes. I wouldn't go any stronger than #80 by hand. ColorX is also a very good product, but it will be more expensive to use since you can't buy it by the gallon.



NXT and Meguiars #16 Pro Paste will be excellent last step products but you also might want to consider using Poorboy's EX sealant (the one with carnauba) as well. I wouldn't go with boutique products until you really have the basics down solid. Plus, you can buy EX in bulk and a $12 can of #16 is enough for 40-50 cars. Much cheaper than Klasse or Zaino and appearance-wise, I think they look better too. Klasse or Zaino are more durable though...but if you get your customers in the habit of having their cars waxed with each season (4 times a year), NXT, #16 or EX will last through that time period.



You can get really good MF towel packages through www.exceldetail.com and www.pakshak.com . I do know that Pakshak has Autopia discounts, not sure about Excel Detail though.



I would definitely invest in a PC as soon as possible. You can work successfully by hand (I did for 10 years) but a PC will polish paint more deeply, evenly and quickly than you can by hand.



Make sure you don't overlook things like door jams and weather stripping, plus cleaning and dressing fenderwells. Also, when dressing tires, once you dress them, move the car about 2 feet forward or backward and go over the tires again so you don't leave a bare section on the part of the tire that was initially in contact with the ground.
 
ScottWax's got it. Get a craftsman buffer great for starters. Don't get a 10' hard to find quality bonnets for. Get the regular applicators at sears, but get MF's for removing. Makes a big difference and they last alot longer. Use Zaino on a budget. Also, the 3 step Meguires is real basic. I used to use the first 2 steps, Paint Cleaning and Polish. Really easy to use. Then use Zaino. YOu have use Paint cleaners and Polish at least. Charge 90 for paint cleaning, polish, and wax, then tell them since your a valued customer I'll sweep the car out. Then when you start getting really good the people will come and the next thing you know you have a PC and using higher quality products, because your customers are expecting more.

The little things make the difference when doing BUDGET cleaning.
 
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