I just did my first two paying details.. well, not really. They're family and I told them I wanted to detail their cars for experience and also for some before/after photos to use when I put my website together. I said I'd do it for free, but they paid me anyway... altough definately not what I'm wanting to charge.
I'm wondering if my times are average or if I'm taking too long?
The first car was a 2006 Mustang GT, it took me 8 hours. Former smokers car (he quit a couple of years ago), and there was overspray all over the car (parked outside next to a building that was getting painted).
Wash
Two-bucket method with GC shampoo
Washed wheels first, sprayed first with APC+ on wheels/wheel wells and tire foam on the tires, then scrubbed with soft bristle brushes
Dried with water magnet
Engine Bay
Rinsed with water, then sprayed everything with APC+, then scrubbed everything with soft bristle brush, rinsed again with water and let stand to dry. Later followed by Hyper Dressing 2:1, let it dwell for awhile, then wiped off excess. Wiped down painted areas (on hood, too) with APC+ first, then Last Touch, then UQW.
Exterior
Clayed with mild clay and Last Touch 1:1
Went over car with UC, using Lake Country white pad on my G110v2
Applied one coat of NXT Wax with black LC pad
Applied Hyper Dressing to black trim and wheel wells
Applied UQW to wheels
Applied aerosol Hot Shine Tire Coating to tires
Interior
Vacuumed carpet/seats
Cleaned everything with APC+ (leather seats, dash, door panels, door jambs, etc)
Applied GC leather spray to leather seats
Applied Ultimate Shine protectant to all vinyl surfaces (dash, door panels, console, etc)
Cleaned door jambs further with Last Touch 1:1, followed with UQW
Same thing for trunk, vacuumed, coated plastics, cleaned jambs as above
Treated carpeted surfaces with Odor Eliminator
Cleaned windows with Quik Glass cleaner inside and out
The second car was a 2001 Lexus ES300 with pearl white paint. It took me 9 hours. Owner is a heavy smoker, but the car is well taken care of (40,000 miles). It's always garaged (at least at night). The seats in this car were a nightmare!
I followed basically the same steps above, took me an extra hour because of a full back seat instead of just a 2+2 setup.
So is 8-9 hours about right for these kinds of detail jobs? If not, what can I do to decrease the time? I really busted my a$$, I don't see how I could cut time from anywhere. Maybe if I used something like D151 instead of UC and NXT, that would save me a step.
I'm wondering if my times are average or if I'm taking too long?
The first car was a 2006 Mustang GT, it took me 8 hours. Former smokers car (he quit a couple of years ago), and there was overspray all over the car (parked outside next to a building that was getting painted).
Wash
Two-bucket method with GC shampoo
Washed wheels first, sprayed first with APC+ on wheels/wheel wells and tire foam on the tires, then scrubbed with soft bristle brushes
Dried with water magnet
Engine Bay
Rinsed with water, then sprayed everything with APC+, then scrubbed everything with soft bristle brush, rinsed again with water and let stand to dry. Later followed by Hyper Dressing 2:1, let it dwell for awhile, then wiped off excess. Wiped down painted areas (on hood, too) with APC+ first, then Last Touch, then UQW.
Exterior
Clayed with mild clay and Last Touch 1:1
Went over car with UC, using Lake Country white pad on my G110v2
Applied one coat of NXT Wax with black LC pad
Applied Hyper Dressing to black trim and wheel wells
Applied UQW to wheels
Applied aerosol Hot Shine Tire Coating to tires
Interior
Vacuumed carpet/seats
Cleaned everything with APC+ (leather seats, dash, door panels, door jambs, etc)
Applied GC leather spray to leather seats
Applied Ultimate Shine protectant to all vinyl surfaces (dash, door panels, console, etc)
Cleaned door jambs further with Last Touch 1:1, followed with UQW
Same thing for trunk, vacuumed, coated plastics, cleaned jambs as above
Treated carpeted surfaces with Odor Eliminator
Cleaned windows with Quik Glass cleaner inside and out
The second car was a 2001 Lexus ES300 with pearl white paint. It took me 9 hours. Owner is a heavy smoker, but the car is well taken care of (40,000 miles). It's always garaged (at least at night). The seats in this car were a nightmare!
I followed basically the same steps above, took me an extra hour because of a full back seat instead of just a 2+2 setup.
So is 8-9 hours about right for these kinds of detail jobs? If not, what can I do to decrease the time? I really busted my a$$, I don't see how I could cut time from anywhere. Maybe if I used something like D151 instead of UC and NXT, that would save me a step.
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