Detailing for Profit Q's (Mobile)

[audioguy99]

I have a few questions about becoming more efficient and profitable in my relatively new mobile business. Since time=money, I'm quickly realizing the importance of constantly improving quality and also reducing the time spent on each vehicle.

First off, does anyone have procedure cards or a detailed outline for the detailing process that aids in developing a routine, being more ergonomic, etc. that has been "tested and proven successful"?

What are the reasons/advantages for doing the exterior first and then interior or vice versa?

Any other reasonable time saving tips? I say reasonable because I pride myself on delivering quality. On one forum I was reading I saw (what I consider to be) the most rediculous suggestion that one buy a dollar store sponge mop for applying wax quickly.

I am currently "shampooing" by hand but have been considering an extractor. Is the return and time saved a great enough benefit that I should "charge" a unit to have it now rather than saving to buy it cash? If so, what extractor or machine (not the Little Green Machine) is best in your opinion for a mobile operation, ease of use, and producing quality results?

I have lots of other questions and have been doing tons of reading/research on my own, but thought some of you more experienced detailers could help me out.

Thanks for any feedback or input!

Jonathan

[johnyB]

Re: Detailing for Profit Q's (Mobile)

hello i own a shop and been cleaning and protecting cars for 10 years now. i hope this will help u. Pls remeber tht the eviroment your working in is extremly important so with this in mind(u being mobile) ill try to mod my personal way of doing things.

At my shop i dont have a week to work on a car more like 4 hours. this is because of my customers not my choice id go till it was mint hehehe. But being realistic the average customer MoM with kids and a minivan dont realy care about perfectpaint and so on and note they are also on a buget. "They want a clean and shiny" car.

Asume they want the works engine and all.
1 degrease the door trunk and gas door hinge areas use presure washer to rinse aiming away from the interior.
2 wet fenders and painted areas near the engine use engine shampoo degreaser as needed presure wash carfuly.
3 spray the rim with cleaner, brush the rims (softbrush no wire bristle even on those nasty nasty rims) if useing acid spray down with akaline to nutralize the acid efect after scrubing rim then do the tires with the akaline soap. do one at a time. rinse.
4 degreas the outside and scrbthe parts of the car tht takes the most beating front end wheel wells rocker panels. rinse then wash and dry the car.
5 remove the garbage and mats from the car.
6 use a air gun to blow all the junk out the tight spots.
7 i like to start on the drivers side begin your cleaning of the doors and dash from the inside working your way out clean ruber trim and so on.
8 now tht all the crud is on the floor vacume.
9 time for shampoo i like 2 buckets one for seats one for the floor carpet.
10 while waitng for the inside to dry thats when i do engine dressing and detailing (engine) and wheels.
11. wax car (read some of these forums for ideas/combinations
12 clean all the glass
13 aply protectant to the interior and rubbers
14. final vacume
15. quality inspection.

as u can see i like the mix of both outside and inside and i feal tht this way is best for detailing for profit. (quality/speed}. remember this is just how to do the labour knowing your chems polishes waxes protectants is a must. useing a quality system like Meguiars products just makes life easier and you guranted compatabilty.

Extractor vs shampoo I like shampoo for newer cars (not so dirty) takes little time to dry and extractors for the real dirty. And for the cars that need a exorcism both. When u shampoo you scrub with a brush then vacum tis great for the top but it doesnt get deep into the carpet as an extractor. personaly i like to shampoo then rinse it with a lower presure extractor with just freash water so u can get any residue left from the shampoo. As wich one to buy essh thts a tuff one your best bet is to rent one and if u like tht model buy it.

Good luck and this is my first time wrighting a procedure if anything there should be some useful tips.

[Chex]

Re: Detailing for Profit Q's (Mobile)

I agree with the "time=money" term, but the less time you spend, the lower the quality you'll give. so you have to balance those two variables.

If you would make a car only from the exteriors, use your normal washing techniques, just making sure you're doint it right to nt instill more scratches in the surface. Then get some M66(quick detailer) and apply it with a G100/PC and a W-8006 pad and that should give you good results.

regarding interiors, I've seen that extracting machines give you better cleaning power and yes, will reduce time. however, I think it would be better to keep the same price if you did it with an extraction system, because if people know you charge the same price and do it faster, then you may have an advantage against your competitors.

and when doing a full car, I prefer to start with the interiors, because the time they take to dry is the time I can spend detailing the engine, wheels, and paint. So when I'm done with the car, the seats are almost dry or completely dry. I take the following steps when doing a full detail:

1. Interiors

vacuum the car thoroughly
clean tough stains with a pre spot cleaner
clean the doors
clean the dashboard
clean the mats and carpets
clean the seats
clean the upper ceiling mat/mirrors, etc
dress the dashboard
clean all the windows (from the inside)
mist some odor remover

2. Engine

pre soak the engine
use the engine degreaser
clean the hood from the inside
rinse the engine and the hood from the inside
dress the engine (if the customer wants)

3. Wash the car

Pre soak the car
wash the car (from top to bottom)
wash the wheels
rinse the car
clean door jambs, etc
dry the car (if that's all the customer wants, I'll dry it spot free)

4. Inspect the car: any dirt remaining may cause scratches

5. clay the car

6. Mask the moldings and trim

7. apply M66(quick detailer) with a foam polishing pad and a rotary

8. clean the residue

9. unmask the trim and moldings

10. clean any remaining residue

11. deep clean windows by the oustide

12. check door jambs for residue and wipe it off it there is

13. final inspection.

14. deliver the car to the customer


This process can get longer if the customer wants his car to be compounded and polished, but it all depends on what they expect, and how much will they pay for the job to be done.

I agree also with johnyB, and Mike said it to me also: most people are on a budget, and most of them won't care what you did to the car. If it's clean and shiny they'll be happy (unless your customer pays you lots of dollars for an immaculate job)

I'd suggest you to take times and see how much you spend doing a certain job (ex: 2 hours on the interiors, 30 mins washing the car) in a certain size of car and conditions. that could also give you a clearer idea on how much to charge or if you need to offer other kind of services depending on the condition of the vehicle. And analyze your customers. that will even make things clearer

Hope this helps

[audioguy99]

Re: Detailing for Profit Q's (Mobile)

Thanks for the insight. One of the reasons I said "reasonable" time saving tips is so that I can deliver quality but just establish a routine to take out the guess work and dead times.

I've heard of some shops or companies providing checklists or procedure cards to follow, so that's kinda what I was looking for.

Being mobile, I also have to consider travel time and set-up/take-down time. I would agree that most customers just want a "clean and shiny" car...but I guess my perfectionism and the "deliver more than expected" mentality finds me spending more time than might be necessary to satisfy the customer.

I want to refine the process so that when things really pick up I can do the extra work. A half-hour here or there could mean another car that day = more income = more profit and so on. I want to eventually have employees too. Just trying to always think two steps ahead!

Thanks again. Anyone else?

Jonathan

[cmd]

Re: Detailing for Profit Q's (Mobile)

detail king has a web site that has checklists

[Detaillab]

Re: Detailing for Profit Q's (Mobile)

Being mobile means you don't control the enviroment you are working in. That sometimes means you have to provide your shade, you have to rinse more often, you have to fight wind, you have to fight poor lighting. Being prepared can end up saving you time. Also using products like quick detailer can save you time in the long run. Use quick detailer after a wash will leave you stereak and spot free on darker cars, but takes half the time of trying to dry it without streaks or spots. Lastly take advantage of drying times. While the wax dries, dress the tires, wash the windows. you get the idea.

[mirrorfinishman]

Re: Detailing for Profit Q's (Mobile)

Jonathan,

You may want to consider writing down your current step by step detailing process. That would be a good way for you to begin to see exactly where you can make some improvements. Improvements that would result in an overall savings in total time.

Just make a basic outline of your current detailing process. Then break down the outline down into individual steps. Then take a closer look at each individual step. Look at each step and see how it fits into your total process. That will help to give you a clear view to make sure things are being done in an order that is most efficient.

Another way to improve your process and become more efficient is to set your own goals and objectives. It sounds simple and easy enough. However, it is not always that simple and that easy. It takes careful planning. From a business point of view, planning is something that should be done at the beginning of a process. Not an after thought.

By setting goals and objectives, you will begin to identify what things need to be done, when they should be done and how they will be done. As a result, you will be better prepared when it comes to figuring out what things need to be changed, why they should be changed and how they should be changed.

From a business standpoint, it makes good sense to constantly improve your process. And you should plan to review all of your business operations on a periodic basis. The important part of setting realistic goals and objectives is making sure they are being accomplished as planned.

Just a few well intentioned thoughts.