What's your Process/Efficiency Tips?

[mshu7]

Since this area is dedicated to the pro detailer, I think it would be interesting to know what exact process you use when doing a full detail - exterior or interior first, wheels or paint first, interior worked top to bottom, etc. ?

Any input is much appreciated! :2thumbs:

[Mike Phillips]

Re: What's your Process/Efficiency Tips?

Here's three...

1. Start early. Like by 8:00am, don't wait till the crack of afternoon to get moving.
2. If at all possible, thoroughly wash the car the day before so it will be dry when you go to work on it by doing this you can start right off doing the 'detail' work, not washing the car.
3. Have your supplies organized and ready, nothing slows you dow more than to find out you're missing something and having to take the time to track something down.

[mshu7]

Re: What's your Process/Efficiency Tips?

Hey Mike, thanks for the fast response.

I figured out after I posted the original message, I didn't communicate my post very well. Here's what I'll add to the original message (since I cannot find the edit button):

I'd like to know what are some of your tips to save time/be more efficient during a full detail. I understand that in general it'll be wash-clay-polish-protect-interior. However, I'm more interested in details: during the wash, do you start with wheels or do those last; do you clay during washing; when doing the interior do you start at the top and work your way down, etc. Overall, just anything that you do that is a time-saver or helps you be more efficient, while still doing quality work.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: What's your Process/Efficiency Tips?

However, I'm more interested in details:

during the wash, do you start with wheels or do those last;

When washing a car, Meguiar's recommends start at the top and working your way down.

When doing a complete detail, i.e. exterior, interior, wheel wells, engine, Meguiar's recommends starting with the interior so things like carpets can have time to dry while you're cleaning and detailing the other areas. After interior work is done, then move on to the engine so that any splatter from this area that lands on the exterior of the car or wheels and tires will be cleaned off when you wash and detail these areas.

Basically you want to science out the order in which to clean things to give drying time to the things that have to dry and to avoid getting things dirty that you've already cleaned.

do you clay during washing;

Meguiar's does not recommend claying during washing as the potential to trap an abrasive dirt particle into the clay and then instilling scratches into the paint far outweighs the time saved by taking a short cut.

when doing the interior do you start at the top and work your way down, etc.

Do the tasks that will require getting things wet so that there is time for these things to dry, for example if the car has removable floor carpeted floor mats that need to be cleaned, then clean these first and then place them in an area that's warm or in the sun so that they can dry while your move onto something else.

Think - what is going to get wet, (liquid cleaners), and need to dry and out of these what can be removed from the car. Next do seats, floor carpets that cannot be removed, door panels, and then clean and dress vinyl, leather, plastic and glass.

Good questions!

[mshu7]

Re: What's your Process/Efficiency Tips?

Mike, thank you so much for all of your input! I really appreciate it. The tips that you've posted here are exactly what I was looking for. I really want to start my own detailing business so working efficiently while retaining quality of service is one of many things I'm trying to learn more about. Obviously, with experience comes knowledge. Although with Indiana weather, sometimes it's hard to get as much experience as you'd like...haha. I cannot wait for better weather!!! That's why right now I spend as much time as possible here.

By the way, I watch your DVD over and over again. Each time I pick up something else that I missed previously. I have to say, video's like that are my favorite tools for learning about the art of detailing if I can't be out there doing it myself! Thanks for putting that together and for your help here!

[jarred767]

Re: What's your Process/Efficiency Tips?

Hey, I'm somewhat new to detailing for a business (about six months now) but have some tips for you and I've learned a lot by looking through a lot of these posts, for example, I now hose the cars off without a sprayer once I'm done washing. This casuses the water to sheet off and therefore leaves less water for you to dry off.

Originally posted by mshu7
I understand that in general it'll be wash-clay-polish-protect-interior.

I actually do this a little different, I wash first and then dry, but I don't spend a ton of time drying, just make sure I get most of it and all the big stuff. Then I go to the interior so that the outside is able to fully dry before I go back to it.

I also will do a quick vacuum of the interior first to get all the big stuff out, but not waste too much time here. This is because once you shampoo the carpets you're gonna draw out more dirt and have to vacuum again anyway. I do all the interior before doing that final vacuum though because I've noticed lots of times little pieces of lint from your towels will fall into the car, just making more that you have to vacuum up later. Might as well make that last vacuum get everything so that you don't have to go back and get little stuff later.

Like Mike said, work from the top down, (a lot of dirt can be trapped towards the bottom of the car that you want to avoid getting into your mitt until as late as possible with as little of car left to wash. I always use a separate, older mitt as well to do the wheels since they usually tend to have a lot more dirt and I wouldn't want that to stay in there for when I do my next car and instill new swirls into that car, making my next job harder.

These are just a few tips, hopefully they're helpful, I'm interested to hear some other people's tips though too, because I feel like you can never know to much. Good luck with your new business venture.

Jarred

[TH0001]

Re: What's your Process/Efficiency Tips?

The way "I" do it (which I guess would not be recommended by Meguiars').

I start with the exterior, and as such I start with the bottom first. First thing I do is the time consuming part, the rims. Each rim and tire at a time. Then I take my "dirty" mitt and do the lowest parts and dirtiest parts first. Under and the lowest parts of the body, wheel well lips, under the bumpers....

Then I rinse and wash from the top down. I also look to save time in the wash it self. If the car is going to need some serious polishing, I donot take extra measures to avoid marring the surface, instead I use one bucket with a grit guard and go quick, trying to save time (Only if the car is already in bad shape and will require a lot of buffing).

After I rinse, I clay wet. That means I mist detailer (Meguiars' Last Touch, which is meant to be dilluted for use as clay lube) on to the wet panel and clay. After claying I will rinse once more using the sheeting method then dry with waffle weave microfibers.

I might do the interior now or later, depending on how much of interior needs to be done. If I need to do stain removal and/or shampooing, or the surfaces are really dirty I would start now. If its a simple vaccum and protect, I wait until after I applied an LSP.

For the exterior I polish (buff) as needed then go to my LSP of choice. As the LSP cures I dress the tires, wheelwells, exterior trim, and clean the windows. By this time the LSP should have cured, so I wipe away and my exterior is done. Then I will open the doors, trunk, hood, ect... and wipe with a quick detailer to clean and remove any dusting from the polishing process.

As far as speeding up the polishing process, I do several panels to 1/2 a car at a time. This is not the recommened way of doing it (Meguiars recommends you clean each section after buffing to avoid dilluting the fresh polish vs. the broken down polish). I do this on hard to buff paints (such as most Corvette's) but on the average car, if I am using the correct polish/pad on the paint, I find it makes very little difference. I recommend taking the time however to clean your pads often or swap them for new ones when they become saturated with polish or dirty. I use a cotton towel placed over my finger and clean the pad by pushing from the center out of the pad it spins. I do this after every one or two sections.