How long does it take to do a complete detail?

I am curious to know how long it takes fellow detailers to do a complete detail
on average? This includes engine, exterior, interior,and trunk.Also, what
do you charge for it, and do you use a sealant or wax.

Assuming you are doing a 3 step on the paint: correction/swirl-remove/wax it should take about 4 manhours to complete.

Pricing should be based first on your hourly rate (determined by your costs of operation) and then what the market will pay.

For example, if your hourly rate is $50 an hour that would be $200 but if the market will pay $250 then charge $250.

We recommend to our customers to use a sealant since it goes on easier, comes off easier and is a better product than a wax.

Glad to help.

Hi folks, new to the Web Site. So far very informative. I've done detailing for a number of years, off and on for customers. I think at times I burn myself out because I seem to be a bit more "anal" about detail than some. I would love to be able to detail a car/truck in only 4 hours. Stupid question but how "anal" do all of you get. Being from the "old school" mentality where everything I do is by hand. I will at some point invest in some professional cleaning eqipment with hopes this may speed things up. Again, great site that I plan on visiting daily.

Ed

The average is 4 hours. Some cars may take 5 hours , others will take 3 hours.

What our members in the IDA say is that the general detail customer is not looking for "anal" detailing, they are looking for their car to be maintained and look nice.

If you want to make money in the detail business you have to sell what the masses want, which is a "good" detail. They do not want a "flawless finish" they want a shiny finish that is protected.

When I worked in a detail shop we could do a complete detail engine; wheels, tar removal, wash, trunk clean & shampoo; complete interior and buff, polish and wax in about 4 hours.

However, as Larry A points out, some will take 5 hours and some only 3. In fact there were some we could do in 2 to 2.5 hours because they were simply not that dirty inside and the paint did not need anything but a wax.

If you want to be "anal" that is your choice, just remember that most consumers will not pay you for a 7 to 8 hour detail. If you have them as your customers then you are most lucky.

Regards

Thanks for the info. I am lucky in the sense that most of my past customers are all medical professionals. I have 3 hospitals within throwing distance that I service. I never had charged "by the hour" but by the job and so I just assumed that I would really "detail" the vehicles obviouisly spending far too much time. By the hour seems fair and as you mentioned depending on the initial condition of the car, attention to some processes may be less or more depending on it's condition. Thanks again for the insight, it's much appreciated. Ed

depending on condition 4-6hour

usually 4hrs quickest

Car Detailing Charlotte
704-464-0163
[www.cardetailingcharlotte.com]
Charlotte, NC 28246



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2010 03:51AM by Charlotte.

hi guys, my name is Cris and I work for Detailxperts Professional Detailing Services - [www.detailxperts.net]. For our Presidential Detail program which includes steam cleaning, Car Waxing, and more, takes 2 hours. Thanks!

Describe for us in detail what is done in your Presidential detail which takes 2 hours, how much do you charge and how many people work on this vehicle?

2 hours? Do you have 2 people working on the car? We have been detailing for about 5 years, out of our fixed location we can usually do a good detail in the 3-4 hour time frame but have to plan for 4-5 hours with our mobile unit the extra time goes to travel time, setup, and tare down. Detailing is only a portion of what we do out of our fixed location so if an employee is free we can have more than one person working on a car at a time and can knock them out in about 2 hours but have found more than two people just get in each others way and start missing spots.

No doubt he must be talking "2 men" to do a detail in 2 hours.

It normally takes one person:

30-45 Minutes - Engine Clean/Wheel Cleaner/Wash
30 Minutes - Trunk Clean & Shampoo
75 Minues - Interior Clean, Shampoo,Dress, Windows
65 to 90 - Minutes - Buff, Polish, Wax
15 - 20 - Minutes - Final Detail/Inspection

Regards
Bud Abraham

Yes you're right. Generally, it takes one experienced person and one helper 2.5 hours. One experienced person, can perform Presidential Detail in 3 hours. For an inexperienced person, it could take 4 hours or more. The key to a quality, consistent service is: #1 an eye for detail #2 being properly trained and lastly A SYSTEM - the way one does what he / she does.

Thanks,
Cris

I am currently working for a Ford dealership in western Kansas, I am the only detailer in the shop. I have gotten many compliments from all the customer jobs that I have done, but am having trouble with my detailing time. I need some good sound advice from ya'll. I do the following on customer vehicles: I wash the exterior twice ( the bugs are aplenty out here, ha-ha ) I dress the wheels and all the chrome, I detail everything on the interior, from scrubbing carpets, seats, headliner, and detail every nook and cranny that I can reach with a rag or Q-tip, then I dress all dressable areas. My problem is that they keep telling me that the "detailers" before me could do a vehicle in two hours. What am I doing wrong, why is it taking me 3.5 to 5 hours to detail one vehicle? Do any of you have any suggestions on speeding up, or am I doing as good as I can? Thanx Ya'll!!!

Yancy

Sounds like you are doing a very thorough job of detailng a car properly.

It is very simple what the guys before you were doing, it is what we call "wholesale work." That is cover up work. If you can cover up dirt up do so. If it ain't dirty don't clean it. Dealership detailers and detailers that work in shops that do work for dealers become "masters of the short-cut."

There goal is not to do quality work but to do only what they have to do to satisfy the dealer.

If you are only getting $65 to $85 per car as an outside shop you got to get the car done fast.

Or, if you are working on a per car wage either in the dealership or in an outside shop doing work for dealers as a detailer you are going to do the car as fast as you can.

What you need to determine is what kind of work does the dealer want and set your time based on that.

Consumers know less about a good detail than a dealer if the car shines and you have cleaned up the mess inside and have put a little dressing on the vinyl and leather they are happy.

The retail customer is unhappy when they find the ashtray was not cleaned, or the sunvisor or mirrors thereon were not cleaned, or that wax was left around the door handles or the windows are streaked.

What you are doing wrong is providing too much quality for what your superiors want.

Regards
Bud Abraham

Yancey :
Maybe this will help you go faster...

I use an interior kit in a house-cleaning carry-all tray made by Rubbermaid. I can take the kit into the car with me that way. You could also use a bucket and bucket organizer from Duluth Trading.

The kit consists of IG or Adam's Polishes glass cleaner, Griot's interior cleaner, Windex Multi-task Orange for grimy areas, Adam's VRT dressing and Zaino Leather In A Bottle. There are micro towels, a razor-blade scraper for decals and incidentals, swabs and a paint stirrer for getting towels into tight areas. Sometimes I stash a pair of extra latex gloves and safety goggles in this kit.

This kit is NOT for vacuuming and carpet shampooing ! For those tasks, I have plastic crates of brushes, stain removers and APCs, rags, towels, lint rollers, Drillbrush ( tm ) , etc.

Doug

Buda,Doug,
Thanx for the prompt responses, they were both very helpful. I have many more questions to ask about detailing, but right now must get to work. Thanx again!!!

Yancy, it takes 4 to 6 hours to do a complete detail . The only time I seen a complete detail done on a car in 2 hours is when 3 people are doing it.At one time a dealer told me he could get a detail done for $30.00. You know what he got done , wash , vacuum , windows , tires dressed and a quick spray with Meguiars Quick Detailer , thats what he got for $30.00. He had to have his detailer do the car all over.

It depends on you mean by detailing. Every detail I do takes 4 to 7 hours depending on vehicle. Mini Cooper 4 hours to an H3 in 7 hours. My detailing is done by myself and consists of washing, claying, polishing, glazing, sealing. Then tires, rims front and back and wheel wells. Interior consists of carpet scrubbing and vacuuming, cleaning/conditioning/wiping down all leather, vinyl, glass, plastic, fabric, rubber trim around doors and trunk, dash, vents and vacuuming of trunk. Windows inside and out are last. Scratch removal will add time. The claying and polishing must be done or the color and gloss will not be as good as it can be.

Gentlemen:

When you speak of the time to do a detail what is your point of reference. If you are detailing to satisfy your own desires you probably will not make any money unless you are able to charge about $50 per hour and if you take 7 hours then charge $350.

The typical motorist just wants their interior clean and the car to shine alittle bit. They are not as critical as the detailer.

Just some well intentioned thoughts.

Bud Abraham

Sometimes we can do cars in as little as an hour, sometimes 3 days. It just depends on the car. Auction cars are the faster ones, they are pretty shiny on the outside and need very little there, inside they are pretty rough sometimes. All in all our overall average is about 1.3 cars per day per person. Ranch or farm trucks take several hours or days sometimes, Im guessing you have all been there done that too. We all have different methods but it sounds like we are all roughly within the 4-7 hour range most of the time. We charge accordingly from vehicle to vehicle. Bud has hit the button when he stated that most customers are not as critical as the detailer. We try to send em out the door cleaner than what the customer would expect and therefore we sleep pretty well at nite.

Tips to be faster :

Bud advises having your tools laid out in order the way a surgeon would in an operating room.

One detailer advised using as few different products as possible. For example, Glass Plus could be used on all windows and interior vinyl. One water-based dressing from Auto Magic could take care of all interior and exterior vinyl, rubber and even leather.

There is also the " touch it once " idea. The idea is to avoid wiping the same area over and over. You go over it once and if it isn't perfect, you still move on.

A basic principle is having a set, written, procedure to follow. Repetition breeds speed.

Be aware of 'unproductive' time spent packing up supplies, cleaning the shop, filling bottles etc. versus ' productive' time spent actually detailing.

I'm big on long-handled tools :
* Cheap sponge mops for dressing Jeep cladding and truck tires.
* Concrete scrub brush for getting mud out of truck wheel wells.
* RV bug scrubber/squeegee on telescoping pole for truck windshield bugs.
* Wash mop
* Truck wash brush
* Microfiber household mop for waxing sides of RVs and trucks.

If you are doing wholesale dealer work for low pay, try to reach an agreement with the dealer that you will not be expected to re-do work due to minor imperfections such as a few window streaks, a spot or stain that didn't come out, a little residual dirt etc.
Emphasize that you guarantee that all areas of the car will be cleaned and dressed / waxed as agreed, that you will quality check each car with a checklist so nothing will be forgotten. Avoiding comebacks saves time !
Doug



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2010 03:56PM by Doug Delmont.

very good point about detailing to satisy their own desires. I suffered from that somewhat
these days I get $50 - $80 per hour depending on what I am doing and get between $200 and $1500 per detail depending on severity of work involved

I dont cater for the typical motorist and have switched to part time detailing and moving on to a new career path
If I detail every single day, the passion will be lost and work quality will go down

its nice to go absolutely bananas on cars every now and then and I get that opportunity alot

although in business we must keep our work to a certain point so to make money, if thats all people are doing, then whats the point
we all need to offer a service that caters to the select few people who want to get their car as flawless as it can get. even if this service is only done once every few months

if we dont break new ground in the industry, whats the point
you'll make your money and have a good life but you wont achieve anything new and revolutionary

the industry needs one in some areas.
we are all told to be the best at what we do and excel but if we dont get the opportunity to then thats really sad.

keep learning, stay humble, listen more and push yourself to be one of the best this world will ever see. there has never been anyone like you on earth before and there never will be again.