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detailing time

Posted by Amr Sultan 
detailing time
September 01, 2005 09:15AM
<HTML>How many hours does it take to detail a very dirty,stained car with deeply scratched and badly damaged paint? The worst you can imagine.

And how many workers on it?</HTML>



Prestige cars
Re: detailing time
September 01, 2005 12:46PM
<HTML>We have been having great difficuly with that question... we have in fact instituted some labor trackers to get a more accurate idea.

The difficulty for me is that those jobs have multiple problems and require extensive work which includes removal all the interior fittings etc. My formula is not to have more 30% labor in the total cost of the job</HTML>
Re: detailing time
September 01, 2005 12:50PM
<HTML>I am sorry it does not appear one can edit these posts but ...
the correction should read "my objective is not have more than 30% percent of my labor cost in the total job</HTML>
Re: detailing time
September 01, 2005 07:04PM
<HTML>Hi

The cars come in exactly like that here in Spain, and i would say we spend a good 10-12 hours (1 person) to get the car back into shape.
but then it comes out in a very good condition.
RoB</HTML>
Re: detailing time
September 02, 2005 04:44AM
<HTML>Again from me as concours done i cannot edit either. so i add again

10-12 hours and that is without taking any fittings out, exept for the most common ones as back seat top, baby seat, spare tire, loose carpets and boot carpet, if possible, and offcourse all those bits n pieces the customers have laying around in car and compartments..wich sometimes is 2 plastic bags full of stuff.

allthough we have done a car almost completely stripped before, but that was done over a 3 week period, and it was one of our own, and i did not calculate any real time there, but a quick guesse would be 4 days...2 person. 40-45 hours.

RoB</HTML>
Re: detailing time
September 02, 2005 01:22PM
<HTML>So i'm not that slow,

here it takes us 8 hours, three working people on the job,, that makes about 24 working hours,one man!!
We dont take anything out but we do produce a very high quality service to a very very bad conditioned car,
but after all thank god labor here is cheap or else we would have had to charge a customer not less then $500.

We charge here about $70 for a full detail job.</HTML>



Prestige cars
Re: detailing time
September 02, 2005 01:32PM
<HTML>That is cheap!

It could take 8-12 hours on average and sometimes several days to do very bad jobs. We do a lot of pull outs because I am fanatical about cleaning and many vehicles today are extremely filthy, smell horrible, soggy carpets, mold, just plain nasty.</HTML>
Re: detailing time
September 02, 2005 02:05PM
<HTML>Labor is the biggest expense in detailing, not product.

That said, one must consider the "perception or expectations" of your customer.

If they are one that understands, is willing to pay for "perfection", then the detailer can take as many hours as is required to produce "perfection".

However, even though there is a small percentage of the market that wishes this, it is not high enough to support all the detailers, and the marjority of customers are not truly aware of that "perfection", nor do they wish to pay for such.

So, "how long does it take to do a complete detail" is a question that is a moving target.

Over all, based on my many years in this business, I find that the "average" time required, for an "average, quality" detail will vary from as little as 2.5 hours to 4 hours.

A real dirt bag, and large SUV, conversion van, etc may go as high as 6 hours.

Keep in mind, I stated "Average quality detail", not a "perfection detail".

Ketch</HTML>



Do it right or don't do it at all!
Re: detailing time
September 02, 2005 02:33PM
<HTML>Thank you for clarifying that...but since the word used to describe what we do is "detail" should'nt we be striving for perfection instead of average quality which is what they can get at a carwash..</HTML>
Re: detailing time
September 02, 2005 02:53PM
<HTML>Here again, "perception" comes into play.

A normal "carwash" detail, to most, is actually being referred to today as "express detailing".

Not a "reconditioning" service.

When we move on to discuss "reconditioning detailing", over the years this has developed several "perceptions" by customers.

There would be very few "detailers" in the business if all of them would only accept work that is "perfection detailing" customers.

By that I mean, customers that are willing to pay for 8 hours of detailing labor at $40 to $60 an hour.

Not the NORMAL market or detailer that can pull $320.00 to $480.00 USF for every detail they perform.

When a detailer does get one of these, that is great, however, most, even those who have been operating for years, find that these are few and far between.

Just because a few, say 500 detailers around the nation have built over a 10 year or longer time, this sort of client base, does not mean that the other 15,000 detail operations in the nation, with 10 years or longer have such potential customers.

One of the reasons that there are so many hackers, taking business away from true detailers is the lack of public information regarding what a "detail" is.

I have never been in favor, since I first heard the phase, "Express Detailing", of the term.

Yet, carwashes are spending money to promote this and true detailers are not spend squat, as an industry, to educate the public, of what a true detailing service really is.

So, the customers are mis-informed, confused and a "perfection detail", a "quality reconditioning detail", a "detail", and an "express detail", to them is all the same.


This public education should have been untaken by ICA when they absorbed the old PDA, but it was not then or now, on their true agenda, in my opinion.

PDTA is young and needs more members, more business men, in the organization and develope a budget, and agenda to educate the public.

This takes money, BIG money.

Yet, those who often bitch the loudest about how hard it is to sell a detail, etc , have no idea of what it takes, how they must fork over some cash and support to make this happen.

It will take years for the public to learn, and all the TV ads, magazine ads, the weekly color pull out in Sunday's paper for Pep Boys, Auto Zone, etc, of "miracle do it your self" products don't make it any easier.

Ketch</HTML>



Do it right or don't do it at all!
Re: detailing time
September 02, 2005 03:25PM
<HTML>I have a mix of services and service offerings.

Service that is not near perfect is not called detailing it moved to another category called cleaning so as not to confuse the public.

While I understand it is hard to build a business doing only perfect work it can be done the key is not to dilute your detailing services by producing work that will not bring your referrals</HTML>
Re: detailing time
September 02, 2005 05:11PM
<HTML>I agree with Rons times.

That is how long it takes me....

You need a written procedure to get really fast at detailing.

There should NEVER be ANY idle time...

While you are waiting for wax to dry, do something else.

While you are waiting during dwell time, do something else.

Take the time to write down every step to take, I mean every step.

then that night go over your list, you will be amazed how much time you are wasting. then every month or two update your procedure.

It amazes just how much time I have saved by doing this.....</HTML>



Auto Appearances Inc , Raleigh NC (919) 812-4759
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