Turn Times

Hey all,

I am new to your forum...and I'm darn glad to find you all. I have been perusing your posts and am learning new ways to attack old problems.

I do have a question though...

What are your turn times on vehicles. I know that this is a pretty broad question. So let's assume that it is a mid sized vehicle, mildly dirty, no polishing needed, only waxed. (Oh yeah, and the other components as well like dressing tires, cleaning (stock) rims, shampooing carpets, cleaning windows...)

The reason why I ask is because I work for myself and have been detailing since I was 17 (one man detailing company) and I really feel that I put out a superior service, however, I also feel that I am devoting too much time for the return.

By the way...I am interested in everybody's times...mobile and brick and mortar!

Thanks,

VV

VV:

Please contact me directly and we can talk in more detail about times for the various jobs in the detail process.

You can reach me at buda@detailplus.com or call 1-800/284-0123 West Coast time after 9:30am M - F.

Regards
Bud Abraham
DETAIL PLUS SYSTEMS
www.detailplus.comVV wrote:

> Hey all,
>
> I am new to your forum...and I'm darn glad to find you all. I
> have been perusing your posts and am learning new ways to
> attack old problems.
>
> I do have a question though...
>
> What are your turn times on vehicles. I know that this is a
> pretty broad question. So let's assume that it is a mid sized
> vehicle, mildly dirty, no polishing needed, only waxed. (Oh
> yeah, and the other components as well like dressing tires,
> cleaning (stock) rims, shampooing carpets, cleaning windows...)
>
> The reason why I ask is because I work for myself and have been
> detailing since I was 17 (one man detailing company) and I
> really feel that I put out a superior service, however, I also
> feel that I am devoting too much time for the return.
>
> By the way...I am interested in everybody's times...mobile and
> brick and mortar!
>
> Thanks,
>
> VV
>



buda

VV: I cannot give you a definitive reply but only opinions. I believe it is impossible to do a great job in less than 3.5 hours. A wholesale or low quality job can be done in 2 hours by some guys. Many pros take 6 or so hours to do a detail right.

You can speed things up by putting together an Interior Kit in a bucket or carry-all that can be taken with you into the car so you have everything you need at hand and don't get out of the car to fetch items.

Make sure your chemicals are pwerful or abrasive enough to do their jobs quickly.

The fastest way to wax is to apply a one-step prduct that can be wiped off right away. If you use a wax that must dry for ten minutes, Do something else during that time.

You may wish to get some hints from Rick Schmitt of Auto Magic. He has a good system and a book for sale.

There's a motto some guys have, TIO ( touch it once ), meaning to try to go over each surface as few times as possible.

You can do things in either an " area-specific" or a "task specific" manner. For example, you could apply interior dressing during the interior phase of the detail or else dress all applicable surfaces , both interior and exterior at the same time so you needn't reach for the dressing bottle again.

The principles of mass production tell us that the use of a standardized procedure with repetitious actions leads to greater speed.

You can apply a quick coat of Meguiar's #26 with a $1 sponge mop from a dollar store ( some are better than others ). The same tool is great for dressing Jeep and Avalanche cladding.

The quickest way to dress tires I've found is Meguiar's #40, put on with a big applicator with handle and simply left to dry ( no wiping ).

The carpets should be vacuumed thoroughly. If you do that, you may be able to do a quick once-over with the extractor. That way, you avoid soaking the carpets and upholstery and increasing drying time and effort.

Try to get your system simplified so you have a minimal number of chemicals to worry about: one water-based dressing perhaps...one one-step wax...

I hope at least some of this helps you to reduce your time spent .

Doug Delmont

" Optimism is a force multiplier "-Gen. Colin Powell



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/14/2006 05:37AM by Doug Delmont.

VV : Another speed tool is a long-handled bug scrubber for RV windshields that I found at Wal-Mart. In any case, get the bugs off the windshield during the wash phase so your window-cleaning step later on is a breeze.

Doug Delmont

" You can't run with the big dogs if you act like a puppy and you can't swim with the big fish if you splash like a guppy ".