My first few detailing jobs + tips!

[m4gician]

Hey guys,

I thought I'd share some of the details I took pictures for. I noticed you guys talking about rates and what is and isn't too much. One thing to always remember is that no one outside of detailing cares what you do to the car, as long as it shines and is clean in their eyes.

That's why turtle wax and meguairs have such success with their consumer product lines. So with that in mind, you can get a quick 1-2 hour job with EVERY detail you do, that includes full wax and a light polish.

You can also do a full detail, that is a higher cost obviously. Charge the hour or charge by the job, it's up to you, but explain that in doing so you're going to do a lot of work on the paint and restoring it to new permenantly, not just temporarily waxing it.

Here's an example of the latter:
http://autopia.org/forum/click-brag/95636-2005-saturn-vue-my-first-official-detail.html

The process:
- Full wash,
- Full Clay,
- Machine polished with Aggressive polish
- Machine polished with finishing polish
- Glaze
- Wax

- $225 received for 5 hours of long work. $15 for 3 additional car washes after.

Here's the easy one I'm talking about. This was done in under 2 hours. The longest part of the process was the claying, as polishing with a good ALL IN ONE polish did the job, the best all in one polish for oxidized slightly or swirled slightly cars is definitely XMT360, Klasse is good as well but it doesn't have the cutting power. I use Klasse for newer finishes/less harmed paint.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/9175-2002-mazda-p5-yellow-real-pain.html

Process
- Wash
- Clay
- XMT360 applied
- Poorboys Sealant applied

- after (no pics) Pinnacle Spray wax applied.

$80.

Voila. The paint comes out SOOO SLICK and SMOOTH. The refleciton is high, and everyone is happy.


Just some tips on how to keep paying yourself.

 

[hetfield]

One thing to always remember is that no one outside of detailing cares what you do to the car, as long as it shines and is clean in their eyes.

This is why whenever I detail someone else's car (which is only friends and family for me) I take some time to explain what I do and why I do it. There have been so many advances in automotive finish care in the last 10-15 years; many people don't realize what you can do to make the paint/clear coat last much longer.

 

[Dr. Cross]

The Vue looks nice, although it would have been nice to have before and after shoots w/ the same lighting conditions (before = sun/halogen, after = cloudy day). Lighting can change the look of a car instantly! Good luck w/ your detailing endeavor! I've detailed about 8 cars this summer and I have 3-5 more remaining for the Fall. This has been my busiest year to date!