Hello everyone,
last year my friend and I detailed a few cars for our bosses and managers at the golf course we worked at, with great success. There was a black wrangler that had never been washed before, probably was a 95 or older, anyways, we were able to make it look brand new, but forgot to take pictures. I was wondering if any kids know how to get customers? I dont think normal people would want a kid taking their car and "detailing" it. I have worked at the BMW dealer for over a year and have gained alot of knowledge about detailing cars. I want to use this knowledge to do my own detailing. Imagine if you werent a enthusiast about cars, would you give your car to me for a 100 dollar detail?

maybe ask this guy, he does incredible work and seems to be in the same situation almost as you: http://www.refineddetailing.com

100 dollars to detail? It really depends on what a detail is to you. Most people flat out just don't care about their cars and don't take care of it like it should. Then they whine when it doesn't take care of them. You need to persuade people why you are worth 100 dollars. Don't get too technical, but don't treat them like idiots (I'm sure you know this). I am in the same situation as you, and I am starting off with friends and family friends. In my area, I will be charging 50 bucks for a wash and wax and it goes up from there. Good luck!!

Take as much pictures as possible...
Before and after shots are always useful...
Do your family's car(s), take before and after pics.
On the hood, put blue painter's tape, then detail one half, then remove the tape, showing the difference...
$100 is a good price, that's how much I do it for whenever someone wants me to detail their car...
Good luck!

-Randy

Exactly how old are you?

You might want to ask this over at Autopia.org; I am sure there are plenty of young guys in the same situation.

Exactly how old are you?

You might want to ask this over at Autopia.org; I am sure there are plenty of young guys in the same situation.

I agree, Autopia.org is a great detailer website.:alright

Ill be 19 next month, im in community college right now, so i have plenty of time to do some detailing between working at the dealer and school.
To me a good starting detail would be wash, clay, polish, wax, plus interior vacuum and wipe down all panels and dash.

I could do my dads Audi A8L since its a really nice looking car, it would probably make customers think my business would be more reputable? Ill def need to start on some before/after pictures.

Ill be 19 next month, im in community college right now, so i have plenty of time to do some detailing between working at the dealer and school.
To me a good starting detail would be wash, clay, polish, wax, plus interior vacuum and wipe down all panels and dash.

I could do my dads Audi A8L since its a really nice looking car, it would probably make customers think my business would be more reputable? Ill def need to start on some before/after pictures.

So you would wash, clay, polish, wax and do interior for $100 bucks!!!

You will not last long since you'll barely be able to pay for parts and gas alone.:D

Also, get yourself some business cards. :)

I was a detailer at a dealership, along with my friend Kevin. Kevin got sick of the BS and went out on his own...bought a buffer, supplies, etc... He did very well and made more than 3X what I was making...lol...

He charged $60 for an interior detail and $100 for a full exterior detail on cars...higher for large vehicles.

He did well...this is something anyone with skill can do.

do it while you can. i'm gotten lazy as i've gotten older. i used to do 3 cars a day.. now i do 2 and i'm spent for the weekend. :(

it's not hard. just use a good reference method. tell the guy that if he brings you 3 customers that want full details, you'll wash and wax his ride for free.

-mike

I was a detailer at a dealership, along with my friend Kevin. Kevin got sick of the BS and went out on his own...bought a buffer, supplies, etc... He did very well and made more than 3X what I was making...lol...

He charged $60 for an interior detail and $100 for a full exterior detail on cars...higher for large vehicles.

He did well...this is something anyone with skill can do.

How fast was your friend able to get business for himself? Did he let people know that he used to work for the dealer?

He grew up in our town...so he had friends, etc.... He had business cards made (you can get them for free online) and just started passing them out, etc...

After a month or so, he had steady business. The most important thing is good word of mouth and reputation. As someone with my own small business (on the side from my day job) I can tell you that sometimes you have to take a loss to keep people's trust...its part of owning a business.

Get some cards, filers....pass them out and put the fliers in the right locations for your town...it won't take long if you do good work.

Kevin saved my ass actually...after I quit detailing, I had a spray paint accident (don't ask) that resulted in baby blue overspray all over my motorcycle...Kevin and I spent HOURS with a clay bar and pulled 100% of it off my bike. You can bet that I sent him a lot of business, before and especially after that.

One more piece of advice...its the best advice I ever got: If you want to succeed, especially in your own business or craft...you have to be mentally prepared to get in the ring and get knocked out. Then you get back up and fight again and again and again...all the craftsmen I know who are successful on their own...went through many many trials and failures before they tasted success.

Are you kidding me? Detailing for $100? This is why Detailing prices are so varied on the market. Get a reputable service going, and price at rate that doesn't undercut so much.

In my area, that is a competitive price...not an undercut. Regional pricing has a huge effect on skilled labor. Plus, once you do some detailing and get some skill...it becomes demystified and you won't consider paying too much for it. At this point, I would not pay more than $100 for an exterior detail unless I had some serious damage or some other mitigating factor.

I agree that 100 bucks is too low for all that. Polishing is a long process (with a PC) and takes skill if you use a rotary. Assuming that a whole job may take 5 hours, you are only making 20 bucks an hour. A lot of people make 50+!! Don't charge too little, or else when you try to charge more later on, your customers will not be happy.

sorry about the prices, but im just guessing what people would be willing to pay, especially to a 19 year old.
does 150 sound better? i highly doubt someone would pay 200 bucks to me. they should just hire a real professional haha!
oh, btw, where did you and your friend do your detailing? did you bring all your supplies to their house or did you drive their car back to your house?
i would imagine i would need some type of insurance to drive their car across town.

I dont have a real buffer, just a craftsman dual action polisher, (sucks) im looking at porter cables on autogeek and they have some nice packages, any one in particular that you reccomend? i dont know much about which pads to use, or what size pad is best.

Get the 6 inch pads if you're going to use the PC...
I'm not really familiar with the autogeek pads, but I know there are different pads specifically for waxing, polishing etc....

-Randy

Never drive their cars if you are not insured as a real business. Have them bring their car to you and do the work at your place.

It's a good business, and I'm contemplating starting my own soon. However, on prices, a full 3 step exterior polish with a good wax is at least $150 for a regular sized car and nearing $200 for a large car. Add $50 to either price for a full interior detail and that should be fair prices to charge.

I'd worry about quoting all these new customers $100 details, and then like someone above said, you realize it's a FAR more labor intensive job, and $100 isn't even worth the effort. I'd price reasonably so you don't have to raise prices, and also so you are competitive with others in the area.

Buffers:

I personally, HATE random orbit buffers. They are great for weekend detailers who don't have professional experience, but I learned on a heavy ass DeWalt buffer and I won't use anything else.

It takes time and practice to learn what pad/rpm/compound combos will get you certain effects...work/not work...etc....

As someone with training and experience, I am very comfortable with a normal buffer...but I do agree that if you are learning on your own...a random orbit will get you into less trouble.

Everyone who uses a regular buffer will eventually burn a car. I burned one, learned from it...and never did it again. Lucky for me, my mentor gave me nothing but junk cars for my first 6 months...so the car I burned was worth nothing anyway.

Just some tips.

when you say you burned the paint, what exactly does this look like? Do you just grind all the paint away or does it actually look like you burned it?
Wont a random orbit Porter Cable be plenty good for me? Or do i really need the normal Porter Cable to polish easily.

Expect to make mistakes as a noob, as pointed out above. One of mine was to get carried away with the power washer and blow a 2" circle of paint of the rocker of a late 60's Vette we were detailing. And never take a wheel near a body line or panel edge!

Definitely don't drive their cars. You can go to them or they can come to you.

As for the pads, I like LC's pads, just get a kit with a Porter Cable at autogeek. I think for a beginner, a Porter Cable is best. Yes a rotary will do more work, and faster... but it can also ruin a car quickly too. parabellum - would you trust a 19 year old with a rotary and NO INSURANCE to do your car knowing the machines abilities? I wouldn't... (no offense, I'm 20 and wouldn't trust myself!)

Here is a thread that has a couple mistakes with a rotary... these are on nice bimmers, and the OP is on here, he just got a 330xi.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-university/3150-rotary-boo-boos-chip-filling.html

sorry about the prices, but im just guessing what people would be willing to pay, especially to a 19 year old.
does 150 sound better? i highly doubt someone would pay 200 bucks to me. they should just hire a real professional haha!
oh, btw, where did you and your friend do your detailing? did you bring all your supplies to their house or did you drive their car back to your house?
i would imagine i would need some type of insurance to drive their car across town.

Remember, just cause $100-$200 is a lot of money to us doesn't mean that it's a lot of money to someone else.

and yes, get a PC, you can get them at Lowe's for way cheap, like $60-70, check into it.:redspot

when you say you burned the paint, what exactly does this look like? Do you just grind all the paint away or does it actually look like you burned it?
Wont a random orbit Porter Cable be plenty good for me? Or do i really need the normal Porter Cable to polish easily.

Yes, regardless of what some guys say, many pros use PC's exclusively and get out ridiculous marring with no problem. It's the user, not the machine. A yellow pad with optimum HC will remove most any marring.

I obviously don't know your skill level but from my experience, Dealership detailing is extremely different than other detailing. Dealerships usually go for the fastest way to hide or minimalize any defects on the car. If you've never used a PC and are not familiar with the pad/product combos, starting a legitimate business is going to be very difficult as it takes lots of trial/error to find your correct combos. Also different cars have different clears, some of which are very hard (Audi) while others are much softer (Honda/Toyota).

Prices are going to vary according to the severity of paint correction needed. There really isn't going to be a cookie cutter mold because different car/sized cars require different care. As some of the other guys have said, word of mouth and reputation is going to be huge. You obviously will be starting small, with friends' and family members' cars. Focus on your technique and work on getting the best results you can. Encourage the customers you do acquire to spread the word, and don't take any short cuts or your customers will notice. The better you take care of them the more likely they will be to suggest you to their friends.

Hello everyone,
last year my friend and I detailed a few cars for our bosses and managers at the golf course we worked at, with great success. There was a black wrangler that had never been washed before, probably was a 95 or older, anyways, we were able to make it look brand new, but forgot to take pictures. I was wondering if any kids know how to get customers? I dont think normal people would want a kid taking their car and "detailing" it. I have worked at the BMW dealer for over a year and have gained alot of knowledge about detailing cars. I want to use this knowledge to do my own detailing. Imagine if you werent a enthusiast about cars, would you give your car to me for a 100 dollar detail?

Welcome to the addiction – it will last a life time!
I would recommend the PC/DA for the casual user and enthusiasts such as you.
It is so hard to mess up with the PC you have to be trying hard to make a mistake.
Along with Autogeek go to Autopia.org or Meguiar’s Online and become a member, research using the search area and ask these folks questions. We all started somewhere and these are good reliable sites. You will be able to pick up on who is full of themselves and those that know what they are talking about.
These sites talk about pricing structures, business plans and what or what has not worked for them in a certain situation.
Did I mention purchase a PC and also go to Show Car Garage @ com and order this DVD on PC techniques…this is a great show and tell for anybody using a PC oh and it is two and half hours long packed with tips. I think the cost is around $25 bucks.
Keep us posted on your progress.
Al

^^ good advice

I think griots garage offers a PC polishing video for a little cheaper ;)
http://www.griotsgarage.com/twoguys.jsp?topnav=AD2&campaign=5N

There is almost no marring a rotary will take out that a PC won't given you have the right pads, polishes, and most importantly, time. The thing with the PC isn't it's inability to remove marring; it can do great marring removal on all but the hardest paints, it's that compared to a rotary it takes significantly longer. When my rotary died this spring I used a PC for ~45 details with no issues at all, they just took a couple extra hours.

^^ Listen to him. He knows what he is talking about.

Glad to see you here picus, you are my favorite detailer! I love your c&b's @ autopia!

im going to buy a starter kit on autogeek, the one that includes a porter cable, 2 pads, and some polishes, but im also going to buy the full line of lake country pads, except maybe not the most heavy duty one, and also probably get the pinnacle polishes and waxes? I watched pinnacles video on their website, it was about an hour and a half long, i learned a few things.
Im planning on detailing my friends cars to get some before/after pictures and i have a junk 89 bonneville with oxidized paint which i can mess around with. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.:)

Giving off a professional image will also help if you are worried about people discriminating due to your age. Get something simple like a polo shirt embroidered with your company name on it, and wear it whenever you work on a car or go to see a person about a job. Basically, just look smart enough for the job your doing. Like it's been said before get some business cards and pass them round; go to enthusiast meets and events and I'm sure you'll do well.

I used to do this for a summer or so when I was like 14-15. Had nice flyers made up, dressed nice and went around the neighborhood, after realizing once I moved to CA that everyone there loves and or has nice cars that need cleaning.

Made some good money, the best was the repeat customers so I was sure I had certain amount of cash flow per weekened...

Thanks for the posts... I might just start my own hmmm... I would highly recomend Griots's random because you're new (like me) to the process... don't take risks, just get great results !

I obviously don't know your skill level but from my experience, Dealership detailing is extremely different than other detailing. Dealerships usually go for the fastest way to hide or minimalize any defects on the car. If you've never used a PC and are not familiar with the pad/product combos, starting a legitimate business is going to be very difficult as it takes lots of trial/error to find your correct combos. Also different cars have different clears, some of which are very hard (Audi) while others are much softer (Honda/Toyota).

Prices are going to vary according to the severity of paint correction needed. There really isn't going to be a cookie cutter mold because different car/sized cars require different care. As some of the other guys have said, word of mouth and reputation is going to be huge. You obviously will be starting small, with friends' and family members' cars. Focus on your technique and work on getting the best results you can. Encourage the customers you do acquire to spread the word, and don't take any short cuts or your customers will notice. The better you take care of them the more likely they will be to suggest you to their friends.

Id have to agree 100% here. My advice would be too work on your car. Split up the hood into 5-6 different products, and learn! :) :redspot

Detailing is a semi hard thing to get down, but really its the buisness tactics which prove to be most difficult. Work on these, and you surely will be a success.

Goooood luck :buttrock

Thanks for the posts... I might just start my own hmmm... I would highly recomend Griots's random because you're new (like me) to the process... don't take risks, just get great results !

hmm, griots random? is this a buffer? I have a sears 10 inch random orbital buffer and it SUCKS!!! It doesnt take any scratches or swirls or anything out, thats why im buying the PC. I dont want another sears type buffer. Maybe its cuz i used terry cloth bonnets which have no cutting power? Is the griots one like mine? or a toned down PC?

Ooooooooh Sears buffer no bueno... check it out http://www.griotsgarage.com/search.jsp?searchtext=10925
And get their video too... perfect step by step instrtuctions

Anyone know how the griots buffer compares to the PC?

I don't know much about the PC... sorry

I don't have a bussiness but a have a craap load of detailing junk and a have done a few cars. I'm 16 and you won't beleive the cars I drive and clean.

Pics or I don't believe it! j/k

Tell us what you do to find people and how you overcome the whole... 16 years old thing. When you say you have done a few cars, are you talking about your family's cars or do you get paid to do stranger's cars?

You all have great advise, heres a PC random

http://www.detailersparadise.com/View.asp?Id=1681420031125461-122521261403#

P.S. These guys are a great place to get stuff.

Sent you a PM too.

-BRAD