Headlight polishing kit

As some of y'all know, I'm 17 and have just started detailing cars as my job. A couple of people have wanted me to correct their foggy headlights when I detail their cars, and I'd be glad to do it. But...I don't know what stuff to start out with. There's a kit (made by 3M I believe) at Wal-Mart that another friend has had good luck with...should I start out with that? Or should I not even bother? I'm not doing any other correction work, I do a thorough wash and interior cleaning, and I'll wax it if they pay extra. I don't have any buffers or power tools, everything I would do is by hand. Thanks in advance!

Clark

 

I have seen some other guys on a car forum I belong to have good results with that kit. I would say try it. Shouldn't be too much money. You could probably make it back in no time if it works out ok.

How much do you plan on charging for the headlight restoration?

 

The kit requires a drill. You say you have no power tools, so headlight polishing can be done by hand, its just not worth the time and effort, much like a DA or Rotary makes polishing 30x faster and easier, a basic drill will do the same.

 

Sorry, I meant no power detailing tools. I have drills. As for price, I'm not sure how much I plan on charging, I guess it depends on how long it ends up taking me.

 

$50 a car to do the headlights.

 

I'm not sure what kit you're talking about, but my buddy got his Si headlights pretty clear with some 1500, 2000 wet sanding. Then hit with Meg's Rubbing compound, followed by polishing compound. All by hand.

 

That's as much as I charge to do an entire car...

 

well, push the price on them. dont tell them how much you charge for any of your other work. and if they ask, dont tell them $50. Interiors, I start at $75.

 

There's a very effective and easy way to clean up the foggy headlights. Just use Autosol, believe it or not. Read about it HERE.

 

Wow, that's really cool! Do you have to order Autosol, or can it be bought over the counter?

 

Over the counter. Wenol was also tried as was another I can't quite remember right now. Autosol is a good product to have on hand anyway. It's on the aggressive side of metal polishes.

 

This sounds interesting. Where do you find Autosol?

 

Lee..the Home Hardware here in LaSalle has it. So does the Part Source stores. I can't remember seeing it at Crappy Tire though.

 

Damn that's pretty cool. I gotta order some Autosol.

 

[Originally Posted by slanguage $50 a car to do the headlights.]

I understand you may not pay insurance or taxes etc but $50 (US) is what's normally charged per hour.

Typical detailing and additional services charge as follows:
• Interior vacuum and hand wash $30 - $50
• Full detail, $250 - $350 (not major paint correction)
• Engine detail, $50- $75
• Windshield polishing $50-$75
• Paint Renovation 10 – 30 + hours (is usually charged per hour)
• Paint touch-up, $50 minor - $200 major
• Headlight restoration $45- $85
• Paint overspray or cement splatter removal, $250
• Black trim restoration, $50 - $150
• AC system cleaning and cabin air filter replacement, $100-$125
• Carpet dyeing, $100 - $250
• Windshield repair, $50 - $100
• Paintless dent repair (PDR) $55 - $125 per dent/ding

The above (US $) figures are only estimated costs and should be used for guidance only as they will vary by location and condition of vehicle

 

I'd love to charge that much...but I'm 17. No one would pay a 17 year old that much to do their car, they'd just take it through a car wash and vacuum it themselves. No one around here knows what auto detailing is anyway, my car is the best taken care of in the entire high school parking lot, probably one of the best in the county They don't know that I have to pay for products and stuff like that, no one thinks that much about their car. I tell people that I wash my car and they just look at me funny. "You actually WASH your car!?" Then I mention my method, foaming and the two bucket method and they just treat me like I'm crazy, their idea of a good wash involves some dish soap and a sponge. And since I'm mostly doing adult's cars they think that they shouldn't have to pay as much, because once again, I'm only 17. I'm gonna start charging $50 per car and see how that works out, I've got 5 people who want their cars done right now.

 

Hey, has anyone had any luck with Blue Magic Headlight Restorer? I saw some in our local dollar store (I didn't even think they had an automotive section) and was wondering if it was any good. If so...does it work like Autosol would, or would it require buffing?

 

Hey man, just wanted to give you some friendly advice...just because you're 17 doesn't mean people won't trust you to do their car. I know a lot of 15 year olds who are computer geeks and all the "Adults" I know go to them for computer help. The limiting belief you have of teenagers not being capable of servicing nice cars is false and the older you get you will forget this stigma and start to believe that age is just a number afterall. Even though you said people could vacuum the car themselves the funny thing is....they won't. Just because you can doesn't mean you will. It's the same reason why people don't mind paying thousands to get "professionals" to paint their houses.

As long as you are meticulous in your work and do every job with the same sense of pride and detail you will get returning clientelle and MANY MANY MORE. You'd really be surprised how word of mouth advertising works. On average 30% of business is usually returning clientelle or recommendations.

Now onto your actual business....

Continue doing what you do even if people "look at you crazy." This ties into taking pride in your work because you have to understand a few things;

1. Not everybody is going to want your services.

Yes, you can't please them all so look closely at your community. I know crestwood is a fairly small city but look at the people within that city and the cars they drive. Target people who care about their cars. Don't target people who use cars a mere mode of transportation and that's it. If you're putting pride in YOUR work then let your work be somebody who takes pride in their vehicle!

2. Can you say Monopoly?

Because you're in a fairly small sized community (2000 people in the year 2000: Wikipedia) it's really not that hard to get your word across and offer services to all those people.

Primarily your main attraction would likely be interior cleaning because even though people don't care about washing their cars or how it looks from the outside they sure as hell will care about the interior since thats what they have to put up with. Offer complete interior cleaning packages, A/C ducts cleaning for that "new car smell" etc... Also because people may not have a ton of money to spend on your services buy products that are also cost effective for you to cater to this market segment.

3. Expansion

I googled Crestwood, Kentucky and it is roughly 15 miles from Louiseville. Louiseville is a huge metropolitan (over 1 million in population) so for you, the detailing guru, this means nice cars for you to detail. Nowww you can use some of your more expensive products and offer your much needed services there. Welcome to the world of mobile detailing


Concluding Remarks

This is the business world my friend. Just because a few people tell you its absurd to wash your car doesn't mean you should generalize them for the rest of the community. You gotta understand there are a lot of people in this world that just love to hear themselves talk and think they are the "know-it-alls" - these bitter people will always tell you what you're doing is impossible. It's up to you push forward and do YOUR own due dilligence.

15 minutes of my research from another country tells me that there is a market for detailing services in your area. Ultimately it's going to come down to your motivation and really what you're willing to put up with to make this work. Stop looking at other high school kids for business....high school kids work for minimum wage - that's if they're lucky to find jobs!

About me
I'll tell you a little about me so you know the type of guy that's giving you this advice. I just turned 21 and I do detailing as a hobby and now using it to make me some $$. It's more of a hobby to me than it is a business. Neighbours laughed at me when they saw me washing my car 2-3x per week outside and cleaning it. Now these same people come to me for help because they've recently bought a new car and want to maintain it. see how the tables have turned?

I use to run a student painting business when I was 18 and 19....that's right I was a teenager. I use to paint people's houses valued at over $1 million dollars and sign contracts reaching upwards of $7000 at a time. These people would let me and my crew paint their prized possessions, areas they would live in, and you're complaining about people not spending a couple hundred to let a teenager detail a car?? hmmmmm.....instead of thinking "I can't do it" change that mentality to "how can I do it"

"Success is not what you think it is... it is what you believe it is... and most never believe." - Doug Firebaugh

peace,

-Waseem