How is the detailing industry viewed where you are

Im not sure how the Pro Detailing industry is viewed in the US, but here in Perth W.australia it seems to be a very undervalued service. What I mean by that is, the perception of how well regarded detailers are considered to be. Are they viewed as being on the same level as a mechanic, a Plumber or a pizza delivery boy?

Cheers,
Brett.

 

I'm a mechanic and my co-workers think detailing is below mechanic. which it's true in a dealership. my dealership labor rate is $150, I dunno any detailer that charges that. but that $150 labor rate everyone gets a cut....

 

I think that in areas where people aren't as educated about detailing, the perceived value will be low. Unfortunately, that means a lot of talented guys are under rated and thus under paid.

 

That $150 is the dealership rate and is based on the cost of the building you are working out of. I guarantee you won't find any self employed mechanics charging anywhere near that. A journeyman mechanic here will get around $25-30/hr plus benefits so lets say his salary package is worth $50/hr. A decent detailer will command $40-50/hr but will have expenses out of that.

 

I'm a fulltime mechanic myself as well and detail as a hobby so take it for what it's worth. The general public for the most do not see the extensiveness of detailing, rather in their mind is just simply a 'good cleaning'. Now what's the importance of detailers? Everybody cleans their houses and kitchens so why does anybody need detailers when they can do it themselves? They do not see that detailing is about attention to detail and perfection which is what sets detailers apart. On the other side being a mechanic requires a certain set of skills and knowledge that cannot be picked up in a short period of time. When your car breaks down, you're not going to think twice about paying a shop to get it fixed. A water pipe explodes in the wall and floods your basement, you're gonna call the plumber asap. What do you want and what do you need.

 

i'm sure women's perception of detailing is a lot lower than men, and really I think people really need to see for themselves to appreciate it, just my 2cents

on the side note, the only detailer I know of in my area is actually only Ken LOL

 

Thats pretty much what i figured unfortunately. I cant believe how often i turn up to a job to find no customer. It almost like the appointment made doesnt actually count for anything.

Are the any regulations or accreditations for detailing in the US? ie can you get a "certificate" in detailing?

We have nothing, which I think this is the main reason why people dont hold it in such high regard. This is something that I have considered for a while now.

 

Detailing is cleaning of cars to majority which is why you talk about 3XX and up for paint correction people believe you are lying about what you can do for finish bc they hear dealership and other hack shop and think you are overpriced and con-man.

 

You've hit the nail on the head there.

I had a customer who got me to detail her Landcruiser because she had decided to keep it after being given a poor trade in offer. After the detail ( no paint correction either) she took it back( this was about 2 months after her first attempt) and they offered her $5k more!! Saying it was a great example of that type of car.

I always say that keep the exterior and interior of your car in top shape is just as important as changing your oil etc.

 

i do quite a few of these a year where the owner is unsatisfied with the offer they received. I good one step, proper interior cleanup and engine wash and bang they're in the money. I even had one customer get paid for the detail I did on the car as the dealership didn't need to touch it afterwards. I told him to ask for the money and they paid him for the detail, so in essence he got the detail free and a higher trade in value.

 

You also have to take into account that most luxury cars today are leased. Dirty door jams and uncorrected paint are okay for people who lease because they know they are going to get a brand new car in just a couple of years. In the meantime, the local car wash takes care of the basics for just a couple dollars a week.

 

So very true, that's why my wife's 1998 Acura 3.0CL gets so many stares, i detail it of course. Most luxury vehicles are leased, however i'm noticing most new vehicles on the road are leased, that explains why in a horrible recession there are still so many new vehicles on the road. Personally, i will never lease a vehicle, i never understood why someone wants to lose so much money in a lifetime, and i grow too attached to my vehicles (detailing them makes me even more attached to them) to give them up so quickly.

 

I would generally agree but I see people who actually don't lease do the same thing. I for one have always leased and all my neighbours laugh at me because of how much attention I spend on my car. But I love doing it and if the interior/exterior is in tip top shape, it works out better at end of the lease to work out a better trade.

I even do the door jambs and under the hood atleast twice a month.

 

Take a look at what the "average detailer" looks like in your area, and you'll have your answer. There are very few true detailers anywhere you go, so many hacks. Guess who the public pictures when you say detailer.

 

[QUOTE=Emile;261701]You also have to take into account that most luxury cars today are leased. Dirty door jams and uncorrected paint are okay for people who lease because they know they are going to get a brand new car in just a couple of years. In the meantime, the local car wash takes care of the basics for just a couple dollars a week.[/QUOTE]


Actually, you can get hammered on a lease as well. The dealership will ding you for excess mileage and re-con costs..... .

Here is a example that happened a few years ago(8 years), I had a customer with a S Class Mercedes that he leased(black of course) and had me do the initial detail(Suprise it was not that bad as I was able to finish in one day!!!) and then................nothing for four years, so he goes to get another Mercedes(E-55) and they tell him there will be a $8,000.00 dollar hit for the mileage and condition.

He says I will get back to ya.......................... and calls me to see what can be done, I do the correction($1,450.00) get the car squared away and tell him to go to another dealership and start over which he does......no hit on the condition or mileage, gets the car he wants at invoice as well.

End of the story, customer tells me he goes back to the dealership to get the mats for the E-55 he wanted and his old car is on the showroom floor with a sign that read "Detailed monthly mint condition".

 

I'm no Pro-Detailer, but my car speaks for itself when people ask me what year is your V-Dub...and i say 2002...They are shocked everytime and baffled on how clean it is kept. I also get the constant, are you selling it(with NO FOR SALE SIGN) about 3 times a month. This just shows the increased value in keeping up with the cars looks.

My boss leases a 2010 Audi A4 and doesn't mind keeping it clean, but the other day i asked him if he wanted me to detail his car and he said "Nah, i'll just run it through the BlueWave (carwash)...and behold the swirls...but to him, it looks clean 10 feet away. It's like he's blind.

 

Here in Mass there are a fair amount of local detailers. I'm not positive on how busy they are but there are a lot of mobile detailers and a few local shops. So it seems as though business is doing OK here. I myself only detail part time and I was able to keep pretty busy over the summer. The month of August was slow, but other than that I've kept pretty busy.

I really think it depends on the customer. Most customers are not educated on what a detailer actually does other than washing and waxing. They don't under stand what clay barring is, or paint correction. They look at it from their wallets point of view...I can spend $15 to go to a touchless car wash, or I can pay $150 to have one person detail my car and it could take 3-5 hours. A lot of people just don't see the value in it. Which is why I try to educate each one of my customers on what I'm going to do. If I can give them the knowledge and benefits of protecting their paint, trim, tires, etc then they see the value in it. I've actually got a hand full of customers by just explaining the benefits of certain services (i.e. clay bar). Then I ensure that I take pics of before and after and show them the difference. I also had one customer that swore up and down that his touchless car wash does the same thing that I do. So, I asked him if he would mind taking his car to the touchless wash and then coming back to me so I could show him what the touchless missed. Which he was nice enough to do, he came back and I 1st went around the car and pointed out each spot the touchless missed (lower side panels especially). I then got my clay bar and went over just the hood to show him how much contaminants were still in the paint. That's all I needed to show him and he now comes to me for his details.

I just realized that this was a really long write up...my apologies!!!

 

I'm gonna sell my boss with the clay...I know it.

 

Wow so it seems the same problems exist for you guys. I honestly thought that the US public was more clued in. Perhaps it's just down to the difference in population.

How many mobile detailers do you see running around in vans that clearly haven't been cleaned in months, let alone detailed? It baffles me as to how they think this is good for business.

Then there is the battle to convince the people who have been burned by crap detailers before.

How can we change the attitudes and perceptions of the public?