Thinking of adding detailing - equipment?

Hi guys, guys on tintdude gave me this site and said this is the best for detailing stuff. I own a tint and electronics shop, and we sell Griot's Garage products. I am thinking of hiring a detailer to expand a little. My question is, besides the chemicals, steamer, vac, and orbital, what other kind of equipment would I be looking at? Please don't thrash me too hard, I'm just a window tinter :kilt:

 

oh where to start.........

depends on the skill level of the detailer, target market, level of service..... etc.

Do you have someone lined up?

When I say level of service, are you looking to do a wash and wax type deal, or are you looking to get into more advanced levels like paint correction,restoration etc?

this is not a one size fits all type senarios, some of us have thousands invested, and some have far less and get outstanding results.

This is a very open ended question.

 

you should discuss with your potential employee ...if they know what they are doing they will most likely prefer using certain items

 

Yep, way too many factors to consider before advice can be given. I personally would look at contacting it out.

 

Welcome to one of the best Forums around !

Yes, need more details, but at the very least, to get into any form of Detailing, you would want to plan to have at least 2 of every machine, many more of the Detailing tools, and you have not even gotten to how many cloth and microfiber towels you will need.
The bigger things, like a Steamer, Extractor, Vacuum, if you purchase wisely, wont necessarily need back ups unless you are looking to really go aggressive in promoting your new store offerings to your Clients.
Good luck with your new venture !

Dan F

 

welcome, let us know how we can help.

 

Looking to expand, eh? Im looking for a job LOL

Well, I would start off by asking what you want to be capable of when detailing and what fits in with the type of business you already have.

What kind of tinting business do you own? What are your main clients? Commercial or "specialized/custom"?

Say your main clients are dealerships. They want the cars tinted, then put back on the lot or showroom. Its going to be hard to convince them to pay for a full paint correction because they want it done fast and cheap. So, the best option would be to offer "Wash/wax/vacuum" services.

If your main clients are high-end or custom cars, then full detail/paint corrections might work out better. It would be easier to bundle a "Tint and Detail" package.

 

Well my customers are mainly individual customers, not dealers. too bad you're in MO or I would hire you I'm in PA. Anyhow, I'm not really sure what level of service to offer yet, I do not have anyone lined up yet. I sort of wanted to figure out what I'd be getting into before I made a commitment. Wash/wax/clay probably some machine buffing, interior vacuuming, chemical cleaning, and steam cleaning upholstery and carpets. Don't really want to get into paint restoration or anything like that. Possibly headlight restoration. I guess part of my question almost includes what in the world should I get into? Sort of need some suggestions to see what works and what doesn't. Thanks for the positive replies!

 

Aww don't tell me that

Living in MO is bad enough LOL

 

Thanks for the details -

Do you already have an idea who your target Client base will be, how much do you think they are capable of paying you for these services?

Is your shop in an area that is easy to see, and get to, do you have room to set up a space with water, hopefully a drain, lots of great lighting, an absence of dust and dirt flying in, and a place for your Clients to wait, if they choose to do so?
Im thinking the shorter wash and wax jobs are going to be done faster, and perhaps the Clients might want to wait...

Good thing you are not going to work with Dealers, they are really cheapskates on this, and that is why a lot of their cars look so bad..

There are a ton more things to talk about here, you will have plenty of feedback - I believe there are some Detailers on here that are in PA too!

Dan F

 

Thanks for the details -

Do you already have an idea who your target Client base will be, how much do you think they are capable of paying you for these services?

Is your shop in an area that is easy to see, and get to, do you have room to set up a space with water, hopefully a drain, lots of great lighting, an absence of dust and dirt flying in, and a place for your Clients to wait, if they choose to do so?
Im thinking the shorter wash and wax jobs are going to be done faster, and perhaps the Clients might want to wait...

Good thing you are not going to work with Dealers, they are really cheapskates on this, and that is why a lot of their cars look so bad..

There are a ton more things to talk about here, you will have plenty of feedback - I believe there are some Detailers on here that are in PA too!

Dan F

 

After you figure out the kind of services you're looking to offer, you could look into contracting the job out. Do something along the same lines that barber shops do and just contract out the space. It would keep your overhead down and have a few other benefits. For someone in your situation, it might not be a bad idea to look into.

 

Are we allowed to talk specifics on price on this forum? I would like to keep it under 2 bills for a "complete" detail.

My shop is right on the busiest highway in the area, we have water, we've got a drain, good light for tinting, virtually no dust because of how important it is for tinting. Shop is always kept super clean. I do not have a waiting area, but it has not ever seemed to be a problem with tinting.



As far as contracting out, this was one of my options, but I also sort of want someone to man the shop when I can't be there to schedule and sell product, so I'm not sure if it would work out that way.

Thanks for all the replies, you guys are much more willing to help than the tint community haha

 

I want to point out that paint correction is "machine buffing" Just so you know. If you want to keep it under $200, it will be hard to find experienced detailers who will do a good job for little pay (i.e. Hourly wage).

A "complete" detail could be interpreted many different ways as a thread here showed not too long ago. From most professional/semi-pro detailers, $200 will get you wash, degrease, decontamination, wax and interior vacuum. Which in most of us' opinion, is a complete detail, but there won't be any paint correction/buffing. Headlight restoration should be sold separately from a "detail" because it is a "specialty service" and not all cars/clients require it. Pricing along the lines of $40-$60 for a pair of lights in pretty "normal." You also have to factor in how much time you are willing to have your clients wait. The steps I listed normally take roughly 4-6 hours if one person does them alone (done properly without cutting corners). If you want to speed it up, you're going to need more hands, which will bring your over head up, but also leave room for more production time. However, if your clients tend to do the "drop off and call me when it's done" thing, then you could do with having the car detailed and THEN tinting its windows during a full day and returning it to the client. (IIRC, fresh window tints are not to be in contact with water or moved/rubbed in any way for 24-48 hours after install, yes?)

As mentioned before, we need very specific details to be able to create a set-up/guide for you and then let you know what machines you would need. However, you did come to the right place for said information! Welcome aboard!

 

Ok, well basically I'm trying to base it on stuff in my area. This site from my area claims the following:

Complete detail = combo of interior and exterior:

Interior Details includes:
* Outside of vehicle is washed and towel dried.
* Steam cleaning and sanitizing the carpets, mats and seats.
* Headliner is hand wiped.
* Dashboards, vents, center console and all vinyl cleaned and
conditioned to protect from the sun.
* Leather seats cleaned and conditioned.
* All windows and jams are cleaned.


Exterior Details includes:
* Vehicle is washed and interior vacuumed.
* Jams are degreased & pressure washed.
* Remove road tar, grime and bugs.
* Clay bar system to clean clearcoat and smoothing your
car finish.
* Machine compounding to remove scratches and oxidation.
* Machine glazing to remove compounding swirls and
polish finish
* Orbital applied carnauba wax.
* Wheels and wheel wells are cleaned and dressed.
* All windows and jams are cleaned.


Soooo that's sort of what I was looking to base it on. Something similar, I do not need to offer the same exact stuff, or at the same price or anything but sort of using that to get a base-line of what people do for what price. Does this seem doable to you guys? How long would something like this take to do? They price the above at 160 for a car, up to 200 for large SUV's.

Most people I don't beleve would want a tint/detail package, but I could offer it. You are correct about cleaning the windows for a few days after installed. The headlight resto would definitely be a separate purchase.

 

By what you listed, this shop (the ones around you, not you yourself) sounds lie a production type of detailing rather than high-end detailing. I'm a "cheap" detailer and what has been listed there starts at $450 at my shop, granted I also include and engine bay detail in my price. If they can do it for such a low price, it's most likely because they have many people in the shop working against the clock and rushing jobs out. (A big hint to this is that they openly tell you "Machine glazing to remove compounding swirls and polish finish" Glazes don't remove anything, they hide things... :\ I would say remove the polishing steps, change the orbital applied carnuba for hand applied and charge roughly the same price. If you have the job done by someone who knows what they're doing, you're in business. There's a price to pay for quality work.

Now, let's say you want the client to wait roughly no longer than 2 hours. You're going to need 2 guys doing "quality work" (I'm going to keep emphasizing that, BTW) It should take the following times to get it done:

2 man jobs:
* Outside of vehicle is washed and towel dried. 20-30 minutes, including wheels.
* Jams are degreased & pressure washed. Car is degreased/degreasing wash. 20-30 minutes.
* Clay bar system to clean clear coat and smoothing your car finish. 15-30 minutes, depending on contamination

Once those^ are done, these are split between the guys and done simultaneously:
Man 1:
* Headliner is hand wiped. 5 minutes
* Dashboards, vents, center console and all vinyl cleaned and conditioned to protect from the sun. 10-15 minutes
* Leather seats cleaned and conditioned. 30-45 minutes
Man 2:
* Steam cleaning and sanitizing the carpets and mats. 30 minutes
* Manually applied carnuba wax then removed. 30 minutes - but wheels and windows can be done during "wait time"
* Wheels are dressed. 5-10 minutes
* All windows and jams are cleaned. 5-10 minutes


These are just suggested, relatively fast work times. If you are okay with having a client wait an extra hour, than it makes things much easier and less stressful. You just need to work out the math for paying 2 guys, 2-3 hours each, covering your overhead and making profit. @ $160 for a car which will take let's say 3 hours, you've got about $30 overhead, $75 employee wage { 2(12.5*3) = $75 }, that leaves you about $50-$55 profit per car. Keep in mind this is really simple, basic gross math. It gives you an idea of how long it will take and what your costs will be.

 

Just wanted to echo what JoeyV mentioned --

From the Menu - if they are "machine compounding to remove scratches and oxidation" AND
"machine glazing to remove compound swirls and polish finish"
Then they are doing this incorrectly from the start.. A professional Detailer will never swirl the finish in the first place.
Of course, with doing this step correctly, the time to complete may take longer, depending on the type of paint, the amount of correction (if asked for), the material used, the type of pad/s used, the machine used, and lastly and most importantly, the experience and skillsets of the Detailer.

Also agree with JoeyV - that menu is a "production shop" = cram as many cars in as possible to make up paying several unskilled workers to descend on the vehicle, mess up the paint, soak the interior carpeting, run the vehicle with the a/c and heat on full blast to help dry the soaked carpets, and slap a layer of greasy stuff all over the interior.

Another thing to consider is the "you get what you pay for" rule...

Good luck, you are making great progress here !
Dan F

 

Thanks for not pulling punches Dan! :thumb:

 

I sent you a pm. I am selling everything you need.

 

Thank you!! This is exactly what I was looking for. Looks like I'll be starting to look for someone in the very near future. Thanks everyone!