detailing? as a job?

[adamm]

hey just wondered as this is a something i love basicly i hate the job im in i do building and its shit i enjoy cleaning my car and making it shiny and w.e and i think its something id love to learn properly and do as a job. a few questions really is there actually a full time job for detailers and how do you go about getting these jobs and learning how to do it correctly?

[J222JRA]

There are alot of people that do Detailing as a full time job buddy. Most detailing companies actually offer the service......have a look on CYC and Polished Bliss at the work they have done in the past.

As for getting a job doing it....personally i would do lots of research (spend many hours on detailing world forums) Practice loads and then set up doing it yourself....just make sure you get insurance incase you make a costly mistake lol

[adamm]

ohhh i see hmmm something il have to get into i think as il always want a nice spanking clean car myself lol thanks for the tips pal iv always wanted to do something with making a car look shiny and new have thought about doing body work working in a spray shop but i just cant be doing with college and apretinship money tbh

[stu-n-shell]

you can make a fair amount of money doing this self employed. ive seen places round here charge £300 for a full detail on a medium sized car.

[J222JRA]

Once you are good you should approach car dealerships showing what work you can do and also top end bodyshops (not backstreet garages), i know a few people that have got detailing work that way.

James

[adamm]

even if i didnt get much business it would still be nice to have the kit and knowledge to do it on my own car.

[adamm]

but yes i think im going to start researching into this and start buying some of the right kit :) think its going to be expensive lol

[Saxo-SX]

Also research into people offering the same service in your area mate.

Some areas can have a lot of competition which makes it harder for new individuals like yourself to set up.

[04gallsopp]

my dad is a car body worker and a show restorater for old cars so he has to alot of clean deatailing on cars so any question pass them on to me and il ask , but to be honest mate how about like mobile valeting and car deatailing , advertise it on your car get a website not as ahrd as you think

just pm me

[Krys_23]

I was considering this too, You need to be self employed to pay the taxes and then get insurance sorted out, In the long run i'm sure it would be worth it , Quite easily get a grant and they would buy you a van with company name on it etc.

[J222JRA]

my dad is a car body worker and a show restorater for old cars so he has to alot of clean deatailing on cars so any question pass them on to me and il ask , but to be honest mate how about like mobile valeting and car deatailing , advertise it on your car get a website not as ahrd as you think

just pm me


You need to decide whether you want to Valet or Detail......having a business doing both IMO wouldnt work.

As soon as anyone mention valeting to me i think Sponge.........not good

[Krys_23]

Yeah exactly james, Valeting i consider a basic one bucket sponge.. and some turtlewax. Saying that garages do a horrible wash and a hoover for like £40 probably takes them half an hour and they charge £40, People up here don't know any better.

[TypeRDavid]

TBH mate to be a pro detailer you need some experience ideally, i know there are rotary classes etc out there which you could look into, as has been mentioned look into it in detail, (excuse the pun)!, the kind of people that are going to spend £300+ on a valet/detail are more than likely going to want to see some kind of portfolio of your work , thats also a good way to build up reputation points, i would say dont rush into anything because it will cost a hell of a lot to set up, let alone insurances etc, maybe do what others do like detailing friends/ relatives cars then build up a good rep that way, words starts to spread then you will find people wanting their cars done by yourself, Once again i always encourage people to check out Detailing world or Detailing Paradise, always start off small /part-time, build up some money then buy some more equipment as you go and build from there, thats my advice anyway bud, All the best matey;)

[adamm]

yeah mate i dont think i will be doing any complete cars for atleast a year and if any it would be my own i want to learn how it work first practice on pannels etc. then yeah like you say do familys and friends for cheap to get a word and save the money for more tools and whatever else. as said i dont really know much about ths yet so for now ile stick with the job i have obviously and learn how it all works it all takes time tbh and im in no rush. thanks for the tips and info though guys :)

[SaxoFurio1988]

Me and my mate have recently offered a detailing service in our spare time.. Not really classed as a job as we're both students, just something we've advertised in the local area and to do in our spare time really. We're charging just £55 for the full exterior detail, including a machine polish. Reason it's so cheap is because it's mainly just a hobby, and just get that bit extra on the side. Between us we got about £1300 worth of kit, so it's definatly expensive to get going.

If you can get a detailing partner, then it will be alot easier for you, and less time consuming. Make sure you get enough experience using the machine 1st before setting out on customers vehicles.

[richiw_vtr]

hi, i work as a valeter for toyota its the best job with lots of perks, believe it or not there are valeting courses you can go on, i did mine with autoglym for 1 day and you get loads of free stuff, the only problem is that alot of main dealers use self-employed valeters but that way you can earn quite abit too.

[J222JRA]

Valeting and Detailing are completly different buddy.

[TypeRDavid]

Detailing is actually just the American term for Valeting, i think we have just kind of adopted the term ourselves, a lot of debate about this has arisen on the detailing world forum, and you will never get a deffinate answer as such, to me Detailing is just a very fancy Valet as such involving more steps than say just your basic wash and vac sort of thing, involving more stuff like paint correction , more in depth cleaning steps etc etc, thats my view on it anyway.

[J222JRA]

Valeting to me is when you pay a moron at the side of the road £5 to wash a car with his sponge and wash your wheels with acid.

Detailing IMO is where you go after a valetor has damaged the finish and it needs correcting.

You only have to look at the techniques a valetor uses when polishing.....they suck!!!!!!!!!

Oh and thats just my opinion as well.

[Polished_Bliss_Detailing]

It's worth noting that the prices alot of the Pro's charge doesnt equal pure profit - many have alot of overheads to come out of that aswell so make sure you do your maths before getting too involved (to give you an idea, our insurance which covers us for everything is £5k a year!) We just had our largest paid detail this week at just over £3,500 and it would amaze you how little is actually profit.

Doing it on your own car and doing it day in day out as a job are 2 totally different things aswell. Most days I enjoy my job but some days I wish I was somewhere else!

[J222JRA]

It's worth noting that the prices alot of the Pro's charge doesnt equal pure profit - many have alot of overheads to come out of that aswell so make sure you do your maths before getting too involved (to give you an idea, our insurance which covers us for everything is £5k a year!) We just had our largest paid detail this week at just over £3,500 and it would amaze you how little is actually profit.

Doing it on your own car and doing it day in day out as a job are 2 totally different things aswell. Most days I enjoy my job but some days I wish I was somewhere else!



Yayyyyy Polished bliss are back. :hug:

May i just say its your website that inspired me to start detailing in the first place.

[Polished_Bliss_Detailing]

Yayyyyy Polished bliss are back. :hug:

May i just say its your website that inspired me to start detailing in the first place.

Lol, thanks mate. We're not back, I was on looking for pics of one of my old cars and just had a quick nosey in here - surprised I remembered my log in details really :y:

[adamm]

yeah tbh its probably something ile do at weekends in the summer to try earn bit of extra cash nothing majourly profesional but i would like to be able to do the basic detailing jobs to bring shoddy looking cars back to life its something im going to start getting into and basicly i will see as it comes if i decide its not worth doing il simply stop and keep the kit i have for doing my own cars in the future and so on. thanks for the tips though guys this as helped allot and im also now registered on d.w as adamm1

[adamm]

and damn 3500 thats double what my cars worth lol what did you have to do?

[J222JRA]

Lol, thanks mate. We're not back, I was on looking for pics of one of my old cars and just had a quick nosey in here - surprised I remembered my log in details really :y:

:(:(:(

[parello9]

do it!

[Polished_Bliss_Detailing]

and damn 3500 thats double what my cars worth lol what did you have to do?

10 days and over 150 hours of work on a Bentley Arnage! You'll see the write up on Detailing World eventually but it was a similair level of detail to this Ferrari I did last month:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=155689

[djmartin]

detailing can pay well but you need the clients to be constant & you also must be willing to do the strange helicopters,tractors and things like that to.

we are currently in talks with 4 local Car dealerships to detail there PX cars they get in from owners. this will bring in a good amount of £££ but alot of money will be spent on products etc etc.

[Jungle_Jim]

10 days and over 150 hours of work on a Bentley Arnage! You'll see the write up on Detailing World eventually but it was a similair level of detail to this Ferrari I did last month:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=155689

bloody hell, now thats what you call a detail... cracking stuff there mate :y:

[P202VTR]

hey just wondered as this is a something i love basicly i hate the job im in i do building and its shit i enjoy cleaning my car and making it shiny and w.e and i think its something id love to learn properly and do as a job. a few questions really is there actually a full time job for detailers and how do you go about getting these jobs and learning how to do it correctly?

If im honest i self taught my self with a little guidance from professionals! it dosnt happen over night,it is very hard work to get a top reputation! Im in the trade have been detailing for 3 years(only worked for myself since august) it has all been worth the effort(it will be to you also if you have the passion)i have never advertised once its all gone by word of mouth....your reputation is only as good as your last job:) Id buy some gear,do it part time for people and see how you get on with it,ive had 2 lads on a trial with me and both gave up as the work was too hard,clearly expecting it to be a breeze!

[djmartin]

If im honest i self taught my self with a little guidance from professionals! it dosnt happen over night,it is very hard work to get a top reputation! Im in the trade have been detailing for 3 years(only worked for myself since august) it has all been worth the effort(it will be to you also if you have the passion)i have never advertised once its all gone by word of mouth....your reputation is only as good as your last job:) Id buy some gear,do it part time for people and see how you get on with it,ive had 2 lads on a trial with me and both gave up as the work was too hard,clearly expecting it to be a breeze!

lols had that last year with me. had a lad working along side (on a trial basis to) in the summer season (as you know the easist time for a detailer as its warmer weather) and the lad crumbled under pressure. I dot think he realised how in depth a detailer goes with the cars.

all around were I live there is oads of those polish,russian drive in hand washes and the amount we get in having to recorrect there dam mistakes is unreal.

an automated car wash at a garage does a cleaner job and leaves a hell of alot less swirl marks.

[P202VTR]

lols had that last year with me. had a lad working along side (on a trial basis to) in the summer season (as you know the easist time for a detailer as its warmer weather) and the lad crumbled under pressure. I dot think he realised how in depth a detailer goes with the cars.

all around were I live there is oads of those polish,russian drive in hand washes and the amount we get in having to recorrect there dam mistakes is unreal.

an automated car wash at a garage does a cleaner job and leaves a hell of alot less swirl marks.


LOOOOOOOOOOOOL

get ur ass on msn ;)

[adamm]

10 days and over 150 hours of work on a Bentley Arnage! You'll see the write up on Detailing World eventually but it was a similair level of detail to this Ferrari I did last month:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=155689

blimey sounds like you have to good work coming in mate and that is alot of time spent i think there is alot more for me to learn. well done and thanks for the tipos guys im going to buy myself an electric polisher when i have some spare money something to get so i can practice abit and start of with learning how to remove scratches and so on i will be practicing on pannels which i will buy from scrap yards. could someone recomend me a good electric polisher thet is good and also not to hard to get used to thanks. cheers for the input also people muchly appreciated thanks

[P202VTR]

blimey sounds like you have to good work coming in mate and that is alot of time spent i think there is alot more for me to learn. well done and thanks for the tipos guys im going to buy myself an electric polisher when i have some spare money something to get so i can practice abit and start of with learning how to remove scratches and so on i will be practicing on pannels which i will buy from scrap yards. could someone recomend me a good electric polisher thet is good and also not to hard to get used to thanks. cheers for the input also people muchly appreciated thanks

do you want to buy a rotary or DA polisher? if your buying a DA the DAS-6/MEGUIARS G220 are the best choices! You will hear mixed stories about both,meguiars have improved there machine now and its alot better,the das-6 has been known to break also....

as for rotary its really up to you bud

[djmartin]

LOOOOOOOOOOOOL

get ur ass on msn ;)

seems im goin to have to aint i lol.

[P202VTR]

seems im goin to have to aint i lol.

yesssssssssssssssssssssssssss :P

[adamm]

it depends whats best for a beginner really mate. which is the best choce for a beginer to machine polishing da or rotary i dont mind using a little more product and a little more time to get a good shine.

[J222JRA]

it depends whats best for a beginner really mate. which is the best choce for a beginer to machine polishing da or rotary i dont mind using a little more product and a little more time to get a good shine.

IMO

The best machine polisher for a beginner is a DA.........for the sake of a little more time is it really worth the risk of burning paintwork????

And as said before.......you do have to be careful using a rotary on plastic because of the heat it generates.

Rotary...imo is for them with more experience.


James

[TypeRDavid]

Thats the way to learn on a few scrap panels from your local Scrappy, also chance to see how different products work etc, get a DA to start with though mate.

[adamm]

okay can you point me to any good da polisher kits please would be a geat help to start with a good bit of kit i would also want it to be a reliable polisher and not just break.

[adamm]

Thats the way to learn on a few scrap panels from your local Scrappy, also chance to see how different products work etc, get a DA to start with though mate.

it is the plan mate then once i feel good and brave enough i wil give my car ago it needs doing in the summer anyway and i do have a few light scrathces to sort out.

[TypeRDavid]

okay can you point me to any good da polisher kits please would be a geat help to start with a good bit of kit i would also want it to be a reliable polisher and not just break.

G220 (Meguairs)

[adamm]

cheers will look that up thanks

[J222JRA]

okay can you point me to any good da polisher kits please would be a geat help to start with a good bit of kit i would also want it to be a reliable polisher and not just break.

The megs g220 and the das-6 are both very good polishing machines....both come highly recommended from me.

As for polishing kits, here are a few i have seen lately,

http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/acatalog/Kestrel_DAS-6_Menz_Kit_1_1.html

http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/acatalog/Kestrel_DAS-6_Menz_Kit_2_1.html

Please note with the CYC kit though you get 2 more compounds which is why it is more expensive,

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/polishing-machine/das-6-dual-action-polisher-menzerna-kit/prod_522.html


James

[adamm]

think im going to get the clean your car kit james looks good seems cheap compared to the g220 kit i was lookingat which was 200 quid thanks for the help