About how long does a full detail take you if the car is in decent condition? I have only detailed one car and it took me 21 hours.
Depends on weather or not you are doing paint correction. I mean to polish a rock hard CC with only minor swirls takes longer than a minor swirled soft CC car. Also is it a 2dr or 4dr car? There really is too many variables to give a set time, or even a ballpark figure for that matter. Some people use only 1 coat of wax which takes 5 minutes to apply, others apply glazes and sealants by machine so it takes considerably longer. Stuff like that makes a difference in time. The idea is to be as thorough and complete as possible while also being as efficient as you can be.
also, the size of the vehicle can make a difference. A Ford Excursion would take way longer than a Honda Fit. Also like dsms mentioned, paint/cc type. So many factors. I have a CRV I am supposed to do saturday, and its gonna take me a while, due to all the scratches, and the interior will need to be fully shampooed. Its a mess.
How ever long it takes you do the vehicle correctly. After a little time you will get a little faster but it takes time to do correct paint correction.
typically a day, 10-6 for just the exterior, I'm slow, fat, take lots of beer breaks & do this for fun not money so time isn't as issue to me
i havent done a full detail in months. i used to take only 4 hours on a newer, 1-4 year old car with one other person. older more neglected cars took me and my buddy 10+ hours mostly cause of the wheels, interior and lots of marred finishes and haziness. once i get my new line of products in sometime this month, im slowly building back up, but without help. i should be able to do a basic detail in about 5 or so hours. wash, wax, glaze/sealer, and wheels/tires. i charge extra for interior. lately i've had friends ask me to do their girlfriends or wife's vehicle and good lord some ladies are very unorganized.
Well me personally I take my time, when I do an interior it takes me at least 4 to 6hrs. For the exterior I really take my time and it usually takes me about 15 to 20hrs depending on the size, type of clear coat and the process for the paint correction process. Like I said though I really like taking my time, I hate rushing. Just me though :shrug:
On a typical sedan I would say 14-16 hours. Usually I like to get the car on a friday night and do the interior when I get home from work so that's a good 4-6 hours depending on the dirt levels. Then I jump on the exterior and polishing starting the next morning around 7 and usually have the owner pick up the car around 6 or so unless it's really bad.
A basic exterior detail which would include wash, clay, once around with a polish to brighten paint and remove light swirls and wax or sealant is usually 8 - 10 hours. Any type of correction work will easily add another day.
You cant properly polish a car in a short amount of time. Thats why people claiming these ridiculously short times are hacks. Go on AG and youll see some people bragging about how quickly they get it done (at least thats how it use to be). Look at their show n shines, the products they use, the process, a lot dont know what they're doing. I know Im being harsh, but Im sorry, its true. Reminds me of a certain someone who use to post on AG. If you try to do this stuff fast, then you're going to be sacrificing quality.
Well what D&D is saying is true however, D&D your deliver needs some work. There is no need to be so confrontational about it, there is nothing wrong with being straight forward and honest but at least be respectful. There's no need for jabs, if you have a problem please don't bring it over to Detailing Bliss.
I dont think it needs any work at all. I didnt mention names, AG is just one example of many. I know my post is harsh, but it is for a reason. When I first started out it took me FOREVER to detail a car. I was using the PC and it would take me days to finish polishing. Yet I always saw show n shines with people doing a 2 or 3 step polish with the PC in one day, sometimes in under 6 hours. Their results look good in the pictures and I didnt know any better. I asked them how the hell they did it so fast and I tried to speed up my process too. However, little did I know I was the one doing it correct, the other guys were taking short cuts and doing more filling then correcting. They told me once I get my process down it would only take me so long too. Well I guess I dont have my process down or something, because even after all these years and after switching to a rotary full time, it still takes me a very long time to polish out a car. Point is, way too many new people start detailing and see this crap being posted. They think details should only take 5 hours! People like this hurt all of us who do it correctly. The more we educate people about the right process, the better off the business will be. Everyone has different ways of educating, maybe mine are a little more straight forward. If my post seriously upsets anyone, feel free to PM me. But no drama is going to be brought to DB by it. Heres an example. Lets say Scott went out to shoot some sporting event. His plan is to shoot, and print the pictures at the location hes shooting. Well lets say there is some parent there who is doing the same thing. But the parent is giving the pictures away for free. Guess whats going to happen. People are going to sacrifice some quality and take the free pictures. They aren't going to buy them from Scott. Here Scott is trying to make a living out of this, and this other guy is screwing him over. Same thing happens with detailing when there are hacks around.
Well, moving on a little. I'm happy to hear that it takes a number of you quite a bit of time because I've spent over 30 hours several times on a car. Some have been pretty bad however. But the definition of a complete detail will probably mean different things to different folks. When I spend that much time it includes a full engine detail, removing the wheels and cleaning them as meticulously as I can front and back and applying a sealant, full interior where leather gets thoroughly cleaned and protected, getting under the seats, in the tracks etc. For me that also includes paint correction to the best of my ability using a Flex. I like to get into all the places that could be missed such as in the spare tire area. Move the shifter to get any dust when the stick is moved etc. I clay, usually wash twice and frequently apply KAIO, another sealant and a wax. I've left out some things but the idea is that I don't see how I can do what I like to do in less time, although I am getting a little faster and am finding better ways, such as the use of a steam cleaner. The time issue will vary based on what you do IMO but a good question none the less. G
I agree. When people call me for a quote and I tell them my prices they all claim they can get a complete in and out detail for $75.00, of course they are using the non professional hack detailer that shows up with a rusted out van and looks like they came from the homeless shelter. When I show up at a clients residence or the car is dropped off to me I am dressed in a clean under armour polo shirt, chaki shorts and clean shaven. My car is also immaculate all of the time. When they see how much work I put into a detail and how great the car looks after I'm done they are amazed at how great their cars look. I have not had a single complaint. The hacks make it hard for guys like us to make a living by under cutting our prices and performing sub par work. Most people who do not clean their own cars would not know they are receiving poor quality work. Usually when I get a call it's to correct the work of a wanna be detailer, but once I'm done my clients won't use anyone but me. Don't worry there's more than enough work for all of us Pro's, the fly by night guys are here today gone tomorrow, but we're here for the long haul.:thumb:
A lot has to do with the customer's request, do they want perfection or just getting the gloss back. Most people with regular cars, not expensive sports cars have pretty low standards. I have wowed a few with what I think is just a soso job, but I did exactly what they wanted and were blown away by what hould be considered mediocre results. It's all about what they want to pay for. If they pay for perfection, give them perfection.
In the end, the customer decides the quality they want. Not everyone is going to pay top dollar for something they will not appreciate. You can factor in that some may do equivalent work (even if hours are the same) but charged differently for their time. I recall one thread where a for profit detailer was complaining about fellow fir profit detailers educating people on how to detail and taking potential business away from him.
