# Trial at a dealers next week



## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

I used to work for a company that did carpet/upholstery cleaning amongst various other services. When I left I wanted to buy a machine and maybe set up a part time business on the side, but the equipment is quite pricey.

When I changed cars recently I got myself a small valet type hot water extractor due to the light grey seats that need constant cleaning, and realised there was potential to do car upholstery cleaning, seats, carpets, headliner, boot, etc.

Contacted a dealer who was happy for me to have a a trial run, but they want a car wash, wax and interior clean rather than an upholstery deep clean, although I can provide this service if needed.

I'm going to valet the business owners car next week and if he's happy with it, I will get the work on cars they sell and customers cars that are in for a service. I realise that there is a big difference between detailing and valetting, but I like to think that I treat my car better than most people do and i take a genuine interest in making it look nice.

I think the guy is quite fussy when it comes to his own car getting done so going to take my time and do a nice job on it, fingers crossed this might get me up and running. I still work full time atm, but I am off 3 days a week and dont start until late afternoon for another 2 of the days, he is aware of this and thinks we can work around it. To start off with this is just a way of earning some extra cash doing something I enjoy, hopefully I can expand in the next year or so and look to drop hours at work until I can quit there altogether. Long term I'd like to get more into corrective work and detailing but in no major hurry.

Anyway, with regards to next week I want to concentrate on doing a a better job than the people they currently use, appparently they use some kind of water based wax stuff, you know what I mean, add it to the bucket or spray it on through the hose attachment type crap.

Key areas I want to concentrate on...

Interior - want to make sure that all dust and crumbs are removed, brushing inside airvents and crevices on the dashboard, cleaning glass & mirrors perfectly. If leather will clean and treat with a conditioner, if any stains on upholstery will hot water extract.

Wheel arches - the guy is fussy, want to make sure if he looks here he will see that it's been foamed and scrubbed down with a brush.

Wheels - spotless and waxed (normal wax dont want to spend any more cash unless I get the contract). Tyres dressed using a proper applicator as not to have any overspray.

Paintwork - Snow foamed, rinsed, tar & bugs removed, snow foamed then washed (yes 2 buckets, grit guards and wash mitt lol). Will use my AG SRP followed by AG EGP.

Exterior Plastics - got some vinyl gel to treat them with.

Engine Bay - this one worries me a little. I'm not too keen on pressure washing it as I've never done it before, the worst thing I can do is break somethin. Was thinking of wiping down all the major areas and treating with the vinyl gel, does this sound ok? The underside of the bonnet I will wipe down and dry off.

The way I look at it, if I do just as good as the people he's used in the past, the finish on the car will be better cos of the SRP & EGP. Ok it's not detailing but I think I am right. I wont be rushing either, I'm quite happy to spend 2 or 3 hours to make sure I dont cut any corners. The good thing with the EGP is that next time I wont have to spend quite so long on his car lol, he has 3 himself and gets them all done every 2-4 weeks.

How does this sound to people, have I missed anything, or can you offer any tips or advice? He's willing to pay £25 for a wash and interior clean, £50 if I wax the car. I think I can charge more for stain removal on seats, or deep cleaning the carpets, or do you think I am wrong? They do a lot of work on 4x4's, so should I be charging more for a bigger vehicle? If a car needs claying I presume can charge more for this?

I really hope I can make a go of this, thanks for any tips


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## Thorpy (Oct 7, 2008)

Interesting read mate, and I wish you the best of luck.

I think i'm in the same boat as you at the moment, i'd love to start up on my own at one point and perhaps just clean a few cars first you know, see what interest I get.

Did you just approach the dealership?

I also think i'm the same as in i'm no professional detailer, but i've got a better knowledge then the average joe. I'm still learning machine polishing etc but practice makes perfect and i'm only 21 so i've got a few years yet haha.

I wish you the best of luck though.


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## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

Yeah I appproached the dealer, but luckily I know someone who knows someone who knows the owners Dad, pretty sure that helped 

Thanks for your words of support


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## SNAKEBITE (Feb 22, 2010)

Good luck and good on you for making the effort to do something for yourself!

If yoiu follow the regime you stated then you are going to get results WAY beyond what the other people were getting.
I think you'll find you will get more of an idea of what you can charge as you get more experience. It might however just work out at an "average", you will gain on the smaller cars but lose on the bigger ones.
If you get £50 for waxing the cars on top of the interior then that sound good for 3 hours work, especially as it is an additional income.

Good luck.

(Insurance? or will you be covered by the dealership?)


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

Good luck.
How many cars will you be working on per week?
Whats the potential turnover statistics wise by the dealer?

I had a business a few years back which I had main dealership contracts with.
10 staff and a HUGE turnover of vehicles.
If the figures stack up and they are happy then you will earn well.


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## Eddy (Apr 13, 2008)

Congrats OP, sounds a great opportunity mate, I'd love to do it.

As for your question regarding the engine bay, I would just use APC and a swissvax style brush to get rid of the dirt and dust etc, dry with a MF and then dress.


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## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

scottbt said:


> Good luck.
> How many cars will you be working on per week?
> Whats the potential turnover statistics wise by the dealer?
> 
> ...


I'm not sure about this, need to speak to the owner when I'm there next week. They are a smallish dealership, I'm hoping it will be 3 or 4 a week but that's just guess work. I think I can handle maybe 6-9 cars quite easily atm without quitting work or reducing hours. It all depends if they get them there at the same time or not.


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## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

Insurance wise I will be covered by the dealership to start off, again depends on how it takes off.


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## Kevin OB (Feb 5, 2010)

I Would also ask what they pay per vehicle as dealers are renowned for wanting it done for nothing and they want it done right away I know plenty of valeters who will not work for dealers, it is just something to consider, A freind of mine is a manager of a national valating co his company pay his valaters £12 per car they charge the dealer about £20.


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## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

I will get £25 for wash and interior clean, and extra £25 if I wax and polish it.
Have called the guy today and they dont sell cars, they service them only. Thats ok though they expect about 4 cars a week maybe upto 8. Thats perfect for me atm.

At some stage in the future I will get some promotional air freshners or something like that to leave in the cars.


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## SNAKEBITE (Feb 22, 2010)

Will the weather affect your ability to work?

Is there somewhere under cover or will you have to go the gazebo route?


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## David (Apr 6, 2006)

you honestly think you can do all that work in 2-3 hours, no experience?

i think you'll get a fright quite honestly

car dealerships/garages are known for wanting it done ASAP and wanting to pay you in 3 months time, i wouldnt work for a small garage ever again, i've had a few enquiries and i turn them down almost instantly


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## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

I wouldnt say no experience, ok no experience commercially, but I'm always out cleaning both our cars and I dont cut corners. To wash and dry the car, including doing the wheels, door shuts, etc it takes upto an hour. Interior is like 30-45 mins. To polish & wax is about an hour, that can be curing while I crack on with the interior. The engine bay, well llike I said I've never spent ages doing that area, so that might take a bit longer than expected. Anyway I'll get quicker with practice.

The guy knows I'm doing this around my f/t job so will need to know in advance (7days) what is coming in, and I'll be getting cash after each job I complete.

I dont think I have underestimated too much tbh, but I appreciate you have more experience than me so time will tell.

I dont really want to go down the gazebo route unless I start trying to get private work in the future, not something I want to do just yet. Need to dicuss working facilities with the owner next week.


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## David (Apr 6, 2006)

no experience commercially is exactly what i meant, anyone can keep a car clean - once its had a very good initial clean - its easy to keep on top of it

you'll spend longer than 30mins on an interior just to give it a proper vacuum, nevermind plastics, dash, windows, shampooing will add an extra 45mins-1 hour

Polishing and waxing i'd probably say will take longer than an hour, especially on your own

not having a go, but i am just saying i think you will be in for a learning curve, especially dealing with cars that arent regularly valeted


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Would have to agree with the above,it will certainly try you - I now can't stand salesmen for various reasons :lol:


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## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

I appreciate all the feedback, as you say it's a learning curve and time will tell. If I need to start shampooing the interior rather than just a hoovering I think I will discuss charging more, it all depends on the state of the upholstery. As I said, I used to work for the UK's top carpet cleaning company so I have all the gear to do a fantastic job, I can remove pretty much 99% of all stains by testing the ph and using the correct chemical for the stain.

I guess if a vehicle came in that was very bad I would have to discuss it with the company owner if it required special (time consuming) treatment.

Anyway I'm not too bothered how long it take me tbh, I'm just concentrating on getting the half dozen cars a week for now. If I get 2 in one day and it takes 8hrs I dont mind too much.

Edit: Just wanted to clarify that it's not a dealership, that was my mistake, it's a garage that services and repairs vehicles. The valetting is a service they offer, so I'm kinda hoping the customers who say yes care enough to look after their cars. Typically they will say yes because they cant be bothered to do it themselves and it will be a bit of a state lol.

If I polish with SRP and threat with EGP it will last a few months. Do you think it's worthwhile leaving a flyer in the vehicle saying something along the lines of "The treatment applied will last between 4-6 months and will not require waxing during this time, please contact us when this is approaching to have the vehicle re-treated. Certain shampoos will strip the protection, if you need advice please contact" and give a breakdown of costs to have it done again, or washed in the meantime? The "certain shampoos" being Fairy Liquid lol


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## VinnyTGM (May 10, 2010)

I do a few cars for people on the side, and every time the interior is terrible, it usually take me anywhere from 1.5 - 3.5 hours depending on the state of the interior. The worst job I ever got was a VW Bora, the owner had a little dog that she took everywhere, the whole interior was plastered with dog fur, bearing in mind this car most likely hadn't seen a vacuum in a few years it took about 4.5 hours to do, I had to vacuum twice, shampoo, then vacuum again before even looking at dressing the plastics.

Between the exterior, engine bay, and interior it took me about 8/9 hours to do, but that was a really bad case.


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## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

Yay sounds like fun


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## m0bov (May 2, 2007)

saint1d said:


> The valetting is a service they offer, so I'm kinda hoping the customers who say yes care enough to look after their cars. Typically they will say yes because they cant be bothered to do it themselves and it will be a bit of a state lol.


If they care enough about the car it will have a DW "Do Not Wash" poster in it. :lol: If they don't care they won't pay for a valet and just want a "free" wash and vac. I'd just go for a wash and vaccy and leave some sort of "menu" and contact details in the car. I don't know if many would pay out for a valet when they have already been landed a bill for a repair or service. Good luck anyway.


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## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

saint1d said:


> I wouldnt say no experience, ok no experience commercially, but I'm always out cleaning both our cars and I dont cut corners. To wash and dry the car, including doing the wheels, door shuts, etc it takes upto an hour. Interior is like 30-45 mins. To polish & wax is about an hour, that can be curing while I crack on with the interior. The engine bay, well llike I said I've never spent ages doing that area, so that might take a bit longer than expected. Anyway I'll get quicker with practice.
> 
> The guy knows I'm doing this around my f/t job so will need to know in advance (7days) what is coming in, and I'll be getting cash after each job I complete.
> 
> ...


Cleaning your own cars at the weekend is not alike cleaning vehicles commercially.

You have underestimated a few things considerably, i think the main one you will find being profit margin = time.


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## markcoznottz (Nov 13, 2005)

james b said:


> Cleaning your own cars at the weekend is not alike cleaning vehicles commercially.
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> ...


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

I do a few cars on the side every now and again and the average person does not care about their cars.
Door jambs/hinges etc can take an hour or more to clean and regrease.Proper hoover job is an hour or so again.Wheels depending on severity of soiling can easily be over an hour.Infact I did an octavia vrs that was so lathered in tar the wheels took 1.5 hours EACH and that didnt include any sealing as I didnt have any (whoops).
Good job I had it 11 hours.
Simple tasks like drying can take longer than you may think due to water traps or silly grille designs.
I dont mind these things taking time as I work full time so its just for a few quid.


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## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

Well I did my trial today, will come to that in a minute.

I didnt want to offend anyone by asumming that any old person can start up a business in car cleaning, and dismiss your skills, I wish I had the knowledge that a lot of you have. I have been visiting this site on and off for a long time now, and I am genuinely amazed at what can be achieved and the expertise/skills involved (especially full on detailing).

I originally wanted to use my knowledge of upholstery cleaning and stain removal, and I can see a niche in the market for this. I approached this guy with regards to cleaning interiors as it is a 4x4 specialist, be he wanted a full valet so I thought why not, it's just a part time thing for some extra cash. 

Anyway, I learnt today that it is really hard work, I am completely f***ed, my back is killing me lol, but I did enjoy it. Now, when I describe the vehicle a lot of you will probably be able to visualise it straight away and hopefully it will give you a laugh....

It was a Land Rover Discovery, a really big one with seats in the back. Metallic black (not that it looked metallic) with an insane amount of faded vinyl trims; roof bars, grids around all the lights including the spots on the front and the roof, a spare wheel with cover on the back, full length foot step things on the side, smoked plastic wind deflectors on the front side windows. The exterior was minging, it was caked in mud and the wheels were totally covered in baked on brake dust, the wheel arched were just unreal. The interior was like it had just come off a farm, dried on mud everywhere and dust over all the dashboard and switches etc. The upper interior trim was cream, all the plastics were grubby and the cream headliner was really messy. I just stood there and didnt know where to start. I wish I had remembered to take my camera.

I wanted to get the interior upholstery done quickly as it needed serious cleaning and would have plenty of time to dry off so I started inside. It took me 2 hours to vacuum and clean up the front, another hour to do the back. I paid attention to all the switches and air-vents, etc with a detailing brush. I have to admit that it looked great when I had got all this done, the cream plastics were a ***** though.

I got my carpet cleaning machine set up but it started to rain so I decided to crack on with the exterior. Quick hose down then snow foamed it, loads under the wheel arches and the lower sides, then scrubbed all the vinyl with a a brush to get the mud off. The wheels cleaned up pretty well with not much effort tbh. Hosed the car down again and gave it some more foam before cleaning with my mitt and 2 buckets. The sun came out at this point so had to hose down each area as i went. At this stage I realised the paint was metallic lol.

Next up was drying with the waffel towel(s), god that took ages. Got a coat of SRP on and left that for a little while and started on the interior upholstery. Stopped that to buff off the SRP, it was now looking a lot better. Gave it another polish with SRP again and buffed it straight off. Next was a coat of EGP which goes on a doddle, especially with the polishing sponge I got from AB last week. Left the SRP to cure while I finished off the upholstery. When that was buffed off the car looked really good, nice deep reflectiions. The paintwork wasnt the best but it looked good espcially with the blacked out windows.

Went round all the vinyl trim with the AB vinyl gel, really liked this stuff, it made such a big difference. Dressed the tyres and waxed the alloys.

Overall it took me just over 6 hours! The guy was really pleased and I knew this was a bit of a test. Anyway when I was there I got 3 more jobs from customers that were picking up or dropping off their cars. 

It's safe to say that you guys were so right in all your advice, not that I doubted it, but today was a real eye opener!!! On a plus side, my can of cold lager when I got home tasted fantastic


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## David (Apr 6, 2006)

Glad to see you got it done mate, you can see now how we laughed off the claims of 3 hours on a jeep though


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## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

haha yeah mate


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## VinnyTGM (May 10, 2010)

Glad to see it turned out well for you, I have to clean a Range Rover on a weekly basis and I don't like doing it as much as the cars. So much to do on Jeeps.


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## bespoke (Jun 5, 2008)

Good luck mate, thats how i started out !


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## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

Did another Discovery yesterday, similar size as the last one, proper off-roader with whinches, etc, so it was good for enabling me to compare how long it took. 4hrs this time, so a definate improvement. The owner has a Range Rover and a caravan that he wants me to do on a regular basis 

Apparently it's quite a big caravan so will be tricky to cost, but he only wants the outside doing so I think it will be easier than a car due to having less trim. That said, I will wait and see what it's like first!


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## zetec_paul (Oct 24, 2008)

Saint1d - i'm based in Stockton on tees and would like my leather doing in my Range Rover Vogue. Do you have any experience in this?


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## PJM (Jan 23, 2010)

zetec_paul said:


> Saint1d - i'm based in Stockton on tees and would like my leather doing in my Range Rover Vogue. Do you have any experience in this?


I'm sure there's a DW supporter near you that is.


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## ChromeDome (Aug 15, 2010)

Sounds like alot of hard work


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## VW Golf-Fan (Aug 3, 2010)

You say it was a trial, so these 3 other cars that your doing is that still under the trial?


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## David (Apr 6, 2006)

remember with caravans you get staining, colour distortion and UV fade on the perspex


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## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

No I'm not under trial, they were well impressed with my work. The 2nd Disco I did was at the garage, the other vehicles I'm talking about are nothing to do with them.

I believe the caravan is reasonably new and has been well looked after, the guy just got fed up with the valeter he was using. Will check it out first before I quote for it, I may be asking you guys for some tips lol!


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## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

zetec_paul said:


> Saint1d - i'm based in Stockton on tees and would like my leather doing in my Range Rover Vogue. Do you have any experience in this?


I have plenty experience of doing leather suites and will happily have a look at you RR if you like? What colour are the seats, do they just need cleaning or do they require and re-dying? Put it this way, I am more than confident that I will do a spot on job, but if you weren'y happpy for whatever reason I certainly wouldnt charge you for it 

Hmm, maybe one day someone will ask me to do a small vehicle!


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## chunkytfg (Feb 1, 2009)

saint1d said:


> I have plenty experience of doing leather suites and will happily have a look at you RR if you like? What colour are the seats, do they just need cleaning or do they require and re-dying? Put it this way, I am more than confident that I will do a spot on job, but if you weren'y happpy for whatever reason I certainly wouldnt charge you for it
> 
> Hmm, maybe one day someone will ask me to do a small vehicle!


You do realise you have just offered your services on a forum that is is very strict about advertising


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## saint1d (Jul 18, 2010)

Ah sorry, was asked a question and just answered. I apologise for any offence caused and promise not to do it again :wall: :newbie:


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