# Car detailing franchise



## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

Hi all,

I'm seriously thinking about taking on a franchise buisness and have seen a number of car valleting/detailing franchises advertised. With a keen interest in cars and detailing and some experience working as a car cleaner in my student days a velleting/detailing business seemed a good place to start. I am obviously wanting to properly research the area so thought here was a good place to start. So any tips, advise, questions I need to ask etc would be greatfully received. In addition it would be excellent to hear from anyone who has successfully purchased a franchise and is making a good living from it. Also what are the pros and cons of buying into a fracnhise v starting up on your own?

Cheers


----------



## andrew_s46 (May 23, 2007)

This might help a little 
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=9987

I'm sure there is another guide by Dave KG but I can't find it at the moment.


----------



## Multipla Mick (Feb 5, 2006)

Personally, I wouldn't go near a valeting franchise, they don't offer anything you can't do yourself really. Most want a lump sum up front, and then monthly payments after that, and you are tied to all sorts of things like how long you spend and get paid on a job to what products you use. Reading through other threads, promises of guaranteed work often don't materialise and all sorts. They often offer 'exclusive' territories too - big deal... how many other valeters are there in any given area though?

If you have a lump sum available, and get busy with the plastic, by this time next week you could have a van and all the kit ready to work, and all bought and paid for, no payments to make before you earn any money and so on.

There have been threads on the subject before, and I think the general consensus was don't bother, some of them are more hassle than they are worth.


----------



## empsburna (Apr 5, 2006)

Waste of 6/7k IMHO. You could buy some kit and go mobile, pay for insurance and advertising and still have enough to spare to save for quiet weeks and then keep all of your profit for yourself too.


----------



## Multipla Mick (Feb 5, 2006)

Had a quick search and found this thread http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=57239&highlight=franchises
That may be of some help (not read through it again), I'm sure there have been other threads on the subject too.


----------



## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

a franchise is a valid business model in many sectors, where the brand will bring you customers and the franchisor can offer you training, support and ongoing marketing. For example, many McDonalds are actually franchises and loads of other well known restaurants and retailers etc.

BUT...

what does it offer in valeting? I dont know any really national chains that would have ANY degree of consumer awareness, so what are you going to get? If there were thousands of people using XYZ carwashers all round the country and they had a reputation for quality and value, then you might want in on that, but what can you get from this so-called franchisor?

For franchising to work you need a credible and recognised brand, solid proven business model that can be replicated in different areas and a high evel of ongoing support from the central franchisor. Many just take your £X,000 lump sum, give you a manual and clear off leaving you on your own to work it out. Thats exactly what you do NOT want in this business model. The point of a franchise is you set up your business exactly as the franchisor has proven can work, do the same things as them, and along comes your custom and sales etc. Doesnt really work in a valeting sector IMHO.

HTH...


----------



## Ultra (Feb 25, 2006)

Multipla Mick said:


> Personally, I wouldn't go near a valeting franchise, they don't offer anything you can't do yourself really. Most want a lump sum up front, and then monthly payments after that, and you are tied to all sorts of things like how long you spend and get paid on a job to what products you use. Reading through other threads, promises of guaranteed work often don't materialise and all sorts. They often offer 'exclusive' territories too - big deal... how many other valeters are there in any given area though?
> 
> If you have a lump sum available, and get busy with the plastic, by this time next week you could have a van and all the kit ready to work, and all bought and paid for, no payments to make before you earn any money and so on.
> 
> There have been threads on the subject before, and I think the general consensus was don't bother, some of them are more hassle than they are worth.


nuff said :thumb:


----------



## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

Thanks for the advice Bigpikle with the replies so far and my other research it seams like a no go area. Does anyone have experiences of franchises in other sectors that have worked for them?


----------



## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

there are loads - its worth checking out the franchise specialist magazines, websites etc and there are big shows etc IIRC where you can meet lots of people in different sectors.

There are loads from mobile oven cleaning, every type of retail you can think of, even O2 shops are often franchises! Its not as easy as signing up though as more and more want YOU to meet their requirements. 

Before rushing into it, think carefully about the capital you have available, including your working capital requirements and setup costs (easy £100k+ in many opportunities), your skills and experience and what you want to get out of it. Many franchisees put in their own managers and just own the business, relying on experienced people to run it day to day. Just do your research carefully as they arent always a road to riches


----------



## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

Thanks for that. As you correctly say I'm in no rush and I'm going to the Franchise show at the NEC this oct. It would be good to here of any examples of people who have successfully taken on a franchise if there is anyone out there!


----------



## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

Midlands Detailing said:


> Waste of 6/7k IMHO. You could buy some kit and go mobile, pay for insurance and advertising and still have enough to spare to save for quiet weeks and then keep all of your profit for yourself too.


6-7k IMO is not enough to set up from scratch with, not at a decent level and some training.



Bigpikle said:


> a franchise is a valid business model in many sectors, where the brand will bring you customers and the franchisor can offer you training, support and ongoing marketing. For example, many McDonalds are actually franchises and loads of other well known restaurants and retailers etc.
> 
> BUT...
> 
> ...


ARC (now knowen as IMO) car washes, enough said :thumb: they turn over some good amounts.

It could work and dose for some in the "valet" trade but like every thing you need an angle and a target market, most IMO have no direction or unique angle, they offer the same as every other valeter and no real benefits or base work, that some one on there own could come along and just under cut and take off you.

You have the AS or AG product sales route, they seem a good investment IMO


----------



## reparebrise (Jan 19, 2009)

Warning this reply is from a franchisers perspective.

Here in Quebec Canada I sell and support automotive reconditioning franchises, slightly different from just valeting, we offer our franchisees a larger arsenal of services than just valeting.

When looking at acquiring a franchise there are some points to consider and questions to ask.

- Are the services offered innovative and different than whats available elsewhere.
- how successful are existing franchisees. 
- call as many franchisees as you can and get there feelings on the franchisor and the support vs royalties/cost equilibrium. 
- a franchise is a business to own if you are a strong technician , but require help with marketing and sales.
- have there been any court proceedings between franchisor and franchisees.
- what does the franchise offer that you can't get elsewhere(name, prestige, national contracts, innovative products, strong marketing, R&D....)
- is the ongoing support included in the royalties, or do you have to pay every time you need help.
- get a copy of the franchise contract, and read it over before going any further. 
if a franchisor can't answer these questions, then kindly walk away. The role of a franchisor is to aid and support the franchisee, and to promote the brand relentlessly, for the betterment of all the franchisees.


----------



## Leep84 (Jul 20, 2009)

I made the mistake of buying a valeting franchise early last year (I only found DW a couple of months ago!-wish I found it earlier). I would agree with what people have said-they 'promise' a lot but the reality is very diffrent! To cut a long story short, I terminated my agreement after about a year and im now left paying a loan and a lease on a van which barely gets used. There are succesful franchisees out there,but there seems to be a lot more ex franchisees!


----------



## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

I think people have to also realise you are still self employed and you will only get out of it what you put in, (this is in anything not only valeting/detailing) and you need to realise twice as much work goes in to getting the work as it dose doing the work when starting up (i would call start up 2-3 years) i think a franchise is good for some one whos willing to put in the graft but has little or no experience, they would (should) get the proper training, and a proven business model to follow, as well as the back up of experienced people on there side, as well as getting the correct set up in terms of equipment and consumables and marketing.

Its one of those things, there will be blaggers trying to make a quick buck but there will also be good business opportunitys out there.

Look at it this way you could open a pizza shop, yes you may do ok, but you know if you opened a dominos you would smash it


----------



## adam87 (Dec 11, 2008)

mmmmm dominos


----------



## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

adam87 said:


> mmmmm dominos


Point proven :thumb: :lol:


----------



## empsburna (Apr 5, 2006)

james b said:


> 6-7k IMO is not enough to set up from scratch with, not at a decent level and some training.


Going from the cost of the kits of Autobrite's website it seems you could buy a starter kit for £1999. 6/7k is less than it would cost you with a franchise.


----------



## Deanvtec (Mar 3, 2008)

Leep84 said:


> I made the mistake of buying a valeting franchise early last year (I only found DW a couple of months ago!-wish I found it earlier). I would agree with what people have said-they 'promise' a lot but the reality is very diffrent! To cut a long story short, I terminated my agreement after about a year and im now left paying a loan and a lease on a van which barely gets used. There are succesful franchisees out there,but there seems to be a lot more ex franchisees!


Crikey sounds very similar to a position that I was in a few years back, I feel for you mate, to be honest I was left with a loan and a van. The company as a few people on here know are scandalous. 
They promised the earth and delivered didly squat!! (Must be the same company!!)

Anyway back on to the subject and from personal experiance
as with anything you get what you put in, there was no way I was going to let my business that I had built up fail all because of this company. I just wish I didn't buy into there bullsh=t to start with.
Now I can use products from the best companys and am not tied in with any one company, Most Valeting franchisee's are just glorified bucket and sponge people, all silicon sprays and dirty chamois's.
The best thing you can do is self teach and go on a couple of courses that some of the detailers on here offer then just practice, practice and practice, You could start up your own business without going down the franchise route and offer much better services, just remember don't get your intentions mixed up with your capabilites, start off offering what you are 100% comfortable with, like mini-valets, full valets etc then build up into the detailing side of things. Just be prepared to work hard, it can definately pay off once you build up a good reputation, having all the right equipment is all fine and dandy but all the gear no idea is not good, sooo practice practice and practice. You will benefit much more from doing it yourself than a franchise imho anyway.:thumb:


----------



## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

^^ Mate i do feel for you and the company you brought in to looks all rosy from the out side, but as you well know they are not doing as well as they make out. . . . quite the opposite.

A starter kit from AB wont start you a business, you need alot more than just that, a decent van, insurance (both vehicle and liability) a web site some adds company promotional stuff, clothing and so on, web site etc etc etc, trust me it adds up, i personally dont believe a AB kit contains every thing you need equipment and product wise either. 

Also once you get all this stuff you wont have work straight away so you need some cash behind you to live on while you build it up, ad like dean said its all well having this stuff, but you need to know what to do with it and how to get the best out of it, and again training costs, i know i would not be passing all my knowledge on for pennies.


----------



## Jzinsky (Jul 31, 2009)

Domino's franchises work, they advertise.

I couldn't name you one single detailing/mobile valeting company, and apart from Imo not one single company that I have ever seen more than one of.

On this basis a franchise wouldn't work IMO, but nothing wrong with starting your own


----------



## Leep84 (Jul 20, 2009)

Deanvtec-i read an earlier link,my franchise was a diffrent company yours! I would agree with the comments regarding you get what you put into it. From my experiance in about a year all my jobs bar about half a dozen came from my hard work,all you pay your franchise a monthly fee for was the name and a so called territory! Then theres the other costs they forget to mention till you have your name on the dotted line-£25+vat for delivery of stock,minimum product orders and they wont let you try other product. It all adds up and from day 1 you have massive overheads and barely any work! I agree with Deanvtec,go it alone and slowly build the business and your name/reputation. As for starter kits,you can even lease equipment from some companys if you didnt want to buy to begin with-that way you have less to lose if you decide to do something else. Its a tough market-people offer to wash you car all over the place now,supermarket car parks,round the back of petrol stations,outside coffee shops,then you have numerous other mobile valeters/detailors.


----------



## nortonski (Jul 10, 2007)

Go it alone, I've seen THOUSANDS squandered on franchises over the years....they often promise the earth, unfortunately rarely deliver...


----------



## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

The people who run chips away now offer a valeting franchise,

Id say they would have some connections on some national contracts.

http://www.procarclean.co.uk/


----------



## Leep84 (Jul 20, 2009)

That company recently merged with Autosheen. Thay now share the same products and have trained at the same place with the same people for a couple of years. If you buy a autosheen franchise you have access to national accounts (you pay a percentage on the work you do) if you buy Professional car cleaning you then have to pay extra for access to account work (I was told its £2000+vat by a reliable source). I believe they now call themselves Autosheen Professional Car Cleaning. Chips Away is well know franchise-when it came to Britain they offered a almost unique service which helped them to grow quickly and build the name.


----------



## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

Leep84 said:


> That company recently merged with Autosheen. Thay now share the same products and have trained at the same place with the same people for a couple of years. If you buy a autosheen franchise you have access to national accounts (you pay a percentage on the work you do) if you buy Professional car cleaning you then have to pay extra for access to account work (I was told its £2000+vat by a reliable source). I believe they now call themselves Autosheen Professional Car Cleaning. Chips Away is well know franchise-when it came to Britain they offered a almost unique service which helped them to grow quickly and build the name.


Oh dead auto sheen :tumbleweed: enough said :lol:

The thing regarding the Nat contracts IMO is a bit naughty, i think if you buy in to a brand you should at least be entitled to the work that company has in your area.

Your 100% right about the chips away thing bringing some thing new in, this is what i mean when i say you need an angle, there is no point offering a service 20 other people already offer in your area, you need to have a unique selling point.


----------



## Leep84 (Jul 20, 2009)

Im not sure if Autosheen merged with Professional Car Cleaning or vice versa. My local Chips guy isnt sure Chips Away are still associated with Professional Car Cleaning,but as far as I know they still work out of the same head office. (he also thinks valeting franchises are flawed-for the reason you say about bringing something new into the area). Like I said earlier,and im sure any franchise that offers national contract work would charge you extra for it,probably a percentage of the job.

out of intrest-what dont you like about autosheen?


----------



## chrisc (Jun 15, 2008)

the advantage of setting up yourself if it dont work you can flog it all on.on here


----------



## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

6-7k is more than enough to set up a mobile valeting/detailing business. 


The PCC franchise is £9,995+VAT


----------



## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

Leep84 said:


> out of intrest-what dont you like about autosheen?


Im not going to open a big old can of worms in the thread, iv fixed a few cars one of there guys cleaned.



chrisc said:


> the advantage of setting up yourself if it dont work you can flog it all on.on here


True and while you may not get back exactly what you paid for it you should (after a year) get at least 50% of your investment back.



Grizzle said:


> 6-7k is more than enough to set up a mobile valeting/detailing business.
> 
> The PCC franchise is £9,995+VAT


Personally i dont think it is, not if you sit and look at every cost, we are talking about buying the van (not lease or finance) all the gear (proper industrial stuff that will last) all the products, promotional stuff, work wear, insurance (paid not on the monthly) adverts (a decent amount to get you noticed), a web site, and enough money to live on, motgage/rent, all house hold bills and your food for a family, 6-7k is not any where near enough, to many people think once you get the stuff thats it you making $$$ im sure you know as well as i do thats not the case.

Yes you can get these things on the monthly but then look at your final figure and it will be well over the 6-7k.

We are talking about a proper professional set up not working out the back of the family estate car on the week and with domestic equipment and no insurance.

That 10K + vat, dont buy you your van (that will be at least another 12-14+vat) you also have the 200+ vat PCM fee (some of that is what goes towards adds i guess) so there's another 1300 quid, then the doe you need to live on for the first year or so while your not at full turn over, id say that figure realistically will end up far closer to 30K +

I have never owned a franchise, iv always worked for my self and picked up most of what i know by doing the work. but iv owned a few businesses big and small all in professional vehicle cleaning at different levels in different sectors, i once sold some PSV and HGV contracts to a company that has franchises due to the fact they got bigger than we could handle (3 vans) and went national, rater than lose them, i sold them, i think this is where a big network of self employed operatives has an advantage over that of a one man band.

I cant say i miss all the big contracts, waiting for money, relying on others who let you down dont turn up and you end up doing 3 mens work, i should have split my company up and sold off areas. but i could be doing with out all the agro back then.


----------



## David (Apr 6, 2006)

Grizzle said:


> 6-7k is more than enough to set up a mobile valeting/detailing business.
> 
> The PCC franchise is £9,995+VAT


i recon in the last year i've spent close to £15,000 on my business

6k including a van and your first years commercial insurance (my caddy and insurance RRPs at £6,000)


----------



## Leep84 (Jul 20, 2009)

The PCC franchise starts at £9.995+vat-you dont get the 'full' package for that. Then your van is also £200+vat a month on top of the £200+vat franchise fee. Its similar across all franchises-weather it be valeting,smart repairs,garden maitanance etc,a fee plus you lease your vehicle. As ive said,i owned a valeting franchise-im not saying you cant make a living out of it,I know people that do,but you need a large amount of money to support yourself over the first year or so and when times are bad,over the years you will pay them tens of thousands of pounds of your hard earnt money-they should be doing a lot of advertising and finding you a lot of work over that time to make the payments worth it! How many people have heard of autosheen pcc etc?-there hardly big names so wheres all the money there franchisees are paying them going? David saids he spent £15k on his buisness this year-but he owns his van helping him to have lower overheads-more money for himself at the end of the month!

I understand you dont want to open a 'can of worms' regarding autosheen-is there a thread about it?


----------



## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

Leep84 said:


> The PCC franchise starts at £9.995+vat-you dont get the 'full' package for that. Then your van is also £200+vat a month on top of the £200+vat franchise fee. Its similar across all franchises-weather it be valeting,smart repairs,garden maitanance etc,a fee plus you lease your vehicle. As ive said,i owned a valeting franchise-im not saying you cant make a living out of it,I know people that do,but you need a large amount of money to support yourself over the first year or so and when times are bad,over the years you will pay them tens of thousands of pounds of your hard earnt money-they should be doing a lot of advertising and finding you a lot of work over that time to make the payments worth it! How many people have heard of autosheen pcc etc?-there hardly big names so wheres all the money there franchisees are paying them going? David saids he spent £15k on his buisness this year-but he owns his van helping him to have lower overheads-more money for himself at the end of the month!
> 
> I understand you dont want to open a 'can of worms' regarding autosheen-is there a thread about it?


No theres no thread about it.

I totally agree with what your saying, however the franchises that do do what they are supposed to ie promotion wise do work for people,

As i said im not and never have been part of any franchise, but i can see the benefits for some.

Looking around i see alot of the "valeting" ones dont really talk about there services they just push there franchises, id steer well clear of any business like that, to be fair i dont see any valeting/detailing franchises offering any thing special or not already widely available.

You will always have over heads in any business, you can limit them, i buy my vans ought right and only change them when funds allow (2-3 years) however you have to realise you still have to find that cash some how, rent on work shops, adds, and so on cost plenty of $$$$, depends how you want to do it, but at the end of the day the business needs to be able to sustain its costs and make a profit and give you a wage, many dont, few do, and it all come's down to what you put in to it effort wise.


----------



## Leep84 (Jul 20, 2009)

A shame theres no thread.

Regarding promotion/marketing your spot on,thoses that make the effort/pay to advertise nationally do seem to work well-Dominoes was your example earlier and its spot on!

I also agree that these valeting franchises offer nothing special,nothing people dont go out and can do themselves. They offer 'unique' products,a brand name and somebody the other end of a phone line when you need some help-but do these help make more money?-from my experiance,definatly not!

I know any business has overheads,I just think that with a franchise these overheads are larger then they could be-like I said in an earlier post-minimum product purchase, monthly fee and fees for extra training all add up-especially as you arnt allowed to shop around for the best deals!

Without a doubt-any business,franchise or not needs 100% effort,every job has to be the best you can do,you will work late,be up early and not have days off for weeks on end to try and make it work-I know,ive been there! Unfortunatly i couldnt make enough money to sustain the overheads of my franchise-and the roof over my head came first!


----------



## Apex (Aug 29, 2009)

Autosheen Professional Car Cleaning was sold to Farecla on the 19th August so it has nothing to do with ChipsAway anymore. As far as I'm aware this is the third time PCC has changed hands in three years. Farecla also recently purchased Mer as well. Farecla have been providing ChipsAway/Autosheen with products for a number of years so it lets ChipsAway get rid of it's underperforming valeting business without any adverse publicity.


----------



## Leep84 (Jul 20, 2009)

Sold?-I wonder how much Farecla payed for it?! Do you know if they will still be working out of the Chips Away head office?/have any association with Chips Away? I know that at some point My Home (cleaning,window cleaning,oven cleaning franchises) owned or had a large share in PCC-but as far as I understand they went into adminatration last year and Chips Away brought it back.


----------



## Apex (Aug 29, 2009)

Don't know how much Farecla paid? £1 perhaps!. After MyHome went into adminstration the Chipsaway management re-purchased Chipsaway & PCC and added Autosheen to the group which they merged with PCC earlier in the year. Autosheen/PCC are no longer owned or have any association with ChipsAway and the head office/training centre in Kidderminster is being moved to Hertford where Farecla are located though this will not be instant.


----------



## Leep84 (Jul 20, 2009)

Are Farecla the people who make G3 compound etc?

Although we have drifted slightly off topic here it goes to show that valeting franchises arnt all there cracked up to be-after all Autosheen is possibly the most well known name,yet they merged with Pcc (a company that changed hands 3 times in 3years) and have now been sold by chips away! 

I wonder how these changes affect the franchisees-I read somewhere that Autosheen Professional Car Cleaning had 60 of them (I once read that Autosheen only had 14 a few years ago)-I would guess that being associated with a company like Chips Away would be a good bonus?


----------



## Apex (Aug 29, 2009)

Yes Farecla are the people who make G3 and other surface finishing products, I would like to know how many franchisee's they still have as I don't think it's anywhere near 60+. Unless the franchise is providing you with a lot of work then it's not worth it when you add up monthly license fee, van lease and product purchase you are a huge disadvantage compared to an independant valeter/detailer who has lower overheads a choice of which products to use and is not limited to a particular geographic area. I too have learnt a valuable lesson.


----------



## Leep84 (Jul 20, 2009)

The Chips Away national advertising doesnt provide my local franchisees with much work-and thats a large advert in local yellow pages which they have to have!and now they have a tv advert on some sky/cable channels. As for the valeting side-im not sure if there is/was any national advertising-i certainly havent seen any. I know that well over a year ago I looked into PCC-I was only able to find 30 odd franchisees advertising on the net. It would be intresting to read any current valeting franchisees opinions this topic.

Your spot on-if they provide a large amount of work then all the fees would make it worth your while.

Im guessing you also brought a valeting franchise from your learnt a lesson comment?


----------



## martyp (Oct 24, 2006)

I joined a Valeting franchise a couple of years back as the owner lived very local to me and I was sick of my job (which I'm now back at LOL). Anyway, we got to chatting etc and he asked me to come out with him for a day to see if I'd enjoy it - his standards were petty low and relied heavily on YP work. 

Anyway, I decided to go for it. 6k fee (for using the name, still had to supply vehicle, signage, chemicals etc), 150 a week fee plus advertising and insurance. Area was where I lived so it seemed OK - if expensive. 

Long an short of it was tho, due to the poor standards and previous franchisees the company had a dreadful name and getting work (by trying convincing them I'd do much better) was hard. 

I lasted 6 months and couldn't afford to do it. Quit (having to pay 3 wk FF upfront!) and returned to my old job. 

Doing it again I would start doing it myself, you just never know who worked for the place
before in your area (in my case the owner was the problem).


----------



## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

^^ No offense but it sounds like you got robbed by a chancer to me.

6K with no kit just to use the name + 150 a week and he done no advertising for you.... dam thats £13800 to use a name (that was not even a good one) for one year and you got no gear etc, you really did get stung IMO.


----------



## martyp (Oct 24, 2006)

Yeah, I realised that a little late tho. There was one weeks training included in that 6k fee tho, my god that was an eye opener!!!

TBH, the fees weren't what killed it for me, it was the fact that I was paying ~200 pound per month for a Yellow Pages ad (there were only 3 of us, including the owner there so it was divided between us) and he got the phone calls and split them out. When I realised on of my neighbors called the ad (obviously my area) and he went out and done it that sparked the end for me - thankfully he refused and I got the job in the end tho...

He used to have about 15 people working for him, but now thats down to 1.

Like I said, if I actually started out on my own I'd probably still be out there doing it and got stuck in to paint correction by now...


----------



## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

A whole weeks training ay... il do that for half the price of 6K LOL

The thing where he is going out and doing jobs in others areas is bang out of order and like i said sounds to me as if you just got in with the wrong kind of company, it can work and the benifits can be great for all involved but there are always people who will just rob a quick quid off the next man and thats short lived for all involved.


----------

