How long does it take to detail?

M

Mamamia

New member
I understand some people detail two cars on a single day. How do you guys do it? I tried to detail a Honda Accord and it took me 1 day and a half to detail the whole thing from engine to interior to exterior.



Can you share your procedures for a speedy detailjob?
 
Hey, it wouldn't be very enjoyable if you were in a hurry when you go fishing. It's the same way with detailing. It shouldn't be a race against the clock. As long as you enjoy your work and get good results, then that's all that really matters.
 
Some of it probably has to do with having the right equipment, some with experience so that you don't have as much trial-and-error with picking your products and process, and some with repetition, which allows for reduced time in the way that "time & motion studies" used to be done, in refining your procedure.
 
Practice...





Honestly, you need to keep doing the job over and over and just refine your techniques. On an Accord soup to nuts, I would take 4-6 hours. Heres basically how I do everything...Remember the key thing is, work diligently and DON'T worry about light residue here and there, you will waste soo much time removing it...Leave it all to the end.



<<<<Interior>>>>

Vacuum

Spray interior down with light cleaner (Folex) and agitate with MF

Clean carpets (Search "GSRstilez carpet and upholstery")

Degrease doorjams

Dress/condition interior

Polish any shiny trim

Clean windows



<<<<Engine>>>>

Run engine for 10 minutes

Cover battery, dist cap, maf sensor, and alternator with aluminum foil

Hose down engine with medium pressured stream of water

Soak engine in safe cleaner/degreaser (OTC, I would reccomend an All Purpose Cleaner in the auto section)

Mix up a bucket of general car wash solution and water along with a sponge and thin spoke-type brush and agitate everything

Hose down engine and check your work

Start engine back up for 15 minutes

Spray dressing generously into bay and close hood

Optional...Polish painted/polished parts





<<<<Exterior>>>>

Pressure wash (if you have) entire exterior top to bottom to undercarriage

Clean wheels/wells/tires

Presoak car with 50/50 white vinegar mix or 10:1 APC mix

Wash car as normal and rinse

Mix up a fresh batch of wash solution and use it as your clay lube...Clay the car top to bottom

Rinse and dry

Compound/polish exterior (may need to tape up trim with painter's tape)

Dress wells, tires, and trim

Apply sealant/wax to paint, windows, wheels, and lighting

Do a final wipedown with a QD







This is BASICALLY what I do, give or take a few steps...Any questions, give it a shot.
 
How long does it take to detail? Depends on the condition and size of the car and how you want the car to look like, when a car is neglected it could take two days to detail and if the car is new it could take hrs.

Even seeing a car to give a estimate to Detail it you never know what can of worms you can open up when you take the PC after it and find out that the scratches has been covered up with a heavy duty glaze.

The more you detail the better & faster you get. Have your detailing supplies close by on a cart that has tires. When you first detail a car have a battle plan before you start working on it. Every Detailer does it differently from the next Detailer
 
I would expect to take six hours or so on my own car, which usually does not need heavy polish work (and it's not a large car). Add a couple more hours for my brother's Tahoe, or my girlfriend's minivan (which is typically swirled). I don't have the expertise of many in this forum, though, so I am a bit of a slowpoke.



But, I am fortunate in that I don't have to hurry. I like doing it, and I work at a comfortable pace. I can go in the house for a glass of iced tea, or I can pause if a sporting event is on the radio that I am interested in. If I were a pro, and needed to do two a day to make any kind of money, I would need to be more particular about shortcuts. I have all kinds or respect for those people.



For me, it's part work, part fun, and part therapy.
 
I think the pros have the benefit of years of hands-on skills, a vast knowledge base, and better equipment (ie, a rotary can cut far quicker than a PC). I figure a pro could do what I do in half the time. For me, a full detail is about 10 hours.
 
I take the easy and relaxing route when detailing. All of my customer's i've known forever thru my high school friends and they don't really care about how fast i get their cars done. On their cars it takes me 2-3 hours for a quick wash, wax, vacuum, address problem areas, and dress things. I'm sure if i tried i could cut it down a bit, but why stress myself out? I'm getting paid the same amount anyways and if the customer doesn't care about time, why should i? for a vehicle in moderately bad shape that wants the works, id say 5-8 hours because the polishing would take forever via PC.
 
EricZ said:
It removes hard water spots. (At least that's why I would do it.)
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Thanks for the info guys.



Your method of removing hard water spots, I assume its effective? Wanna try that one day to see how it goes.
 
There is no one absolute set time for detailing. I can wash, vaccum dress and clean the windows on a Porsche in about 40 minutes. Add an extra 15 minutes for a wax, add an extra hour for a 1-step polish.....it all depends on the cars condition and the degree of detail being performed.



I am detailing a Porsche right now and I have at least 15 hours into it.....and plenty more to go :cool:



Anthony
 
When discussing how long it takes, consider that to *really* inspect colors like silver takes an awful long time. You can think you have a metallic like that perfect, and then see it from a certain angle in a certain light and spot marring that was previously invisible. I probably spend as much time inspecting my silver vehicles as I do actually polishing them.



Anthony Orosco said:
I am detailing a Porsche right now and I have at least 15 hours into it.....and plenty more to go..
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Yikes, hope you took some before pics. That kind of time sounds more like me working on one of my garage queens than you working on a customer's car :D
 
David Fermani said:
What the heck are you doing to that car? I must be really bad?
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:chuckle: No not bad at all really, I am prepping it for a concours.



I have a few BEFORE shots but because it was already in good shape there isn't much to show. I am hoping that the AFTERs though are something to stare at for a bit :xyxthumbs



Don't mean to hijack the thread, but here is one teaser pic.



911whloff9mx.jpg




Anthony
 
Anthony Orosco said:
:chuckle: No not bad at all really, I am prepping it for a concours...
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Heh heh, OK now I know why it sounds like one of my projects :D Looks like you had a great starting point, I bet that's a fun job. Oh to have a car that's never seen winter weather (or deer ;) )...



What kind of concours? Not PCA I hope, those can be really tough.
 
Thanks,



it will be a local POrsche concours. I am trying to get a concours set up here at one of the country clubs and tie it in with our local wine makers. A wine/jazz/concours type of thing.



I'll post up pics of the whole car soon.



Anthony
 
Anthony Orosco said:
Thanks,



it will be a local POrsche concours. I am trying to get a concours set up here at one of the country clubs and tie it in with our local wine makers. A wine/jazz/concours type of thing.



I'll post up pics of the whole car soon.



Anthony
Click to expand...





Sounds dynamite...Keep us posted.
 
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