MINI COOPER :: North American Motoring

SORMINI · #1 05-01-2007, 11:05 AM

Good day. I lurk on this site a lot, especially in this forum.

My Hubby has an 04 MCS JCW and since we got it last year, we have learned so much from NAM members. This is a great wealth of information on products and technique.

Now, I have become somewhat OCD about cleaning and polishing his car. I am about to place a large order with DP for a PC and the works. I told a friend about these products and now she wants me to do her 04 MCS and her KIA Spectra. I have no problem doing this. I will enjoy it. I love seeing the results after a good polishing and waxing.

My question.....How many of you started out learning how to take care of your own car, and then decided to branch out and do detailing for a fee? When I told my father-in-law about doing my friends cars, he asked if I was going to become a detailer. That got me thinking that it might be cool to do a few detailes here and there for some side cash. I am just not sure how feasible this is. I wouldn't know where to begin. My hubby thinks that people would pay for a good deatil, even if I have little experience. Our local detailers charge upwards of $100 for a quick wash, vacuum, and some sort of wax. It really doesn't look any better than driving it through a carwash.

What do you all think? Thanks for any information. This is a great group of people.

Jeremy1026 · #2 05-01-2007, 11:07 AM

I have done this. I started with my MINI. Then after my parents saw the results they were like 'DO OURS, DO OURS!' (Galant and Altima) so I did theirs. And then a woman that me and my mom worked with saw both of our cars and was like, "DO MINE DO MINE!" (Jetta) So far I've made back $100 of the $280 i spent at DP

As far as branching out into a small business. Unless you are only going to work on friends cars, I would say it'll be more trouble then its worth. And you'd probably need to get some insurance in case you burn the paint and the customer sues. So, if your doing your friends cars, thats cool, go for it. But if your going to be working on strangers cars, think about liability insurance, and think, is it worth it?

kenchan · #3 05-01-2007, 11:46 AM

yah, we had a similar discussion yesterday about this... detailing other
cars for a fee is not the 'thing' for me. i enjoy working on my personal
cars though.

and later admiring my work.

gokartride · #4 05-01-2007, 11:50 AM

I confess I have been totally monogamous in my detailing.

jwardell · #5 05-01-2007, 11:55 AM

I've had similar thoughts from time to time, especially at times like right now when I am very low on money. The biggest issue is time. It really takes an entire day, if not two, to do an entire job. I have a tough enough time finding an hour free these days. The second issue is I am no business man and I have a hard time asking people for money or setting prices. This is even harder with friends. If you are only gonna ask them for 50 bucks, or a case of beer, or whatever, is it really worth losing an entire saturday doing so?
If people made offers to me I would probably consider it, but the chances of things like that falling out of the sky are slim.

Jeremy1026 · #6 05-01-2007, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwardell

This is even harder with friends. If you are only gonna ask them for 50 bucks, or a case of beer, or whatever, is it really worth losing an entire saturday doing so?
If people made offers to me I would probably consider it, but the chances of things like that falling out of the sky are slim.

Thats the hard part for me. I put about 6-7 hours in on a detail. Which makes for a crazy day with my normal work on top of that. And I only charge $20, which is just about enough to cover the product I use. (The Jetta and my Mom both gave me $40, but I tried to give them $20 of it back.)

S Curvz · #7 05-01-2007, 01:48 PM

I detail at least one extra car a week in the spring. This pays for my habits(detialing and MINI mods). As I have gotten better so have my clients and my pay. I think there is nothing wrong with detailing cars if people ask. Gives you the opportunity to get more practice and a way to pay for materials. However, you must be careful to do it right. If you screw anything up, your responsible.

mcdbrendan · #8 05-01-2007, 02:15 PM

Thats my only source of income now (I'm only 18, so its not a big deal) but I love doing it and the money is good too. I would say go for it! I would say be cautious with who you work with though...

SORMINI · #9 05-01-2007, 02:34 PM

Thanks. This is what I was thinking. I wouldn't advertise or anything, but I would do friends or friends of friends. I don't want to make a living at it, I work 60 hours a week right now doing child care. But, if I could make a little extra here and there, then I could definately pay to support my new Prima habits.

mcdbrendan · #10 05-01-2007, 02:38 PM

Haha. I know waht you mean. I had a huge DP order and paid it off the first 2 cars I worked on. It's a great way for extra money, and I definatly plan on continuing it in college. For this summer, I am going to continue working at my summer job (BMW dealership (now Maserati too

)) and detail on the side for spending money.