I'm out of work... start detailing?

[shank0668]

I can get these results with

[camaroitalia]

im 17, detail cars. made great money so far this summer just doing neighbors cars. then they tell a friend or family member. i was doing one every other day. its great when one person has 3 cars for u to do. i use all Adams products. takes me at least 5 hours per detail.

[B2k4E]

Originally Posted by Prospective Buyer

Ok this isn't a sob story... I'm 16. Applied to several places to work. No one called me back except one but I'm too young. So I figured, hey why not detail cars? I love cars, and cleaning them.... any advice for a starting a small detailing service in MA? My neighborhood has plenty of customers, but what's the best way of alerting them? I don't want alot of people coming to my house if I don't know them.....

Damn dude you sound just like me when I was 16! (I'm 18 now) I applied everywhere I could, never got a call back. I was and still am really proficient with guns, but our local gun shop (whom I'm friends with) said they'd love to take me, but I was too young...

So what did I do? grabbed a sponge and some autodetailing soap and did complete details for my dad's dealership and various other people. It paid for my car at the time, (95 Geo Tracker, sold it half a month ago) while still having money left over to buy the latest game or a box of ammo.

I never did mind the outside work cause you could cool off with the the sprayer, but the interior work sucked.

You can get some pretty decent cash if you work fast enough, do a good job, and have a good amount of people in the area.

[Iwantone2]

Originally Posted by Prospective Buyer

Ok this isn't a sob story... I'm 16. Applied to several places to work. No one called me back except one but I'm too young. So I figured, hey why not detail cars? I love cars, and cleaning them.... any advice for a starting a small detailing service in MA? My neighborhood has plenty of customers, but what's the best way of alerting them? I don't want alot of people coming to my house if I don't know them.....

Well, one thing that worked for me was that a neighbor drove by while I was washing my car. I was using the foam gun at the time and he stopped to ask if it actually worked. After a brief run-down, I saw that he looked interested. I offered to wash his car for him and if he liked the results, he could reimburse me for supplies (I have a stash of supplies, so I didn't really need the money ).

I only did the exterior for him, and he forked over $20. $20/hour? That's pretty good for just an exterior wash.

But I'll agree with others here: WORD OF MOUTH! Good luck!

[GEEo]

Originally Posted by Prospective Buyer

Insurance I'm 16... how much would that cost?

My parents pay upwards of $300 for my car.

[Prospective Buyer]

Originally Posted by Iwantone2

After a brief run-down, I saw that he looked interested. I offered to wash his car for him and if he liked the results, he could reimburse me for supplies (I have a stash of supplies, so I didn't really need the money ).

But I'll agree with others here: WORD OF MOUTH! Good luck!

A few of my neighbors have already talked to me while washing my cars, I usually respond with "I want it to look good while I'm in it," Looks like a foam gun would attract more attention.

BTW Where can I find a foam gun locally? Lowes, HomeDepot? AceHardware? Are they called anything else??

[WS6ADDICT]

Hit the places where people are inside all day, make lots of dough and drive decent rides. THEY are your prime customers. I did the detail route in college & high school. You'll find word of mouth gets you the best customers. 3M Finesse II will be your best friend. It's very forgiving by hand or with a buffer.
Oh yeah, each one you detail, pull it out in an open area & critique yourself. You'll find spraying a little spray shine on the plastic parts exposed on the fenderwells or using Pledge on the taillights & those little details help. You'll find your mistakes too! I took a guys 78 TA back with wax on his Cragars once. Guess I was in a hurry......oh yeah, that shows my age!! That was 1981 when I was 16!!!

[Apex Paul]

Originally Posted by Prospective Buyer

Insurance I'm 16... how much would that cost?

Probably not as much as you would think. And definitely less than it cost to repaint a Cadillac. try someone that specializes in business insurance, like Alliant.

I wouldn't say that the odds of you damaging someone's finish is all that high, just be prepared to pay out of pocket if something happens. Better safe than sorry.