If a day has passed without somebody asking me to provide them with one of my tricks of the trade for removing a stain or polishing out a scratch, it's probably because I was gone fishing.
The inevitable coffee spills, scuffs, and scratches that occur when driving an automobile have been my daily detailing challenges for over three decades. For the last 10 years I have been utilizing the latest refinishing technologies that have been developed in the art of polishing fresh body shop paintwork, including the restoration of original paint for the client who prefers to retain their car's original factory finish.
Whether a newly painted fender reveals an excessive orange peel texture, or a 20 year old paint job is fading, I have the tools and the skills to develop a mirror-like finish. With the latter skill set in my holster, I am left with a nagging urge to initiate a brand new venture. For the past few weeks I have been contemplating the possibility of becoming a detailing consultant to recently built or soon to be modernized auto dealerships in the field of PDI (pre-delivery inspection).
But when anticipating the many protocols and procedures necessary to constructing a dynamic presentation to dealers, I have run straight into an emotional impasse when creating a feasible budget for a clean-up department. Do I construct a business plan that is budget savvy to accommodate the prospective dealer and increase my chances of inking a deal, or do I follow my heart and come up with something that is complete with all of the latest and safest commercial detailing equipment available?
The Trouble with Auto Detailing
For the entire span of my career I have been forced to use electrical tools and equipment that are unsafe for use around water. This includes the use of vacuums that are consumer grade units as opposed to commercial water use systems; polishers and sanders that are plugged into regular extension cords at ground level on usually very wet floors; wash bay areas that occupy the same location as the industrial unit's electrical supply grid and it's 600 volt transformer; and I have yet to work at a shop that is equipped with the GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) receptacles that I'm sure would have prevented a few of the nasty shocks I have experienced in my career.
I think that it's apropos to enlighten all who may aspire to the wonderful world of automobile detailing to its undesirable aspects. Most of the businesses I have had the privilege of working for consider a detailer to be the person who opens the facility in the morning and closes it at night.
I have strained my eyes on a daily basis attempting to see the paintwork when provided with barely enough candle power to light a romantic dinner table.
Dog saliva and nose impressions on the glass, spoiled milk, decaying food shoved under seats with the odd article of undergarment stuck to the vacuum nozzle; I have said in the past, "Now I think I've seen it all," but inevitably another car interior that reveals unidentifiable shrunken objects and a blended array of unintentional science projects under the seats will readily appear in the wash bay.
I've had to breathe the fumes of every caustic and acid based cleaning chemical known to man, and I have become quite accustomed to receiving daily quotas that would require a small army to complete by the end of the day.
All at an average wage not exceeding 19 dollars an hour.
Now I am beginning to wonder again if it's time to make a change. Maybe I should find a career that's healthier and more profitable, like the music business.
I intend to keep my options open with respect to becoming a consultant, but I'll have to ponder the subject again tomorrow night as I have to get to bed early... my manager did mention before I closed up the shop today that I have 13 cars on the list tomorrow.
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