Being Efficient When Detailing a Car. Plus Damages To Clear Coat. Episode #948
Pints and Polishing Auto Detailing Podcast
Being Efficient When Detailing a Car. Plus Damages To Clear Coat. Episode #948
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Concept
auto detailing
Auto detailing is a deeper clean for a car. It’s more than a regular car wash and can include polishing and adding protection so the paint looks better and stays cleaner longer.
Concept
car spotting
Car spotting is when people go out looking for cool cars they can see in real life. They often take pictures and share what they found.
Term
pollen
Pollen is that yellow dust you see on cars in spring. It can scratch your paint a little if you wipe it dry. The best move is to wash it the same way you normally would, using soap and water so it comes off without grinding.
Term
PPF coating
PPF is a clear protective film on your car’s paint. It helps protect the paint, but pollen and dirt still land on it, so you’ll still need to wash regularly.
Concept
purpose, process, product
“Purpose, process, product” is a framework for detailing: first decide the goal (purpose), then choose the steps/technique (process), and finally select the chemicals/tools that support that technique (product). It helps prevent random product use that doesn’t match the contamination or the desired outcome.
Concept
pre-soak
A pre-soak is when you spray cleaner on the car and let it sit for a bit. That way the dirt loosens before you scrub or wipe, which helps prevent scratches.
Term
abrasive
In detailing, “abrasive” refers to anything that can physically wear or scratch the paint surface—often contaminants or particles that act like sandpaper. The discussion is about how pollen can behave abrasively and why you should avoid dry wiping or aggressive contact.
Term
bug cleaner
Bug cleaner is a special soap/product made to break down bug splatter on your car. It helps you remove bugs without harming the paint underneath.
Term
etching
Etching is when something acidic sits on the paint and makes tiny damage in the clear coat. After that, it may not come back to perfect.
Term
clear coat
Clear coat is the shiny protective top layer over your car’s paint. If bugs or bird mess sit too long, they can “burn” or etch into that top layer.
Term
ceramic coating
Ceramic coating is a protective layer on top of your paint that helps dirt and grime wash off easier. It can help slow down damage, but it won’t stop everything forever.
Concept
bugs
Bug splatter is the stuff that gets stuck on the front of your car after driving. If you scrub it dry, it can damage the paint, so you usually need a cleaner to loosen it first.
Concept
downward economy
When the economy is going downhill, people and businesses often spend less money. That can mean fewer car detailing jobs or customers shopping harder for deals.
Term
solvent
A solvent is a chemical that helps dissolve things. Detailers use solvents in cleaners so they can lift dirt, oils, or grime off surfaces more easily.
Concept
price hikes
Price hikes mean prices go up. If chemicals and other supplies cost more, detailing businesses either have to charge more or find ways to spend less.
Concept
certified coatings
Some coating brands offer “certification” so installers can advertise they’re qualified. The point being made is that certification doesn’t always guarantee the coating will be applied correctly.
Term
sanding cars
Sanding is when you use sandpaper to smooth or remove the top layer of paint/coating. If a coating job goes wrong, sanding may be needed to fix it before redoing the finish.
Concept
good, better best system
It’s a way of selling detailing services in three levels. “Good” is the basic option, “better” is a step up, and “best” is the most complete package—so customers can pick what fits their budget.
Concept
package perspective
Instead of selling random services one at a time, you group them into clear packages. That helps customers know what they’re getting and helps the shop run more smoothly.
Concept
easy ways for people to get in
It means making it simple for new customers to start with you. For example, offering a smaller/cheaper package so they can try your work first.
Term
flashing
“Flashing” is when the product starts to dry almost immediately after you put it on. If that happens, you usually have too much product or you’re not spreading it evenly enough.
Term
30 something
They’re talking about how much product they used to put on. Using the right amount helps the product work the way it’s supposed to instead of drying too fast or leaving residue.
Concept
one detail a day
“One detail a day” is basically how many full car cleanings you can finish in a day. It’s a simple way to measure how efficient your setup and process are.
Concept
misunderstanding of scale
They’re saying the question mixes up two things: getting faster versus actually growing your business. Real growth usually requires systems and more capacity, not just speed.
Concept
scaling
Here, “scaling” just means doing more work over time. In detailing, that usually means getting your workflow and team set up so you can handle more cars per day.
Concept
marketing and sales
The host frames “marketing and sales” as the core lever for getting more customers into the shop. They argue that it’s the least-discussed question in the detailing business, even though it directly affects booking volume and revenue.
Concept
solo operator
A solo operator is basically a one-person detailing business. You do the work yourself, which can be simpler, but you can only take on so many cars.
Term
mobile detailer
A mobile detailer is someone who details cars at your house or workplace. They have to be organized so they can set up fast and finish jobs efficiently.
Term
Red Bull
They’re joking about using an energy drink to work faster. In real life, being fast usually comes from being prepared and organized.
Concept
hour job take three and a half hours
This highlights a common detailing business problem: labor time creep. When a job that should take about an hour expands to several hours, it usually points to workflow inefficiency, poor staging, or inconsistent execution.
Concept
efficiency
Efficiency just means doing the job faster without cutting corners. In a detailing shop, it helps you finish more cars in the same amount of time.
LIVE
Welcome to the pints and polishing podcast, the most influential and listen to podcast
in auto detailing.
Welcome to the community.
All right, I imagine most of our listeners have something like this in their city.
We do here in Tulsa and it's bad parking, right?
Bad parking with the cars and then car spotting, right?
Really interesting cars that people go and put out Vegas, right, you're gonna have crazy
like lots of stuff going on while people, there's gotta be part why you have that fixation
with the PLPs.
That's what we do in the hypercleaning specialist group, right?
You put a picture of a PLP, well, your boy might have been one of those guys that was
in the car spotting group this past week.
Unfortunately, I was the idiot who, well, didn't check the weather Friday morning.
Doors off Thursday afternoon is 80 degrees.
Everybody's having a great season right now, right?
Seems to have a good, good temperatures, but it got blasted, Nick.
25 almost, I think it was like 35 degrees.
Something like it was, it was bitter cold.
It was terrible.
Doors off.
I'm all bundled up.
People are laughing at me at the stop lights.
I feel like an idiot.
This is spring though.
This is what happens, right?
Like, we can use our cars, we can do stuff, but then the next day, we wake up, well, they
might have it covered in pollen.
There's really what a lot of us have right now.
You guys don't get much pollen out there in Vegas, do you?
Yeah, we get pollen.
Oh, you get pollen?
Oh, that's right.
I forgot about that.
So, when you guys get pollen, you guys have it right now with everybody else?
Yeah.
Same thing.
So, what's your go-to?
Like, when you typically go see pollen, I know a lot of people walk up to a car, I know
they'll touch it, right?
It might even the next day after we've washed a car, just wipe it.
Seems fine.
Why shouldn't we do that?
Yeah, pollen's abrasive.
You know, it's just like anything else, just do your natural wash process whenever that
comes up on your weekly or bi-weekly, you know, program.
You know, it's not, you don't have to get crazy, you don't have to, you know, think much
about it.
I mean, your car's gonna look dusty because of the pollen.
It's just part of all of it.
And the easiest thing to do is just stick to your normal wash process.
So, but I'm a guy, I'm a detailer, and I've got somebody constantly saying, hey, you
know, I've got this yellow stuff, I got this stuff on my car, I don't think I should get
it detailed.
How do you answer that question?
Yeah, I mean, it's still, I mean, you still have the simple reality of it's just needs
to be washed.
I mean, so whatever terminology somebody's using is, you know, maintenance detail or
just have it touched up.
I mean, during pollen season, you're gonna probably have to wash your car every week.
You know, it doesn't matter what you have, PPF coating, none of those things, it's just
a part of the season.
Well, I think the guys that are our distributors, at least the message I've been getting, they've
been sending out with their people telling them to grab some ECO-1, right if they got
it right there on the shelf.
It's like, here guys, this is perfect, you're in your garage, you spray this and wipe it
with a towel.
The interesting thing too is, can a detailer offer, right, and what the moment of offering
a solution to a customer, we're gonna get into it a little bit later of, oh, well, I've
seen a lot of new people and a lot of people exiting, I guess, old people in the business,
right?
We will always say purpose, process, product, right?
And when it comes down to that, you can offer a process with a product.
ECO-1, spraying it with a towel and wiping off, how does ECO-1 remove and take off pollen
versus somebody might go, well, I got glass cleaner, or I can just spray it with some
water?
Yeah, I mean, I don't fool around with pollen that much, I mean, I would be in the traditional
using water and soap.
I wouldn't be in the rinse list or water list personally.
You know, obviously we have collection vehicles, we don't have a choice, but I still have a
keg full.
I mean, I would be doing a big pre-soak, I wouldn't just be spraying and wiping, and
the rest of those chemicals are not made for that, you know, it's the same thing we talk
about, there's no reason to overthink it, those products aren't made to be used that
way.
So that's not overthinking, like drenching down with TRX before I do a wash?
I never said TRX.
So I mean, yeah, just do your normal wash procedure.
If you do rinse lists or water lists, then use that procedure.
I mean, you know, there's no reason to overthink, and you specifically asked about glass cleaner
or using something else or whatever, no, I wouldn't do that.
No, and the reason when you talk about abrasive, I'm just saying to the people, why does Marshall
keep digging at this?
I don't think people understand what abrasive, I don't think they do, I really don't think
that they understand that what pollen can do to a car, well, because it's so small,
it doesn't seem like it can actually, well, what's it going to do?
How's pollen going to damage a car if I just spray some chemical on and wipe it?
Well, I actually can define you, which we always talk about, define you and your elevation
and your process and how you do it.
It is kind of a weed to get into.
I know that not everybody likes to think about pollen and think about how to clean it.
Bugs though, well, bugs we can definitely see and we know that something's happened.
Nick, how often do you love to talk about bugs in the spring, right?
It is almost like a thing that as detailers, we just go, yeah, there's more bugs.
Yeah, it's just use the right bug cleaner, you know, I mean, we're getting to a state
where you see a lot of things on the internet, how to handle bugs, a good bug cleaner, you're
handled.
You know, it doesn't have to be, you know, this really difficult thing.
It seems to pop up every spring and sometimes transitioning into the fall, but I think it
all comes down to just use the proper bug cleaner.
Something you said years ago, which is why I joke about, you know, how often do you want
to keep talking about bugs?
But something that we've always hung our hats on is you better get it off in 24 hours, right?
You really do need to get bugs off in a hurry.
Yesterday after driving back, right, I had to get bugs off, right?
I mean, bugs are out now.
And it is one of those things that if you do let it go too long and you start to pile
up bugs, well, you start to get that little white stuff that happens afterwards and you
wipe off your bug, but you get some white stuff.
That white stuff is actually the clear code starting to erode.
Have you seen where I'm sure you have?
People come up and be like, hey, you didn't get this bug off and they start picking at
it.
They're like, the bug's gone, man.
There's no bug there.
Yeah.
I mean, etching from from birds or bugs or it all takes on the same life.
I mean, the stuff that's foreign to your clear code needs to be removed.
I mean, it needs to be removed in a timely manner.
I would say probably the majority of of problems we see on the front end of cars is simply just
not removing things.
I mean, it's right up there with rock chips.
I mean, people just don't get it off their car or they halfway get it off the car or
worse, they use the wrong chemical and burn the front of the car.
So, I mean, this is sort of like the pollen conversation.
I mean, it all comes down to doing things the right way and, you know, bugs are no different,
my opinion.
What if I got PPF?
Same thing.
It'll still etch.
I mean, it's still, it's still got a clear protective code on the top.
It'll etch that and, you know, there, that's not fixable.
You could do some light polishing, but you're going to damage the the the coating on the
outside and, you know, be a reason to put ceramic coating on PPF will give you a little
bit more time.
But yeah, I mean, anything that that can be damaged will be damaged.
So I've got to bring this up, right?
It will.
We'll talk about bugs.
We'll talk about pollen probably the next month's ride.
I'll continue to make Nick frustrated how many times we get to talk about bugs and pollen.
It's, it's one of those things in the moment you have to.
But then you also get, well, a little, wow, how many times can we talk about bugs and
pollen?
You know, the thing we got to ask when we talk about this is if we don't talk about
it, right, there's the question, what happens to people if they don't hear the correct
information?
If, if you get tired of continually telling your customers and telling people about the
right things to do and about the thing you really should, you know, I guess progress
into.
I bring this up because, well, like I said earlier, I've seen three here locally.
We've got a Detailers of Oklahoma group, three of them have put out recently that they're
going out or they're needing to sell large items that they have purchased, whether that's
a car, right?
I love these posts of, hey, I'm just wondering if I should ought to, you know, like tossing
around the idea and you can see the way they ride it.
They feel a little like they're, they're losing, they've done something wrong and wow, I'm
just tossing this idea.
I'm sure there's always things that we've bought over the years that when it comes down
to a moment, what is that moment, Nick?
Why would somebody suddenly want to sell something?
Well, that's because financially they're not doing well.
We can look around right now and go, yeah, there's probably a lot of people financially
not doing well.
Yeah, I mean, it's a state of business as a whole.
I mean, essentially, you know, what 60% of businesses will fail outright pretty quickly
inside of five years.
You know, the detailing business is how many people really have a business, what you would
consider a business, how many people are doing it on the side, you know, we see this every
year.
I mean, I don't think it's, it's something that is abnormal.
We're going to see people start up businesses.
We're going to see people close and, you know, the people that close all have the same characteristics.
They, you know, overspent or didn't manage their money well or didn't have enough business,
a combination of all of it, probably, and, you know, this is what we're going to see
time and again, you know, year in and year out, in my opinion.
Yeah.
You know, in your opinion, do you think there's other things that are playing right at this
moment?
Right?
We won't get into the geopolitics, right?
We don't want to voice our opinions on all that, but there's no doubt that there's plenty
of things that are affecting other than just what we have talked about six months ago of
like the downward economy really starting to happen.
Well, there's, there's, there's things really being affected.
I bring it up not to continue to beat a dead horse, but to just go, Hey, this is what we've
talked about, right?
Like we do understand.
And then there's these moments.
Well, it happened last, what, six years ago with Corona.
Right?
Something that can happen in a different part of the world that affects you and your business.
It's not just gas prices anymore, right?
I, I think we're going to see a massive play over the next months where we're going to
have these really cheap chemical companies that, that use products, which they've been
able to do that are the cheap solvents, right?
One of them is EB, right?
EB is a, is a solvent that many chemicals companies use.
Well, we're hearing rumors from massive companies.
Well, Dow, right?
Dow is one company over in the Middle East that had a plant get blown up.
So they're saying, Hey, we're not sure what all things people are going to be able to get.
That's one of them.
I, EB is one in our world of detailing and a lot of companies use EB.
So what happens to, to low cost chemicals?
That's something I'm interested to see, right?
I, I'm not going to voice an opinion, right?
I'm just, I'm interested to see what's going to happen over the next months.
Yeah.
I don't know if the Dow story, you know, we were kind of given that by a, you know,
a company, not sure that that's, there's transportation issues out of the Middle East.
There's transportation issues around the globe.
You know, there's going to be shortages.
There's going to be price hikes.
There's going to be all of these different things that are affected.
Obviously, if you're a mobile detailer, you've seen gas prices go up pretty sharply.
I would say all of these things are now part of it.
It's, it's also, I mean, the natural, nothing ever is smooth sailing forever.
And so, you know, when we look at it now, there are a lot of things that are going
on around the globe that are going to affect our industry.
How much does it affect the end user?
We'll see, you know, a lot of stories get told.
A lot of things get said during these periods and we'll kind of see how it all plays out.
Yeah, we will.
I, I don't doubt that there'll be more and more people get into trouble, but there'll
also be more and more people climbing and growing and continue to have success.
Is great seeing, you know, Mildren as boat season kicks off.
He's up there kicking ass, right?
I mean, it doesn't matter what happens around to a point, right?
I mean, it's something you've always said for the past seven or eight years.
Keep your head down, keep going, you know, figure out a way, figure out a path.
One of those paths that people might do, which we talked about earlier was which
coding, or, you know, which you and I talked about earlier, but which coding
direction will people go in times like this, right?
I've seen inside of groups, multiple people starting to question,
hey, should I be doing and fill in the blank, right?
I saw this one, which was great, you know, I got to get certified.
Is it worth it?
How much does it cost and what is the process like to get certified?
This post inside of somebody else's group where they're asking, well,
then the comments and the questions afterwards was really telling, right?
Like it's telling to see because one guy, he lists and he shows the photos and he
says, hey, this was such and such product that you're looking to get certified for.
Put on a GMC elevation, it was a $67,000 vehicle.
Said it was a nightmare to fix.
This particular installer was very young, had all the, had all the certs,
had all the proofs, but mess, messed it up, right?
Like, well, when we're having times of difficulty, which we can just admit
that everybody is, whether you have it or not, like the entire right as far as
community, whatever, like there is more stress.
So when there is spending time like this is seems very unfruitful to go get these
quote unquote certified coatings from all these people that have certified,
which he says, well, certified anybody, but there was another comment.
They'll certify anyone.
So it's not hard.
So how, how do we focus for those?
And I know there's listeners that don't buy coatings from us.
There are, I know, because I look at one of this comments right here where they
put a comment and I see that guy, he places orders with us.
So I know that there's people that, that buying into this idea that you should
go get certified, but then you read all these comments.
The certifications aren't really real.
And they certify anybody.
You do all this.
Is this really where we should be spending our time?
Yeah, you're a long way from the days of certification.
You know, in 2010, you know, you had to really know what you were doing because
if you didn't, you were sanding cars, you know, and even the certifications
back then, you know, we had a huge incident here in Vegas where quote unquote
somebody went to a certification, didn't do anything.
Still terrible installs that had to be fixed and sanded entire cars.
You know, we've gotten really hung up on certifications.
I can't tell you why it makes people feel important.
I don't really know.
But, you know, choosing a high quality coating doesn't seem to be very easy for
some people.
They don't know how to align themselves with good companies that stand behind
what they're doing.
They're not just throwing some Flemzy, you know, warranty talk or putting
stuff in the most fancy bottle or whatever.
And, you know, people play loose and fast with their own reputation.
You know, why do you want to get certified in a certain coating?
Most people can't answer that question.
They don't even know what to look for in high quality coatings or a high
quality system.
If you look at the hyperclean system, it's really basic.
If you start with stack and move to tray, by the time you do, you know, five
to 10 installs of tray, you're going to be pretty well set up to use Sparta.
If you've used other five year coatings, we know the companies and their install
procedures of any coating out there is pretty easy to understand.
You know, we don't, we just have to talk to you for five minutes and we can tell
you if a five year coating is right for you and your business.
I just think we're just down a path as for a lot of people where they're looking
for answers.
For some reason, sales and doing more sales and getting better at sales or getting
better at marketing isn't the thing they want to do.
They want to just concentrate on what's, what's a tool I can buy, what's,
what's this, what's that and you know, usually those people don't end up in
very good spots.
Okay, so I'll go back to something you said right there.
You said right for your business.
Okay, so when people want to, you know, like they want to have a discussion
about Sparta, right?
You, they're going to go on fill out the form hypercleanstore.com.
They're going to fill out the contact form about Sparta.
You're going to give them a call and interview them, right?
Like inside of that, you're going to ask basically some questions and you're
going to figure out not if they can apply it, right?
Because they, they might be able to show some cases that they could.
They might be able to show some cases that they can't.
Here's where I think a lot of people get hung up, right?
Like I know I mentioned that you had this guy earlier with somebody who didn't
know how to install.
100% true, it happens.
A greater, a worse thing for business is that you could have a product that you buy
and then it sits on your shelf.
What is right for your business?
Not necessarily what's right for can you apply a product,
but getting to understand your customer habits, customer data,
and knowing what's right for your business.
How do you do that, Nick?
When you're talking to them, what are some of those key things that kind of pop out?
Well, when you start just digging into their packages, you know, how do you,
what are you doing?
You know, walk me through your business.
What do you do most days?
That stuff comes out pretty quickly.
You know, when you've been doing it for a long enough period of time,
you understand what to look for.
And it's not so much as somebody gives a right or wrong answer, you just know.
The bottom line is you want to put people in a place to succeed with the product.
You want to make sure you understand what they're trying to accomplish and who it fits
and how you can be of support to that.
You know, getting certified, which by the way, I'll tell everybody my stories.
I carried two of the most popular ceramic coatings in my career
where I quote unquote was certified.
Nobody did anything but send me the product.
The certification game is for people.
I don't want to say take advantage, but it is angled towards the installer at the lower end
because everybody at the higher end is able just to buy whatever they want.
Now you may hear a different story, but I've shown Marshall.
I showed other people.
Everybody's premier coating lined up on my, in my garage that were just sent to me.
You know, all of the big companies have told you, you've got to be certified.
I got it.
You know, all I had to say was, yeah, man, I guess you can send me a bottle.
I'll check it out.
I would have been able to buy.
Nobody certified my work.
Nobody, you know, reputation, I guess I'm not sure.
But those people hunt people like me.
They don't certify people like me.
And that is what my 16th year of installing coatings.
Nobody ever certified me to do anything.
And there wasn't a coating on the planet that I couldn't get access to.
So when you look at all of this, it's just a basic,
there's a basic misunderstanding with a lot of business owners.
You want a high quality coating that lasts first and foremost.
Yet I don't really see that question get asked very much.
I get, I saw this coating on the internet.
Should I get certified?
Not whether it's high quality.
Am I taking care of my customer?
Am I able to grow my business?
Am I able to release cars quickly?
Or do I got to keep cars overnight?
Do I got to bake them?
We're seeing a lot of, there's a couple of coating companies that,
you know, some very, very big shops are starting to question.
Why?
Because they're a headache for their shop to deal with.
They stay extra time.
Every time you hold, every hour you hold a car, your risk factor goes up.
So I don't see a lot of those questions or things like that in groups.
I see a lot of the pointless conversation.
But I mean, I just think that's how it's going to be at a certain,
certain part of this business at the,
at the sort of entry level operator position.
I don't think they know what to look for.
Okay, I want to just kind of give some people some ideas and targets
in a sense of directions that they could go for.
Right? Because I think if I think of, you know, what's right for your business?
I don't see how Uno isn't right for everybody's business and every single car.
However, you wouldn't, you wouldn't sell Uno to every single customer, right?
You just wouldn't.
There's some people that would fit probably into trade better.
There's people that would fit stack better when I've been out for a bit, right?
I don't have a large customer base that I could tell you,
hey, these type of customers usually go for Uno.
These type, you know, drive these type of cars.
Generally these type of professionals that do this,
that they're going to, you know, head more towards a longer lasting
because, you know, fill in the blank.
You know, I wonder if, if, if detailers kind of keep that kind of data or
think that way, you know, today.
No, I mean, you know, we always talk about the good, better best system and largely
very few businesses operate that way in the detailing space, which is, is unfortunate.
I mean, we've, you know, if you had a one, three and five, or if you're a beginner and you had a one,
two and three, because you didn't really have the customer base for five years,
those are all very, very basic entry points.
You know, those are very basic business.
Most of the businesses struggling are not organized from a package perspective
or an offerings perspective.
And so they don't have easy ways for people to get in.
I see this all the time.
I don't do anything, you know, we only have one coding package.
Okay.
Then you don't have that robust of a coding business usually.
If you want to point to one guy or one shop, you know, I can point you to thousands of shops
that do good, better and best and you can point to one that has one coding option.
So we know what works in the marketplace and largely people just don't take that advice.
I mean, that's what we see over the years.
So when we've said good, better and best, and you just went, you know, like one, three, five,
you know, one, two, five, one, you know, whatever, somebody can figure out what is good,
better and best, you know, for their customers.
But how?
Right.
Like if I'm somebody new and I'm going, Hey, I want to get into coding.
Right.
I'm listening to you guys and I just haven't really put on a lot of coatings.
How do I figure out good, better, best?
Yeah.
I mean, it's, I mean, one, three and five is going to be good, better, best.
One, two and three is going to be good, better and best.
So you just want three options, whether you just have a general detail with an application
of slick or spray coat, and then you have a one year and a two year, it doesn't matter.
You know, if you, if you can't answer the question of who are your customers and who
you're going after, you can't build a package system.
So I don't think we need to make it more difficult.
I mean, at the end of the day, you need to be offering things that make sense to the
people you're doing business with.
There's a lot of people who do a ton of UNO and that's what they try to sell a lot of.
There are people that sell a ton of tray.
It's going to depend on who you're doing business with.
And that's not something an outsider can tell you.
I know who I sell my coatings to and I know what they want and how to massage
my business to fit what they need.
You know, not everybody needs a three year or a five year.
I mean, I have customers that flip cars every six, eight, 12 months.
So they're not going to put sport on their car all the time.
That's just not what they're going to do.
So you have to answer the basic questions.
And if you can't write down on a piece of paper who your customers are and who you're
going after, you can't really build packages.
All right.
I want to go over the process difference of UNO, dose and tray, right?
How many dots, so to speak, on applicator, how big of a panel, that type of stuff, right?
Somebody's listening.
They haven't really gotten into it with us yet.
How simple is UNO versus others that, you know, I haven't used?
And what does that process look like as they go through it?
Yeah.
I mean, look, every one of our coatings, and I would say every coating you use,
you should be trying to lay it on thick.
You know, that's probably the biggest thing that people mess up.
You know, you don't want it dripping off the panel, obviously,
but you want a lot of product on the panel.
I want to ask you this.
I apologize for interrupting because I had somebody earlier ask me,
they sent me a message and we were talking about tray and they were having a couple issues with tray.
If we've had an issue like after a year or so,
I really question do what you laid it on tooth then bingo.
It's 100. That's exactly what I was going to say.
I I really don't think and those that do listen and do use.
I really don't think they put really as much as we say.
I have no issues with putting a full 30 mils on a car should be 40 mils on a car.
I mean, unless it's a two door, I mean, the most popular vehicle in America is a mid sized
SUV, you know, 23 to 30 mils, 25 to 30 mils.
If you're doing a roof and you're doing every piece of the car, you know,
every painted piece of the car, you know, people largely when I say that,
they've never even paid attention to how much they used at the end of the job.
You know, I grew up in a ceramic coating world where if you didn't empty the bottle,
you were told you were doing something wrong.
So I was taught to learn to look at the bottle.
If you're not looking at the bottle and how much you use on a car,
you're not building a process, you know, it's that simple.
So we've said it on this podcast a thousand times, we'll say it another thousand, I'm sure
it's lay the coating on thick, you know, put some code.
I mean, just think of you're trying to fill in a very porous surface.
It's that simple.
You want to fill up the porous surface, just like we see people that struggle with trim.
And I've watched people struggle with trim for 16 years.
Bottom line is you've got to load up trim for it to work.
It's got a ton of porous surface to cover across the board.
If you see tray flashing way too quickly or any coating flashing too quickly,
you've laid it onto them.
Okay, it's that simple.
As far as application, I can do a panel with every one of our coatings at a minimum.
And it doesn't matter if my shop's 100 degrees or it's 70 degrees.
I can do a whole panel of Sparta.
I would almost venture to say no matter what city I was in,
but I'm also going to be quicker about how I apply it.
I'm going to load up my applicator and I'm going to be fine.
I mean, I just don't have an issue.
So if you're starting out, it's always good to work a small section,
you know, break your door into four sections or two sections
and then build out your process from there.
If you're using tray for the first time, you know, do a smaller section,
a two by two section, a four by four section, whatever you want to do,
but just start out, get a feel for it.
If you see it flashing entirely too quickly, you're just laying it onto them.
Flashing and then I think it's also why you're wiping.
You can see the thickness of your applying.
I joke, you know, many times about pulling out the little dripper out of the bottle of,
let's say, you know, Dose, Dray, our stack.
I mean, sorry, Sparta, right?
Any of those, because that's what I always did.
I was never a guy that could just sit there and wait
while it drops out of the dropper to hit the applicator.
I wasn't putting on five to 10 drops.
I mean, I need 30 something, right?
I'm sitting there letting it.
So that's why I got tired of doing that.
And I would just pop out the little and I would just pour it on.
I and then the way I would evaluate how much or how little was, well,
I would watch why I was wiping it depends on how it was performing right as I'm wiping.
You can tell if you've got enough product in or you've kind of gone a little thin.
Yeah, I think everybody defaults to thin.
So I very rarely see anybody that tells me they laid it on too thick.
If you're running into issues, you're laying it on too thin.
So add some more drops the next time and lay it on thicker.
Have I made a mistake where I go, oh, I didn't put enough on and I'm half,
you know, I just put my drip line in the middle of the panel.
Yeah, man, I just go right back to my applicator and add some more.
You know what I mean?
It's not a big deal.
We just only run into issues then.
That's the only issue we ever see is people not laying coating on thick enough.
And I'll say it.
I mean, I've laid on coatings.
It was the whole bottle on a car like and they were 50 mil bottles.
And that's how you knew.
And, you know, if you're not looking at your usage at the end of a job to get an idea of
what should be on a car or an SUV or a truck, I think you're just doing a disservice to your
process because you should be using a fair amount of coating.
You should.
I just know though.
I just know people just drip.
Oh, there's seven drips.
Okay, I got to go wipe it on.
It's like, come on, guys, let's let's get it loaded up.
All right, I saw this question inside of one of the groups.
I really think it's interesting, especially for this moment, how somebody could ask this question.
It's almost like a how dare they ride like, how dare you even ask the question at the same time?
You go, hmm, I mean, why not?
It's a fair enough question.
If it can be done, wow, that would be a dream come true.
It's like a unicorn question, I must.
Here's the question.
Can you scale your business doing one detail a day?
No.
What that detail is, Nick.
This is where we get into, I think, just a misunderstanding of scale,
which has kind of been a problem in a lot of blue collar professions, not just ours.
You know, scaling means you're hiring people, and if you're hiring people,
you're going to be doing more than one a day.
Now, we all start somewhere, so it's a good goal to be doing at least one detail a day
as fast as you can, because there's a lot of people that don't even have that.
You know, we, you know, talk to distributors all over the country and now globally that are
trying to work with detailers.
There's just a misunderstanding.
If you're at the beginning of your business, it's pretty normal to not have
everything set up for one detail a day.
It's your, you got a starting point.
But if you're years into this and you're asking that question, which I probably assume this guy
is multiple years into his career, it's just a fundamental misunderstanding of what scale means.
You know, scaling means you are going to be doing a lot of work with multiple team members,
and that's what scaling means.
So if you're not doing one detail a day, then your first level of scale is to get
to one detail a day, then two, then four, then 10, or whatever you want to do.
I just think people use the words wrong, and I don't think they really understand
what they're trying to ask.
What do you think they're meaning by it?
I think that means just like, how do I get more cars?
I think that's all.
When they think of scale, I really think they just mean,
well, how do I get more cars to come in?
Yeah, I mean, marketing and sales.
And it's the least asked question in our whole business is how to market and sell more.
I mean, largely, you very rarely see many of those posts.
I mean, if I, if you do see them, it's complaining about marketing or it's
complaining about the customer, but it's not how to get better at it.
I'm not facing my dad's aint working no more.
Yeah, I mean, it's just stuff like that.
I mean, like I said, you're in a business cycle now that's going to be tougher.
You're going to see more people go out of business.
And, you know, you've had a pretty free run for five plus years now.
And so I don't know that people understand what they're trying to ask.
I'm not picking on this guy, but I just don't think people know what they're,
they just simply don't know what they're talking about.
So they don't know how to ask questions.
They, they read a word like scale on the internet and they use it in their terminology.
Look, man, I mean, everybody wants to get a detail a day, then two, then five, then 10.
You know, but scaling is moving into team members and all that kind of stuff.
And the vast majority of people asking these questions will never probably get to that point.
It'd be my, my guess.
Yeah. And the only, you know, sort of playback that I ever really thought of,
which is why I was saying, you know, would you ever in this moment, right?
Like, it's the only way I could think about it to answer the guy's question,
you know, kind of jokingly, fashitiously is, well, yeah,
depends on what that one car you're doing, right?
I mean, how big of a detail are you going to do every day?
If we could get that dream car everybody wants for five grand, right?
Remember those, I have $3,800 on this ticket, right?
Like, I understand then, right?
It's not 2019. It's not 2017.
But that's what a lot of people really believed in those moments.
I could get one car and I could scale.
It could bring people in and I could do all these things with the big ticket, right?
This one car a day.
It was a theory. It really was.
Yeah. I mean, if you want to be a solo operator, it's not a bad plan.
I mean, I'm certain I could take down my company and people and do one,
you know, eight hour detail every day.
I'm also much further into my career than probably most of the people asking this question.
I could earn a lot of money working by myself.
It's still going to be capped and not scalable.
I mean, it doesn't matter when you're only working.
This is the same for like an attorney or a plumber.
You know, when it's just you, you can do all the high tickets you want,
but you're going to be limited by the hours in the day.
So, I mean, that's and again, that's not a bad thing.
If you can find a way to make $150, $200,000 a year doing it, there's nothing wrong.
I mean, I'm great.
Do I think most people have the talent or the ability to do that?
We don't see that.
I mean, I still think we're what sub $35,000 a year for an auto,
an owner of an auto detailer business makes less than 35 grand a year.
So, I think it just comes from asking all the wrong questions consistently.
You know, I mean, we've never had more people in Facebook groups.
We've never had more information for the profession of detailing.
And largely nothing's gotten better for the average owner.
I, speaking of what you were talking about, you know, being able to progress in a sense,
that scale word, you know, chiropractors, I have a buddy that's a chiropractor.
He's talked to me about that.
He's like, Hey, I make great money per hour every time he's there.
He's like, I can never leave though.
Yeah, but I can also show you my buddy who's a chiropractor that has 75 offices.
The game, the game's the game.
Doesn't matter what you're doing.
You can find a lawyer who's working all by themselves,
and then you can find a lawyer who's got 75 lawyers working for him.
You know, that's scale.
So, if you want to be technical about the term, the scale starts at zero
and goes all the way up to infinity.
And what you're going to do from here to infinity could be anything, right?
So, if you want to be a solo operator, there's nothing wrong with that.
Yeah, there's not.
I think you're going to beat your body up in blue collar work a lot more than you think.
We can show you, I don't know how many people reach out to us and say,
Hey, man, I'm 32 years old.
I've been doing this a long time.
I'm physically broken down.
I don't know what to do.
And they spent the last 12 years not growing their business and learning to hire.
And now they feel like they're stuck, which is why we brought in things like,
you know, hey, get into product sales, which we see more and more people doing.
But I think a lot of it is just the wrong questions for,
and it's nobody's fault, right?
They don't know the right questions to ask.
They're probably listening to the wrong people.
I've told people, if you can't find what to do in now seven years of podcasts that we've done,
I'm not sure you can really make it in the business.
I mean, we've given the blueprint here.
And there's a lot of people that listen every week that are still struggling,
and they think they're just around the corner from success.
And I can tell you they aren't because they're just not implementing anything
that has been talked about for seven years.
So the other part, I was thinking why you said of, you know,
can you scale your business during one detail a day, right?
And you were mentioning like, hey, you remember when you had one a day,
and then you could get more.
But I was thinking why you got, I was like, you know what,
I want to go back and ask that question again,
because there's a question that popped in my mind that we got a couple of months ago from a guy
that listens that was basically wanting to know about scale, right?
It's almost the same thing like, what can I do?
What is this thing?
And I just started thinking like, hmm, can you scale your business doing one detail a day?
And I go, depends on what you do at the other time, right?
Depends on what the rest of your day is filled with.
Could you do one car and then build and keep working to get to,
right, to get to the point of hiring?
You can do your one car.
And then you just talked about multiple other things that we could be doing.
If we are somebody that has this idea, we go, hey, I know that I could be a self guy.
I know I could be, I really do want, I have this idea and I really feel this way.
You know, like, I'm going to do that.
I'm this guy, right?
There are people that, and you do have to have that confidence.
So if I'm that guy and I don't have more than one car a day,
well, you mentioned marketing, right?
We've mentioned product sales.
There's, there's plenty of things that could be done.
So in that little talk with going, you know, maybe you could, you could start to scale
to your point and then grow from there.
Just figure out what you're going to do with the rest of your time because you better learn
marketing, you better learn the rest of the business, not just how to clean a car, right?
Okay, final question because you're a mobile detailer.
And I know we can't just like say, and you've, you've talked about it before,
of your setup and why it's, you've, you've chosen a truck.
But I saw this question, it says, what's your all truck bed detailing setups for efficiency?
And, and there, there, I know that you're more efficient than the average bear, right?
Like, what makes you more efficient?
What are some easy things that somebody could, I'm going to go, right?
We've, we said, we've, we kind of talked about this before towels already folded, right?
You put some bottles already filled up and ready to go, right?
Efficiency does come with planning.
And then there's also the process of the detail, right?
What's the process to get it the most efficient?
Like what is, what are some little tips or anything that you guys-
to move quickly?
I mean, we see a lot of people not moving quickly.
Is that like a Red Bull?
Yeah, I mean, it could be.
I mean, look, we have a lot of people that just don't move very quick.
And again, we can talk to distributors who, you know, watch people detail their,
detail a car and their business slot.
And they go, that guy buys for me and they watch what should be an hour job take three and a half hours.
Why does it take three and a half hours?
Yeah.
I mean, organization's the main part, but you see a lot of wandering around moving slowly.
You know, it's going to be hard to, to make the money you need to.
I mean, this is a hard work business.
I mean, it just is, it's not easy on you.
You got to move quickly.
You got to do your process in a certain order.
You know, you got to, you know, do you have a one man team or two man teams?
It's just you, you know, if you're moving slowly as an owner,
wait till you hire because it's only going to get slower.
It's not going to get faster because you're going to have a lot of wandering around and
you're going to be paying someone else to wander around while you wander around.
I, I just see, and I could say this because I've, I've come across and watched enough people here
that there's a lot of people that just wander around.
You know, how do we stop that checklist?
Like if you move slowly, I don't know that anything's going to stop it.
I mean, that's from what I've seen.
I mean, yeah, you could say, you know, film yourself and watch your process.
But if you don't think wandering around is a problem and you're not going to catch it up on camera,
you're just going to be like, well, you know, that's how long it takes.
It's like, no, it doesn't take that long.
You know, we talk to people that are in the fleet washing world or they're out washing a fleet
that they're willing to get rid of and give to another detailer,
but they, the detailer admits to them, well, I won't be able to get all those vehicles done in that time.
And it's like, well, somebody is me, why can't you get done in that time?
And, and I don't think people necessarily want to move as quickly as it takes to do things
efficiently because you can have a highly inefficient process and just move really quickly.
And you can overcome 90% of your problem.
Doesn't mean it's not better to have a well thought out process.
But the problem starts with how slowly you move.
And it, you know, I mean, you see it all the time, like
guys have a wheel process and you go, I mean, these guys are on a wheel for 25 minutes a piece.
There's over, I mean, they're well over an hour messing with wheels and tires.
And it's like I said, it's pretty regular that you see that.
It's not like that's the outlier, you know, we know people spending 1520 minutes a wheel,
not using chemicals properly, heavily diluting everything to quote unquote save money.
And my guys are just out there, I don't care about chemical usage.
It's like, but just don't mess anything up and let's go.
I mean, I don't really care if they use everything straight.
I just want the time to be on time and to get out of a detail as fast as possible.
So I, I think it starts with movement.
I mean, there's just too many people moving too slowly.
So I'm going to go through a couple of things to go.
All right, if I want to move faster, how do I move faster?
Because I just started thinking why you were going, well, what would I do?
What did I do to my number one for me?
And it's still, it's still the way I work today.
It's the music choice.
You know, there was a time I used to love some country music.
George straight, right?
Got to love him big, but, but you listen to what's actually being sung and
the style of the music and everything and go, man, this is way too slow.
So a lot of people that love country music.
Not great for detailing cars.
If you want to be quick, you know, you might need to switch what you listen to.
Everybody knows mine's EDM because of car detailing.
I could just get in and just hear.
And what did I do then?
Right?
I just got after and kept going.
And it is something that just kept me motivated, quote unquote, right?
To move faster to get going.
But it's also Red Bulls.
I know it's unhealthy.
Everybody, it seems like nowadays is drinking some type of energy drink to get us to move faster.
Do we think about stretching though?
How to stretching at night help you move faster the next day?
I don't think so.
I didn't think we think about our lower back and how that would help us move faster and
taking care of our body.
That's definitely not something what detailers talk about.
And it's not something we're going to talk about.
I guarantee you that, you know, Nick's not too excited about talking about physical
activity and stretching and proper diet, but it's real.
It is for real.
Yeah, I mean, it's look, I just think you're either going to move quicker or you aren't.
And it's either in you or it seems to not be.
Could somebody change?
Yeah, I think somebody could change.
If you don't have the urgency to do things as quickly and as efficiently as you should,
you're already behind the eight ball.
Because the only way to get more cars in during the day is more team members working
more efficiently, working quicker.
It really comes down to that, that simple of a statement.
I just start thinking I got to shave something, right?
If I want to go faster at something, I got to start shaving.
We got to start shaving something, right?
Whether that's walking back and forth, whether it's stuff I'm carrying,
whether, like I said, my own personal weight or how hard it is to move around, right?
I mean, you got to shave something if you're willing to scale, quote unquote, wanting to,
right?
That thing, right?
Like, and get into the efficiency, right?
Because if we want to get to what that guy asked earlier about scaling,
there's no way you could get to that point if you're not efficient.
Yeah, you got to do it.
You got to do a lot of details, man.
I mean, and we talk about this pretty regularly.
A lot of things are solved with more details, a lot of things.
But to get more details, you got to do more work and you got to do it faster and you got
to do it better.
We see it on the chemical side, you know, people cutting products 10 to 1.
Okay.
I mean, if I got to spend another five minutes on the tire,
because I've cut my chemical, if I cut it four to one and I cut off three minutes,
that's 12 minutes for the car, I've just shaved 12 minutes.
Like it's, it's, that's why when people try to tell me things like, you know, I did a Maybach in
here with Sparta, I coated the car and well under 30 minutes.
There's your hard press to find that much paint.
I mean, even on a F 250 is probably the equal paint with harder, you know, nooks to get into
and things like that on a big Maybach SUV.
I don't know what people are doing.
And by the way, it was hot in here.
It wasn't like it was, you know, the middle of winter time.
Well, that's a dry heat, Nick.
Yeah.
So I don't, I don't know what people are thinking.
I don't know what people are doing.
So at times it's hard to give advice because it's like, man, I'm not, I'm not staring at the
car to be around it for the next eight hours.
I want an in and out of my shop.
I want my guys in and out of details.
You know, I think it just comes down to how much urgency you have as a person
and how you're going to drive your business.
Do I begin to shave that idea in my mind of I've got to cut things, right?
Like you said, no, you should cut time, shouldn't you?
You got plenty of stories of you and your accountant talking about chemical costs.
Like the chemicals aren't what you shave, right?
You use chemicals to shave time.
Yeah, if it was, if it was a major cost, we would sing a different tune.
We would, it just isn't.
I mean, and you can just tell how many people have never done the math on a lot of things.
How much coding they use on a car.
How long it actually takes them to do a general detail and get a car cleaned up.
They just don't do the math.
How little product costs you really have in this thing we call detailing.
I mean, it's, it's not even worthy of a discussion even when you get at the highest levels.
And we see it more and more that the people that thought they were on top of their business
who are running really huge businesses now that we're talking to,
they're actually overspending on chemicals and they thought they had it all pinned down
because they looked at it a certain way.
It didn't turn out to be the right way.
And we're talking about highly successful multimillion dollar shops.
You know, I mean, we're not just talking about the small guy.
So I think we're just in a different time period where people are either going to have
the urgency to do things efficiently and do things quickly,
or they're going to wander around and do what they're doing now.
Kind of the time, right?
It is the time to start being more efficient.
There's no doubt about it, right?
And so for everybody that wants to, hey, we'll see you over at hyper clean storage.
Great place to go into.
If you got questions about particular products and things that you're looking at and you go,
hey, is this going to work for me?
Is this going to make me more efficient?
There's a contact us page or there's a hyper clean specialist group.
You got either or great places to go and ask questions about the efficiency
and how chemicals could help you at hyper clean.
All right, we'll see everybody there.
See you guys.
About this episode
The hosts tackle springtime detailing realities—pollen and bugs—and why “just wipe it” thinking leads to damage. Pollen is abrasive, so stick to your normal wash process; don’t rely on glass cleaner or quick fixes. Bugs need removal fast to prevent clear-coat etching, even on PPF. The conversation then shifts to business survival and growth: why people sell gear, how economic pressure affects detailing, and skepticism around coating “certifications.” They argue the real focus is choosing the right coating system for your customer base, laying product on thick, and building efficiency—because wandering and slow processes cap your ability to scale.
Original notes
In this episode, Marshall and Nick dive into practical strategies for increasing detailing business efficiency, managing seasonal challenges like pollen and bugs, and understanding the importance of proper process and product use. Whether you're a solo operator or scaling up, learn how to optimize your workflow and make smarter business decisions.
Main Topics:
- How seasonal factors like pollen and bugs impact car detailing and the best ways to handle them
- The importance of laying coatings on thick and avoiding thin application mistakes
- Scaling a detailing business: from doing one car a day to building a team
- The role of certifications versus experience in coating installation quality
- Key insights on pricing, offering packages, and understanding customer needs
- Tips for increasing efficiency: moving faster, planning, and minimizing wandering
- The significance of chemical usage, product choice, and process in reducing costs and time
- How to identify what’s right for your business based on customer habits and target segments
Timestamps:
00:00 - The impact of seasonal changes on car care and detailing00:30 - Handling pollen and pollen abrasion risks01:19 - Why frequent washes during pollen season are essential02:21 - Addressing customers’ concerns about pollen and detailing03:09 - Eco One and quick solution offerings in the detailing process04:10 - The importance of proper application and avoiding overthink in chemical use05:03 - The damaging effects of pollen on clear coat and how to prevent etching05:25 - Handling bugs swiftly within 24 hours to prevent damage06:19 - The white residue caused by neglected bug removal and its implications07:16 - The value of timely bug removal for PPF and coatings08:13 - Consequences of ignoring damage prevention and the importance of education09:24 - Industry outlook: economic factors affecting detailing businesses10:12 - The influence of global supply chain issues on chemicals and coatings11:48 - How geopolitical events can influence product availability12:42 - Growing opportunities despite industry challenges13:10 - When certification for coatings is necessary versus experience-based skills14:26 - The truth behind certification hype and experience as a key credential16:23 - Simplifying coating options: good, better, best packages18:42 - Understanding your customer base to tailor product offerings20:32 - Common misconceptions about certification and actual knowledge needed22:44 - Strategic package offerings aligned with customer needs24:18 - How to determine which coating suits your business26:01 - Proper coating application: thickness, coverage, and technique28:46 - Tips for efficient application and avoiding common pitfalls30:06 - The importance of laying thick coatings and estimating usage32:25 - Scaling your business: from one car per day to larger operations33:24 - The misconception of 'one car a day' as a scalable model34:44 - Finding your effective work pace and increasing daily output36:44 - The role of marketing, sales, and business acumen in growth38:51 - Career progression, team building, and avoiding physical burnout40:18 - Efficient detail setups: truck bed organization tips42:44 - Movement, speed, and workflow optimization as keys to profitability44:58 - The influence of music, energy drinks, and physical health on work speed47:08 - Shaving time: process optimization tips for faster detailing48:52 - Chemical savings through proper dilution and application50:01 - Managing chemical costs and understanding actual expenses51:08 - Final thoughts: building a smarter, more efficient detailing business
Pints and Polishing Auto Detailing Podcast
Nick Walters and Marshall Hill
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51:26