how long does it take you?

[two in the goo]

so how much should i charge if i cut out the clay and wax  and just stick to interior and polish outside, as ive got a rangerover sport to do next week .

[Dan J]

do a bit of market research around your area, ring a load of valeters say 4 to 8 different companys and get a quote for the vehicle in question and that will give you an average of what people are charging in your area. prices up and down the country vary quite alot due to location and type of service offered etc etc.

if that was in my area id be charging around £100+ mk due to the size of it and the amount of stuff that will be used on it etc etc but joe bloggs in another area could only be charging say£70/80.

quoting is really difficult when your not seeing the car first, ive had situations where ive quoted then got to the job and found myself right up against it because the car was an absolute shed when the customer said "oh it only needs a quik flick over its not that dirty" and it needed easily 1.5/2 hrs extra spent on it.

[two in the goo]

is there anywhere that does coarses in  paint correction or do you just learn through experience?

[Dan J]

a coarse would be of very good benefit to anyone whos just starting out and doesnt know the techniques etc once you've done a coarse then its a case of refining what youve learnt, and youll gain experience as you go along.
definatly do a coarse first though dude as messing someones paint up through bad/inexperienced technique will be expensive.

[Guy]

is there anywhere that does coarses in  paint correction or do you just learn through experience?

i am doing one on sunday... i will let you know what it is like

[kdiz]

for me probably about 16 hours but thats on my own car and involves this method

pre-rinse
wash
rinse
semi-wash [before claying]
claying
full wash
dry
tape the car up
polish [ swirl removal ]
wax
wheel cleaning
bumper dressing
cleaning windows extern
--------
hoover
dash wipes
duster
cleaning windows inside

[Guy]

for me probably about 16 hours but thats on my own car and involves this method

pre-rinse
wash
rinse
semi-wash [before claying]
claying
full wash
dry
tape the car up
polish [ swirl removal ]
wax
wheel cleaning
bumper dressing
cleaning windows extern
--------
hoover
dash wipes
duster
cleaning windows inside

do a full wash before you clay... you don't want to be picking up more contaminates that you need to, you should only be lifting bonded contaminates with clay

doing a wash after clay shouldn't be too much trouble as the paint will be a lot smoother

i'd bring your wheel clean forward to the first wash stage... what if you got wheel cleaner on your trim/paintwork?

[kdiz]

for me probably about 16 hours but thats on my own car and involves this method

pre-rinse
wash
rinse
semi-wash [before claying]
claying
full wash
dry
tape the car up
polish [ swirl removal ]
wax
wheel cleaning
bumper dressing
cleaning windows extern
--------
hoover
dash wipes
duster
cleaning windows inside

do a full wash before you clay... you don't want to be picking up more contaminates that you need to, you should only be lifting bonded contaminates with clay

doing a wash after clay shouldn't be too much trouble as the paint will be a lot smoother

i'd bring your wheel clean forward to the first wash stage... what if you got wheel cleaner on your trim/paintwork?

Sorry I did mean a full wash before the clay.

Only reason why I usually do wheels later is to fit the polish etc in in 1 day as the original rims on the mk2 take so long to do them properly. I have now resorted to using a toothbrush as no wheel brushes iv used can reach the ends 

[herbie911]

I used to spend less than two hours cleaning my car.
After going on these car forum, its getting longer and longer. I think it will get worst as I am planning to buy a polishing machine. The last time I clean my car over the back holiday weekend, it took me 7 hours! :embarassed:
It's a worrying trend!

[Guy]

you should be doing one long session every so often... and then 'maintenance' washes inbetween