Do you remember your first detail for $$$?

[Luster]

Well I sure remember mine...

It was about 30 years ago and a lady (my neighbor) was constantly watching me clean my cars, daily, in my driveway...

One day she came over and asked me the now-famous line, which you've all undoubtedly heard...

"How much would you charge me to ......

Yes, you've all heard it.

Well... it was a Buick Estate Station Wagon... the thing was HUGE! Not to mention trashed.

Food wrappers, cups, stains, straws, old fries... (Yes, they did have McDonalds 30 years ago!!!) The car was a rolling nightmare.

Anyway, I spent ALL DAY on a Saturday cleaning her car and charged her $25!!!

And what product did I use on the paint? You guessed it!!! That crusty old TURTLE WAX! Remember that stuff that yielded that hard, crusty, nasty white stuff that looked like you had eaten powdered sugar donuts over the hood? Glad those days are over!!!

That night I decided to never detail another car for money.

(Just kidding.)

[Tex Star Detail]

My first paying job as a mobile detailer was a ford lightning truck. The guy stood over me tie while time.

[ivopivo]

Sometime in 2006 a friend from work sat next to me for 6 hours while I polished his car with a quick 2 step and charged $80... car did turn out perfect and work started coming in ever since

[OCDinPDX]

When I was 11, I really started getting into cars but my mom caught me (on several occasions) asking the neighbors if I could check out their cars. She told me in no uncertain terms that if I were to be caught doing it again, hell would be paid. So I decided in my young brain that the only way for me to get around these cars is to clean them. How hard can it be?

It's embarassing for me to say this but it's how most of us started learning. The first car I ever cleaned was a 1998 BMW 740i (in 1998). I washed it with terry cloths and used Boraxo powdered soap. Oh God it makes me cringe just thinking about it now and the damage I probably did to that car. Live and learn, right?

[Jeremy]

yes it was 2 fridays ago


atleast my first official one

[Pander5]

Yes, it was a black E class Mercedes and done by HAND! I had the proverbial "neighbor" who kept asking me to do his car and I resisted for probably a year. I finally gave in and back then I was still doing everything by hand. If I remember correctly I was using Einszett polishes (pre-VOC rule stuff), 3M IHG and Blitz wax!

Shortly after doing his vehicle I got a PC, started frequenting discussion boards like this and it took off! It's been a fun ride. What's more memorable for me was my SECOND customer. My next door neighbor's girlfriend who had a Lexus LS (older style) went down to Aruba for a week and asked If I could do something with her ride. I had the week off from work and I literally took 5 days with my PC to work the dark green paint back as good as I could get it (with a PC). Spent the week experimenting with different things and learned a lot. Needless to say she was amazed.

Now it's circular machine corrections with M105, PFW, 4 inch pads, iso alc wipedowns, playing with the Kevin Brown method etc. etc. You guys/girls rock!!!

Bill - thanks for the mental retrograde. I had almost forgotten all the "early" days and newbie experiments.

[BenzDetailer]

First One I did was 40 Years ago. I cleaned the interior it with a 12 Volt Plug in Vac and detailed the outside with TR3-Resin Glaze. It was a land yacht of a Caddy in in Light Parakeet Yellow. A doctors car. He was not that Picky and had plenty of money. I remember it like it was yesterday. I used the cheapest 9" Orbital it was probably $15. I used to clean the one bonnet I had every few cars. I made it a point at that moment to follow three things that I still follow today.

(1) Only clean cars for the upper upper class !
(2) Only Clean cars that are already Clean !
(3) Never be afriaid to charge the highest Price in the Market !

oh and BTW that car 40 years ago - He asked me how much I charged and I asked him how much was it worth to him not to have to do it himself.... He gave me $30 and smiled.

[zoomzoom mazda5]

It was in 63 or 64 on my Dad's Olds 98 in black, broke me down after that one. My charge was a tripe ice cream.

[Poorboy]

In 1965 I started doing weekly washes on my neighbors Biscayne for Kennedy half dollars (silver ones, many of which I still have) ..he sat and drank Ballantines and listened to the ball games on the radio.. can remember it like it was yesterday

[Beemerboy]

My detail biz was started out of my Mom's garage..my customers where all her friends, and all of them drove MB, Caddys, Jags and such...


My first paying job was about 1980 ish....the local newspaper owner had a brand new Jag.....paid me to come pickup the car and wash and wax...I didn't have much product...just some old bath towels my mom had given me...Armour-all...409 APC...TR3 Resin Glaze..Windex...Dawn dish soap...and I used her house vac for the car...I charged $100 for full details....I had a very health client list back in those days.

Like Steve said it seems like yesterday!

Originally Posted by Luster

Well I sure remember mine...

It was about 30 years ago and a lady (my neighbor) was constantly watching me clean my cars, daily, in my driveway...

One day she came over and asked me the now-famous line, which you've all undoubtedly heard...



Yes, you've all heard it.

Well... it was a Buick Estate Station Wagon... the thing was HUGE! Not to mention trashed.

Food wrappers, cups, stains, straws, old fries... (Yes, they did have McDonalds 30 years ago!!!) The car was a rolling nightmare.

Anyway, I spent ALL DAY on a Saturday cleaning her car and charged her $25!!!

And what product did I use on the paint? You guessed it!!! That crusty old TURTLE WAX! Remember that stuff that yielded that hard, crusty, nasty white stuff that looked like you had eaten powdered sugar donuts over the hood? Glad those days are over!!!

That night I decided to never detail another car for money.

(Just kidding.)

not my first, my first was/is a Ferrari collector.but it was close to first. it was also about 28 years ago, also a buick. ..strange..this thing was hugh i don't recall model but it was a sedan. white in color. on passenger side of car was covered in tar. I had no clue as to what to do (16yrs old) and back then people thaught detailing meant you pinstripe cars... there also was not product avaliability like now. or internet. I went to NAPA (there wasn't even a wallyworld or autozone) a half dozen times gettin 1 more can of bug n tar and then back 2 quarter car wash "back when it was a quarter". to this day I have never seen as much tar on 1 car. This lady musta rode a trench of tar 50 miles long. anyway after about 11hours later and the lady thinkin I had stolen/wrecked her car. I had that baby looking shoeroom new. If I recall payment was $25+$5 tip but after spending quarters at wash and dollars at NAPA. and the countless t-shirts and wax. I beleive my total loss was only about $10....AWESOME....