From waking up early in the morning to a nice hot cup of coffee all the way until I finish detailing my last car of the day (which is usually around 5pm) I tend to always keep one thing in mind!
You see when you think about it, detailing is fairly simple. Some may even go as far as saying that detailing is easy & that anyone can do it. But truthfully none of that matters!
I think that we can all agree on the fact making other people happy, satisfying them and shocking them with brand new looking vehicles is what truly matters!
Accomplishing our service in a timely, high quality manner is not only significantly important to us but its also something that we take pride in here at Mendez Mobile Detail.
The one thing we need to keep in mind is, the end result. Many times you as a human being expect a certain outcome or something in return for the amount of time and money you've put into something.
We totally understand and get where you're coming from. Not only will your vehicle get top level attention to details, it'll also be the most shiny on your block.
The Routine:
Delivering a highly favored detailing service isn't always easy. You deal with a lot of customers on a daily basis and some are more picky than others (the truth).
Lets talk about my day as a Richmond car detailer!
Incorporating coffee into my morning routine has increased my focus and productivity so I usually drink a small cup in the morning before I head out to detail cars.
Typically my schedule can vary, being that we have to detail cars outdoors the weather can some time hinder your work flow.
Let's just assume we have a perfect week, the suns is out. The sun is blazing and there isn't a ton of shade anywhere near!
Life as a detailer can get hard QUICK. Although that can defiently happen, don't allow it to discourage you if you're someone who's looking to get into auto detailing.
Find Shade - the first thing you should do is get the vehicle under some shade. You'll have to move at least 2x as fast because the sun will be so hot it'll increase the way you work. Who want's to stand out there and get cooked? Find some shade
Most mornings the work starts at around 9am. We try and organize our schedule in an order where we get the hardest car done first so that way the rest of the day we can keep our focus on quality while not outworking ourselves.
Bringing your car under the shade will highly benefit you especially in the washing process. Hot steaming car surface can be a bit more difficult to clean.
Setup Process - now that we've got ourselves some shade our next step is to find our power source and water connection. Most of the clients do have a water source and electrical outlet but if you're someone who lives in an apartment complex or places where there's no connectivity it still shouldn't be a problem!
We're your problem solvers, it shouldn't be a problem to find a solution. We also accept drop offs at our home based location here in Richmond, Virginia.
Detailing Process - getting into the fun stuff. Detailing is an exciting process and satisfying to those who enjoy doing it. Seeing your clients reactions once you are through with the job, makes it all worth it.
Vacuum is the first step, now keep in mind. There's millions of auto detailers out there, we find what works best for us and we run with it making adjustments and innovating overtime.
Keeping our process simple and easy make it much easier to learn for new potential employees, and most importantly it's easy for you to rinse and repeat!
First we vacuum and immediately after you want to begin the interior detail process. The products you may use are going to be totally different from many others, the important thing we should soley focus on is like I mentioned... the end results.
No matter what products you decide to use the interior detail requires high attention to details. Cup holders, steering wheel, interior plastic panels, center console, every hard surface in the interior of your car is cleaned with a variation of brushes and products to achieve our desired outcome.
By now, we're usually 1:30 (1 hour 30 minutes) into our detail and perhaps maybe even 2 hours+ depending on the condition the interior was in.
If you aren't used to detailing and the suns bright and shiny on your face for 2 hours straight, you could easily become fatigued. Even the detail experts experience this and go as far as investing into a canopy for shade.
We're finally all through with the cars interior, and now it's time for us to begin the washing process. Every single car that gets detailed by us get cleaned and protected from this richmond weather.
Tires and rims are the first to require our attention, that's where your cars going to hold all the brake dust, and any iron particles that can keep your rims from shinning. Properly cleaning them will brand them back to life giving your entire car a complete makeover.
Any true car enthusiast loves a fresh set of clean and shiny wheels!
Quickly following the wheel cleaning we're going to begin the rinse process. We have to keep in mind, we are in the sun so this is why you would want to move quickly. Creating water spots is the last thing we want to happen, Removing those can be a hassle.
Washing the car should be simple, some tips could be to make sure you're utilizing the proper tools. A good and soft microfiber wash mitt is recommended as well as a well Ph Balanced car wash soap to prevent any scratches and swirl marks from being added to your car.
Drying is the final step, properly drying is important. Read the water spots article if you haven't already and you will quickly understand why you shouldn't miss a spot.
Apply your choice of dressing and the detailing process is through.
Taking you through a detailing process over text is far more complicated than you might think. Not being able to fully give you the true experience of being out on the field can get in the way of the reality of it.
Nonetheless, even if you aren't a detailing expert like myself you should still learn about the process and the proper way to clean your vehicle.
If you have any questions, feel free to message us!