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Welcome Jeff..ur wallet will hate u. 

Yesterday, fully detailed this beauty. 2013 Porsche Panamera Turbo. May do a write up another day, but I'm still sore. My hat's off to all you black car owners. 
 
LSP: Ceramic Paste Wax (only). Great stuff.
 

 

 

 

 
 
And finally.....
 
Pure reflection!! ?
 

I have a black and a white car.  Both are CC. 
 I used CPW for the first time last night.   I had NO issues with the removal.  Pirahnah and other members have mentioned that cpw is much harder to remove.   I found it easy to use!   Also leaves both my cars with a nice shine!  

I have some time this morning before the day starts and last night @falcaineer expressed an interest in a write up on how we establish pricing. 
 
Pricing has a ton of variables to it. Your local market will have a large influence on how much you can charge for your service. But outside of that, it should also be a calculated number. 
 
Before we get too far into the numbers though, you have to decide if you’re just detailing for some cash on the side or detailing for business. Both involve taking dollars for a service, but one has far more flexibility to it. 
 
When simply detailing for some cash, it’s more of a friendly arrangement. Maybe you’re covering some product you ordered or used?  Maybe you want some beers for later?  Maybe you just want to help a friend?  If this is the case, it’s a straight equation. The cost of materials plus whatever you want to be compensated for your time. And there you have the simplest pricing structure. 
 
If you’re detailing for business, you are into a far more complex set of calculations. You have some overhead (or a lot). I work out of my personal garages, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have considerable expenses. We have equipment tha we’ve invested in (and expect a return on), electricity, labor, product, etc. 
 
One thing to consider is recurring costs. These are for maintenance items. Towels wear out, wash mitts, disposable towels for coatings, etc. We assume a certain amount of “waste” on every job we do. This covers consumable products...chemicals and such. We tried tracking product used each job and it’s a logistical nightmare full of estimations and errors. We just assume a set amount based on the job. We could share the numbers, but it’s a mute point since the number varies based on the job and what products you individually like to use. That’s part one of the calculation. 
 
Up next are your labor costs. How much do you want to get paid per hour?  Don’t think in terms of how much the business is making for this. It’s a straight hourly rate for yourself and anyone working for you. I know how much my guys cost me, and I know what I’d like to make. Keep in mind that the guys ALWAYS get paid...I don’t. I often choose to reinvest what I would get paid back in the business. If a job takes longer than anticipated, the guys still get paid their full rate for however many hours they work. It’s not variable and not optional.
 
You should have a good estimate for how long a job will take. Sometimes they’ll go quicker, sometimes longer. But I know we shoot for about three hours with two guys on a “one step” job. So the rate is calculated as (employee A + employee) x three. And there you have your labor costs. That’s part two. 
 
Next up is how much do you want the business itself to make?  The business alone is an interested party to all transactions. The business needs to retain earnings for growth, expansion and other overhead (product orders and such). You can calculate this as an hourly need or a percentage of each job. The two should be close either way. That’s part C. 
 
Now add up part A, B and C and you’ve arrived at the minimum required rate per hour to be viable. You will not always hit the rate. Accept that. Things will come up. And some jobs you’ll make more than the rate. It should average out over time and jobs. 
 
So now you do the math and realize that your hourly rate is too high and you’ll never get that in your area with your experience. What do you do?  How can you impact your numbers?
 
You can raise prices a little bit and see if you have resistance from clients. More importantly though you can do something that won’t impact your clients. Look at your purchasing and see if you can buy smarter. Buying in bulk usually offers discounts. Negotiate with your vendors for better pricing. This will lower your costs and give you more profit without impacting your clients. We still do this constantly without even looking to avoid a price increase. Better buying means more money for the business. As a business owner you owe it to yourself, your clients, employees and business to buy smart and maximize your profit dollars to ensure success. 
 
You should also also research what other detailers in your area are offering for services and pricing. We don’t let them dictate our pricing, but we do want to know so we can expand on what makes us different. Things like equipment, exclusive products, training, services, etc. 
 
We have an internal policy that we don’t get into pricing wars and drive the price of our service down. We offer a fair service at a fair price. If we let clients dictate our pricing, we give them total control and train them that they can tell us how much something costs without them knowing the background information. If we don’t value our time, who will?  
 
Which brings up the last point...there’s a difference between a customer and a client. A customer is someone passing through. They’ll use you one time and then they’re off into the sunset. They won’t promote your business for you and won’t maintain a long relationship. A client will sing your praises, recruit other customers and clients and constantly be a stream of revenue for your business. Customers and clients both have a place in your business model. 
 
And that’s the long-ish version of calculating pricing...

Idk how I got lucky and scored one a few weeks back but I did. I had been searching for weeks on ebay and on here, happened to look up who my local dealers were and called the closest one to me. I asked him if they kept in stock and if he had any signs. He had a sign and gave it to me for free when I got there! Obviously bought some product from him to return the favor and will now be going back there from now on!

Congrats! U have enough room for an adams showroom. Look forward to the pics n process!

My current garage set up recently completed. I also run the @customgarageaddicts page on Instagram which should get you inspiration. I only post average joe garages, not the million dollar ones none of us will ever afford. 

An obligatory night shot. Which doesn’t do it justice...I need to break out the good camera when it’s all done!
 
 

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I would use the ECO version but I don't see why not. Maybe like an an ounce or 2 in a full tank and run a few hot water cycles through it. Just have to make sure you flush it really good with a clean tank after. I may do that next. 

Since my business is run out of my home, and with the recent family additions we outgrew our garage which doubled as a family garage and workspace. 
 
The way our land is laid out, we can’t have a poured foundation due to the zoning setbacks. So we had to go with a premanufactured garage. 
 
We ended up settling on a 14’ x 32’ garage style “shed.” We have used the back half for storage for equipment and I’ve started making the front half a film and coating studio. 
 
The front and back half will be separated by a canvas curtain enabling me to easily get in and out of for the storage component.  Up front, I’ve installed eighteen 4,800 lumen LED shop lights on the wall and ceiling. That’s 86,400 lumens of light for coating and film to catch everything. 
 
We started hanging banners and have power partially run. The rest will be done soon. 
 
Eventually I’d like to RaceDeck the flooring. But all in good time. And I’ll insulate it before winter. 
 
In the meantime here’s some progress photos. 
 
 
 
 

Fixed some headlights. Got the interior to do tomorrow.

I was thinking the same...was hoping for a Labor Day shirt.    But I wonder why they dont have a plain black t shirt w Adams logo in stock at all times, basic item that they would just keep in stock.  

Being in the south we deal with heat and humidity and I have found that the humidity has more of an effect than the heat does on the products, especially the cure/flash time.  This has been rather noticeable with the waxes, a bit more with HGG and really affects CB 1.0 timing.   I have purchased multiple Acurite Humidity and Temperature Monitors, Model #00309SBL, to help tabulate the differences.  I have one in the room where I store my chemical's, one in the garage and one is being kept on the detail cart.    
 
The unit I went with is from Acurite and is Lowes #396632 and is $9.98 (plus a 10% discount if you are a veteran), here is the link at Lowes: https://www.lowes.com/pd/AcuRite-Digital-Weather-Station/1000162483
 
The unit tells you the high and low Humidity and Temperature for a 24 period, so you will always know how high low the conditions were for your chemicals.  The one on the detail cart will provide you the information where you are working.  Here is where I put it on my cart and a closer look of the display.
 
I plan on charting the timings for curing along with the temperature and humidity to get a better of idea of how many or few panels I can do at time to get a consistent product outcome.
 
Note to weather buffs: My PWS is KSCWESTC15 - Western West Columbia
For anyone interested, you can see the weather conditions in my back yard here:  https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KSCWESTC15

Every few months the wife and I venture to Bath and Body works and pick up a dozen or two of their wallflower scents.  Today was no different, until we had to find the last few to equal 21pieces(for the sale, of course).  I came across the scent “Sun Washed Citrus”  I took a wif...thought about it, and said to myself immediately, I know this scent,  then I was like this is an Adam’s scent.  I thought some more and realized it was very close to WATERLESS WASH!  My wife enjoyed the scent, so we grabbed 4.  When we got home I pulled out my bottle and the wallflower and asked her opinion, and she agreed, they are very similar.  She also mentioned it was one of her favorites!  (I wonder if I just talked her into washing her car ?).
 
Either way, I know many of us love the WW scent, so if smelly stuff inside your home is your thing, go grab some,  could even throw one in the garage!  ??
 
ENJOY!

Hey everyone. Thanks for the support. With the help of a few other members i was able to make my first purchase from Adam’s today. I got a 2016 f150 king ranch and 2018 Infiniti QX60. 
I got everything I got I need to strip, wash, and protect them. 
Excited for my shipment to come in

Wow. Didnt think u had chance after seeing pic #1. Great job. 

6 weeks ago I did a strip wash and applied H2O G&G.  Truck sits outside 24/7 and hasn't been washed since.  Today I decided to stop by the carwash just to blast off the crud.
 
https://youtu.be/odgbIQ56odo
https://youtu.be/Y7vKfVl1vQI
 

Lately it seems that there’s been a bunch of questions on the forums with regard to what products go with what.  It can be a confusing world of products especially as new “better” releases come about.
 
The first thing to consider is that just because something new comes along, it doesn’t mean the old product is obsolete. Change can come about for a million different reasons. It could be development, supply availability, changes in production...and the list goes on. 
 
New products also don’t mean they fit in your detailing supply cabinet. We all have different needs based on our tastes, what we used and continue to use and where we want our detailing to go. There’s always a temptation to try new products (and we try a bunch), but it doesn’t always mean it’s a good fit. The point I’m trying to make is to not force a product to fit because it’s the “latest and greatest.”
 
The “ceramic” line of products is a great example. The ceramic boost, wax, coatings are great products. They aren’t the ideal application for every user. Much in the same way that a regular wax isn’t ideal for a ceramic user. 
 
You can mix and match products as you go, but it may not be the best match. Think of it like mixing ingredients in the kitchen. Sure, it might go and not be bad. But it also won’t be the “wow” that makes you want to come back to it time and time again. 
 
When evaluating which products you want to use, consider what your goals are and define them. 
 
How long do you want the product to last?
 
How much maintenance do you want to do?
 
How much work do you want to put in for the project in the beginning?
 
Where is the vehicle kept?  How is it driven?  Is it a daily?  Or a garage queen?
 
What tools do you have or are willing to invest in?
 
What’s your budget look like?
 
Once you know some of those answers (and possibly more), you can put together your product list.
 
If you like the process of waxing your car often, ceramic based products may not be up your alley. You can still achieve a great finish without ceramics. Sealant, glaze and wax provides great durability and finish while allowing you to scratch the itch of needing to wax your ride. 
 
If you want more durability, maybe a coating is right for you. You need to be patient in its prep and application. I’ve mentioned before that great prep equals a great finish. The same is also true. If you cut corners, there’s a good chance it will show in the finish. Keep in mind though that coatings are NOT maintenance free, regardless of advertising hype. 
 
A weekend detailer can often produce the same results as a professional detailer. There’s plenty of access to some great products out there. We use many of the same products available to everyone in our work. Sure, there’s some that are “pro only,” but those tend to be more high end coatings then routine products to use. The biggest differences between the pro and the weekend guy/girl are that pros usually have a deeper arsenal of products, an understanding of products along with their nuances and pros often have a larger selection of tools to get the job done efficiently. 
 
The big thing is to evaluate each product, see how it fits in your scope of practice and to understand when and why to use something. More importantly, know when not to use something because it doesn’t fit in your vision. It can be difficult to resist temptation of the latest and greatest sometimes, but like they say “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” 
 
When in doubt ask questions, experiment and see what works for you. Just test in small doses so you don’t create a bunch of work for yourself fixing something you have done. 
    - No idea why the font carried over like that when I wrote it and copied it over. Oh well!

I see its a Turbo..my dream car.?   Lets see the whole car!! 
  I agree w Falcaneer..90% perfection or u will drive urself nuts. Plus the more time u spend correcting, the less time ur driving it!!

I bought a 15mm Swirl Killer the 1st of August and when I went to first went to start it up I had a burnt electrical smell and when I shut it down it sounded like marbles banging around :(
I called customer service and let them listen to the polisher and the service rep said Mr. Bence I am sending you a new one out today and they emailed me return info and shipping label Within 10 minutes.
That's why I bought from Adams and not a knock off site GREAT customer service ..THANKS !!!!!

How about a limited edition release honoring the Forums? 

If so, consider taking inputs for the scents and label artwork from forum members, and then we all vote on here. Products created by and on behalf of all of us!

Holy crap.  The before pics made me  sick!!  How the hell do u let any car (especially a Lotus) get that bad????   And what detailer did that for her?did they use 60 grit?    
 Great results! 

I agree w Shane..for $60-full correction—give me the first appointment u have!!  Assume ur gonna need at least 2 pads which cost about $30. Plus the polishes.  
 
 -CC kit gonna cost u $115- leaves you $185 for other supplies/labor. 
 
Basic detail seems priced right.  But upgrade to “pro detail”. differences includes clay, strip wash and polish.. grest deal for customer for only $50 more.  Seems like a lot a labor for u for only $50.  
 
Best of luck. ????
  Just my non-professional opinion!!   Dont want u to lose money!! 
 

oh and I think the ceramic wax makes washing the truck easier, the dirt just flies off and so does the water! The water beading is just ridiculous too.