Detailing advice

[greekCL]

Hello guys,

I am starting in detailing as part time occupation.
Any advice from the detailers out there?

Do you all have insurance?

Cheers

 

[Aoraki]

I can't really help with the detailing, but as for insurance, you can't be seriously thinking of trading without it are you? You would be leaving yourself wide open if you do.

 

[greekCL]

I do have my motor trade insurance which covers me fully comp on driving cars etc.

Need to ask them details on what extend it covers me on detailing.

But I have read on some other forums that it would cost about £500 for excess on some claims ... therefore some prefer not to hava an insurance as it is cheaper to paint a panel than claiming for it.

 

[Superspec]

If the thread you posted with the Merc in is the standard of your work I'd keep practicing before you start doing this for a living - part time or not.

And as far as insurance is concerned you definitely need Public Liability, Service Indemnity and you'd be stupid not to have professional indemnity insurance. You motor trade insurance will cover the cars against you crashing them or them getting stolen while you work on them. Nothing else.

I can't believe you would even consider working without proper insurance. There are already too many cowboys out there.

 

[greekCL]

I know the W124 needed more cleaning as for the joints, rubbers, lights etc, however ran out of time so this was the best outcome for the time the car was in my availability.
Yet though a transformation to the original state.

Now regarding the insurance I need to speak with some companies in order get a better perspective, unfortunatelly for me it is a long weekend so most places are closed until midweek.
It is not what I was concidering doing, but it is what I have read in some forums regarding worth having an insurance etc...

I already have Public Liability and Employers Liability from my IT business so this will have to get modified to get it extended if needed.
Now regarding Professional Indemnity I need to look into it as it is a LTD company so needing to see if it will have any sort of point having it.

Service intemnity ... needs to look into it as well on what it covers. (when I googled into it, it comes under Professional Indemnity, is this correct?)

By the way any ideas in a price of an average insurance... as these would not be covering the cars per say (driving and parking).

i.e. I pay for my PL and EL about £90 a year and this is for a 20mil and 10mil pounds cover. (this the the minimum requirements set by my clients)

 

[Superspec]

Of course there's a point having it lol.

Which PTG do you use?

 

[A210AMG]

Hello

I would get yourself over to Detailingworld.co.uk

Ask away on that forum, loads of detailers and maybe even stickys on what you need to set up etc, are you going to be mobile or premises?

I would think insurance is almost a must... I would not be too happy having someone work on my car and if they damaged it, I have to claim on my own insurance.

 

[greekCL]

Of course there's a point having it lol.

Which PTG do you use?

I now know it is a must lol I think I will have a tag with my insurance number being visible around my neck haha.
I am still looking the market for products and some parts so any paint thickness gauge is an option, as I can see the prices are around £200 to £300. Do you think there is one that will do lacquer depth as well as coating depth with the same machine

Hello

I would get yourself over to Detailingworld.co.uk

Ask away on that forum, loads of detailers and maybe even stickys on what you need to set up etc, are you going to be mobile or premises?

I would think insurance is almost a must... I would not be too happy having someone work on my car and if they damaged it, I have to claim on my own insurance.

I am already a member there ... well I joined a couple of days after I posted this post, came to it by total fluke, really good Forum

 

[Ream]

Hello guys,

I am starting in detailing as part time occupation.
Any advice from the detailers out there?

Do you all have insurance?

Cheers

I have had car valet insurance for 9 years it's part of my whole cleaning company insurance that includes property cars carpet and upholstery. in that time I have never called them in regards to claims about car cleaning but have had to regarding other sectors.Do not get involve with the motor insurance as that is to expensive and no need for a part timer.

start off without the insurance cleaning friends cars and contacts and then build your knowledge and equipment and then go from their.

Personally I would not bother there are better ways of earning a living that is not so back shoulder hand braking weather related, also you now have folk who spend 50k on a car and have it cleaned by a monkey at a car wash or car park.

 

[greekCL]

I have had car valet insurance for 9 years it's part of my whole cleaning company insurance that includes property cars carpet and upholstery. in that time I have never called them in regards to claims about car cleaning but have had to regarding other sectors.Do not get involve with the motor insurance as that is to expensive and no need for a part timer.

start off without the insurance cleaning friends cars and contacts and then build your knowledge and equipment and then go from their.

Personally I would not bother there are better ways of earning a living that is not so back shoulder hand braking weather related, also you now have folk who spend 50k on a car and have it cleaned by a monkey at a car wash or car park.

My idea of a part time is to do a car a week in the best occasion
Lets say something it will pay for my cars being cleaned on a free material cost basis.

I already have motor-trade insurance cost me £1000 for a year, might sound a lot but it covers two drivers fully comp and display cover as well. (if anyone needs to test drive)
It would have costed me more than that to insure a couple of stock cars and the 5 the household has.

I must admit when I used them for a claim that was not my fault they had the case done and dealt with in 2months and that included all the delay caused by the other party. I had no complaints with the service.

 

[greekCL]

Well I am amazed! lol
I called my insurance (not the motor trade insurance) but the insurance I use for PL and EL for my IT Consultancy business, and they added a second trade as car valeting at no extra cost since the IT business is concidered of a more risk trade than car valeting.
Also under the PL terms I am covered for any accidental damage made to 3rd party (client's property).
That is a good outcome I guess.

 

[Ream]

Well I am amazed! lol
I called my insurance (not the motor trade insurance) but the insurance I use for PL and EL for my IT Consultancy business, and they added a second trade as car valeting at no extra cost since the IT business is concidered of a more risk trade than car valeting.
Also under the PL terms I am covered for any accidental damage made to 3rd party (client's property).
That is a good outcome I guess.

That's good news, my lads and I have cleaned thousands of cars over the last 9 years and in that time I think we have broken 2 ashtrays 1 scratch most of the other problems are usually solved on a second vist and these have been very few.I also do not carry hard chemicals not even acid for the wheels so that mistakes are solved by other tools and chemicals (if that makes sense).

 

[jonnyMercUK]

Have a look on detailing world, plenty of info on there.

 

[alex163]

Without trying to offend, if you are asking these kinds of questions your not ready yet.