I would STARVE if I did this for a living...

[Russo]

at least a hour to wash and get all the bugs off..

[camaro2ssblack]

2-2.5 hours to prep, wash, dry and apply all dressings, cleaners and detail spray including setup and cleanup time for all the accessories.

[Adam's Polishes]

if its just washing, cleanup, and dressing 1-2 hours... if its a bigger detail then it can run anywhere from 6 hours to multiple days. Just depends on how crazy I wan to get.

[M3NTA7]

For only exterior wash and dry, it's been taking me about 1.5 hours. Takes about 15-20 minutes of that time for the wheels. Two bucket grit guard (wash bucket / rinse bucket).

[Lightrider]

~1.5 hours for exterior wash, dressing tires and opening doors/trunk/hood to wipe everything dry. That time also includes set-up and then putting everything away.

[AirManFL]

Originally Posted by XQIZT

Including getting out all the supplies, and filling buckets, etc, washing and drying the Corvette, including wheels and wheel wells, is under an hour. Treating the tires, glass and laying on a coat of Buttery wax, I can be done in 2 hours.

Claying, polishing and interior work add much more time.

If you need help with technique or getting things done faster, just let me know. I can't be more than 30 minutes from you.

Mike,

I purchased quite a bit of product ($350ish) from you at the Camaro Rally. I'm in the West Altamonte Springs / East Apopka area near Bear Lake. I was with my wife at the Rally and had a gallon and a half of the Maguiar Gold Class I didn't want to waste.
I've been meaning to call you to get some grit guards, PC backing plate, small pads, a couple more towels, and some products for my interior. Maybe we can make that happen in the next couple of weeks.

I need to save some time or I'll never get passed the exterior.

Thanks,
Rob

[XQIZT]

Call anytime and we'll see what we can work out...Always happy to get people moving in the right direction!

[heRS]

It's a good thing we do this for fun then, isn't it! Wash n dry usually 90 minutes including beer break. I'll set a weekend aside if I want to clay bar, polish, wax, vacuum, et al.

[HellOnWheels]

45 min to wash and dry my crew cab long bed silverado. 6+ hours to wax it with 2 coats of zaino (lot of surface area to cover).

Just got my camaro last week so we'll see how long that takes but it can't be any worse than my truck.

[third_shift|studios]

Originally Posted by AirManFL

I just finished washing my Camaro and Volvo C30 (2 door hatchback) and it took me 6 long hours. I would never be able to do this for a living.

Cleaned wheels (including the barrels) and fender wells with Adams wheel cleaner, wheel brush, lug brush, and turbo stick.

2 Bucket Wash with Maguiars Gold Class car wash and Adams 9x9 pad.

Hand dried with Adams drying towels.
Hand dried wheels with generic microfiber towels.

Applied Adams VRT to tires.
Applied Invisible Glass with Rain Repellant to all glass.

Rinsed buckets, applicators, and put everything away.

The cars look great though.

How long does it typically take you to wash and dry your car?

Rob

i DO do this for a living and I'm fed quite well, so is my family =) What's annoying is when people ask me "how much for just a basic interior/exterior" and they scoff at my price. I don't do "basic," I do perfect.

[Fish-man]

For my vette's annual all-inclusive bath at the end of driving season...

3hours:
1-Put car up on jack stands
2-Remove wheels
3-apply diluted simple green (SG) to lower area/wheel wells/& nose -loosens bugs/brake dust/road grime, then hit it with the power washer... also the wheels that are laying on the driveway at this time
4-wash the car
5-rinse with a nice laminar flow of water (removes a lot of water)
6-dry with air pressure- gets into all the cracks/crevises
7-finish dry with mf towels
8-wash the tires/wheels (barrel too), this time with the a wash mit

And then... the following day usually: 3-hours
1-clay bar
2-wax
3-wax wheels
4-clean underside with SG and rag
5-vaccuum interior
6-apply vinyl protectant
7-clean windows (GM glass cleaner)
8-tire 'shine'
9-re-install wheels and lower the car and back into its spot
10-dust the engine compartment (never gets too dirty)
11-wet the leather with leather protector... let it sit overnight and then wipe

[CaryE1]

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

Polishing=paint correction..

I'm new at this, but I thought that the Severe Swirl Remover and the Swirl and haze Remover were the actual paint correction, and that the Fine Machine Polish was to make the paint glossier. So does it hurt anything to use the FMP without using SSR/SHR first? Is it a waste of time?

[CamaroDreams07]

Originally Posted by CaryE1

I'm new at this, but I thought that the Severe Swirl Remover and the Swirl and haze Remover were the actual paint correction, and that the Fine Machine Polish was to make the paint glossier. So does it hurt anything to use the FMP without using SSR/SHR first? Is it a waste of time?

It's all paint correction- that's where shine comes from. Think of it this way. The SSHR and the SHR knock down the clear to level out scratches, but to do so they have some larger abrasives in them. This leaves behind micro-marring which can leave you with a hazy or dull finish. The FMP corrects that by further polishing down what is left.

To answer your second part, no and no. Ideally, you want your wash process to be good enough that you only ever have to use FMP again. You should only need the SHR once- to do your initial correction (of course, life happens and you might need to break it out every once in awhile, but you get my point). After that, you should be able to maintain it with just FMP a few times a year as needed. If you find yourself needing SHR regularly, you've got a problem somewhere in your process where you're causing damage.

[jshaf]

if the car is just slightly dusty I can wash and dry in 30 minutes, that includes drying the rims and dressing the tires as well. got a system and over time have gotten it from an hour to 30 minutes with practice and experience. now if we are talking a full detail like I will probably do this weekend we are talking 5-7 hours depending on how I feel. will break it in to two days if need be.