Name: Warren Preis
Background: Preis, 42, began his career as an auto detailer at a Jaguar/Volvo dealership at age 16. Since April 1984 he has been the owner/operator of European & U.S. Car Service and Auto Detailing, a division of Hawk Motors Service and Sales, on North Halsted Street. In 10 years, the business has grown from three employees to a staff of 28, including four full-time detailers. Preis and his wife live on the Near North Side.
Years on the job: 25
It’s mind-boggling the importance that people attach to their cars. They feel that if they don’t have their car, they’re dead! They don’t want to figure out how to get from Point A to Point B without it.
With the economy being as it is, people are taking more interest in caring for their automobiles. And if you have one that’s kept in good condition, you are going to retain its value, and you will feel better about it. Its productivity will be enhanced and, subsequently, you have a valuable piece of equipment that you can depend on.
We sell auto detailing as part of our program. We do the full gamut of automobile repair: auto repair, body work, and we have a quick and easy lube as well as auto detailing.
There are different levels of auto detailing. At the very basic level, there’s the car wash. Wash the car-soap, water, dry, bye-the consumer is in and out in five minutes. There’s wash and vacuum. There’s wash and wax and vacuum.
By my definition, however, you don’t begin to get into true auto detailing until you take out the machinery, spend one to three hours with a machine in your hand to remove six months to a year of “fallout” from the sky. You start to remove the oxidation of the paint. You apply wax for protection. You shampoo the interior, including the upholstery and carpets. You steam-clean the engine. That’s auto detailing. Getting into the details. The other is superficial. Auto detailing brings back the car’s luster and its life.
To detail a car, you wash it first so that you are working with a clean surface. Otherwise, you risk grinding the dirt into the paint when you begin to buff. Buffing not only requires skill, it requires strength, as the machine itself weighs approximately 25 pounds. On average, it will take six months of practicing on damaged hoods and fenders before the detailer is on his own. If there is a minor scratch on the car, sometimes we can buff it and blend it into the rest of the paint.
Next we apply the wax, vacuum and shampoo the upholstery and carpets. Then we steam-clean the engine, paying particular attention to avoid the electronics of the car. Special attention is given to the chrome, white walls, doorjambs, ashtrays and windows. We have used more than an occasional toothbrush to clean hub caps.
As a consumer, you should ask the prospective auto detailer, “What am I going to get for my money?” You should ask what kind of waxes, what kind of machines, what kind of compounds. You want to know that the detailer plans to use soft buffing pads so that your paint does not come out scuffed, scraped or swirled. You want to know that the interior is going to be dry when you come to pick up the car or when it’s delivered to you. If the consumer steps into their car at 4 o’clock in the afternoon when the carpet has just been shampooed at 3, well . . .
I don’t expect to see an increase in the number of auto detailers. New car sales are climbing steadily, which is a source of new business because people want to protect their investment and want their new car to continue to look new. After all, for most people it’s the second-largest purchase they’ll ever make. But even with more cars out there, I feel the facilities are there already to take care of them. Our philosophy is that auto detailing is and should be part of the entire focus of the car.
In my area alone, there are probably 10 auto detailers within two miles. But I don’t consider myself in competition with anyone for auto detailing, auto service or body work. I want to put out a good product. And as long as you put out a good product, you are going to attract customers. That’s a real, firm belief that we have. Anyone can drop their prices and say they are better. But dropping your prices sometimes drops your quality.
We detail approximately 400 cars a year, everything from Chevies to Rolls-Royces. We have a staff of four, and because the detailing is done in stages, we can handle three or four a day without a problem. We are open seven days a week and offer pickup and delivery service. Since those services are commonplace, what sets us apart is that I am a hands-on owner/operator, in the store and in the fight every day with my employees so that we can deliver the best product we can.
The image of the automobile industry in the consumer’s eye is not the best, so I do my best to change that by giving the customer more than they ask for, more than they expect. For example, every time your car comes in for body work-everything from a fender job to a major front-end-we will provide a free buff and wax, at the owner’s leisure, whenever they want. That’s hours’ worth of good will. But it keeps that customer coming back.
Probably the most fun finished product for me was back when I first started the business. I had a customer who owned a 1969 Volvo 144. He was about 90 years old, retired, and he used to drive downtown once or twice a week from his home. This gentleman never washed his car, never.
One day he came in, and the car needed brakes and a new exhaust system. We did the repairs, and I decided we were going to buff and wax his car for him. His car was a light blue that looked gray. Totally oxidized. One of the other detailers and myself buffed and waxed it, cleaned it up, detailed it. When he came to pick up his car, we pulled it in front. He didn’t have the slightest idea that was even his car! His jaw dropped; he was thrilled. It was really rewarding because it was a meant as a nice gesture for a nice guy. It was better than having the owner of a Rolls tell us we did a great job.
The other side, of course, is that there are customers who will tear down your job. They will look for any little thing to criticize, possibly to get you to reduce the price. Occasionally, we’ll hear comments like: “Well, I’m not going to pay for this because you left this little smudge here.” Or, “You missed vacuuming this.” Or, “How come this looks different on this panel than it does on the other panel?” With consumers becoming more knowledgeable, they are becoming more critical. They are more conscious of what they are paying for, and as a businessman, I understand and appreciate that.
I would recommend one good auto detailing a year. Additionally, I would recommend one good wax each year and then maintenance washes, not using hard soaps. The reason I would not recommend detailing the car with more frequency is that you begin to remove layers of paint. If you continue to do that and buff and buff and buff, you are going to remove your paint, and eventually, you’ll have to have your car repainted. And that would be a waste of money.
