Not all auto dealerships have detail depart¬ments that are disorganized, messy, financially unprofitable and turn out poor quality work; but enough of them do, so the question should be asked: “Why do deal¬ers operate such bad detail departments?”
    
Based on years of personal experience in the detail industry and working with auto dealers in the U.S. and Canada, I can say with little reservation that the detail departments in most dealerships are not run very well.

Hundreds of unmarked plastic bottles are littered everywhere, which is an OSHA safety violation. Three or four 55-gallon drums sit up against the wall, and rags and buckets are scattered here and there. Also, the stack of dirty buffing pads sit on a table, along with a stack of floor mats in the corner or on top of the drum. Sound familiar?

Why Do Dealers Allow This?    

It would be presumptuous of me to attempt to tell you why the majority of dealers allow their detail departments to operate like this or why they do nothing to change it.
However, I will venture some personal opinions:
1.    They don't know what to do.
2.    They don't know who to contact for help.
3.    They believe there is no other way.
4.    They don't think it is worth changing.
5.     They don't really care.
6.    They develop an out-of-sight, out-of-mind attitude.

There could be more reasons, but these are the most common that I have discovered over the years.

Do Not Know What to Do

Many dealers and/or their general managers truly do not know what to do to improve the detail department. Like the detailers, the dealer is doing what they have always done. In fact, until recently, no supplier in the detail industry offered the auto dealer any equipment or informa¬tion on how to change or improve their shops. Keep in mind, detailing does involve more than chemicals.

Do Not Know Who to Contact

Most dealers are truly at a loss as to whom they can contact for assistance to change and upgrade their detail department.

Believe There is No Other Way

This might be a legitimate conclusion on the part of the dealer, or they accept the fact that if there were a better way, someone would have presented it to them.

Do Not Really Care

Unfortunate, but true, many auto dealers simply do not care. If they get their used cars reasonably clean with only a little complaining from the used-car salespersons, they are happy. After all, they feel they have bigger fish to fry in the dealership. And detailing is not one of them and certainly does not warrant any attention anyway.

Do Not Think it is Worth Changing

This is another variation of the "don't care" attitude. That is, the detail department simply is not worth the time, money or effort to change anything. “It is good enough!” That is right, many dealers do not see the value in investing in upgrading, or changing the way the detail department operates.

Develop an Out-of-Sight, Out-of-Mind Attitude

For those who do not care or feel it is not worth it, they keep the detail area out of their sight, and as much as possible, out of mind. This is their way of "enabling" the department and the employees to continue their dysfunc¬tional behavior.

Is There A Better Way?

This is a valid question, and there is a positive answer. It can be as simple as the dealer principal/general manager getting involved in an effort to find a way to eliminate the problems in the detailing department by using common sense and the basic ABCs of good busi¬ness. The problems in most dealership detail departments can be improved, if not solved, but someone must take the time and effort to study the problem and develop solutions.

There is also outside help available. A few detail industry consultants and one or two detail equipment manufacturers are out there and can help dealers revamp their entire detail department from top to bottom and turn it into a very profitable opera¬tion.

Where Are They?

You need to search the pages of your trade journals to find those who advertise the type of services you need. Call a number of suppliers to see if they can offer organizational and management consulting. Be sure not to mistake technical detailing training for good organizational and management training. The last thing you want is more technical help. You need organizational and management assistance.

Call A Few Dealers

There are a few dealers that I know who have upgraded their detail departments and I am sure they would be willing to offer you advice. They are Dick Houston, Dick Houston Ford in Pine River, Minn; Jeff Mayer, Marion Toyota in Marion, Ill.; Brad Lillie, Gregg Young Chevrolet in Omaha, Neb.; and Tad Orme, Titus Will Auto Group, Olympia, Wash.

Keep the Faith

If you are not satisfied with the operation and condition of your detail department, keep the faith that there is a better way to detail cars and operate your detailing department. It will just take some effort on your part to do it. The first steps start with you.

As always, if I can be of help, please feel free to call me at: 1-800-284-0123 ext. 4.