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Auto Detailing Training Education

There are many specializations in the field of Auto Detailing. Your career begins at a community college or vocational training center with a basic certification program lasting anywhere from six-months to a year. This is a subset of the larger field of Auto Body Repair. Beyond that, there are secondary degrees and advanced certifications that can take up to three additional years and often involve specialization. This leads up to the gold standard, the master certification that involves four separate certifications and can take form four to five years to complete.

Oftentimes, those who successfully complete certification will continue to become an automotive mechanic or will specialize in a motor sports certification of some sort. All of these paths have separate, and very different, requirements. You should research thoroughly before choosing a path. The minimum general certification needed is the ASE certification. Completing this certification will require two years learning hands-on in the field and the passage of an exam at the completion of those two years. This is the first of the four certifications involved in the master certification program.

Auto Body Detailing Courses Online

This is one of the minor segments of the automotive service industry. Employment prospects for individuals with proven certifications and qualifications are rated as average. The traditional new car market will continue to require certified individuals to provide new car prep service. Additionally, the need for replacement worker for retirees as well as individuals moving to new positions. The trend toward more commodity body parts that are easily replaced has weakened labor demand. Advanced technology is also reducing the need for extensive body repairs with the increasing use of plastic body parts and other modular technologies. Higher insurance deductibles also discourage traditional repairs. There will be a greater concentration on higher value work requiring advanced experience and training. An increasing number of used vehicles on the market means that there will continue to be work for skilled detailers to prep these vehicles for sale.

There has been a lot of shifting and restructuring in the automotive industry in the United States in recent years. Most of those have had an impact on the repair sector as well as the auto body industry in particular. There has been a trend toward commoditizing the cost of vehicle maintenance and repair as mentioned above. This has lead to wage depressurizing and falling in a downward trend. However, this also means that skilled experienced auto detailers will be in great demand when it comes to luxury car and specialty vehicle work. The trend is toward fewer, higher value jobs, making entry-level jobs increasingly more difficult to find.

Conversely, the used car owner market will support demand, as car owners keep their vehicles longer and require detailing services as a part of their general overall maintenance routine-just as much as they would need a tune up. This will absorb the job loss in the new car market and continue to provide employment for newcomers to the field. Starting a auto detailing business can be very fulfilling so if you want to work for yourself and love cars then this could be the perfect career. Auto detailing training school is a great career choice.

 

Automotive Detailing Duties

 

When you think of auto detailing you might think about someone just washing a care but that isn’t even close to what you’ll learn as an auto detailer. Detailing is big business and care collectors spend $1000’s of dollars each year to make sure their show car stays looking perfect. Many courses will go over engine cleaning and detailing, interior cleaning and maintenance and even paint less dent repair. Detailers cover the entire car and can include interior repair and headlight renewal and even windshield repair.


Detailing a car means more than just washing and waxing. Auto detailing includes the proper use of cleaning liquids and waxes to make the care look better than new. Often car collectors are sending their car to auction and how the car looks could mean the difference of them making or losing money.


Working on a car is difficult and detailing is a science. You’ll learn during most programs how to properly polish paint and even paint correction and protection. How to remove swirls in paint as well as plastic trim restoration. You’ll learn wet sanding techniques as well as about the different types of paints.
Having the proper training experience is vital to your success. Care enthusiasts trust you with a car or project that could be worth tens of not hundreds of thousands of dollars. You knowledge of cleaners and the use of buffing paint has no margin of error as your clients are expecting the best work possible.


Career Training Program

 

When looking for an auto detailing training program you have several options. The first option is to find a school close to you to attend. This might sound easier than it is depending on where you live in the country. For those living in rural areas the closest school could be hours away and that is where a 100% online program would be the best fit. These days will self-taught programs and the use of even live classrooms over the web one can study anywhere in the world. Be sure to check out both options to see which one would be the best fit.


Career Paths

 


The majority of students who choose auto detailing as a career do so mainly to own their own auto detailing shop. The nice thing about owning your own shop is you control your hours, who you work with and even the clients you have. Some might specialize in cars or trucks where others might want to focus on boats or motorcycles. You’ll soon develop your own niche and cliental. Another option would be to work for an auto dealership that hires detailing specialists. These are not the daily car washing crew the go to dealerships to wash cars, these would be specialized staff members that take care of special clients or work for a dealership that specializes in high end automobiles.

 

Professional Organizations and Resources
International Detailing Association
Autogeek Wax Superstore
Chemical Guys