Companies raise standard of vehicle detailing

Johnny Cannefax and his wife, Naheel Sikander, opened Autonique, an automotive reconditioning shop, just more than a year ago. Seven months after opening, Autonique outgrew its 2,000-square-foot facility and moved to 1415 E. St. Louis, where it can handle as many as 20 cars at a time in 6,000 square feet.

Cannefax – an 18-year veteran of the exotic-car industry – runs the shop with the help of Craig Hornbuckle and four additional full-time employees.

Autonique’s services range from quarterly or monthly salon programs to concourse-style detailing, powder coating and paint sealants. Cannefax said he prefers to keep cars overnight to ensure quality. Autonique offers delivery and pickup services at no charge in Springfield.

It has been challenging, though, to make sure consumers understand the scope of services Autonique can provide.

“Getting a car washed and waxed and the glass cleaned is not detailing,” Hornbuckle said. “Our biggest challenge is the price-point mindset. People have the mindset that a detail should be $100 to $150, but $250 is where things really should be. We can’t do our job the way we want to for $125.”

Autonique’s detail jobs include the normal wash, wax and vacuum and cleaning of all interior surfaces. The work can also include washing the undercarriage and the engine, cleaning the wheels, dressing the tires and a full undercarriage detail.

Michael Willhoit of Willhoit Enterprises said the high-quality detail work Autonique does is just what his clients look for; his company sells high-end, exotic and classic cars such as Porsche, Ferrari and BMW. 

“You know how important first impressions (are) with people when they dress a certain way,” Willhoit said. “It’s the same with a car. When you back this car out of the trailer and it looks like a million dollars, it’s easier to close the deal.”

Willhoit, who had more than $15 million in sales last year, said 99 percent of his business comes from people outside of the area who haven’t seen their vehicles up close. So when he ships a car across the country, he wants the prospective buyer to fall in love when they finally see it.

And although Willhoit has a detail shop on-site, when his shop is full, he sends vehicles to Autonique. He notes that Autonique’s concourse detailing and attention to detail are a step above what consumers may find at other detail shops.

“On average, our clientele expects more. It’s a hands-on process, a love affair. It’s not just a wash and wax. It is a one-fender-at-a-time, four-stage process,” Willhoit said. “It’s the difference between success and failure in our industry.”

Target audience

Investing the time and money into having a car thoroughly cleaned can bring back a substantial amount in a sale, so it’s no surprise that auto dealers’ use of detail shops isn’t limited to Autonique, which Cannefax said tends to focus more on individual car owners. Andy Bishop, owner of Sharp Rides Auto Detailing, opened his shop about a year ago and said in an average month, 90 percent of his business is from dealerships.

But Bishop, whose prices vary based on the condition of the car, emphasized the importance of individuals keeping their cars up as well. 

“It’s like anything else,” he said. “You’ve just got to take care of it. It helps keep the value of your car.”

Auto Magic, which has three locations in Springfield and more than 30 employees, can handle a large volume of cars daily. What Auto Magic offers may be a good fit for car owners who want some help taking care of their cars.

“We consider ourselves different than the traditional detail shop,” said Tim Vaughn, Auto Magic district manager. “We don’t pull seats, we don’t get into wiping out all the little intricacies of the interior. We target customers who are concerned with time, not necessarily looking at restoration or corrections.”

Auto Magic offers three services that customers can purchase for $39.95 each, or the three can be combined for a discounted price of $90. The Carpet Express and Interior Express provide a thorough cleaning of their respective areas, while the Polish Express involves a low-speed buffing of the exterior. 

“We’re preventative maintenance,” said Steve Orman, president and CEO of Orman, LLC, which owns and operates the Springfield area Jiffy Lube and Auto Magic locations. “That’s reflected in two things: the speed and the price.”

A car wash and all three express services can be completed in about one hour, Vaughn said, and the polish is good for about 90 days.

Orman and Vaughn recognize that Auto Magic’s faster, less expensive service isn’t necessarily for everyone.

“If the vehicle is beyond our scope, we’ll happily refer somebody to a traditional detail shop,” said Vaughn. “In a sense, they’re our competition, but it’s all about what will best suit the customer.”[[In-content Ad]]