How to hire an auto detailer

Auto detailer hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring auto detailers in the United States:

There are currently 192,197 auto detailers in the US, as well as 11,018 job openings.
Auto detailers are in the highest demand in Houston, TX, with 5 current job openings.
The median cost to hire an auto detailer is $1,633.
It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new auto detailer to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire an auto detailer, step by step

To hire an auto detailer, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire an auto detailer, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step auto detailer hiring guide:

Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
Step 3: Make a budget
Step 4: Write an auto detailer job description
Step 5: Post your job
Step 6: Interview candidates
Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new auto detailer
Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an auto detailer do?

An auto or car detailer is an employee who provides internal and external cleaning services for vehicles according to the clients' needs. Auto detailers provide the necessary cleaning services that can include steaming the interiors, vacuuming the carpets, and applying waxes and polishes. They are required to perform inspections of vehicles and provide accurate records of the vehicle's condition. By clients' requests, auto detailers must also move and park the clients' vehicles or deliver them to a specific location.

Learn more about the specifics of what an auto detailer does

Post an auto detailer job for free, promote it for a fee

Identify your hiring needs

Before you start hiring an auto detailer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

Determine employee vs contractor status

Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

Hiring the perfect auto detailer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

Here's a comparison of auto detailer salaries for various roles:

Type of Auto Detailer	Description	Hourly rate
Auto Detailer	Hand laborers and material movers manually move freight, stock, or other materials. Others feed or remove material to and from machines, clean vehicles, pick up unwanted household goods, and pack materials for moving.	$11-16
Service Porter	Typically working in car dealerships, a service porter is in charge of performing a variety of tasks to maintain smooth operations. They maintain vehicles in good condition by conducting regular maintenance checks and repairs, refilling gas tanks, inspecting tires and batteries, and cleaning the interior and exterior of cars... Show more	$10-16
Car Wash Attendant	As a car wash attendant, they wash and polish car exteriors and interiors. They often clean tires, dust, drying, applying soap solutions, vacuuming car interiors, scraping loose specks of dirt, cleaning seats, and removing the trash on a car... Show more	$11-18

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Shampoo Carpets
- General Maintenance
- Service Tools
- Customer Vehicles
- Engine Compartment
- Customer Service
- Vehicle Exterior
- Auto Body
- Foreign Materials
- Air Compressors
- Loose Dirt
- Stain Removal
- Leather Surfaces
- Buffing Machines
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Provide professional automobile detailing services with a variety of cleaning techniques and products to ensure the desired level of superior cleanliness.
- Maintain the dealership grounds by mowing, weed eating and maintaining mowing equipment.
More auto detailer duties

Make a budget

Including a salary range in your auto detailer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An auto detailer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

For example, the average salary for an auto detailer in South Carolina may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level auto detailer usually earns less than a senior-level auto detailer. Additionally, an auto detailer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

Average auto detailer salary

$13.82hourly

$28,746 yearly

Entry-level auto detailer salary

$23,000 yearly salary

Updated December 14, 2025

Average auto detailer salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Washington	$36,069	$17
2	Oregon	$34,051	$16
3	New York	$33,143	$16
4	Massachusetts	$32,386	$16
5	Rhode Island	$32,288	$16
6	New Hampshire	$31,270	$15
7	Colorado	$31,158	$15
8	Indiana	$29,799	$14
9	Connecticut	$29,587	$14
10	Delaware	$29,259	$14
11	Illinois	$29,108	$14
12	Iowa	$28,536	$14
13	Maryland	$28,530	$14
14	New Jersey	$28,325	$14
15	Pennsylvania	$28,065	$13
16	Nevada	$28,044	$13
17	Arizona	$27,656	$13
18	Ohio	$26,730	$13
19	Arkansas	$26,101	$13
20	Kansas	$25,896	$12

Average auto detailer salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Chemung Arc	$38,470	$18.50
2	All American Group	$33,378	$16.05	3
3	Muckleshoot Casino	$31,440	$15.12
4	Carvana	$30,792	$14.80	1,037
5	Lithia Motors	$30,060	$14.45	1
6	Auto Masters	$29,985	$14.42
7	Woodhouse Auto Family	$29,657	$14.26	2
8	Chevy Chase Acura	$29,580	$14.22
9	Bob Moore Auto Group	$29,578	$14.22
10	Integrated Dealer Systems	$29,495	$14.18
11	ADESA	$29,477	$14.17	15
12	Driven Brands	$29,397	$14.13	5
13	Pacifico Ford, Inc.	$29,379	$14.12
14	Bruner	$29,356	$14.11
15	Arlington Toyota	$29,232	$14.05	3
16	On-Site	$29,215	$14.05	24
17	Berglund / Farrell Automotive	$29,209	$14.04	1
18	Mercedes-Benz of Escondido	$29,208	$14.04	8
19	Lawn Tennis Association	$29,205	$14.04
20	KAR Auction Services	$29,170	$14.02

Writing an auto detailer job description
A good auto detailer job description should include a few things:
- Summary of the role
- List of responsibilities
- Required skills and experience
Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an auto detailer job description:
Auto detailer job description example
- Train and assist other make-ready and detail techs
- Maintain inventory and order make-ready supplies
- Act as liaison between department staff and sales managers to facilitate the process for new and pre-owned vehicles
- Detail client vehicles as needed
- Maintain strict adherence to dealership policy on client vehicle care and operation
- Note damage and notify service so a claim can be filed within 24 hours
- Perform quality control inspections of all vehicles before being brought to frontline
- Coordinate with sales and service to ensure on-time deliveries
- Attend department meetings
Education and/or Experience

High school diploma or GED

1 to 3 months of related experience and/or training
Candidates with an equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered

Compensation

Compensation is based on experience and commensurate with Fortune 500 companies.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to utilize manual dexterity as well as stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

Benefits

Training for career advancement

Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

401K and Profit sharing

Paid vacations and holidays

Great environment and a drug free workplace

About

The Gerald family has been selling automobiles in the Chicago area since the mid-1930's and has been proud to be a part of the communities they serve for decades!

We have succeeded in our endeavors because of a profound respect for our customer. The name Gerald stands for honesty and the highest standard of excellence.

The Gerald management team and employees are some of the most outstanding in the business. As our auto group continues to grow, it will be the result of all of our combined efforts, and our dedication and loyalty to the thousands of customers who favor us with their trust and patronage. Over many years, Gerald has meant Service.
Post your job
To find auto detailers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:
- Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
- Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any auto detailers they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level auto detailers with the right educational background.
- Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
Post your job online:
- Post your auto detailer job on Zippia to find and recruit auto detailer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
Your first interview with auto detailer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.
It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new auto detailer
Once you have selected a candidate for the auto detailer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.
It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.
To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.
Go through the hiring process checklist
- Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
- Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
- Define job responsibilities and requirements
- Establish budget and timeline
- Determine hiring decision makers for the role
- Write job description
- Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
- Promote the job internally
- Process applications through applicant tracking system
- Review resumes and cover letters
- Shortlist candidates for screening
- Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
- Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
- Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
- Conduct background checks on top candidates
- Check references of top candidates
- Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
- Extend offer to top candidate(s)
- Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
- Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
- Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
- Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire an auto detailer?

Before you start to hire auto detailers, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire auto detailers pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

You can expect to pay around $28,746 per year for an auto detailer, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for auto detailers in the US typically range between $11 and $16 an hour.

Find better auto detailers in less time

Post a job on Zippia and hire the best from over 7 million monthly job seekers.

Hiring auto detailers FAQs

How much does a good auto detailer cost?

Should I hire an auto detailer with no experience?

Search for auto detailer jobs

Ready to start hiring?

Updated December 14, 2025

Browse transportation jobs

How to hire an auto detailer