What does a detailer/porter do?

Detailer/porter responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real detailer/porter resumes:
- Manage stock of the vehicles; document vehicle locations and individual VIN numbers.
- 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.
Detailer/porter skills and personality traits
We calculated that 57% of Detailer/Porters are proficient in Customer Vehicles, Shop Maintenance, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Hand-eye coordination, and Listening skills.
We break down the percentage of Detailer/Porters that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Vehicles, 57%
Provide Excellent Customer Service-Evaluate and Comprehend Guest Needs-Maintain Records and Pass Information to Superiors-Detail New and Used Customer Vehicles
- Shop Maintenance, 6%
Shop maintenance included changing overhead lights with scissor lift and cleaning floor drains with pressure washer.
- Customer Service, 5%
Provided detailed and efficient customer service while welcoming guest and performing valet services.
- Clean Cars, 3%
Clean cars gas them up get them ready for customers deliver parts or pick up them
- Body Shop, 3%
Maintain body shop area, clean repaired vehicles.
- Dealer Trades, 3%
Transport vechiles from home dealer to nearby dealers for dealer trades.
Most detailer/porters use their skills in "customer vehicles," "shop maintenance," and "customer service" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential detailer/porter responsibilities here:
Customer-service skills. One of the key soft skills for a detailer/porter to have is customer-service skills. You can see how this relates to what detailer/porters do because "hand laborers and material movers who work with the public, such as grocery baggers or carwash attendants, must be pleasant and courteous to customers." Additionally, a detailer/porter resume shows how detailer/porters use customer-service skills: "wash and detail vehicles, assisted customers, clean shop area"
Hand-eye coordination. Another essential skill to perform detailer/porter duties is hand-eye coordination. Detailer/porters responsibilities require that "most hand laborers and material movers use their arms and hands to manipulate objects or move objects into specific positions." Detailer/porters also use hand-eye coordination in their role according to a real resume snippet: "use manual dexterity and bodily coordination to perform an array of tasks to vehicles. "
Listening skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of detailer/porters is listening skills. This skill is critical to many everyday detailer/porter duties, as "hand laborers and material movers follow instructions that a supervisor gives them." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "polish and buff vehicle exterior and ensure that any additional maintenance needs such as tire rotation are communicated to the customer. "
Physical strength. detailer/porter responsibilities often require "physical strength." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "some hand laborers and material movers must be able to lift and carry heavy objects." This resume example shows what detailer/porters do with physical strength on a typical day: "strengthened customer loyalty through providing excellent customer service. "
The three companies that hire the most detailer/porters are:
- Lithia Motors3 detailer/porters jobs
- CDE2 detailer/porters jobs
- DARCARS Automotive Group1 detailer/porters jobs
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Detailer/porter vs. 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. This type of job requires reliability, communication, physical fitness, and customer service skills. Formal education is not fully required though most of them hold a high school diploma. However, their attention to detail and good customer service may increase their employment opportunities.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between detailer/porters and car wash attendant. For instance, detailer/porter responsibilities require skills such as "shop maintenance," "vacuums," "body shop," and "dealer trades." Whereas a car wash attendant is skilled in "visual inspections," "menu options," "competent demeanor," and "cash management." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Car wash attendants earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $30,136. On the other hand, detailer/porters are paid more in the retail industry with an average salary of $28,583.On average, car wash attendants reach similar levels of education than detailer/porters. Car wash attendants are 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Detailer/porter vs. Truck washer
A car washer is responsible for cleaning and polishing cars, ensuring efficiency and customer satisfaction. Their tasks typically include vacuuming the interior parts such as seats and floors, discarding the trash, cleaning the windows and windshield from the inside and outside, applying soap solution to the car's exterior, scraping off dirt, and applying wax. They may also answer customer inquiries, provide cost estimates, and assist them as needed. Moreover, a car washer typically works in a team setting, which requires an active communication line for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real detailer/porter resumes. While detailer/porter responsibilities can utilize skills like "customer vehicles," "shop maintenance," "customer service," and "vacuums," truck washers use skills like "minor maintenance," "cdl," "dot," and "safety regulations."
Truck washers earn a higher average salary than detailer/porters. But truck washers earn the highest pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $41,310. Additionally, detailer/porters earn the highest salaries in the retail with average pay of $28,583 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Truck washers tend to reach similar levels of education than detailer/porters. In fact, they're 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Detailer/porter vs. Car washer
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from detailer/porter resumes include skills like "shop maintenance," "vacuums," "body shop," and "dealer trades," whereas a car washer is more likely to list skills in "clean vehicle," "customer satisfaction," "cleanliness," and "rental cars. "
Car washers earn the highest salary when working in the transportation industry, where they receive an average salary of $29,989. Comparatively, detailer/porters have the highest earning potential in the retail industry, with an average salary of $28,583.Most car washers achieve a similar degree level compared to detailer/porters. For example, they're 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Detailer/porter vs. Pressure washer
Even though a few skill sets overlap between detailer/porters and pressure washers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a detailer/porter might have more use for skills like "customer vehicles," "shop maintenance," "customer service," and "vacuums." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of pressure washers require skills like "pressure wash," "sidewalks," "etc," and "safety procedures. "
In general, pressure washers hold similar degree levels compared to detailer/porters. Pressure washers are 0.8% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of detailer/porter
Updated January 8, 2025











