2020_ADN_V5_No3_web

RICARDO
MARTINEZ
continued...
We’re
off to
see…
GUÐMUNDUR EINAR
HALLDÓRSSON
of Selfoss, Iceland
What is the name of your
operation and where is your
operation located?
It is known under the name Detail
Ísland (Detail Iceland) But the name
of the company is My Island and we
are located in a town called Selfoss
which is 50 km outside of the capital
of Reykjavík.
When did it open?
The company was founded in 2015.
Before that I had been color correcting
cars for about 20 years.
How did you learn about the
detailing industry and the
skills involved?
I have had a massive interest in cars
since I can remember. I burned through
my first panel at age 11. Since then I
have burned through probably 100
panels. My skills started to develop right
before the year 2000 when I met an
Italian guy rock climbing in Italy. His
family owns a detailing company and
we became good friends and he helped
me out a lot. Unfortunately, he passed
away a few years later in a climbing
accident. When YouTube came along it
gave all of us lots of knowledge. I have
also made several trips to both sides of
the pond to learn and train.
What services do you offer?
We just do color correction, coatings,
high-end detailing and PPF. We also
have training classes and offer 13
different trainings that everybody
can join. Training covers everything
from how to wash a car to high-end
detailing.
Is auto detailing a wellrespected
industry in
Iceland?
The word “detailing” was not known
in Iceland when I started my business,
but now people are starting to understand
what we do. We have come a
long way but there is even a greater
road ahead of us.
What is your clientele like?
What types of vehicles do
you mostly get?
The car culture is a little bit different
in Iceland than other countries.
There are two Ferraris in Iceland,
no Lamborghinis, but we do have
a Porsche dealership. We probably
mostly do American pick-up trucks
that have been modified with bigger
wheels and SUVs like a Range Rover
and Audi Q7.
Our clients are basically everybody
-- farmers, fishermen, soccer moms,
business owners, bankers… etc.
Is there a lot of competition
in your area?
There are a lot of people cleaning cars
in Iceland but not too many high-end
detailing operations (there are a few
trying and not many succeeding). The
biggest problem is guys are not getting
their education right. Everybody
needs to train and practice -- that’s the
only way to learn. At our workshop
we have a section that is set up as a
training center where we train people
in color correction. That is my happy
place -- I can spend a lot of time there
testing pads, compound techniques
and whatever else comes to my mind.
There is a side effect on working
with high-end cars -- You acquire an
expertise on these units which is the
most important thing. And, it increases
the perceived value a customer sees
in your service, which means you can
charge more. Perceived value, experience
and reputation are a detailer´s most
important tools to market their services
and improve sales, margin and workflow.
Mobile detailing on the retail side
has not developed yet in Argentina;
sometimes we use our small Volkswagen
minivan and take care of some
customers here and there, but we basically
focus on car collectors, high-end
paint-shops with classic car projects,
and concourse or car shows. I participate
in AutoClasica which is our main
Antique and Classic Car Contest, and
is considered to be the most important
event of this kind in South America.
And, proudly, we got second place last
year with an old 1959 Wartburg.
In 2014 I was invited by the official
Chevrolet Racing Team to work on their
race cars and I ended up establishing a
very important relationship with them,
and got to know lots of people such as
professional drivers, automotive engineers,
motorsport journalists, advertising
agencies and Chevrolet executives. Good
contacts are important in this business; I
find that a detailing venture depends on
human relations.
Being part of the Chevrolet team also
allowed me to do some detailing for my
community such as Car Museum units.
Now I´m into some military unit restoration
projects for the Falklands War
Veterans, which Is not about money but
about giving back to your community.
Do you have any
employees?
Ricardo Martinez: Well we are a
very small business. At the carwash we
have two employees mainly for the daily
wash and wax work. My older son operates
the former gas station operation
since last year and that has helped me
a lot to develop my corporate customer
base in Buenos Aires at the armor car
operation. I started solo but I will soon
increase production with a partner that I
work with at the dealerships, and maybe
will add two more employees, but my
dealership work depends on how the
economy recovers from this pandemic.
My wife helps with administration,
marketing and customer care aspects.
What services are offered?
On the retail facility we have a
very loyal clientele, mostly car wash and
interior work is what is most demanded.
Our car wash services include
continued ...
1957 Chevrolet Belair totally restored by my good friend Dany Coronel,
what you see at the back is a Chevrolet Silverado 1981 truck
28 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 5, NO. 3 • FALL 2020