another ' how much to charge' thread

thebamboo23

thebamboo23

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i plan on charging around $200-$250 for the first few cars

-time expected: 12-15 hours
-location: my garage with a lot of space

this is not my first time detailing, but my first time with the mentality with starting a business.

it would be a full out exterior correction
-washing car
-claying
-cleaning and protecting: windows/trim/wheels (i will take off the -wheels to clean the brakes/wheel wells/wheel thoroughly)
-2-3 step paint correction
-engine cleaning, etc...

i dont think i need to go thoroughly into my process because we all know what a full exterior correction is lol and all this will be used with high quality products


what do you guys think? too much, too little? Feed back please :buffing:
 
Best of luck with that...Almost 99% of my customers are daily driving soccer moms and dads who just want a basic car detailing. I bet money they would not even know what a paint correction is and could care less so i give them what they want. Clean, detailed car for $100 in less than 7 hours. I almost always get tipped to which is nice !!!
 
Yeah keep the paint correction as an add on for the few people that know what it is or you can sell it to. Don't go to it automatically because you're spending a lot of time that won't really pay off. You need to rework your timeframe too. 12 to 17 hrs for only n exterior detail is a long time. Most people aren't going to want to do that. Keep it fairly basic and get your exterior down to about 6 to 7 hrs. 6 or 7 is good time for a full exterior wash, clay (possibly minor correction) trim, wheels & tires, and a coat of wax or sealant. When I say minor correction I mean spot compounding. Pick out some scratches as you're claying and go back and focus on those that you know they see everyday and will be amazed when they see you took out that ugly scratch that they've been looking at for anywhere from a month to a few years. That's the kind of things that will lead to an up sell the next time you do their vehicle.
 
Most people who buy auto detailing services don't want, need or even understand what full correction is. You will have a hard time building a business if that is your target market.

It is good to have those skills in case you do run across someone that wants to pay to have that done. Most people want a clean shiny car that has no funky smells in it.

People who spend time on the Autogeek forum want full correction details(but most know how to perform them so they don't need you) People who pay a detailer want clean and shiny for $100-$150.

Best $20 you can spend if you want to start thinking like a businessman and not a detailer is on Renny Doyle's book. They sell it here.

Good luck.
 
IMHO, 12-15 hourss atleast for the way i detail (nonstop) is worth way more than 250. You say high quality products...well at the end of the day what are you making? 12 hours at my price is over 400 and thats just my hourly at 12 hours.

But according to yours and tbe quality products it seems your working for pennys! Just a thought.
 
hm, let me clarify. i left a lot of details out.

These first 5 cars or so, will be to build a portfolio of such, for future clients. so of course, this will be at a lower cost. The clients i will be working on, are my friends. they are all car enthusiast.
2-3 cars i want to work on will be full correction and 2-3 cars will be an AIO detail.

like i said, these are only to build a rep so others can see my work.

trust me, i have done my business research. i have tons of threads related to running a business, and have ordered his book.
 
lol, well i go to a lot of car meets and shows. i help a lot of friends with their cars. im around cars all days.. so im bound to have a lot of car friends
 
I still wouldn't plan on doing a full correction every time. Like I said, do a couple spots that you can do quick and make better that they'll notice.
 
Unless you have some sort of high end market you are fixing to tap into, I would suggest a strategy change. I would drop your prices by about 1/3 focus on making the exterior look great, and the interior look fantastic.

Most people who want their cars detailed are more focused on the interior being super clean than the exterior being completely defect free.
 
Dougw4355 said:
Best of luck with that...Almost 99% of my customers are daily driving soccer moms and dads who just want a basic car detailing. I bet money they would not even know what a paint correction is and could care less so i give them what they want. Clean, detailed car for $100 in less than 7 hours. I almost always get tipped to which is nice !!!
Click to expand...


Can't agree more.. Keep it simple and you'll see the most income. Knowing how to do all that exta stuff is great but the average person will blow you off with that price. Offer a "daily driver" package where you clean it up and get them back on the road. Most people will look at their car as brand new even though we all know allot more could have been done. Overkill will only cost you more time and money and you will miss out on a whole customer base. I say start around $150

Wash
clay
clean rims / dress tires (in place)
cleaner wax
protect trim
windows
interior
 
Dude, as these guys have said, knowing that you can do a 'total correction' and actually HAVING someone on any consistent basis that actually WANTS one are two drastically different things.

As for the pricing, on a full correction (with high end materials etc) with the amount of time you (want to) put in it the target price should be twice what your charging for your "portfolio".

Building a portfolio is a great thing, but who is going to look at it? Your friends will certainly enjoy a show car finish, no doubt about that. But will your friends be willing to fork out $500 next time?

The money is in getting them in and out, period. Popping out 2 ~ 3 cars a day at $100 ~ $150 each pays the bills.

As a for instance; my neighbor up the street has a rather decent car collection. He runs an international air freight service and has a couple dozen cars in warehouses. At his home he has a 7 car garage with 60's and 70's muscle cars, a few newer Vette's, and even a brand new Viper. His cars have swirls, but they are very VERY shiny! He doesn't know the difference between shiny and swirled. He gets one out and just drives it. Some weekends he'll have some guy friends over, pull them out in the driveway and wipe then down, and take 4~5 of them out for a drive, perhaps even a local show-n-shine. Yet he looks at you weird when you talk about making it look better than new, because in HIS eyes they already look better than new. :dunno:


The point is.... it's a great service *if you can sell it*.
 
CM8 6MT said:
LoL you have a lot to learn kid..
Click to expand...

Terrible response... Try plugging in some advice next time. I'm sure he'd value your "professional" opinion a lot more.

OP: like others have said, it will be very difficult trying to sell that kind of work to every potential customer. Try to put together some more simple and cheaper packages that are aimed toward the "daily driver" crowd and you'll be much better off.


-Beach
 
CM8 6MT said:
LoL you have a lot to learn kid..
Click to expand...
tumblr_m02rqo2GE21r048r7.png


and how did you figure that out? lol

VP Mark said:
Why not share some helpful advice to him then? :xyxthumbs:
Click to expand...

BeachZone said:
Terrible response... Try plugging in some advice next time. I'm sure he'd value your "professional" opinion a lot more.

OP: like others have said, it will be very difficult trying to sell that kind of work to every potential customer. Try to put together some more simple and cheaper packages that are aimed toward the "daily driver" crowd and you'll be much better off.


-Beach
Click to expand...

yeah, thanks guys for the inputs, but like i said. this is for the first customers to get the business going.

i know when things pick up in 6-9 months (hopefully) that it will be more production AIO corrections from DD cars
 
We all want to make the big money when we first start. You have to take one step at a time. Getting your customers first is the first step and most difficult one in some cases because not only so you have to know what you are doing, they have to trust you with their car, period. Once you have that going then offering higher services to make their vehicles look better shouldn't be a problem. Basically what I am saying is this, ( it's all up to you). Remember there is a lot competition our there against you, so keep your prices reasonable too. My suggestion to you is to get this combo here from AG, Detailing Book Combo, auto detailing business plan, car detailing books, renny doyle book
 
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