Coating Prices

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98LowRanger

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I already tried to research some local and even state wide detailers to see what they were charging for coating jobs (paint, trim, wheels, etc.). What I found is a lot of detailers don't list their price for this service online. I'm guessing due to not wanting to scare potential customers off or not allow their competitors to undercut their price. I'm just wanting to know if what I am charging is reasonable to you guys. I have no pro coatings, but I do use high quality products. I use 22ple VX Pro2 on paint, 22ple VM1 or Gtechniq C4 on wheels/metal, and 22ple VR1 or CarPro DLUX on trim. I also use high quality microfiber and suede cloths for application.

My prices are listed below and this is JUST for the specific coating service (prep work, coating itself and application, and time). Obviously a paint correction service would be performed before any paint coating is applied and at least a thorough wash before any trim or wheel coating is applied which would be extra cost.

PAINT COATING
Small/midsized car or truck - $125
Large SUV or truck - $160

WHEEL COATING
Wheel face/lip ONLY - $40 for all 4
FULL wheel (including barrels) - $80 for all 4 (yes I remove them from vehicle)

TRIM COATING
Very dependant on the amount of trim on a vehicle, but I generally charge $25-$50

I know a lot of professional shops are getting $900+ for coating jobs (including the paint correction), but most are using the Pro only coatings and have a reputation to uphold. I'm running a small business out of my home and generally charge $350 - $450 for a paint coating WITH multiple steps of paint correction on a midsized car. I'm just wanting to make sure you guys, who know the industry standard, feel my prices are fair. I don't want to gouge customers and I want my prices to be competitive, but at the same time I don't want to leave a lot of profit on the table. I often have 12+ hours into these coating jobs.
 
Remember to take into account the lost business you will have after coating. People you see often will no longer call. I think that is one of the reasons prices for Coatings are so high. You need to make a lot of money on installation cause your not gonna see those people afterwards.
 
Good point on something I didn't take into consideration. I do offer a "coating maintenance wash" where I chemically decontaminate the vehicle and apply a coating "booster", but this service only brings them back once every 8-12 months. It's also under $100 even for a large vehicle.
 
I got a quote of $600 to polish and $800 for cquarts finest on a Expedition EL. I bought gloss coat, and a couple extra pads and did it myself.

I would have never brought it back for them to wash it afterwards if they would have coated it. I just really didn't want to polish that beast out myself as it was full of water spots. I'm sure the truck would have came out alot nicer if they would have done it, but I couldn't pay that much.
 
146 views and only 3 replies. I'm not trying to ask what you professionals are getting for coatings. Just some input on my pricing.
 
What part of the country are you? You charge what the market will bear. If you get so busy you can't handle all the business--raise your price.
(If you are close to me, I'll pay you to do mine--what a deal!)
 
I charge 395 for one coat of Kamakaze Myabi, 575 for Gyeon MOHs Plus, 795 for Kamakaze Myabi and ISM . All for cars including correction exterior only not touching the interior. Add 100 for interior coatings. That is about max for my area. My shop is at our house so not a huge overhead.
 
IMO if your going to offer a paint coating or wheel coating, it should include the cost of cleaning.

Are you going to say to a customer that a wheel coating is 40 bucks, but I would have to charge you extra for cleaning them first.
Same goes for a paint coating.

What are you charging for a 2 step correction prior to coating?
 
Forgot, booked 6 days a week, 95% coatings and 6 months out. We used to be booked a year and a half out until coatings came along!
 
Jowillie said:
What part of the country are you? You charge what the market will bear. If you get so busy you can't handle all the business--raise your price.
(If you are close to me, I'll pay you to do mine--what a deal!)
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I actually might be...haha. I live in the Triad, NC.
 
Rsurfer said:
IMO if your going to offer a paint coating or wheel coating, it should include the cost of cleaning.

Are you going to say to a customer that a wheel coating is 40 bucks, but I would have to charge you extra for cleaning them first.
Same goes for a paint coating.

What are you charging for a 2 step correction prior to coating?
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Yea I guess I didn't explain that well. I agree with you. If a customer came to me wanting me to coat their wheels, I would have to explain that at least a $35 wash would have to also be purchased. Same goes for coating the paint, but I wouldn't do that job unless at least a one step paint correction was also purchased.

2 step paint corrections I charge $300 for a small/mid size car and truck and $360 for large trucks and SUVs.
 
Mike lambert said:
Forgot, booked 6 days a week, 95% coatings and 6 months out. We used to be booked a year and a half out until coatings came along!
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Wow! I can only dream of having that much business, but this is only my 3rd year. I am booking into mid June, but a lot of my customers are repeat customers at this point. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy to have customers that come back to me each year sometimes 2 or 3 times during the year. Would like to gain some new customers though to hopefully spread the word to more people though.
 
98LowRanger said:
Wow! I can only dream of having that much business, but this is only my 3rd year. I am booking into mid June, but a lot of my customers are repeat customers at this point. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy to have customers that come back to me each year sometimes 2 or 3 times during the year. Would like to gain some new customers though to hopefully spread the word to more people though.
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If most of your clients are repeat customers, I would not push a coating on them... you will loose a lot of business if you do.

For new customers, maybe you should decide what you want to charge for the coating and offer it as an option to replace the sealant or wax. When you talk to the customer, explain that any defect in the paint will not be able to be corrected once the coating is in place and upsell the correction package.

As an option, I heard that Perl coating can fill defects, so this is something you might want to look into as well.
 
From what I have read about Modesta, it seems to be one of the top coatings. The cars look AMAZING afterwards. I realize that most cars will look amazing after a super deep paint correction and then a polish, wax or sealant on top would be stunning.

I found a guy that is kinda local to me that is a certified Modesta Installer. I have not met him yet, but he is super knowledgeable, has great follow-up skills and has answered every question I had in a highly profession manner providing a thoughtful answer that fully addressed my question. I know he is the real deal and can not wait to meet him.

His price to me providing exterior full detail with Modest coating on painted surfaces, glass and wheels. He will also detail the engine and interior.

Price is $1,400, give or take a few hundred based on what he encounters along the way. He has not said how long he needs the car for, depends on what he finds.

I have contacted the local Modesta reseller near me to see what I need to do to become certified to use and purchase it. Below are a couple of pictures from "show car detailing" out of Anaheim, CA. What those guys did is amazing. It does not look like it is real. Like a cartoon or something. That's what I will be able to by 2017.

Like we have all seen and read. That level is not for everyone. We need to be able to relate to the customer on what they value for their car. A simple wash, clay and cleaner wax may be all they are interested in and want to pay for.
 
It's all up to the client on how much they want to spend.you get some that will go for 6 to 800.I did a 2011 eclass black needed nothing paint was flawless.I charged 290.00 and was there for 4 hrs.I could of done it quicker but he was a talker.Bring some proven proof pamphlets on the product and sell it.If there a car fanatic makes it easier to sell those services no mater what part of the country you are in.especially in the north east with harsh weather conditions makes it easier to sell.I will be headed to ny in June to do quite a bit of cars there.and everyone I will sell a coating job no promblem.If you bring pamphlets they can research the product on there own.
 
Big SUVs are a bit tough to sell cause of the magnitude of work involved.
 
The first coating I offered was Cquartz UK, and was offering it a $225, didn't sell any, I got approved for Americoat which boasted 2+ years so I dropped CUK down to $150 and sold Americana at $250. Sold about 1/2 dozen of them last year, not including correction. Americoat seems to have disappeared so I got approved for IGL and sold one before the season started for me on an Escalade. Tried to get him to go with Kenzo but since he doesn't keep them 4 years he didn't want to pony up and pay. My new structure for IGL is probably going to be $150,. $200 and $500 depending on the product. These of course do not include correction work.
 
parttimer said:
The first coating I offered was Cquartz UK, and was offering it a $225, didn't sell any, I got approved for Americoat which boasted 2+ years so I dropped CUK down to $150 and sold Americana at $250. Sold about 1/2 dozen of them last year, not including correction. Americoat seems to have disappeared so I got approved for IGL and sold one before the season started for me on an Escalade. Tried to get him to go with Kenzo but since he doesn't keep them 4 years he didn't want to pony up and pay. My new structure for IGL is probably going to be $150,. $200 and $500 depending on the product. These of course do not include correction work.
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There are sooooo many different manufacturers of coatings these days and different coatings produced by each. I had never heard of IGL coatings. How was the process to be certified to buy/install their higher end coatings? I'd love to be able to install a "Pro" or certified only coating, but the company's usually want to know that you will be selling a certain amount of coating jobs and I simply can't guarantee that. I wish I had the time and money to test say 15 of the most popular consumer coatings for longevity, hydrophobic capabilities, mar resistance, and shine. Be so nice to know which coatings actually do what they claim and whose coatings perform better than the rest.
 
GlazeMan81 said:
From what I have read about Modesta, it seems to be one of the top coatings. The cars look AMAZING afterwards. I realize that most cars will look amazing after a super deep paint correction and then a polish, wax or sealant on top would be stunning.

I found a guy that is kinda local to me that is a certified Modesta Installer. I have not met him yet, but he is super knowledgeable, has great follow-up skills and has answered every question I had in a highly profession manner providing a thoughtful answer that fully addressed my question. I know he is the real deal and can not wait to meet him.

His price to me providing exterior full detail with Modest coating on painted surfaces, glass and wheels. He will also detail the engine and interior.

Price is $1,400, give or take a few hundred based on what he encounters along the way. He has not said how long he needs the car for, depends on what he finds.

I have contacted the local Modesta reseller near me to see what I need to do to become certified to use and purchase it. Below are a couple of pictures from "show car detailing" out of Anaheim, CA. What those guys did is amazing. It does not look like it is real. Like a cartoon or something. That's what I will be able to by 2017.

Like we have all seen and read. That level is not for everyone. We need to be able to relate to the customer on what they value for their car. A simple wash, clay and cleaner wax may be all they are interested in and want to pay for.
Click to expand...

Those pics have a "cartoon" look to them because they look to be HDR edited photos. High dynamic resolution makes the shadows look darker and the light areas brighter, kind of how the movie 300 was.
 
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