Customer’s Truck Arrives Muddy

Eric7810

Eric7810

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Hey there guys,

I am relatively new to detailing, I do it one Saturday a month by word of mouth.

I agreed to do an electrician’s company truck in exchange for $250 worth of electrical work on my house, plus he kicks in $150 cash.

We agreed to a wash, AIO, wax, and dressings. During the wash, I discovered the undercarriage was caked with mud. I pulled out wheat stalks, mud clumps, etc. I wasn’t upset, it’s a work truck, but admittedly I didn’t budget this into my estimate. It took three hours to complete the wash.

Can you guys help with a few simple questions that crossed my mind... Am I crazy for cleaning this truck this thoroughly for an AIO job? There was no way I was going to leave it there once I discovered it, but I simply wasn’t expecting this big of a job.

Should I chalk this up as a lesson learned and do a better job estimating and budgeting my work?

Have you ever estimated a job, received the vehicle, and then you billed them a little more for the unexpected condition it was in, and the extra labor needed?

The customer will be over the moon when he sees this thing, it turned out very nice, but I’m left wondering where the line is for doing TOO much on a job that was requested I do a ‘quick buff on her’.

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You chalk it up to a lesson learned and I guarantee you it won't happen again. Every person that has started this business from scratch has been beaten by a job or ten. It's part of any business really.

Honestly, the time for adding extra charges for services was when you first discovered it. Call the guy up and tell him what's what. Hiding behind an invoice now is not a professional way to approach the situation. Just as you wouldn't want him giving you a quote for electrical work and then handing you a bill for double without addressing it with you first.
 
Eric7810 said:
Should I chalk this up as a lesson learned
and do a better job estimating and budgeting
my work?
Click to expand...
Don’t ever stick your neck out—by giving a
quote for any detailing job—sight unseen.


Bob
 
Never work trades that are not CLEAN.

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I never charge extra unless I have arned the customer about it before hand. And that is a very rare thing for me.

The way I see it, it's my job to inspect the vehicle before I ask the client to sign the work order. If it's something that could not have been noticed because the vehicle was dirty or something, I would call the customer, explain the issue and ask him what he wants to do (pay for resolving the issue or just leave it as it is).

For cleaning mud, I don't understand why that would be an extra. You pressure wash it off and wipe clean during the wash... 5 minutes more?

The typical real issues usually are: Pet hair, stains, salt on the carpets. On those you could be working and extra hour or two if the conditions are bad. So for things like that, I would absolutely charge extra.

You should also give yourself some slack when quoting a job. If you think it will take 3 hours, quote for 3.5 or 4. There are always hickups that will take a little more time. Same for time estimates always tell the customer it will take more time than it does... I did not use to do that when I first started and twice a customer had planned stuff to do right at the time I told him I should be done... and following Murphy's law, on those jobs there were tons of things that took extra time ... now I give them an estimate with 1 extra hours. And sometimes I still go over that when some of the aspects take much long. Like last week... client told me there were about 5 or 6 scratches to remove before polishing and coating... turned out there were about 30. And the salt in the car that was supposedly fresh from this winter... it also had a layer that he was not able to remove the previous year... So the 12 hours job turned into 15 ;(
 
I charge more for a wash and spend more time/do a better job than other “detailers” premium package. That being said, I’m booked solid. ....... charge accordingly and don’t t sell yourself short
 
My prices start at
I have to see it
Do a walk around with the customer of their vehicle inside and out
 
I do it because it was an idea somebody gave me, and I love the results. I know, based on AG forum discussions, that not everybody agrees with it.

I use HDSpeed and 845


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Eric7810 said:
I do it because it was an idea somebody gave me, and I love the results. I know, based on AG forum discussions, that not everybody agrees with it.

I use HDSpeed and 845


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Click to expand...

Yup. This seems to really cause a big argument on here. I have tried a bunch of polishes (205, Griot's CC, and others). Do they perform? I think that they do a fine job. But.......

I use Speed because as a light polish because (at least for me), nothing works as easy, and it leaves the paint insanely slick.

To me, I don't care that Speed has protection in it. It just works SO GOOD.

I then top it with 476.
 
Just as many others have already said, don’t quote without seeing the vehicle first. And as far as the topping of an AIO job, I personally would not top it with something like 845. If I want it to add some more durability, I’d use something like UFF. It’s much faster and won’t stain any trim.
 
That is why I was genuinely curios. How long does the Speed protection actually last that you need to add a wax/sealant after it? Shouldn't HD polish+ give the same cut, if not more than Speed?
 
I haven't noticed anything more than a few weeks of protection from HD Speed. I also top it with Coll 845 to extend the protection. I, like PaulMys, do like the clean/light cutting properties of Speed.
 
Hard to tell, but it doesn't look THAT bad. My Jeep gets worse than that fairly regularly just driving down the dirt road after it rains. But it definitely does add time to a detail. As others mentioned, I'd inspect but price and point out your expectations upon arrival.

HD Speed and 845 has to create a great finish. I recently did my wife's lease turn in with HD speed and Meg's Ultimate Fast Finish and was blown away at how that turned out. I'm sure the next buyer will be happy with it, too.
 
relatively new to detailing and $400 for the work done seems reasonable to me.
i dont find anything wrong with doing a bit extra for free.
 
Thanks, all you guys, for your responses and insights. Any more suggestions, please offer them up.

Upon delivery, the customer gave me a $50 tip.

Eric


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