How much would you charge for this?

93fox

93fox

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I just started detailing my car and familys cars about a month a half now and i wonder how much do you guys charge for doing certain things such as:

A. Wetsanding to remove all orange peel and leave a show car finish=?$

B. Buffing a car with the paint oxidized to restore gloss=?$

C.buffing a car with lots of swirls an scratches=$?

D. Buffing a car with minimal swirls and scratches=?$

E. Washing, claying and waxing=$?

F. Just a regular wash=$?

I pretty much just want to have an idea of what most of you guys charge so when the day comes of someone wanting such of things above i am not clueless as what to charge! Im really looking foward to see what you guys have to say!
 
In paint correction I charge $30 per hr or that is what I would like to make on each correction I do. That is alot lower than alot of guys on here but that is what my market will allow for now. I like polishing paint much more than cleaning up someones soiled leather or spilled coffee. I guesstimate how much a job will be and tell the client that it could range higher or lower based on my time.

To answer each one with a price would be hard. As you go and work on cars you will see how fast you typically move and you will be able to guess how long it will take you and need to come up with a figure per hr that you want to make and you can make a guestimate from there.
 
PAR Detailing said:
In paint correction I charge $30 per hr or that is what I would like to make on each correction I do. That is alot lower than alot of guys on here but that is what my market will allow for now. I like polishing paint much more than cleaning up someones soiled leather or spilled coffee. I guesstimate how much a job will be and tell the client that it could range higher or lower based on my time.

To answer each one with a price would be hard. As you go and work on cars you will see how fast you typically move and you will be able to guess how long it will take you and need to come up with a figure per hr that you want to make and you can make a guestimate from there.
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Ah i see what you mean, hopefully others can chime in and state their point of views!
 
I'll chime in here and i'll go based off a mid size (E350 size car)

A. Wetsanding to remove all orange peel and leave a show car finish=?$
1hr to wash from head to toe ..including tires
1hr +/- to clay the car
2hrs+/- to tape the car out
2hrs +/-with 2000
2hrs +/-with 3000
2hrs +/-compunding with 105 and wool via 9227
1hr+/- 205
1hr 21 or Opti Seal
1hr 26 or Pinn Souv
so hear you've got 9 hours +/- worth of work minimmum
i would never take on this job unless i have the car overnight for a minimmum 2 days maybe 3 ... for trial and error purposes .. you never know what can happen
Now for me... i have to decide if I want to give this car 3 days of my time in where i can be detailing other cars and making XXXXX and then i factor in that and then i look at the weather and choose the crappiest series of days with potential rain and then try book it :D
Now what is your time worth ... How good are you? Do people appreciate your work? or are you with all do respect a quick hit detailer?
For me I would love to earn $500 per day and I do book that a few times a month but the average daily gross for a 5 day work week for me is about $325 or $6500 per month (last year I did 80k)
So then there is reality ... You call the customer and tell them "I can do it for $975" and wait for a response ... depending on how you've sold the process and who you are will determine whether you get the job or not. I have had customers initailly bark at the cost and then I ask them if they dont choose me what else will they do ... then they go with "i'll just paint it" and they know as well as I do a PRIMO paint job will cost $2500+ and it is still not guranteed not to have orange peel with all the layers of paint involved ... so Im not gonna price you out what you should charge as the cost of supplies per job is less than 5-10% per car so when it boils down to it, its all about your worth and what your currnet market justifies.
 
fredcandetail said:
I'll chime in here and i'll go based off a mid size (E350 size car)

A. Wetsanding to remove all orange peel and leave a show car finish=?$
1hr to wash from head to toe ..including tires
1hr +/- to clay the car
2hrs+/- to tape the car out
2hrs +/-with 2000
2hrs +/-with 3000
2hrs +/-compunding with 105 and wool via 9227
1hr+/- 205
1hr 21 or Opti Seal
1hr 26 or Pinn Souv
so hear you've got 9 hours +/- worth of work minimmum
i would never take on this job unless i have the car overnight for a minimmum 2 days maybe 3 ... for trial and error purposes .. you never know what can happen
Now for me... i have to decide if I want to give this car 3 days of my time in where i can be detailing other cars and making XXXXX and then i factor in that and then i look at the weather and choose the crappiest series of days with potential rain and then try book it :D
Now what is your time worth ... How good are you? Do people appreciate your work? or are you with all do respect a quick hit detailer?
For me I would love to earn $500 per day and I do book that a few times a month but the average daily gross for a 5 day work week for me is about $325 or $6500 per month (last year I did 80k)
So then there is reality ... You call the customer and tell them "I can do it for $975" and wait for a response ... depending on how you've sold the process and who you are will determine whether you get the job or not. I have had customers initailly bark at the cost and then I ask them if they dont choose me what else will they do ... then they go with "i'll just paint it" and they know as well as I do a PRIMO paint job will cost $2500+ and it is still not guranteed not to have orange peel with all the layers of paint involved ... so Im not gonna price you out what you should charge as the cost of supplies per job is less than 5-10% per car so when it boils down to it, its all about your worth and what your currnet market justifies.
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it really makes sense what you say! so far ive only done 3 cars, 2 of them i painted and sanded all the orange peel away just because i hate orange peel, and the 3 just was severely oxidized paint! i have a makita and after months of reading on here on how to do certain things i think my work has come out flawlessly perfect for just having a month and a half of practice! but i sure will keep in mind what you said, i know for the meantime if i come across a customer im not gonna charge sky rocket prices because i still dont have much experience but thanks alot for the tips!
 
Anyone else??? Any other thoughts??
 
Experience will be the only way YOU can determine YOUR costs, and time will vary wildly. So wildly that it is really inaccurate to estimate based off a few cars. There are things to look out for that will change how long you should quote, though. A flat car is easy, more curves increase time exponentially.

In the beginning your best bet will be charge a flat rate. Make it high enough to make it worth your while.

And don't expect to finish it in 9 hours ;)
 
That's a tough one man. For me, it's not as simple as just pricing a car with oxidation, swirls, orange peel, etc.

I definitely have no set rate when it comes to these types of things. I think after time, you just develop rates on your own. Most the time, I just inspect the vehicle thoroughly. As I'm inspecting it, I'm kinda going through my head what it's gonna take to fix each defect I see to the customers satisfaction. Then, I just try to ballpark what I think it's gonna cost to have me take on this job.

So, basically what I'm saying is...I have no flat rates with correction. But, what I can tell you...is that I won't touch a correction for less than $200-$250 AT LEAST. That's pretty much a starting point. At that cheap...it's probably just some wool pad swirls, or oxidation. I've gotten $350 for oxidation alone, as well as wool pad swirls.

My prices will also vary due to how busy I am. In a slow month something may be $250. Busy month, it may be $500. In the end, it's just what you're willing to do it for. If business is slow...hook the customer up just to be able to take pictures, and advertise your job well done. Then, when the next customer comes through...get what you want to get paid! :xyxthumbs:
 
Kristopher1129 said:
That's a tough one man. For me, it's not as simple as just pricing a car with oxidation, swirls, orange peel, etc.

I definitely have no set rate when it comes to these types of things. I think after time, you just develop rates on your own. Most the time, I just inspect the vehicle thoroughly. As I'm inspecting it, I'm kinda going through my head what it's gonna take to fix each defect I see to the customers satisfaction. Then, I just try to ballpark what I think it's gonna cost to have me take on this job.

So, basically what I'm saying is...I have no flat rates with correction. But, what I can tell you...is that I won't touch a correction for less than $200-$250 AT LEAST. That's pretty much a starting point. At that cheap...it's probably just some wool pad swirls, or oxidation. I've gotten $350 for oxidation alone, as well as wool pad swirls.

My prices will also vary due to how busy I am. In a slow month something may be $250. Busy month, it may be $500. In the end, it's just what you're willing to do it for. If business is slow...hook the customer up just to be able to take pictures, and advertise your job well done. Then, when the next customer comes through...get what you want to get paid! :xyxthumbs:
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It makes sense alot what your saying! I was just wondering out of the wild on what you guys charge on an average to those things i mentioned! One guy was trying to talk me into wetsanding his whole car and doing a 3 step polish for $100... I am not that stupid to say yes to that, i told him $300 but he kept insisting that EVERYWHERE else it was $100. Crazy people these days. I recently did my uncles car that was complety oxidized, and well im glad he let me practice on his car to get experience since im starting out! He gave me $100 because he really loved the way it looked. It pretty much brought back the car alive after i was done!
 
Prices for average size sedan......

. Wetsanding to remove all orange peel and leave a show car finish=?$2500- 3500

B. Buffing a car with the paint oxidized to restore gloss=?$400-1000
C.buffing a car with lots of swirls an scratches= $400-1000

D. Buffing a car with minimal swirls and scratches=$250-400

E. Washing, claying and waxing=$160

F. Just a regular wash=$50
 
superior_shine said:
Prices for average size sedan......

. Wetsanding to remove all orange peel and leave a show car finish=?$2500- 3500

B. Buffing a car with the paint oxidized to restore gloss=?$400-1000
C.buffing a car with lots of swirls an scratches= $400-1000

D. Buffing a car with minimal swirls and scratches=$250-400

E. Washing, claying and waxing=$160

F. Just a regular wash=$50
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Thanks alot for your average price range! I guess i forgot to mention that i was asking for prices on a regular sedan! Thanks joe! Im starting to not be clueless about this anymore!
 
Im confused if you guys are talking about the WHOLE car detail or just the exterior?

I love your prices Superior _shine!
 
buddhadog said:
Im confused if you guys are talking about the WHOLE car detail or just the exterior?

I love your prices Superior _shine!
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Its just exterior! Sorry for not pointing that out!
 
Something I try to add to the threads about pricing :

Please understand that Superior Shines prices are Los Angelos and experience prices! L.A. is not cheap..... plus if you have seen his show and shines, he can spend 50 hours on a ride (impressive by the way). Location in this country does matter! A gentleman posted on here about how he details at the lower end of Texas - very poor down there..... not much market for full details and the cost of living is super low. I am in Tennessee..... if I told someone I was going to charge them 500 to 1000 to do a paint correction minus wetsanding on their ride they would laugh at me and go tell everyone that I am way over priced. Please remember that location is very important!
 
Location is very important, call other shops and detailers around you to get a good feel for it. Ask neighbors and friends what would be a reasonable price that they would pay.

Ideally you want to be priced high enough that people know your work is top notch but also low enough to be competitive.
 
LuxuryMobile said:
Location is very important, call other shops and detailers around you to get a good feel for it. Ask neighbors and friends what would be a reasonable price that they would pay.

Ideally you want to be priced high enough that people know your work is top notch but also low enough to be competitive.
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Hey Stephan..... Im keeping your boy busy down here! Hope he isn't getting burned out man! Hit me up if you ever want to do what we talked about bro!
 
Expensive indeed. I live in a 1000 sq ft house that is valued at almost $400K. In other parts of the country I could get a mansion for that.

Most people do not pay those prices not even here in L.A. There is a certain group that will. You need to find them, give them what they want and charge for it.
 
Glad to hear your staying busy and he is getting some work too. And I will be in touch.
 
superior_shine said:
Expensive indeed. I live in a 1000 sq ft house that is valued at almost $400K. In other parts of the country I could get a mansion for that.

Most people do not pay those prices not even here in L.A. There is a certain group that will. You need to find them, give them what they want and charge for it.
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LOL! I lived in Monterey Bay for awhile back in the early 2000's and it was 850 for a TINY studio apartment..... Im talking depressing! Miss Cali, but don't miss the cost of living!
 
it makes sense what you guys are saying about location! i stay in houston texas and this area sure aint that cheap! but a guy telling me that everywhere around here people charge him 100 bucks to wetsand his whole car and buff it out is just complete bs. but im going to do what you guys said about calling detail shops and ask how much would it be for certain things! thanks guys!
 
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