Is this a reasonable price?

C

Cobra04

New member
Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
64
Reaction score
0
I jsut spent about 25 hours the past 3 days on a '99 F-450 dump truck. Cleaned the entire frame, rear end, engine bay, engine, interior, removed heavy rail dust and overspray off the entire cab. Polished/corrected, full klasse treatment, souveran paste.

You guys think $250 is too much to charge? I was really thourough with this thing and it was extremely dirty as evident by how long it took.

Pics and writeup soon btw;)
 
$250 for 25 hours & 3 days of work? That comes to only $10/hour. I would hope that you're time (and don't forget products) are worth more than that.
 
well it was my first full detail with my UDM and first time cleaning/degreasing an engine. So If iwere mroe experienced int hose areas i probably could of getten it done in 20...
 
My point wasn't "how long it took", it was the amount you were charging (since that was your question). I would say that most detailers shoot for about $30-$50+ per hour (just a rough estimate).

$30 x 25hrs. = $750

It sounds like you might be somewhat new to detailing so I can understand not wanting to overcharge, but again, what is your time worth and how much $$$ in products are you spending?
 
I'm not a professional detailer by ANYONE's definition. I just enjoy taking care of my own vehicles. Thinking in terms of a customer rather than the provider, I think 250.00 for a full detail of a dump truck is CHEAP, assuming they wanted a full detail of course.
 
I would charge more....here I charge 100 for about 6 hours of works....so if I was you, I would aim more for 400!
 
$250 is cheap, but if it's for a family member or something then thats a different story.
 
that is dirt cheap! i would probably be in the $500 range for a job that large.
 
How did you come up with $250? If you came up with the number and you think that's fair, I think that's all that matters. As a beginner, I did the same, $60 for a full car detail, as I only wanted the experience and to build a customer base. Now I'm up to $80-100+ and still think I can charge more based on the quality of work and the products I use.

I think a normal detail would have been double that. Hopefully the customer comes back and refers friends. That's probably where you'll make the money.

Just my $.02, but you might want to reconsider using Souveran on a dump truck. A good durable sealant like Klasse or Duragloss might have been a better choice. Cost is another factor. Just my opinion.

Can't wait to see the pics!
 
Is this a personal friend? If it is just someone who knows you detail and asked you to do a job, I would charge much more, whether I was a full time detailer or not. If you spent an honest 25 hours of work doing this, you deserve a lot more than that. $500-$600 seems reasonable. I assure you the vehicle appreciated more than that due to your efforts. Was there an estimate beforehand?
 
Way cheap IMO!

Unless its a good friend, I would have to have a lot more money.
 
I've found that pricing is a very difficult thing for me. I want to get paid for my work but at the same time I feel bad charging...well this is what I do and again it's just my personal experience.

I charge as much as my conscious lets me charge, what I take in to consideration is materials and that's about it maybe a little bit of my time but like I said that's just me.

Not sure if it will help but I though I'd share my experience.
 
i wouldnt put the hours worked into consideration in this scenario...as you admit you are no pro...and probably could have sped up the procedure if you were more experienced...i think 250 is what i would have charged this vehicle as well...but i will admit i would be done with it in half a day...
 
It's all about what you think is fair for you time spent. If you don't have a job, then sure, $250 is fine.

The way I see it (and most of you won't agree with this, which is fine) is that I have a college degree. I am a business professional and have a good set of brains. So I won't even touch anything for less than $50 an hour, which has been working out just fine for me.
 
Ended up charging 300.... is for a family member but the buisness is paying for it so the money isn't a big deal.
 
Until your skills are refined and you have your process down I don't think time can be used as the main variable when calculating price...

If you are just starting and taking double the time a pro or even another side job detailer (with skills) would take I dont see how charging based on hours spent is fair.


You should ask around and see what it takes others to do a similar sized vehicle with comparable CC and comparable paint correction and start there.
 
You cant put the number of hours YOU put into it. You have to take into consideration how long it would take a "normal" detailer to complete the job. You cant levy your inexperience (no offense) onto your customer.

Its like a new mechanic charging you double because he couldnt find the oil drain plug for an hour.
 
FMINUS said:
You cant put the number of hours YOU put into it. You have to take into consideration how long it would take a "normal" detailer to complete the job. You cant levy your inexperience (no offense) onto your customer.

Its like a new mechanic charging you double because he couldnt find the oil drain plug for an hour.
Click to expand...

I never thought about it that way, but that's a pretty damn good comparison!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top