Not doing much Correction

W

wn1998

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Most of my business is daily drivers that are very neglected. I'd say my "Typical" customer brings me a 2009 Honda Accord with filthy leather and paint that has Never been sealed or waxed. Therefor,I don't even offer a one step paint correction. An exterior for me is:

bug and tar removal (tarminator)
Clean Wheels
Foam Cannon
2 bucket wash
Re-Foam with Cannon
Cobra Clay mitt using foam cannon suds and wash bucket
Rinse and dry
Apply sealant (wgdgps or Jetseal)

I charge $75 per car or $90 for Oversize usually takes me about 2 hours.

My thought is that HD speed will add another two hours to the process and most of the cars I see maybe get washed 1-2 times per month and 99% of the time they are going through the local Gas Station wash.

Do you believe I'm not as profitable by not even offering a 1 or 2 step paint correction? If I did how much more should I charge?
 
It depends on what your customers want and i am guessing they are fine with the services you provide. You are at about $40/hour. You might try to upsell customers you think might bite on adding in some more machine work for more "gloss and shine" before the LSP. You may find there aren't many willing to pay any more but there may be some who want that premium service.

Probably 2/3 of my client base want a "wash and wax" service and they get a similar service to what you described above. Some of those 2/3 come in more frequently for just a wash. All of these customers come in with trashed vehicles mostly. They've maybe tunnel washed it a few times etc. These are the customers i may have tried to talk about machine services (or most likely not) however they remain happy with my thorough wash and LSP. Any paint correction work by me on these folks would be wiped out in no time.

The other 1/3 get higher end services and pay for it. Some of these customers come solely to me to wash and some very frequently. These are the one's who know why they want my premium services and are willing to pay for it. Some are happy with an AIO quickie and even fewer want near flawless paint. These are the customer's you may want to search for in your area i.e. those wanting the "next higher" level of service. I have an hourly rate for all work and is a simple # of hours X rate.
 
IMO, you are reducing your
profitability with the inclusion
of the two "foaming" steps for a
Wash 'n' Wax detail offering.


Bob
 
Bob, I agree with you 100% I just LOVE that damn foam cannon!!!!! I always want to bring it out and put a lot of videos on my facebook page. I think people like to see it used on their cars.

Puckman, how much do you charge for just a wash? I have been asked to go and hand wash but wasn't sure the going rate as I was thinking about $30. However, that's atleast an hour to 90 minutes with travel, set up and break down. I would much rather do a higher paying job at my garage (shop) than traveling for simple washes.

Thanks for your input guys.
 
I charge $70.00 per car and $80.00 for truck/SUV's. This includes a two bucket method wash, full interior cleaning/dressing, vacuuming of all interior, wheel/tire cleaning and dressing, and wax/sealant applied via my DA. I also offer full paint correction, and that, including all of the above, runs anywhere from $250.00 to $300.00. For every 10 vehicles I detail, I get about 1 that wants the full paint correction. I do this on the side, and last week I completed 4 details.
 
I'm not mobile and every customer comes to me for everything so i can't relate how much i would charge for a mobile wash only. I have an hourly rate i stick to and it's one rate for everything i do, inside and out. A normal wash (without decon), dry, tires dressed and exterior window cleaned spotless is anywhere from 1-1.5 hours, depending on vehicle size.
 
I'm not mobile either, but will likely offer that here soon. I have the means, but I really prefer to do it at my house/garage. Would $20.00 be a realistic up-charge for being mobile?
 
Cover your costs, at least. I would personally try to quantify my costs specifically and then add a bit more for the convenience you're providing and your commuting time.
 
With mobile, I count drive time to from the job when estimating the cost. So quick washes are tough to make money on, unless I can cluster 2-3 very close together.

Will your customers tolerate an add-on charge, or are you just including that in your quote?

Michael
Great Reflections Detailing
Vancouver, WA's Mobile Car Care Expert
 
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