Should I thoroughly clean a customer's rims in a $20 regular wash?

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JICs Auto Detail

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Lately I've been wondering if I'm over working myself for $20. I wash the vehicle, clean rims thoroughly of brake dust and road grime, dress tires, wipe down interior and if center console is dirty I clean it, windows in and out, and a thorough vacumm the car as well. I do the same for trucks and SUV's but for $30. Can you guys give me any tips of what I should and shouldn't do for that amount of money?
 
At $20, just stick to the exterior wash and drop the interior stuff. At that price though I would only clean the wheel faces and then tire dressing. Add a spray wax wipe down If you are feeling like you are shorting them.
 
Not me...! I wouldn't even look at the car for 20! That's is just to look!!! Grin...

Your material cost is probably more than $20....!

Tom
 
IMO washing a car for $20 isn't something I would do at all. $50-75 is my goal and I'm not budging from that.
 
DBAILEY said:
At $20, just stick to the exterior wash and drop the interior stuff. At that price though I would only clean the wheel faces and then tire dressing. Add a spray wax wipe down If you are feeling like you are shorting them.
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Would you still vacumm?
 
If you're doing all that in 30min or less, sure $20 is fair.


As stated, on a typical exterior wash and dry your product cost alone (soap, wheel cleaner, tire dressing, interior detailer, glass cleaner) is probably at least in the area of $5 and that's IF you have excellent dilution control over cheap bulk products, which in most detailers is rarely the case.


To do what you describe would be a maintenance wash for my business model, and would run $40-60 depending on the vehicle and would include a spray wax wipedown on the exterior and glass.
 
TMQ said:
Not me...! I wouldn't even look at the car for 20! That's is just to look!!! Grin...

Your material cost is probably more than $20....!

Tom
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What would you recommend TMQ? I barely started this business and got my business license and all my equipment and don't want to see it fail
 
For 20$ here is what I would do:

1. Spray Meguiars Wheel Brightenener or any acid based cleaner on the wheels
2. Pressure rinse the rimms and tires
3. Pressure rinse the car
4. Wash the car with ONR
5. Towel dry with the cheapest spray wax I could find (Megs D156 Xpress Spray Wax most likelly)

I would not even bother about details either. At that price, when you remove the cost of your products you are making about 19$... so for me that is 30 mins of my time, max.
 
Calendyr said:
For 20$ here is what I would do:

1. Spray Meguiars Wheel Brightenener or any acid based cleaner on the wheels
2. Pressure rinse the rimms and tires
3. Pressure rinse the car
4. Wash the car with ONR
5. Towel dry with the cheapest spray wax I could find (Megs D156 Xpress Spray Wax most likelly)

I would not even bother about details either. At that price, when you remove the cost of your products you are making about 19$... so for me that is 30 mins of my time, max.
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Calendyr would you vacuum or leave the interior as is? Some customers here are picky and don't call anymore. As far as high end customers that want to pay 40 or more I don't have any and can't find any so far
 
How close are you to my house? For $20 I'll pay someone to wash my car instead of me spending 2 hours washing it. That price is too low for a quality wash. It's actually what one would spend in a tunnel car wash to get a bunch of swirls added.

To answer your question: You're definitely doing too much for $20.
 
BSoares said:
How close are you to my house? For $20 I'll pay someone to wash my car instead of me spending 2 hours washing it. That price is too low for a quality wash. It's actually what one would spend in a tunnel car wash to get a bunch of swirls added.

To answer your question: You're definitely doing too much for $20.
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That's what I was thinking as well, but a lot of competitors are charging 20 or 25 even 18 around here. I honestly don't know what they do but they are taking business
 
Hey buddy. For what you are describing you are way undercharging. The 'express' option for folks is about 25 for a wash and no inside work... the 'regular' gets vacuumed and dusted but not really 'cleaned' (these are not restoration packages btw... they get the works usually included). Like these folks say here, you need balance but one also needs folks to appreciate your work and what it does take to get a car 'detailed'. But like BSoares and others have said, seems like way too much for $20. you might also see what others in your area are charging for similar services and go from there...
 
When I vacuum a car, it takes me about half an hour to do a decent job.

So if you want to do a 5 mins vacuum, that is up to you, but you can't get a car clean unless you put the time to do it. Every service you pile on is wasted money. If you are willing to work for 19$ per hour, then do the vacuum. If not, don't. What you are talking about (hand wash plus quick interior cleaning) is what car wash do for 20$. If you want to be a detailer, you have to offer better quality at higher prices. Otherwise you will simply be killing yourself overworking for peanuts.
 
JICs Auto Detail said:
That's what I was thinking as well, but a lot of competitors are charging 20 or 25 even 18 around here. I honestly don't know what they do but they are taking business
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So let them fight over scraps.

Design your packages around quality service. Not quick, half-done work.


My basic exterior detail is 99,99$. That's for a detailed wash, and I don't wash wheel barrels at that price.

Doing good work takes time and quality products. I am mobile, so if I have to drive 20-30 mins to get to someone's house, it's better be worth my time.

If you have a fixed location, then it's more complicated because you have fixes expenses, so you need to have buisiness coming it. I could not help you with that I have not
tried to run a fixed location detail shop. If you are mobile, then as I said, focus on quality. Do 1 car per day, have packages that takes you 4 to 10 hours to do and charge accordingly. My average job is 300$. Most days I detail I make more than that. And here were have a car wash at every street corner. But the kind of clients you want don't go to car washes, and they might actually be scared of your 20$ "Detail" because they know what that means.
 
Calendyr said:
When I vacuum a car, it takes me about half an hour to do a decent job.

So if you want to do a 5 mins vacuum, that is up to you, but you can't get a car clean unless you put the time to do it. Every service you pile on is wasted money. If you are willing to work for 19$ per hour, then do the vacuum. If not, don't. What you are talking about (hand wash plus quick interior cleaning) is what car wash do for 20$. If you want to be a detailer, you have to offer better quality at higher prices. Otherwise you will simply be killing yourself overworking for peanuts.
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Nice way of putting it calendyr. You're right I'll up my prices and get those quality clients that's care deeply for their vehicles not someone that wants a quick good wash for $20.
 
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