How do you charge for a paint sealant?

[RMarkJr]

Alright so I am looking into sealants for paint. I see that cquarts is about 75 for the 50ml.

I see that it says The 50 ml. CQuartz is enough to coat a standard to large size car. Apply very thin and even.

so does that mean you should expect to only be able to do one car with a bottle? if thats the case then wouldnt you have to charge at least 3 times the bottle .. because you have to buy the first one .. then replace the one you used and then the rest profit?

I have no idea what people charge for a sealant like that.


also then there is wolfgang uber ceramic which is like 199 for the 30cc ... no idea why that stuff is so expensive compared to the cquartz ... Im not sure if the cquartz finest is that expensive.


Just wondering how many uses out of a bottle someone gets and how they price that customers so I can get a good idea what to do here soon

Thanks

[TMQ]

You meant paint "coatings?" Right?

Tom

[Mike Phillips]

Alright so I am looking into sealants for paint. I see that cquarts is about 75 for the 50ml.

[/quoate]

That would be this one,


CQuartz Ceramic Quartz Paint Protection, CQuartz nano coating, nano paint sealant (http://www.autogeek.net/cquartz-50ml-kit.html)




[QUOTE=RMarkJr;1482405]

I see that it says


The 50 ml. CQuartz is enough to coat a standard to large size car. Apply very thin and even.


so does that mean you should expect to only be able to do one car with a bottle?



I think the idea is that one bottle will be enough to adequately coat one normal passenger size car. If you do a good job of applying a thin coat there will be some left over. Practice makes perfect. The better you get with your technique for applying ANY coating the less waste you'll have.






if thats the case then wouldnt you have to charge at least 3 times the bottle .. because you have to buy the first one .. then replace the one you used and then the rest profit?

I have no idea what people charge for a sealant like that.



I think people are all over the board as to how much they charge but when detailing a car and applying a paint coating instead of a "car wax" or a "synthetic sealant", you need to charge for your time, labor and materials, just like any other business.

My guess would be most detailers are factoring in the cost of their supplies, (everything for example pad wear, car wash soap, compound and polish etc.), and then factoring in their per hour rate for work. Just a guess as most detailers don't talk about this or share this type of info.




also then there is wolfgang uber ceramic which is like 199 for the 30cc ... no idea why that stuff is so expensive compared to the cquartz ... Im not sure if the cquartz finest is that expensive.




That would be this one,

Wolfgang Uber Ceramic Coating 30cc (http://www.autogeek.net/best-ceramic-paint-coating.html)






Just wondering how many uses out of a bottle someone gets and how they price that customers so I can get a good idea what to do here soon

Thanks




Maybe some of our full time and even part time detailers will chime in and share their pricing formula.


:)

[Mike Phillips]

Alright so I am looking into sealants for paint.

I see that cquarts is about 75 for the 50ml.







You meant paint "coatings?" Right?

Tom



Just to clarify Mark... what Tom meant is you're talking about a "paint coating". A sealant would be something like Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 or Meguiar's M21 Synthatic Sealant.


See my article here,


3-Categories: Waxes, Paint Sealants and Coatings (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/34185-3-categories-waxes-paint-sealants-coatings.html)


Hard to believe the above article is now 6 years old...


Man time flys...


:)

[TMQ]

Mark,
I am in the same boat as you. Trying to figure out pricing structure too. I am finding out very quickly car by car just what I am going to need price wise to be able to "lift up the polisher off the table."

As you go through the process---numbers becomes more clear in your head. Then go look at how much product and time did you use on the last car? After a couple of cars or so---You'll find yourself looking at a job based on how long will it take you to do that. Basic stuff only.

Coatings/fancy stuff, etc. will be extra time on top of your "standard" time of basic wash/polish/LSP.

So, look back on recent work or two and see how much time and product did you use? Multi-step and one step (AIO) Doesn't need to be complex! Just general areas ie: expensive stuff like iron-x, polish, pads. (keep simple) every day stuff. Then how long did it take you to do it?

Coatings are the big $$$---you'll need to factor the time to get paint to coating stage. (possible multi-step) Time to prep paint before coating. Time to coat etc...

Once all that's been processed---you'll get a feel of what is needed to get you to "pull that polisher of the table." And you simply add a number to your "standard" work like coatings.

Hope didn't ramble on too long! Grin---I am in middle of doing this right now and I am getting there! Hope this will help you out somewhat!

Tom

[KirkH]

I charge the customer for the coat of the coating (their choice) plus $50/hr for the application, just like anything else. I don't charge a premium for a coating! So if they want 2 coats I charge $150-250 depending on size of the vehicle.

I find that I usually have 15-20 ml left from a 50ml bottle of coating on an average sedan/sports coupe.

edit: This is after normal wash, decon, polish, paint prep, which also runs $150-350 depending on vehicle size.

[Paul A.]

Some years ago I worked up all of my costs to establish per use breakdown. some items are easy. For example, let's say polish is $30 for 32 ounces. that works out to 94 cents an ounce. Now let's say I use 2 ounces on a job...that works out to $1.88 of polish material used. I worked up all of my material and equipment costs. things like water, electricity, machine and pad depreciation etc. are a little more nebulous to figure out but it isn't too hard. I then add in my hourly rate and derive a price estimate for the total job.

As far as having to charge the customer for 2 bottles of coating, I don't get that. The next customer pays for the next bottle because I've used it on their vehicle.

There are wide and varied "per hour" rates and I've developed mine to reflect both what the area will yield and to compensate me for my above average expertise. The average joe detailer isn't practicing AutoGeek standards and, in my opinion, are superior standards. In my opinion, there is a premium to be paid for these standards and doing it correctly. Those standards also yield repeat business because they got their vehicle done right and they recognized that.

Basically a cost breakdown of materials you expect to use and added to your hourly rate X the estimated # of hours. And it is required by me to both see the vehicle AND evaluate the customer and what they want or expect. Everything considered gives them an estimate for work. Sometimes they accept it and sometimes they don't but I DON'T lower my price!