How mcuh would you charge to detail someones car???

[ChevyPusha]

Lets say you decided to start to run your very own small 1 man detailing buisness (posters,buisness cards printed up) typically for a detail how much would you charge per car???? To much money can scare the typical joe away but not enough will have everyone and there mom calling you for a detail

Need some thoughts fom you guys about prices and your own expeirences doing some side detailing for profit

1 more thing gotta keep in mind how much products cost aswell

[Brandon1]

I charge $35 for a basic wash and vac, and up to $500 for a full detail.

[ChevyPusha]

Would you suggest breaking up my services by price such as

wash.........5 dollars
clay.......10 dollars

and so on???

[ScottB]

as much as they are willing to pay ... and pray for a phat tip too !

[Brandon1]

I wouldnt break it up b/c some people only want a "wash" and then you only make $5.

Just keep it in packages. First package should be a simple wash and vac, second one should be wash/vac + wax, third package add interior cleaning, and so on.

Only do the add on services like wheel polishing, swirl removal, paint sealant, window etch removal, carpet extraction. That way they know what they are getting and what they are paying.

[shuskan3]

The best thing to do is to charge by the hour. I have found this to be most fair for me and the customer.

[94LT1]

it all depends on were u live and how much people are willing to pay.On a detail i think my time is important and im usually sore by the end. So i like to charge about 25-30 an hour.Iv done 2 semi-exterior details and they took me about 4 hours each(includes pulling there car in my driveway getting the product out,detialing the car, then putting it all back and driving the car down the street to them).They were happy with the results.
My neighbors call it a detail but i dont do any swirl remover because i have such a rough time useing it.Also im not good 2 judge if ur paint is thick enough.So i wash,clay,KAIO,then a sealant.I also clean wheels and dress the tires and clean the exterior windows.So if u do great work and u feel ur worth 30 or even 40 dollars an hour do a rough estimate on how long it should take u.Its always nice to practice on ur car first to get a idea.thats how i came up with the amount of time it takes.

[budman3]

The best thing to do is to charge by the hour. I have found this to be most fair for me and the customer.

Yup. There are too many circumstances where a set price could be lethal to a detail business. You wouldn't want to be paid the same amount to detail a trashed Minivan or a brand new Civic. Base it on an hourly basis and over time you'll figure out how fast you are so you can offer tentative prices before the detail to tell the customers if they wanted an estimate.

[Brandon1]

Only problem I find with hourly pricing is the first hour. It only takes me about an hour to do a quick wash and vac on a average car/truck. If I charge $50 an hour (what i'd charge), most people around here wouldnt pay $50 for a wash/vac.

Maybe you could say like $40 for the first hour, and $50 for each hour after that.

[onexvi3tboi]

I did a detail on sunday where it was just a wash and wax. Didn't take long but charge her 40. She gave a ten dollars tip. Which isn't too bad. She loved it though. Said it look great.

[bryansbestwax]

You better charge more than 5 for a wash, or you will be losing money. Keep it simple, wash, wash and wax, claying can be extra for the cheaper stuff but I include it for the better packages, and high speed polishing