Is the real money in lower end detailing??

[rustytruck]

I ask not to start a debate but for constructive conversation. I see a lot of Detailer's offering mini/express/quick details wash and wax maintenance details what ever you want to call them. These are priced 89-149 price range. usually wash clay aio quick clean up of interior. Maybe 2 1/2 to 3 hrs work 50 65ish dollars an hour I'm thinking guys like seajays, northeast detailing(chime in guys if I'm wrong about your business) Then i see the guys claiming to be the best high end dealers full correction specialists. With rates of 50 75 even 100 dollars an hour but if you look at their posts they claim we spent 40 50 75 100 even 100 plus hours on a car. I find it hard to believe there are people spending 4000 -8000 dollars on a detail I'm assuming the high end guys are actually making a deal and doing it for xxx amount of money. Which divided by the crazy amount of hours spent on car probably makes the earning per hour much lower than those wash and wax guys. Are my observations and assumptions wrong?

[silverfox]

If I were starting a new Detailing business...I'd make sure I was the best Interior guy within a 50 mile radius. (and include a wash n spray wax with the package)...the guys who just know how to polish with a DA polisher are a dime a dozen, but a good interior guy who offers a nice and wax package included...will have customers standing in line in my opinion.

You have to separate yourself from the pack...most folks seems to hate doing interiors, but love polishing paint...so there's your que. The car owner lives in his car, some hours per day. The exterior gets dirty before it leaves the street.

[tuscarora dave]

A good friend of mine reminds me often that there are a heck of a lot more $100 dollar bills out there than there are $1000 dollar bills. I myself started out with show car style paint corrections as the main focus of my hobby. The further I grow in the direction of a business rather than a hobby, I see much more earning potential in the quicker services. I don't offer anything as quick as a tunnel wash, and do still offer paint corrections based on getting paid $50 per hour but there are statistically very few people willing to pay for that service, though some of my clients do.

I am currently aiming to do the quick details starting at $100 (for cars) and have a menu of additional services that can be added at an additional cost. That (I believe) is where the money is. Affordable services bring volume.

[rustytruck]

Your probably right in what your saying(figures because I hate interiors) but if you google auto detailers in my aera you'll see my competition
is far and few between. There really aren't any guys trying to build a retail type clintell.

[bigdriver4u]

This is a great topic for discussion. In my opinion, you can divide the detailing business into 3 types. (1) Low end details.. IE wash, wax with no correction (2) Midrage detailers providing wash, maybe a polish or one steps IE.. xmt360 or optimum Poly seal, etc .... (3) the multi step detailers. They are selling 2-3 steps corrections with a seperate polish,glaze, wax or sealant. Being a smaller detailing company my primary focus was in the #2 midrage to multi step market. I have very few, I MEAN FEW customers that can appreciate at 2 or 3 step detail. I use the word appreciate because I think many detailers forget why they are in business. It's to make MONEY!!! Period!! Passion, love , committement goes out the door when you have set the wrong expecation and find yourself on a job that a customer does not care about or willing to pay for. People think most customers are leaning 6 inchs away from the paint with a zeon light checking for swirl marks. NOT!! That's what we do. Most do not care.. They want a clean, shiny vechicle that is driven daily to work or on the weekend.

I have a high quaility of work and level of expection for the product that I deliver to every customers. Which is why I can't be just a wash and wax guy(That just me, not knocking anyone else). For my higher end customers, most require a small amount of compounding and a good Polish(WG) follwed by a color matched wax and you have a great result. I belive the best business is in the $85-$175 range. They are repeat customers that you maintain longer and develope better oppurtunities to grow your company. If you technique and process is sound, most of the #2 type details can be completed within 3 hrs yeilding $35-$50 dollars an hr.
Now I'm sure someone would say that I've not had much hi-end business and I would agree. I've done less than 15 jobs over $400 this year. I am very selective about my commitments because I'm small and understand the labor cost associated with a 40+hr job which is what I would consider Higher end. This is my two cents and would entertain hearing others comment on my statements or their experiences.

Bryan
Superior Auto Salon
Car and motorocycle Detailing
St. Augustine, Florida

[rustytruck]

That's what I keep hearing, so if your going to start a business why not come up with a nice product offering in the $85-$175 range make those repeat customers the base of your business and laugh all the way to the bank. I know some people reading this are thinking "well I guess their not real detailers if they don't do paint correction" maybe not but they sound like great business men.

[rider9195]

I am starting a small detailing business this summer. I know I will maybe get two paint corrections this whole summer. So I plan on focusing on wash & waxes and AIO clean ups and interiors because of my location.

[DealerDetailer]

A good friend of mine reminds me often that there are a heck of a lot more $100 dollar bills out there than there are $1000 dollar bills. I myself started out with show car style paint corrections as the main focus of my hobby. The further I grow in the direction of a business rather than a hobby, I see much more earning potential in the quicker services. I don't offer anything as quick as a tunnel wash, and do still offer paint corrections based on getting paid $50 per hour but there are statistically very few people willing to pay for that service, though some of my clients do.


[...]I MEAN FEW customers that can appreciate at 2 or 3 step detail. People think most customers are leaning 6 inchs away from the paint with a zeon light checking for swirl marks. NOT!! That's what we do. Most do not care.. They want a clean, shiny vechicle that is driven daily to work or on the weekend.


I took quick "snips" of what Dave and Bryan said and can't agree more with them.

Privately when I do work from customers its usually a referral from someone at the dealership (co-workers or customers when their walking the lot looking at new cars and see me working in my stall and stop in and ask questions). Truth is these people usually have me doing most of my correction work outside of work. These details normal involve an extensive interior cleaning. I for one love working on interiors. Sure it can be a pain, but we spend most of our time sitting there and I believe you get some really outstanding turn arounds with the inside.

here my little saying I work by. The exterior is the WOW factor (shiny wheels, shiny/wax'd paint). The interior is the bed rock (everthing occurs here and for the longest of time with the vehicle).

Back to where the money's at. At the dealership the greatest up-sale by far is a full exterior clay a coat of wax. This put it in the range of what Tuscarora Dave said about more $100 dollar bills than $1000 dollar bills). Our price is a little cheaper than a "bill", but this IS where the money is at. And if I where to go into this more privately and wanted to build a growing and solid "foundation" I would be sure to included a wash, wax and great interior clean (this the bed rock). As Bryan says, almost every customer besides us detailers isn't looking at swirls and scratches under swirl lights.

[LuxuryMobile]

I was able to squeeze in 4 washes/waxes today at the end of the day. Took about 3 hours and made well over $125/hr.

A paint correction can take 8-16 hours at 50-75/hr...

It is important to be able to do both, but life is easier doing washes and waxes.

I have posted before that with the fancy show-n-shine write ups it is easy to get caught up thinking everything needs to be a paint correction with hundreds of pictures being taken.

[Kristopher1129]

Opinions on this will probably be all over the place. But, I think anyone doing this full time long enough would agree that a 1-step AIO with a full interior is the most common service.

At least for me, that is how it is. Most of my customers will get our "Silver Package" which is a wash, full clay, AIO buff, and a full interior. We sell it for $145-$215. I probably do 1 "Gold Package" ($245-$315) to every 4-5 Silvers. Then I probably do a Platinum (full correction, engine, interior, $500-$800) a handful of times a year.

Then again, I have two Platinums scheduled next week, ha. :dblthumb2:

[ScubaCougr]

I'd make sure I was the best Interior guy within a 50 mile radius. (and include a wash n spray wax with the package)... a good interior guy who offers a nice and wax package included...will have customers standing in line in my opinion.


You just summarized my business. Mr. Fox.

At least during the winter I'm doing a LOT of interiors in a LOT of minivans. Learned to hate the words "minivan, kids, dog" when used in the same sentence. And there are a LOT more mom-taxi's than luxury cars out there that I can work my magic on.

Hope you're right, too, about the standing in line. I still have openings in my schedule.

[SON1C]

I'll be doing my own detailing business this summer as well, I'm worried that most customers won't understand claying, I also plan to do the wash clay wax and interior for 100, is this too steep? Should I go with 90?

[Kristopher1129]

I'll be doing my own detailing business this summer as well, I'm worried that most customers won't understand claying, I also plan to do the wash clay wax and interior for 100, is this too steep? Should I go with 90?

It doesn't matter if they don't understand claying. You're the professional...they expect you to know things that they do not. Just tell the customer what comes with the package, and if they ask...then educate them. If anything they'll appreciate the info, or not ask.

I think $100 is cheap. But, then again I forget what it's like to start out. If that price is competitive in your area...then it's fair.

I know for me, I get anywhere from $79-$99 for just a wash and wax. That's a paint only service with light claying, no tire shine, no windows, no trim, none of that special stuff. It's literally a wash & wax. So yeah, I think throwing the interior in with that for only $100 is WAY too cheap.

Don't cheat yourself. An interior alone is worth at least $100 in my opinion.

[Tundra_10]

I'll be doing my own detailing business this summer as well, I'm worried that most customers won't understand claying, I also plan to do the wash clay wax and interior for 100, is this too steep? Should I go with 90?

Let me give you a little advise based on my limited business ownership knowledge.

Never sell yourself short
Never discount your services
Never lowball to get the deal
Never do a job your not comfortable with the price

Never sell yourself short
You want to start a professional detailing business, so that means that you are a professional. You need to have confidence in what you are doing and what you are charging. If a client asks why something costs so much, be upfront and honest. Tell them if its down and dirty work, tell them that you might need to remove the seats or their wheels have so much caked on brake dust that your going to spend 15 min per wheel for a good basic cleaning. Confidence and knowledge will lead to a good loyal relationship with the client.

Never discount your services
This was a hard concept for me to grasp when I had my business. If a customer balks at the price, simply reiterate the process and what is going to go into the service you are offering. If you still cannot show the worth and potential of the offering, ask the customer what they can live without and you will remove that service to lower the price. NEVER lower your price on your services. This might lead to an annoying customer coming back and back for the same service at the same price and you will be loosing profits from giving up other jobs.

Never lowball to get the deal
This goes hand and hand with all the different areas I am trying to cover. If you give too low of a price, you might get return business but its business that will be expecting that same lowball price. Know your own worth and know what you should be charging and what your time is worth to you. Lowballing generally attracts nit-picky, annoying customers (my experience) and are generally not worth the time and energy to please. Make sure you have a bottom line for yourself, for example if you do a wash and wax on a compact car, have a bottom line price for doing the job and never go below that price. That way you know you will at LEAST be making "x" per hour at the very worst if the car is completely trashed. Charge extra for exceptionally dirty cars, charge normal prices for extra clean cars (unless you are deciding to make some sort of maintenance program).

Never do a job that you are not comfortable with the price
I have made this mistake many many MANY times before. I took the job/ did the work because I just wanted the money. Not only was I miserable doing the work, I was upset with the pay (pretty much broke even), lost days of work, and at the end it cost me time, money, and energy. If you think you are not making enough money on the deal... walk away.

Your new, I get that. You need to make a name for yourself and you want to attract customers so you might want to have slightly lower prices then what you would if you were experienced but please make sure you have some sort of cost analysis as to how much detailing a car costs you. Make sure you equate products, wear and tear on reusables, gas, even a percentage of your marketing needs to go into the equation to figure out what you are making per vehicle/ per hour, which ever way you want to break it down.

[TimmyG]

What kind of time is involved in these smaller wash&wax packages? Is it simply a foam/two bucket wash then one coat of spray/liquid/paste wax and basic interior/wheel clean?

Seems like a great profit range for guys that can crank out 3-4/day