OptiCoat 2.0 application pricing

[The Enforcer]

I do detailing on the side (part time) for myself and only do full correction type work. I do this because I love it, and I believe I am a happy medium for people looking for something extra in the world of detailing around my area, without paying the full price of a true proessional who is insured with a business license, store frontage, etc. Those guys are def WORTH what they charge, and rightfully deserve their rate, but I don't HAVE to charge what they do. Now, with coatings getting hot, I am stepping into the realm. I have coated 4 cars thus far with great results. My question is what should my pricing be? Remember, this is NOT the PRO edition of Opti, and I do this part time (no overhead, no bills to pay off, advertising, all cash that Uncle Sam doesn't see, etc). I only coat cars that come in for a full correction and I charge hourly for correction work. I cut my time OFF once the car has been rewashed and the car is prepped for Opticoat.

I'm going to add OptiCoat at a flat rate, depending on size of the car. What should I, or would YOU charge if you were in my same situation for:

-small car (S2000, roadters, etc)
-Mid size car (vette, Camaro, challenger, 911, etc)
-full size 4 door cars (charger, e-class benz, etc)
-small SUV (rav 4, murano, etc)
-mid size SUV (explorer, Tahoe, 4runner)
-large SUV (suburban, excursion, etc)

I price my correction work at $40/hr, which I am perfectly fine and content with and customers are happy paying this as well, as I have over 40 cars on my waiting list ranging from DD Hondas, to Ferrari and Lamborghini and everything in between. Thanks in advance for your help.

[thebamboo23]

The going rate here is $150-$350

usually if its an authorized coating it'll double

[DetailingNoob]

Pricing depends on your area/market.

[The Enforcer]

so what are you saying....$150 for the small cars, $350 for the largest of SUVs? And everything else falls in between obviously.

[FUNX650]

I have coated 4 cars thus far with great results. My question is what should my pricing be?

I cut my time OFF once the car has been rewashed and the car is prepped for Opticoat.

I'm going to add OptiCoat at a flat rate, depending on size of the car. What should I, or would YOU charge if you were in my same situation...

I price my correction work at $40/hr, which I am perfectly fine and content with and customers are happy paying this as well,
Just wondering:

-What have you charged for Coating each of the first four vehicles?

-Why in the World would you cut your time off before the Coating-LSP was applied?

-If your customers don't seem to mind paying your $40 per/hour charge...
why charge a flat-rate for applying a Coating?

-It takes more time to do some vehicles than others.
And, after all: Time is money.


It's JMO that:
If you honestly analyze your OP...you'll discover that you have answered your thread-starter's question.


Bob

[zmcgovern45]

First, I personally think you should take responsibility for your part time business and claim your extra income on your personal taxes... 1) it is not worth the potential risk and 2) it's just the right thing to do. Plus, any expenses then become a write off so who knows, you may come out "ahead" if you purchase enough detailing supplies and business related items.


On to your real question... Assuming you get your OC at some sort of wholesale discount, coating jobs should have pretty high margins from a material cost point of view. Only you know what you feel your time is worth though. As long as you feel you're being compensated appropriately then it is the "right price".

On the other hand, I know many Pro installers who are irritated with some businesses offering "Opti-Coat services" at insanely low prices without indicating they are using the consumer version (OC 2.0) which is an entirely different formula compared to the Professional coating. So you may want to be sure to list Opti-Coat 2.0 as your product to be certain you are being upfront and honest to your customers who may be seeking the pro version and may not be aware that a consumer version exists.

Just some ideas.

-Zach

[TundraPower]

I charge 225 for Migliore Strata and 350 for 22PLE. I guarantee them for one and two years respectively. I've never been called out on either guarantee. Charge as much as your market will support.

[KMG]

I have my CQUK coating package starting at $375, and it will go up depending on the condition and size of the vehicle. Now that includes a single stage paint correction in that price, as I am not going to install a coating on a car that wasn't at least prepped correctly. It is a premium coating, so you need to keep it as a premium. It is an easy upsell to most people when you make them realize they won't need to have the car detailed every 6 months to keep it looking good.

[cleanmycorolla]

When I have offered coating to folks, I usually add $75 onto the package they purchased. So if they get a one step for $175, if they want a coating I'll add on $75 to that. If they 2 a two step polish at $225 I add the $75 to that. Always in the range of 250-300. Its competitive for my area, which is something you should think about to. And granted, this isn't my full time gig. Its a very very small spare thing I do!

However, this has happened only twice out of the very limited amount of cars I did. One time it was CQUK, the other time DP Paint Coating.

[parttimer]

I just charge twice what the coating cost me, so about $150. Also Chargers and Chally's are the same sized car. If your doing flat rate for coating do it flat rate, sure a truck might take a little more, but a compact will take less.

[brondondolon]

I just charge twice what the coating cost me, so about $150. Also Chargers and Chally's are the same sized car. If your doing flat rate for coating do it flat rate, sure a truck might take a little more, but a compact will take less.

:iagree:

[The Enforcer]

you use $75 worth of coating on a single car??? I get Opticoat 2.0 for $56 and it will last me 3 car. thats 'ballpark' $15-$20 per car depending on the size of the car.

the reason i cut my normal $40/hr rate OFF before coating is because I am using a far more premium product at this stage of the detail, therefore i would need to 'up' the rate to make it worth my while. i chose to simply charge a flat rate that is dependant on the size of the vehicle. this is commonly done with coatings, at least with the guys i know.

[parttimer]

No, I don't use a whole bottle, but may as well make my purchase back when I do use it. And if your getting 3 cars out of $75 that means you make $125 off the coating. If it takes you 2 hours to coat, $60/hour! If I could charge someone out here $300 for a coating I would, but they won't pay it and an extra $125 is better than not getting $125.