Do you guys include wash/decontaminate to total hours billing?

[KMG]

Most of my work is based off an hourly rate, however I give the customer a total price upfront. I know roughly how long a job is going to take me and set my prices accordingly. Sometimes it will take slightly longer and sometimes it will take slightly less time. I really don't do AIO jobs anymore however though. You should be able to do a mid-size car with a product like HD Speed in 2-3 hours though.

[patricemougeot]

So if I understand, you guy's do a car only on the exterior in about 4.5 to 6 hours not counting the inside of the car?

[Cruzscarwash]

Yes, well in my case, wash, clay, polish, rims, windows in and out, wipe door jams and a quick vacuum of the interior with wipe down of the dash. 95% is definitely all exterior work

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[patricemougeot]

So by doing both, you might be looking at at 8 hours worth of time. Gives us a pretty good idea of what needs to be charged.

[Cruzscarwash]

Well don't forget Interiors can easily be a 6 plus he job as well, it all depends on the car. For example I have a client coming in with a 350z that all the seats are caked in mud from his 2 dogs. Who puts muddy dogs in a 350 idk but I don't see this being a 4 hr job and will be removing seats as well

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[dcjredline]

Can you knock out a car in 4 1/2 hours???

Wash/decontaminate/polish....all in that time frame? Isn't that fast for a one man operation? Thought one needs to
at least give the AIO a chance to cut/polish before moving in onto next panel!

Tom

I cant do a normal AIO in 4.5 hours, no. My point was do YOU want to get paid for doing the prep work that you do? I want to get paid for any prep work I do to polish a car. So I would charge for the prep personally. You do not have to.

[Cruzscarwash]

It's all combined I think as someone already said you charge for the job or by the hr you should in the end be charging for whatever it is start to finish.

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[Calendyr]

The time it takes depends on 4 things:
- Your process
- Your experience
- Your tools
- Your products

So. For your process, if you are more thourough, it will take more time and you will usually achieve a better result.

For your experience, knowing what order to do steps in, knowing how to prepare your setup to waste less time, knowing what is important to do and what is a waste of time, and so on, will allow you to shave some time off.

For your tools, using a rotary, a forced rotation, a large throw DA or a regular DA will influence greatly the time it takes to polish the car. I would not be surprised if someone could polish a car twice as fast with a rotary vs a regular DA. So depending what you use, don't be so hard on yourself it it takes you more time than someone else. Personally I use a Large Throw DA (Rupes Bigfoot 21) and I know it's faster than a DA but not as fast as a Rotary or forced rotation. But I like the safe aspect of the DA and don't want the muscle issues that come with using a forced rotation DA. So for me it's the ideal compromise. The pad you use also impact cutting speed. I like to use heavy polishing pads for this type of process (Orange pads from Buff and shine for example). Again it's a trade off, you could use less aggressive pads and get a better finish but take more time to do the work... all about compromises in a process like that.

Finally, what product are you using. Some products have more cut and will do the work faster. I think for AIO Meguiar's Paint Reconditionning Creme is the best product but some will argue that other products are better. It's a matter of choice but if you look at aggressiveness charts you can find out if the product you are using will do the work faster or slower than other products.

So yes, I take into account all the time I take to do the work and I add an amount for commute since I am mobile. Not interested in doing free work. Also take into consideration the cost of the products you use especially if you use boutique products or expensive products like coatings and such.