How much to ceramic coat a fire truck

**Maestro Sam** · 07-25-2017, 02:34 PM

First time doing a full ceramic coating on a fire truck? The local fire department wants me to ceramic coat all of their fleet. How much would I charge. This is something new for me lol so I am pretty excited and nervous! I work with a lot of expensive cars but to coat a fire truck!?

**PaulMys** · 07-25-2017, 07:05 PM

Wow. I'm not a pro detailer, but our local FD is literally right across the street from my house.

There are 4 (I'll call them "regular" firetrucks), a hook & ladder, two ambulances, a marine unit (truck & boat)

And 4 SUV chief's trucks.

Just the thought of washing all of that would freak me out. Let alone correcting and coating them.

**GSKR** · 07-25-2017, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by Maestro Sam

First time doing a full ceramic coating on a fire truck? The local fire department wants me to ceramic coat all of their fleet. How much would I charge. This is something new for me lol so I am pretty excited and nervous! I work with a lot of expensive cars but to coat a fire truck!?

I've done a couple of jets at 700.00 just for the coating supply alone.Make sure you tell them how much the supplies cost first.Are these trucks on call or can you work on one that isn't.I would say with a polish and coating 300.00 per day should take you 4 days .I think that's real reasonable and you won't scare them off any less forget it.

**GSKR** · 07-25-2017, 08:55 PM

The big question who is gonna wash them?.One wrong wash can mess it all up.I would never coat a car that a customer runs through the tunnel wash just doesn't make sense.

**Maestro Sam** · 07-25-2017, 08:59 PM

Originally Posted by GSKR

I've done a couple of jets at 700.00 just for the coating supply alone.Make sure you tell them how much the supplies cost first.Are these trucks on call or can you work on one that isn't.I would say with a polish and coating 300.00 per day should take you 4 days .I think that's real reasonable and you won't scare them off any less forget it.

Damn GSKR, you only quoted the jet at 700? Isn't that low? Never coated a jet before so please educate me! I will be talking with the head of the department sometimes next month and will probably be able to work on a truck that will not be in service until completion. I was thinking around 4,000 or more to polish and ceramic coat the whole truck?

**Calendyr** · 07-25-2017, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by GSKR

The big question who is gonna wash them?.One wrong wash can mess it all up.I would never coat a car that a customer runs through the tunnel wash just doesn't make sense.

Why would you care? If the customer wants the car coated and then decides to run it through a car wash, that's his business. After I am done with each detail, I explain how to wash the car, major mistakes to avoid, how to dry the car and I also explain why. From there, if the customer wants to use sand paper and green scotch brite pads to wash his car, that's on him.

As for doing Fire trucks, coating them would be pretty expensive. Depending what product you use, a typical coating bottle will do about 2 cars (CQuartz and Gloss coat for example). I don't know how much you would need but I can guesstimate about the equivalent of 6 cars on one fire truck... Ouch. McKee's 37 coating bottle is supposed to do about 10 cars. I have serious doubts about that. I have done 2 cars and 1 small SUV (For Escape) so far and the bottle seems very light to me now. Probably 1 or 2 cars's worth more in the bottle. Still, much more than other brands and the cost is much lower than other brands... so that would be my suggestion if you want to coat these trucks. 1 bottle per truck would probably do it.

As for price. I would charge them 10$ off per hour my regular rate (which is 40$/hour), for the huge amount of work that represents. Make sure to cover the cost of products and tools. You will probably go through at least 2 pads doing that much correction (maybe more) and a lot of compound and polish. Not to mention the cost of the coating itself.

If you do get the contract, please share pictures, that sounds like a lot of fun to do firetrucks. And hope there are not gonna be too many fire emergency while you are working.

One of the members on this forum is a fireman, maybe he has done work on a fire truck before and could give you pointers.

Good luck!

**GSKR** · 07-25-2017, 09:18 PM

Originally Posted by Maestro Sam

Damn GSKR, you only quoted the jet at 700? Isn't that low? Never coated a jet before so please educate me! I will be talking with the head of the department sometimes next month and will probably be able to work on a truck that will not be in service until completion. I was thinking around 4,000 or more to polish and ceramic coat the whole truck?

No that's just to buy the coating several bottles.

**wing commander** · 07-25-2017, 11:35 PM

I can do my 144" wheelbase 9' tall ( Mercedes sprinter van with less than 20cc of Gloss Coat (paint only no trim) seems to use about 13-14 cc. It is a cargo van with only front glass no body windows.

**GSKR** · 07-26-2017, 06:11 AM

Originally Posted by Calendyr

Why would you care? If the customer wants the car coated and then decides to run it through a car wash, that's his business. After I am done with each detail, I explain how to wash the car, major mistakes to avoid, how to dry the car and I also explain why. From there, if the customer wants to use sand paper and green scotch brite pads to wash his car, that's on him.

As for doing Fire trucks, coating them would be pretty expensive. Depending what product you use, a typical coating bottle will do about 2 cars (CQuartz and Gloss coat for example). I don't know how much you would need but I can guesstimate about the equivalent of 6 cars on one fire truck... Ouch. McKee's 37 coating bottle is supposed to do about 10 cars. I have serious doubts about that. I have done 2 cars and 1 small SUV (For Escape) so far and the bottle seems very light to me now. Probably 1 or 2 cars's worth more in the bottle. Still, much more than other brands and the cost is much lower than other brands... so that would be my suggestion if you want to coat these trucks. 1 bottle per truck would probably do it.

As for price. I would charge them 10$ off per hour my regular rate (which is 40$/hour), for the huge amount of work that represents. Make sure to cover the cost of products and tools. You will probably go through at least 2 pads doing that much correction (maybe more) and a lot of compound and polish. Not to mention the cost of the coating itself.

If you do get the contract, please share pictures, that sounds like a lot of fun to do firetrucks. And hope there are not gonna be too many fire emergency while you are working.

One of the members on this forum is a fireman, maybe he has done work on a fire truck before and could give you pointers.

Good luck!

The answer to your question about not coating a car if not properly maintained.First reason I won't be passionate about working on a car if its gonna get wrecked that's just me.Secondly coated a plane busted my butt then one of his employees washed it with a mild degteaser.Now he calls and wants to know why the bugs are hard to wipe off.Now I have to take time out of my day to check it out only to find that its been improperly cared for,and now he expects me to re do it probono I said no thanks you screwed it up not me and I even gave him a bottle of hydrocoat to wash included in the price .That's why I don't coat cars if owner neglects it because the first person they call is you.