A Big Job and Some Questions...

[tommythecat]

Hello all...I may have a very big job falling into my lap very soon. The customer has 8 cars and 2 bikes that he wants detailed. 2 Step compound/polish, coating, and interior for everything.

3 'Vette's
3 Escalade ESV's
1 CTS-V
1 Large Pickup (don't remember off hand)
2 Hayabusa's

Right now my estimate is around $8k. Does this seem off to anyone? This is the largest job I have been offered if I get it. I am trying to talk him in to 1-steps for his dailies which will bring the price down a little.

Also, I have never worked on a bike before. Is there anything I need to differently on a bike?

Thanks in advance!!
Tom

[HateSwirls]

Eight grand seems a little high, unless of course the jobs are really just that bad.
A grand each?

As for bikes, well I've done over a 100 bikes in my time, the thing about them is there's a lot to detail even though they're smaller than a car.
Be prepared to do a lot of the bike by hand, oh, watch out not to beat your knuckles to crap. Lol

I'll be doing a Honda Goldwing over the weekend, two step paint correction and coating.
The Wings are much easier than doing a Harley, less chrome.

[tuscarora dave]

Depending on the year of the Vettes and the Caddy's you could be dealing with some really hard clear coat that could take lots of time to correct and finish. Given the cost of having a coating applied, which is all over the place in different markets, the surgical cleanliness necessary to properly apply them, the potentially diamond hard clear coat etc. , if he's been using language like "paint correction" or " I want them perfect"... I'd stick to your guns with the 8K estimate and be prepared to spend a ton of time on his rides.

[tuscarora dave]

There would be a few questions for you like, Do you have any competition in your area that could / would underbid you on this work? Are you an exclusive detailer for this client already? Does he come to you through direct knowledge of the quality of work you bring to the table? Can you bring such quality to the table? Can anyone else in your area also bring such quality as well?

Depending on the answers to these questions, you may have to be negotiable so you don't price yourself out of this opportunity. "We" know that this is a ton of work, does "He" also know this?

[Paul A.]

Great questions from Dave but great opportunity for you, Tom! Good luck.

[tuscarora dave]

There are a lot of areas on bikes where a pressure washer can be a real liability, they can definitely be an asset in other areas as well. A lot of bike owners are aware of these dangerous areas where pressurized water can enter wheel bearings, (blowing past seals) ignition / electrical areas etc.

Pressure washers can cause situations where the damage occurs down the road a ways, especially with water being blasted past grease seals into wheel bearings, steering fork (triple clamps) bearings etc. causing bearings to rust and fail prematurely.

A serious racer, or a serious bike mechanic will periodically dis assemble these areas clean, check tolerances, properly adjust and lubricate these areas. Others will take the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach... On a high speed machine such as a Hyabusa... It could be too late before the second type / most common type of bike owner realizes there is a rust compromised bearing about to disintegrate at 200 miles per hour.

Something to think about as it is really tempting to take the easy road and simply degrease and pressure wash chain lube soaked dirty areas on bikes such as around the wheels and steering areas. There would be no "More Serious" liability as the one I mention above, so I personally have a rule, No pressure washers on bikes, period!!

Of course, this approach detracts from productivity. "Done right" always takes more time. Make sure your client is aware of this and also repeat the concerns I mentioned to him about the bikes. He will know you're a thinker, and that you care about his well being.

[tommythecat]

This job is coming from a guy I work with at my "regular" job who also helps me when I detail. He will usually take care of the interiors and engine bay while I work on the paint. All the work I have done with the exception of a couple cars has been through referrals from him. I have not heard from the owner directly yet, but should be talking and hopefully meeting with him this weekend. As far as I know he is not looking at anyone else for the job.

The job came after the owner of the vehicles inquired about a detail on one of his Vettes. I quoted him $500-$700 depending on how much work he wanted done. That is when he came back with the offer to do all of his vehicles so that he could get them all done at once and not have to worry about it for the rest of the year.

My estimate is based a lot on the size of these cars. The truck and SUV's are massive inside and out. The vette's and cts-v have quite a bit of paint real estate themselves. I also assumed that a lot of the work on the bikes would be by hand and this factored into it as well.

I will be using Uber 3.0 for the compound step and I hope it will be tough enough for the hard paint. I do have the option of stepping up to a rotary and finishing with my DA also.


Thanks for all of the replies guys and I hope I answered your questions Dave.

Keep the advice coming!!

[tommythecat]

One question I forgot to ask...

For big jobs like this, do any of you guys ask for a part of the money up front?

[Pureshine]

I would be at least 10k for all that. My 2 step paint correction with Cquartz Finest starts at $1525. I would have him pay after each car is finished. I have a customer with 30+ cars and he pays after each one is done.

[Ebg18t]

What Are you coating all these cars with? Are you doing all these the same week or over a longer period of time? My thought would be to not collect up front, but to just collect after the completion of each vehicle.

If you breal out the hours for correction, interior & engine cleaning, the time for coating (plus materials) I don't think you are too far off price wise.