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Super Member
Re: what do you charge?
Originally Posted by mckobe
Practice what you preach
i like my van dirty , i know i am busy when is dirty....
usually get`s a wash when rains
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Super Member
Re: what do you charge?
Originally Posted by Cosmin
i like my van dirty , i know i am busy when is dirty....
usually get`s a wash when rains
+1
I just had time to detail my rig last week for the first time in a couple months. I've run a hose over it a few times to knock off the big stuff, but detail it, no way, just not enough time in the day when you're busy every day. And I mean every day.
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Super Member
Re: what do you charge?
Originally Posted by webringtheshine
whats the going rate for a package including:
- clean wheels & tires
- bug removal
- wash
- dry
- clay
- express wax
- dress tires
How long does it take you? What do you need to make an hour? Is this weekend warrior money, part time gig, full time?
My prices in suburb of Az are probably super high compared to someone in urban Kansas ...and probably low to someone in Bay Area Cali - so you’ll need to keep that in mind.
We don’t have a package like what you described. We have a wash/seal (includes all of what you said except a clay bar...but adds on a vac and wipe down and windows). We do $180 for cars. If you’re just going the express wax route $99-$125 is likely a better price and then try to up sell to a sealant.
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Super Member
Re: what do you charge?
As others have said, depends on your area, and how much competition you have. If I lived 50 miles west of me, I could probably do coatings all day (wealthy people) And I could charge much more than I do. Where I live though, lots of cheapskates and 2 person detail teams in plain white vans who will "wash" your car for $15. I see one of these vans at a strip mall around the corner every day. I bet they do 25 cars a day. After expenses they probably make around $150 each a day, not good for non stop out door work. It also doesn't help that 70% of people I talk to about me being a detailer think a "full detail" is a wash + wax + vacuum. And it better be $40'ish 50 max.
My rates for what you asked:
Wheels & Tires - I have 2 packages, a basic one, and one where I use an Iron remover and a tire coating that lasts 2-3 months.
Basic - $30
Upgraded - $60
Wash (waterless with AMMO Frothe)
$30 for a compact car
$35 for a sedan.
$45 for a truck, SUV or Minivan.
Clay - Nanoskin Autoscrub $60
Spray Sealant (no express wax) $60 - Lasts 6'ish months.
I have 3 packages, and my Al La Carte menu has 24 items. A couple are duplicates depending on the vehicle size. If someone wants strictly Al La Carte, I have a $35 minimum, and if they get 3+ things it's 10% off, 5+ 15% off.
I just started last week, so my prices aren't set in stone. My town's full of quick, cheap, good enough where it looks clean van dudes. So I can't compete with them on pricing or speed, a lot work in pairs. And even the solo ones just bang thru, where I don't rush. Since I'm mobile only, if I have to travel over 5 miles, I charge a buck a mile. I'd say for the products I use, and the attention I give the cars my prices are a bit low. But as other have mentioned in a lot of parts of the country I couldn't even charge what I do.
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Super Member
Re: what do you charge?
Bob
"Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk."
~Joaquin de Setanti
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Super Member
Re: what do you charge?
Be flexible but don’t give them too many options most of them don’t know the difference between wax and sealant. Throw in something free for first time customers. If you do mobile when you start the folks will see the hard work and it helps in tips. I have sealants and ceramic I’ll throw a free waterless wash in 6 months so I get to recontact the customers That are first time this usually hooks them. I do it during non peak times. Corvette groups are great find your local organization try to contact them.
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Super Member
Re: what do you charge?
Originally Posted by j.williams@perpetualradiance
As others have said, depends on your area, and how much competition you have. If I lived 50 miles west of me, I could probably do coatings all day (wealthy people) And I could charge much more than I do. Where I live though, lots of cheapskates and 2 person detail teams in plain white vans who will "wash" your car for $15. I see one of these vans at a strip mall around the corner every day. I bet they do 25 cars a day. After expenses they probably make around $150 each a day, not good for non stop out door work. It also doesn't help that 70% of people I talk to about me being a detailer think a "full detail" is a wash + wax + vacuum. And it better be $40'ish 50 max.
My rates for what you asked:
Wheels & Tires - I have 2 packages, a basic one, and one where I use an Iron remover and a tire coating that lasts 2-3 months.
Basic - $30
Upgraded - $60
Wash (waterless with AMMO Frothe)
$30 for a compact car
$35 for a sedan.
$45 for a truck, SUV or Minivan.
Clay - Nanoskin Autoscrub $60
Spray Sealant (no express wax) $60 - Lasts 6'ish months.
I have 3 packages, and my Al La Carte menu has 24 items. A couple are duplicates depending on the vehicle size. If someone wants strictly Al La Carte, I have a $35 minimum, and if they get 3+ things it's 10% off, 5+ 15% off.
I just started last week, so my prices aren't set in stone. My town's full of quick, cheap, good enough where it looks clean van dudes. So I can't compete with them on pricing or speed, a lot work in pairs. And even the solo ones just bang thru, where I don't rush. Since I'm mobile only, if I have to travel over 5 miles, I charge a buck a mile. I'd say for the products I use, and the attention I give the cars my prices are a bit low. But as other have mentioned in a lot of parts of the country I couldn't even charge what I do.
You're doing it wrong. If you want to set yourself apart from the "mow and blow" car washers why are you concerned with their pricing, what they're doing, the quality of work they do or any of that ####. Who cares? Set your pricing, stick to your pricing, don't discount anything ever, don't do any jobs ever for $50. The SECOND you pull up to somebody's house and work for $50, you're the guy that does stuff for $50. Every time they think of you, they'll think $50. Is that what you want? Sell yourself, sell your work, do the job right, get paid. If you can't command your price, there's two reasons, you don't deserve it or you're not asking for it.
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Super Member
Re: what do you charge?
$30? $30? I mean seriously, you have somebody give you $30 for something how in the hell are you going to ask them for $300? $500? You're the guy that charges $30.
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Re: what do you charge?
Originally Posted by sudsmobile
You're doing it wrong. If you want to set yourself apart from the "mow and blow" car washers why are you concerned with their pricing, what they're doing, the quality of work they do or any of that ####. Who cares? Set your pricing, stick to your pricing, don't discount anything ever, don't do any jobs ever for $50. The SECOND you pull up to somebody's house and work for $50, you're the guy that does stuff for $50. Every time they think of you, they'll think $50. Is that what you want? Sell yourself, sell your work, do the job right, get paid. If you can't command your price, there's two reasons, you don't deserve it or you're not asking for it.
This post deserves a sticky
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Super Member
Re: what do you charge?
Originally Posted by sudsmobile
You're doing it wrong. If you want to set yourself apart from the "mow and blow" car washers why are you concerned with their pricing, what they're doing, the quality of work they do or any of that ####. Who cares? Set your pricing, stick to your pricing, don't discount anything ever, don't do any jobs ever for $50. The SECOND you pull up to somebody's house and work for $50, you're the guy that does stuff for $50. Every time they think of you, they'll think $50. Is that what you want? Sell yourself, sell your work, do the job right, get paid. If you can't command your price, there's two reasons, you don't deserve it or you're not asking for it.
In my town the people are cheap, they don't care how much higher quality the products I use are, or how I use a technique that won't mar up the paint. $50 in my area for a wash is unheard of, at my prices I'm above all the others by almost double. All my next door neighbor knows if I told him I'd wash his car for $30, and the person who comes to his house does it for $15. I can preach to him till I'm blue in the face about quality, all he see's is I'm twice as expensive. If all I did was correction and coatings, I could maybe drum up a single customer a month. Where you live and what's available plays a big part in what you can charge. Doesn't matter if I was as good as Larry from AMMO or Renny Doyle, if I charged what they do I might never get a single job. 3 of my neighbors laughed at me when I said $45 to wash their ginormous trucks. A raised F250, Chevy 3500 or whatever and another big chevy. There's no market for a high end detailer in my town. I charge $30 for a wash only, which takes me about 35 minutes. The competition all charge 20 or less for the same thing, and by same thing I mean a wash only. I'm going to move next year, but for now this is where I'm at. lol
Jimbo on his detailing podcast has spoke on how where he started, to make it he had to wash cars for 10 hours a day to make $250. You have to start somewhere right? Why I'd rather not do 8 $30 washes in a day day, it sure beats 1 $400 coating every 2 or 3 weeks. *shrug* So until I move, I'll wash and wash and wash and when a coating or correction job comes along I'll gladly do it. I would love to sit down with someone who started detailing and was already successful enough where they only did big jobs. Then I could pick their brain. I guess I just assume everyone starts in the trenches and had to work their tail off to get to where they won't go a persons house for less than $150. Or, maybe they lived somewhere like Laguna Beach where the people are uber rich and drive nice cars and will shell out the $$$. I'm sure it also has to do with me not being some super salesman too.
I totally agree with what you said, believe me I don't want to do $30 washes, but I also don't want to go back to working in a warehouse, so until I can figure out how to make what you suggested work for me. Unfortunately I have to compete with bottom barrel dudes, and I'm still getting told how expensive I am by 90% of people I approach about being their car detailer guy. So while you're in awe why I'd go to someone's house for a measly $45, the people I deal with are in awe I charge that much. It's weird how different people see things so differently lol.
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