Pricing

**statusdetailing** · 05-14-2014, 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by zmcgovern45

quoted for truth

... but customers will expect an experienced, and knowledgeable professional for those prices. For someone who is openly admitting they are brand new to this business, you should build some credibility and trust in the market before expecting top dollar for your work.

Doh! I just saw were he admitted to being completely inexperienced. Everybody is a noob at first...no harm in that. . .just don't offer paint correction for Pete's sake.

Start out with some wash, clay, waxes and AIO's and slowly and I mean slowly move from there.

Friendliness doesn't make up for inexperience.

**Ecoshine** · 05-14-2014, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by Scott@IncrediblyDetailed

How do you decide what gets perfectly clean and what doesn't with clients on a budget?

I have had a few customers with pretty low budgets with situations where they have neglected every aspect of car care and I tell them I can't do the job at all for less than 3-5x their budget.

You can't work for free, that's what I remind myself all the time. Some are willing, some are not...

**thebamboo23** · 05-15-2014, 12:51 AM

Originally Posted by statusdetailing

Doh! I just saw were he admitted to being completely inexperienced. Everybody is a noob at first...no harm in that. . .just don't offer paint correction for Pete's sake.

Start out with some wash, clay, waxes and AIO's and slowly and I mean slowly move from there.

Friendliness doesn't make up for inexperience.

or go get trained by a reputable detailer

**Real Riders** · 05-15-2014, 01:40 AM

How long does it take you to do a 4 figure wash, clay, and paint correction?

**brondondolon** · 05-15-2014, 01:51 AM

My business is new and although I feel my time is valuable and my work is rivaled up with some of the greatest I won't charge 4 figures for a detail. Not that I won't in the future. I'm trying to get my name out and make people trust me first. See the thing is if you go out and start your business, no matter how well spoken you are, charging $1000+ for details you would get no business because no one will trust you. Think of it this way. Say you have a vintage one of a kind that's entering in the concourse de elegance. Money is not an option and you want your car to place. Now would you personally hire a guy who is brand new to the business, no one's ever heard of him, and he has no portfolio of prior work? Or would you go with the guy who has been around 10 years, his name is known throughout the town, and every one knows him to be good.

It's not so much a question of is it possible to make $1000+ on a detail as much as it is how do you become established enough to make people comfortable paying that for what most people would call a "car wash". Granted some one paying that type of money to get their car detailed would not call it a car wash but a normal person would.

So to answer your question yes it's very possible to make that much on one car. Check out vive in Houston TX for instance. It just depends on your experience, your market, and your business.

The likelihood of starting out only doing the $1000+ details are slim to none but that also depends on your area. For instance if you're in a rural area of Montana I wouldn't bet on it. If you're in an upscale area of Florida well then it's more possible but even then not without experience. Hope that helps

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**Pureshine** · 05-15-2014, 01:59 AM

Originally Posted by statusdetailing

Doh! I just saw were he admitted to being completely inexperienced. Everybody is a noob at first...no harm in that. . .just don't offer paint correction for Pete's sake.

Start out with some wash, clay, waxes and AIO's and slowly and I mean slowly move from there.

Friendliness doesn't make up for inexperience.

**statusdetailing** · 05-15-2014, 09:44 AM

Experience is a factor that just can't quite be explained. 2 guys may be offering the exact same detail for x amount of dollars. One has 15 years experience and one just started last year. Both are charging the same price. Which one would you go with?

You'll pay extra to the guy that has been there done that. He knows what to look out for.

**jms493** · 05-15-2014, 09:53 AM

I would think at the start you would like to get in as many customers as possible for an attractive price. You may need to bite the bullet as you hourly rate might be low. You need to build up the business. Take pictures of all the cars you detail (before and after). Post them on a website and create a physical photo album. When you start to develop a good groove and find your favorite products you can start fine tuning your prices and start raising them eventually. I would go to friends and family and just detail their car for a flat $100 just to get increase my experience and portfolio.
At first I would just keep track of everything via MS Excel and after 6 months do some analysis. Then think about building the website and creating some solid packages. Maybe you can get some customers who want some paint correction which will be great for you experience but I be careful what you charge them if the result it not ideal.
Anyway that is just me rambling. Good luck all.

**slimnib** · 05-15-2014, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by Joseph Rogers

Not new to business, but am new to THIS business...I'm really having trouble seeing doing just a full wash, clay, Iron-X, and paint correction for less than 4 figures.

Is this unreasonable, to some of you guys who have been doing this awhile?

Am I reading this correctly $1,000 ?

If I am correct and you can find someone to pay that much to detail a ordinary auto, good luck. To me, it sounds crazy.

**zmcgovern45** · 05-15-2014, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by slimnib

Am I reading this correctly $1,000 ?

If I am correct and you can find someone to pay that much to detail a ordinary auto, good luck. To me, it sounds crazy.

Depends on your idea of "detail"... but for a premium level service such as paint correction & professional paint coatings, $1,000+ is not uncommon at all. For instance, my CQuartz Finest package starts at $1,000 and I have plenty of customers interested in these services. Believe it or not, my prices are on the lower side compared to many offering the same type of service throughout the US.

Again, it is all about how you value your time, knowledge, experience, etc. Those who are seeking premium work and premium clientele will price accordingly. Your local market will also play a part in your pricing, but for the most part, I find that if you are confident in your work & have the reputation to back it up, you can make a good amount of money detailing... even if you just do it on a part time basis like myself. Since I am only a part time detailer, and one of a few who are capable of this type of work in my area, my services are at high demand and I can stay very busy despite being priced much higher than anyone else in the area. I am consistently booked many months ahead of time... so it may sound crazy to you, but to me it sounds even crazier to charge less