How much to charge....

Mike C · 07-17-08, 03:27

So yesterday during lunch I get a phone call from my wife, she's not very happy. She tells me that there is white paint spots all over her car (black BMW 323is). She found out that the company next to them is painting outside and got overspray on about 40 cars in their parking lot. She had her work contact the other company, they (her work) put a posting on the door saying what happened and to contact some guy and put a copy of his business card on the entrance doors. So we called him last night when she got home, no answer we left a voice mail. I looked at the car, it's white overspray on every inch of the car front, sides(top to bottom), top, and back. I think the only place it didn't get on is the wheels. My wife talked to a co-worker who said she talked with this guy his response was "I've got coupons for a drive through car wash, if that doesn't work I'll clean it myself." My wife's car has been hand washed and Zaino'd for 10 years. The over spray comes off with a clay bar, but I don't have time. I have to take it up to the detail shop and get a quote. If I do this myself, any ideas on how much I should ask this guy to pay me? Here are a couple pics....

This one you can see where I used the clay bar.

TIA!

Mike C · 07-17-08, 10:42

No one has a guess on how much a good clay bar job would cost?

dmw2692004 · 07-17-08, 10:54

claying is going to induce marring, so your gonna have to think about polishing it to keep with swirl free( if thats your goal) and your also going to ave to protect the paint after you claybar the car, so thats another thing to think about.

I would say 120ish? because you have to clay every single inch of the car, and then your going to have to protect the car, im guessing its gonna take 4-6 hours of your time.

I might be a little high, but i would be mad, so i would charge a little extra.

D&D Auto Detail · 07-17-08, 11:32

Id try to use a chemical cleaner instead of the clay bar.

PrideSS · 07-17-08, 12:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmw2692004

claying is going to induce marring, so your gonna have to think about polishing it to keep with swirl free( if thats your goal) and your also going to ave to protect the paint after you claybar the car, so thats another thing to think about.

I would say 120ish? because you have to clay every single inch of the car, and then your going to have to protect the car, im guessing its gonna take 4-6 hours of your time.

I might be a little high, but i would be mad, so i would charge a little extra.

That sounds low to me. I wouldn't take anything less than $300.

Thats some serious damage.

bwalker25 · 07-17-08, 01:59

agreed sounds low to me, I'd say time wise about 5 - 7 hours including polishing/etc and nothing less than $300. I'd charge around $425 for that job, based on the severe damage done.

maybe a fellow autopian can get you a quote and give you a hand with the polishing and such?

slicknickis3 · 07-17-08, 02:12

First off, that painter shouldn't be in business if he did THAT to 40+ cars.

Second, that's a hell of a time consumer, I'd charge no less than $350.

Good Luck!!

lecchilo · 07-17-08, 03:16

$350-400 and not a penny less

AppliedColors · 07-17-08, 04:11

What do they plan to do with the overspray on the rubber and plastic trim?

Scottwax · 07-17-08, 06:03

Depends on how fast it comes off. $300+ for overspray removal and a 1 step. If it needs additional polishing (due to marring if I have to use a more aggressive clay), could be knocking on $450-500.

Mike C · 07-17-08, 06:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppliedColors

What do they plan to do with the overspray on the rubber and plastic trim?

I'm not sure, but it just rubbed off the rubber trim with my fingers. The car has now sat 2 days in the sun with 90*F + heat.

Thanks for the ideas. That's a little more than I was thinking, but if I'm not paying for it, I'll leave it up to the pro's!

Do you guys have customers that request you use certain products?

My wife's work is now getting involved, we are going to start dealing with this guys insurance company. Hopefully tomorrow(Friday) I will know more on what we can do. Meanwhile I'm going to go to 2 local detail shops and get quotes. Once it is cleaned, it will get several coats of Zaino. I've been using that for 10 years now. The guys at the BMW dealership always comment on how clean and shiny the car is. At 10 years old, it outshines anything on their lot. I always make sure to wash it before I take it in.

VroomVroom · 07-18-08, 07:26

I've experienced this three times, believe it or not - with chemicals (guess what happens when one of the loaders where you work accidentally dumps 100 gallons of nitric acid into a tank already holding 50 gallons of sodium hypochlorite), parking lot resurfacing, and of course with paint. The first instance, back in the early 90's, is actually what got me into detailing.

Anyway, tangent aside, I totally agree with the $500 range. It's what I've charged, and it's what my local paint & body shop charged per vehicle in a large insurance claim in the second instance. I definitely think you're on the right track by addressing this on a larger scale. There is undoubtedly some liability here on behalf of the painting contractor and the building owner. Any work like this should have better planning and advance notice to anyone that may be affected. The latter can come into play if you need to threaten punitive damages.