What to charge?

[QUALITY DETAIL]

I was curious as to what most detailers charge for there service, keeping it simple, for instance

Small car,

Mid size car

Large car

Truck

Suv
Also is there different packages you offer? and do they all include doing the engine? Ok lets have it.

[joyriide1113]

do a search plenty of threads that have gone forever discussing it.

i prefer most of the time to charge by the hour. that way its fair, and u get wha u worked for.

[Beemerboy]

I agree witrh JOYRIDE I charge by the job, if asked over the phone I give them a range on cars any where from $150 ot $250 depending on condition and color. Trucks, mini vans and SUV`s can be $200 and up depending on the size, color and condtion. I base all mine on what I think it will take me to get it done.
I only do full details any more. People will beat you up on price if you offer them a menu of services. I only make good use of my time on the full details, but then this is only a weekend gig for me.

[Jngrbrdman]

I wrote up some ideas on OCDetails.com (http://www.ocdetails.com/html/making_money.html) if you want to take a look at those. What to charge is relative to where you live. Someone in a low population town can`t charge as much as someone in Las Vegas surrounded by high end cars. Do some shopping and see what others are charging and what they are offering and then price yourself competitively.

Engines are extra for me. If you want your engine cleaned its an extra $20 usually. I like doing them so much that I usually just end up doing it anyway if I can`t sell them. It makes them happy and they will refer me to friends. However, if they aren`t paying for one then I don`t feel responsible to do it.

I offer a lot of different options. Exterior only, Interior only, Engine only, Details that include clay and polish and those which do not, some are just basic washes and some are more inclusive. I customize what I offer to what the customer needs. I don`t just hand them a menu and make them figure it out. I know how long each step is going to take me and I can look at a car and tell you how long it will take to get the job done. Since I base my prices on an hourly rate, it is easy to quote a price by looking at a car without memorizing a complicated list of packages.

Anyway, everything else is in that article. :) Happy reading.