Pricing/Method for touch up painting?

[MrWillsi3]

Hey whats up everyone. I`m looking for a little feedback here. I`ve had a few customers inquire about touch up paint (something like Dr. Color Chip...not spraying) and I`m really not sure what to charge them.

Ive seen good results from dr. color chip...tho it doesnt fill in the chip it does make it a lot less noticable...but im open to other ideas as well.

Does anyone have a way that they sort of go about bidding and doing the job?

Thanks for the help.

[mrclean81]

I do touch ups if the customer directly asks about it. I use the Duplicolor tubes that way I can get an exact match based off the paint code on the vehicle. In fact I have a huge touch up job this weekend on a Mazda 5 that a kid drew all over with a rock lol.
The pricing should be based on weather or not your planning to sand the touchups down, price of paint, and how many places need attention. Price is all up to you depending on what you need to make per hour.

[MrWillsi3]

thanks for the feed back mrclean. Geez i can just picture that car from how you described it (drawing on it with a rock)...kinda makes me cringe lol. I have a rough time with `by the hour` charges, as i usually charge by the job and most times i come out on top that way (as do the customers). I guess i`ll just have to do a couple if they come up...get a feel for how long it takes/how hard it is and then i`ll probably know better as far as what to charge.

[DJsDetails]

Well good luck. Bidding odd jobs can be a bit precarious. I think I lost a client over pricing a side job for him. I don`t offer pressure washing services but he asked specifically if I`d be interested. It was slow so I named a price and I guess it was too high in his mind. He hasn`t had me back out ever since I quoted the p.w. service. He`d had me out a few times to work on his vehicles and was ecstatic about my work so I know it wasn`t my service. Who knows, just be careful. I`d start a little low with your pricing and then work up with your experience.

[mrclean81]

If the car wasn`t owned by my wifes best friend I wouldn`t have messed with it but I know her situation and I know it would save her thousands. She knows it won`t be 100% perfect but it will be much better than it is now.
As for quoting, you really have to have a system down to where you know how long it takes, every time. Its taken me years to be able to consistently knock out full details in 6 to 8 hours but I can put a set price on it because I know how long it takes. Things like full paint corrections, wetsanding, etc I bill by the hour. Touch ups can either be easy or hard to do. There`s no in between. Like I said earlier, if you plan to do it "right" and wetsand/buff afterward, your looking at a lot of work.

[MrWillsi3]

Well good luck. Bidding odd jobs can be a bit precarious. I think I lost a client over pricing a side job for him. I don`t offer pressure washing services but he asked specifically if I`d be interested. It was slow so I named a price and I guess it was too high in his mind. He hasn`t had me back out ever since I quoted the p.w. service. He`d had me out a few times to work on his vehicles and was ecstatic about my work so I know it wasn`t my service. Who knows, just be careful. I`d start a little low with your pricing and then work up with your experience.

Ive been in that boat before, I know ive never over charged a customer (not saying you did) but i have had customers who THOUGHT i was over charging...those who went ahead and hired me anyway however, ended up tipping me in the end more times than not lol. I guess after seeing what all it is that i do and HOW it is so different than say...a corner car wash...that they appreciated the work put into it. If i were to do touch up painting for a customer I would for sure bid low...and probably cut myself short, but if thats the price i pay for a chance at the experience of seeing how long something will take me to do...and it later on leads down to a service i can off and KNOW how to price, then i sort of figure that as just an investment in myself :)


If the car wasn`t owned by my wifes best friend I wouldn`t have messed with it but I know her situation and I know it would save her thousands. She knows it won`t be 100% perfect but it will be much better than it is now.
As for quoting, you really have to have a system down to where you know how long it takes, every time. Its taken me years to be able to consistently knock out full details in 6 to 8 hours but I can put a set price on it because I know how long it takes. Things like full paint corrections, wetsanding, etc I bill by the hour. Touch ups can either be easy or hard to do. There`s no in between. Like I said earlier, if you plan to do it "right" and wetsand/buff afterward, your looking at a lot of work.

I know what you mean about how it takes a lot of times to figure out how long something is going to take you. I`ve been doing detailing for a while now and still sometimes underestimate the time of a job...which cuts me short but i wont sacrifice my work just to save a couple hours...its a learning process just like everything else and as long as i am IMPROVING then I dont mind at all:cool:.

What do you usually bill hourly for a full show car (wet sand/multiple passes etc) job?

[mrclean81]

I know what you mean about how it takes a lot of times to figure out how long something is going to take you. I`ve been doing detailing for a while now and still sometimes underestimate the time of a job...which cuts me short but i wont sacrifice my work just to save a couple hours...its a learning process just like everything else and as long as i am IMPROVING then I dont mind at all:cool:.

What do you usually bill hourly for a full show car (wet sand/multiple passes etc) job?

I couldnt agree more. I usually shoot for 20 or 30 an hour depending on how much work is going to be involved and if they are a regular customer. However, there are folks on these forums who charge every bit of 50 or 75 per hour. It all depends on your location.

[MrWillsi3]

I couldnt agree more. I usually shoot for 20 or 30 an hour depending on how much work is going to be involved and if they are a regular customer. However, there are folks on these forums who charge every bit of 50 or 75 per hour. It all depends on your location.

I could see charging 50+ for sure...then again since there are 2 of us we`d be done in 1/2 the time so i guess it would be more of charging for `man hours` than for the actual time that has passed in our case