Official Rv Thread

One huge sector of our industry is Rv work.

If you have any insight into this sector, whether it be

pricing, equipment, method or products, please contribute.

This thread is for any useful information pertaining to Rv detailing.

I am quickly finding it that Rv jobs are more lucrative than

normal car work. This money factor can be a huge draw for

people who do not have a problem with hard manual labor and

picky customers.


With a little bit of work, perhaps we can come to an understanding

as to why Rv customers are picky, and develop some methods to

make that work easier.


Let us start off with Why I suggest Rv work.

1. There may be tons of auto detailers in your area. The more competition,

the more competitive your rates and services must be (to an extent).


2. The average size if an Rv dwarfs even the largest auto. If we set our pricing

structure correctly, more surface area means more pay.


3. Many people in Rv parks are away from their hometown. This means

that their normal network of friends to suggest businesses and

their normal service people might be unavailable.


4. The majority of people in Rv parks are retired. Yes there are

some of these people on low fixed budgets. Most of these people have

worked hard and have disposable income.


5. Their Rv is their baby. Their baby needs Pampered.


6. Their Rv is their home, so they budget more for upkeep than a car.


7. RV people are pretty nice people. I love talking to most people in parks.


8. The most social people are in Rv parks. Unfortunately, society had become

individualized, where we have limited human interaction. Our RV generation

loves to chat, sit around and brag about their rv. Instant referrals.


9. Just doing work in Rv parks garners attention, especially so with a

professional appearance. This sector has many thugs and hooligans

servicing it. Read into that - Opportunity for Excellence


10. Rvs are parked, which means you don`t have to chase business down.

This is a big lot with potential clients, and they all have water hookups.


11. Rv park management appreciates good service. They look after their residents,

so if you do a good job you can get referrals from management easily.


12. Residents always go to office to look for business cards, this is the

easiest advertising available.


13. Rv work seems to be less intensive, meaning much of it is large flat

surfaces. While there are many edges and caulked seams, the normal Rv

owner seems less interested in reflection than the normal car owner.



While these reasons that I listed are not static for the entire country,

I have found that they apply to my area. Let it also be clear that I am talking

about class a and fifth wheel homes, not the permanent modular homes.

There is job opportunities for power washing those modular homes, it just

is not the sector that I am currently targeting.


Why do you like RV work, or why do you hate it?

Pricing

------------


Just like with autos, I would only suggest pricing on site.

There are too many factors that can make you lose money.



I started off attempting to charge Hourly. Then when adding more

employees, I added to that Hourly figure. Since I want adding enough,

I basically was devaluing my time. For this reason, I would only

suggest Hourly if you are working by yourself.


As for the cost of work, this basis as much as it does with cars.

Your expertise, the cars condition and services desired all can

change this significanly. My pricing structure works for me, and the

biggest thing is that nobody had questioned it. This makes me feel

as if they are okay with the price.


How I work the cost is calculated by total length of trailer. Many are

30 to 40 feet. My wash is 3 dollars a foot. This includes the top,

as long as it`s safe enough for me to walk on it. I go without the

roof for 2.25 a foot, but I think that I can get this up to 2.50

with little resistance.


Wash and wax is 6 bucks a foot.

Buffing starts at 13 a good for one step and goes up from there.


How have you all set your pricing?

I understand that the method that you use determines the price that

you can charge, do there is large variance from business to business.




Here was an average day of Rv work for me plus one employee.

4.5 hours of work doing two homes total. 3 hours for a wash and wax

and 1.5 for just a wash. My guy earned 25 bucks an hour and I earned

35 bucks an hour. Yes, if I had paid him minimum wage, I would`ve made

50 an hour, but I would rather have happy and motivated professional

employees.



What works best for you for pricing?

Do you make ample profits?


I am not really factoring in add on services to this pricing,

it is just my base packages.




Just writing this post gave me the idea that I should be talking about

these services as "home services" and not "Rv services" When I am i

in an Rv park. I think that if I tell a customer that I want to help them

keep their home maintained, it sounds better than I want to

clean your Rv.


This is definitely a sector that I will create their own business cards for.

I want them to know that this is my speciality, so there will definitely

be a large outline of an Rv on the card. I might pay extra to get the cards

cut into an Rv shape. Definitely distinguishable. Magnets for their

fridge would keep my info handy and within reach at all times.

There are very little car owners who would keep advertising magnets on

hand.



I hope that with others help, we can discuss pricing around the nation,

how much the industry standard is, and ways to optimize profits.

Products

---------------


For the most part, I use the same products as for auto.

The most common product asked for is something to protect

their roof. This is a large flay surface where water and dirt

collects, along with being the part that gets the most sun.


For this reason they want something to keep it subtle and soft.

I really don`t know the product that everyone else uses, or that

the Rv store sells. I do know that for UV protection, I would

suggest 303 aerospace.


Has anyone had success with this? I am looking at buying a large

bulk container of it, and wonder how well it works for these roofs.


Generally, whatever the other guys put on the roof, they charged

20 or 25 bucks for it. I could see a roof using quite a bit of product.


Does anyone have any products that work wonders of Rvs?

Tools

----------


This is the area that I need most help with.

Right now my tools are sub par, and I don`t know where to look.


Do you know if any great company for wands and brushes

for large areas such as mobile homes?


I purchased two of those neoprene hoses, 50 feet each, because

they have that soft fabric outer lining and I thought that would

limit dragging damage to the Rv. What I don`t like about these

hoses is the plastic fittings which feel like they will break.

I am worried they will be stepped on and shattered.


Any suggestions for time savers is helpful.

You want to do some more research! Your pricing is WAY TO LOW!!

You are free to your opinion, although for the time and method

that I use, I make over 30 an hour personally. For me, this is great.


What do you charge, and how often do you expect someone to have service

redone in a short period? I feel that I can earn well, with a structure that

promotes monthly service.


If you are talking about my polishing pricing, yes 12 is a single

quick step with no Decon. My good polish rate would be closer to 25 a foot.

Things that make my Rv work easier :

303 Aerospace Protectant.

Optimum Hyper Compound

Rupes 21

MTM Foam lance.

Optimum No Rinse

Optimum Power Clean

Any good citrus based shampoo

High quality creme caranuba