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Thread: $$$$$$

  1. #1

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    Question.

    What do you guys try to make per hour when detailing a car??

    Trying to determine the best way to come up with the ideal way to charge a customer.

    I usually try and make $20 hr. but not sure if that is enough.



    I just finished a BMW 550i...came out great. This was a complete job, inside and out and the car looks new again.



    I will have about 9 hours in the car and trying to come up with a fair charge for the work.



    Any input would be great.

  2. #2

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    Can you list the steps you did in the 9 hours?
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  3. #3
    AMG Classic Car Detailing Old Pirate's Avatar
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    $45.00 per hour..........:thx
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  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by gmblack3a
    Can you list the steps you did in the 9 hours?


    Here are the steps that I did for this car:

    Hand wash

    Clean Wheels & tires

    Clay

    Wash again and dry.

    Meg 205 with PC

    Wipe paint down after completed polishing with water/Alcohol mix

    3 Coats of Zaino Z5 & ZFX

    Dress tires and hand polish/wax wheels.



    Vaccuum interior

    Vaccuum truck

    Clean carpet and mats

    Clean leather seats

    Condition leather seats

    Windows inside and out



    All door jams cleaned and waxed as well.



    The exterior took about 6 1/2 hrs and the rest was the interior and final inspection.

  5. #5

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    I`m very curious about this as well.

    I`m considering trying to ****t doing this on the side (for now, hopefully to move to full time).



    If the OP doen`t mind me piggy backing his question with:

    Do any of you guys feel the economy has impacted your business?

  6. #6

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    A couple things you need to consider:



    Are you doing this as your main means of income?



    What is your time worth?



    Are the results worth the money? Perceived value?





    If you`re doing this for a living then you won`t be making enough at $20 per hour....



    I try to make no less then $60 per hour, but you`ve got enough experience to charge that with no complaints and leave your clients happy believing what they paid was well worth the money. For paint correction and polishing I charge more though.



    It`s really all up to you.



    Josh
    Perfection Is In The Details



    Rated one of the Top Nine Auto Detailers in the US by AutoWeek Magazine! :buffing:

  7. #7

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    sounds like you did a pretty decent amount of work. It`s also hard to determine a price for you since all areas are different but i`m guessing that was at least a $230+ job because of the quality of work and products used. You did paint correction already even though it might have been a 1 step and you also did interior work as well

  8. #8

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    I don`t have a business in this field but if you do it for $20/hr raw time your effectively making 8 bucks an hour once you subtract materials, taxes, insurance, equipment, and marketing.

    I`d advise anyone to incorporate themselves it gives many benefits along with liability protection. Self employed you get screwed on the AMT tax big time. As a corp you pay yourself a minimal salary and only that portion of your income is taxable for payroll, SS, etc while the remaining funds are taxed much lower. Plus as a business virtually everything you buy is a write off including travel. You simply have your corporate meeting with yourself wherever you go. You can also contribute 11,500 a year to a IRA as an S corp.



    Separate your services into levels working up to the big 9 hour job. Don`t undervalue yourself, people are suspicious of too good of a deal, and don`t be afraid to tell them how long each level takes you.

  9. #9

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    You need to at least double that to make a living detailing, triple it on either coast.
    www.scottwax.com

    Certified Opti-Coat Pro/Pro 3 installer

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by VWGTI
    Here are the steps that I did for this car:

    Hand wash

    Clean Wheels & tires

    Clay

    Wash again and dry.

    Meg 205 with PC

    Wipe paint down after completed polishing with water/Alcohol mix

    3 Coats of Zaino Z5 & ZFX

    Dress tires and hand polish/wax wheels.



    Vaccuum interior

    Vaccuum truck

    Clean carpet and mats

    Clean leather seats

    Condition leather seats

    Windows inside and out



    All door jams cleaned and waxed as well.



    The exterior took about 6 1/2 hrs and the rest was the interior and final inspection.


    Don`t take this personally, but I wouldn`t charge too much if you`re polishing a car using a PC. Someone who uses a rotary polisher, could charge more per hour and get better results in less time. In the end, they might be able to charge the customer less money for better results since it takes less time. It will be difficult to compete with that.



    John

  11. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnKleven
    Don`t take this personally, but I wouldn`t charge too much if you`re polishing a car using a PC. Someone who uses a rotary polisher, could charge more per hour and get better results in less time. In the end, they might be able to charge the customer less money for better results since it takes less time. It will be difficult to compete with that.



    John


    Good point, I make a bit less per hour for basic, 1 step DA polish details than I do for rotary corrections.



    In addition, I think your efforts in polishing will pay off more than layering LSPs.
    www.scottwax.com

    Certified Opti-Coat Pro/Pro 3 installer

  12. #12
    Forza Auto Salon David Fermani's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnKleven
    Don`t take this personally, but I wouldn`t charge too much if you`re polishing a car using a PC. Someone who uses a rotary polisher, could charge more per hour and get better results in less time. In the end, they might be able to charge the customer less money for better results since it takes less time. It will be difficult to compete with that.



    John


    I take it you`re not a supporter/believer in the many Pros that use a DA for correction?
    Metro Detroit`s leader in cleaning, preserving & perfecting fine automobiles!

  13. #13

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    Thanks for all the feedback...it will help for future jobs.

    Here is the a pic of the BMW.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  14. #14

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    When I see these "$40/min an hour" threads, I think about the click and brags that claim they put 18+ hours into paint correction. NO WAY is the owner of a Honda Accord paying $800 for paint polishing.



    I think the pay rate should be reflective of experience/value, just as it is in most professional service organizations. If you`re just starting out and not as efficient (or good!) as an experienced pro, you`re simply ripping people off if you`re trying to charge $40/hour. If you`ve been a pro for awhile and have the knowledge, skills and ability to bust *** and get the job done quickly without compromising quality, then $40 is reasonable.



    From the consumers` perspective, you have to make sure you`re not overvaluing yourself out of the market. Detailing is still a luxury item for most people, and I think 90% of your customers can`t tell the difference between Turtle Wax and Zaino. Accordingly, I would save the boutique products for those that actually care about that sort of thing.



    Just my $0.02 - I`m not a pro, but I watch this forum with interest because the concepts apply to most any professional services discussion.

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by David Fermani
    I take it you`re not a supporter/believer in the many Pros that use a DA for correction?


    Exactly... Don`t get me wrong, they have their place in the detailing world. If a professional detailer really wants to spend 20 hours with a D.A. in the hands for a few hundred bucks, then have at it. D.A.`s are for home users, and for some finishing work, but better and faster results can be achieved with a real polisher.



    John

 

 
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