2 weeks notice-going full time now.

todd@bsaw said:
Ivan, do you charge mileage both ways?
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Yes sir. Don't see why I wouldn't... cars these days don't roll back the odo when you drive in reverse haha



tssdetailing said:
the engine detail is only a $40 upcharge on the stage 3. The stage 2 does NOT include the interior.



the engine detail alone is $100, and i do a more thorough job for that singled out service such as lift up the car, get under the block, and K member, anything infront of the firewall really. I've had lot of gear heads who want their muscle car blinged up ask for that. As for Stage 3 it just depends on who wants to shell out the green for a serious detail.
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Don't get me wrong, I bet whatever you do is worth your asking price... just saying from a customer's point of view, it might not be worth it. To some it's more than worth it because they know exactly what goes into a good job.
 
Whether or not your prices are right, depends on the market you are in. What is the competition charging? Check out what other detail companies and car washes are charging for detailing services. A college professor I had said to charge "the high side of the middle." I think this is sound advice.
 
I am about to take the plunge as well...its going to be tough for me to do it, I wanted more clients lined up on a monthly plan, but with the last two months with over 20 cars+ each, I am fairly certain I should do it.



My input on your pricing and what have you...KISS



wash

wash/wax

one step

two step

full correction



add ons:

interior (full or protection)

engine



if you start doing add one like carpet shampooing, leather cleaning, plastic uv treatment, etc. you will end up doing the "extras" anyway because it "needs to be done to look right". Its either full interior (carpets, plastics, leather cleaned AND protected or a light interior (all surfaces protected, leather, plastics, vinyl, etc)



I for one kicked out the two step process. Its either full correction or a one step. if people are on a budget and dont want to spend $600+ then I will offer up the two step process, but I dont want to advertise 75% work. I have a HUGE problem doing a two step, and ALWAYS end up 3 stepping the car because "it needs it" Gets me into trouble more often than not, but the clients love it!



In the next few months, I plan to be doing some rather nice cars based on the clients I have now, and their friends to come. Not to mention the work I have lined up and what that should bring to the table! As for my prices, they will stay the same or go up a tad for the day rate, but they most certainly not go down!
 
once again some good info guys. This is helping more then just a couple people.



I'm looking to offer more low end services due to the fact that work is at like 0 because people just are not spending money here.
 
tssdetailing said:
lol, great if i'm confusing detailers i can only wonder how my customers feel! I kid, I kid! NO, it's a 2 step wash + clay. So I'll wash the car once, clay it, then wash it again, then wax. Most of the time, i luck on on interiors where only the floor mats are soiled-for that I have the brush attachement on the Flex. Anything else i use a spot treatment too.





Thanks for the good feedback so far guys! I was worried that I'd have to sacrifice
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I wish you all the luck in the world!!



"Brush attachment for the FLEX"? Do tell please?
 
Congrats man, what you are doing is inspirational to me. I think with the quality of work I've seen you do you probably will be fine. Calculated risks have a lot more chance of a big payoff versus a "leap of faith."





On a personal note:

I am hoping after I get insured (Next week the quotes should come in... THANK GOD!) I can advertise and hopefully get about 10 - 15 clients a month. That'd be sweet.



Then I can contemplate about going full time as well after I get more sophisticated equipment.
 
Just a quick update. I am so HAPPY I took the leap and did this. I'm busy as hell and can't seem to find a minute to breath. Having more time through the week to work on cars has yielded much better turn arounds as I don't feel the need to rush anything since I'm only doing 1 car/day instead of shoving 3/4/5 cars into a weekend. Some recent success stories are setting up an "Express detailing" day at a local Country Club on Saturdays through the summer and being invited to a couple of Ohio car events to act as the on-location detailer.
 
Hey Jaison glad everything is going so well for you. Reading this post really helped me out some too. Id like to get some more jobs and stay busy full time, just trying to work out the kinks as far as what to offer and what method to use when doing a job. Quick question...for your wash & wax...do you apply wax by machine always...and if you do...do you tape everything up for wax, or is that only when you compound?



Congrats again man...oh I checked out your site too, put together very well :)...hope to have one of my own soon!
 
Thank you very much!

Its been an incredible whirl wind. Job after job is pouring in, many are unique customers, some returning, others are referals. Just last week I went to Canton OH for 4 days and set up "shop" at the National solstice/sky event and performed express detailing for nearly 100 cars. That was amazing. I'm taking that game plan with me to local country clubs over the weekends too.



I wax with my hand. The machine wastes time. Constantly turning it on/off flipping it over and re-applying. You'll move faster with your hands. I used to remove wax with the machine but stopped doing that too-just felt like i could move faster with hands. I've been using Blackfire Wet Diamond as my sealant and that stuff is easy as hell to remove by hand and leaves the paint feeling like soft butter.



I do tape up all black trim before compounding.



Good luck and feel free to bug me anytime for help!
 
tssdetailing said:
Thank you very much!

Its been an incredible whirl wind. Job after job is pouring in, many are unique customers, some returning, others are referals. Just last week I went to Canton OH for 4 days and set up "shop" at the National solstice/sky event and performed express detailing for nearly 100 cars. That was amazing. I'm taking that game plan with me to local country clubs over the weekends too.



I wax with my hand. The machine wastes time. Constantly turning it on/off flipping it over and re-applying. You'll move faster with your hands. I used to remove wax with the machine but stopped doing that too-just felt like i could move faster with hands. I've been using Blackfire Wet Diamond as my sealant and that stuff is easy as hell to remove by hand and leaves the paint feeling like soft butter.



I do tape up all black trim before compounding.



Good luck and feel free to bug me anytime for help!
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Wow, i just typed out a whole reply and when i clicked post it...it erased it..thats nice. Let me try this again!



First off, ok, I will be bugging you lol.



Second...you seriously did over 100 cars over those 4 days? Wow thats crazy. How did you get a spot at an event like the solstice/sky event?

What did your 'express detailing' include, and what did you charge? Musta brought in a nice chunk of change from that, I think its a really good idea, something I might try, thou i think i need to be even MORE mobilve than i am now (as in my own water/electricity source).

What kinda generator are you using, how long does it run (do you have to fill it up a lot?).



Also i meant to ask, from reading your site, am i understanding this correctly, you clay on every job you do, even the wash and wax? What type of clay/lube do you use and about how many cars can 1 bar do?



Im glad you do it by hand...machine does seem to take longer, i just wasnt sure if doing it by machine offered a better job. I prefer doing it by hand, but on this last 5th wheel my sis and I did, the paint was SO oxidized we did it by DA....it came out nice but man what a a** buster. We have an RV tomorrow...but we're doing it by hand. The paint is in better shape and i dont think its a fiberglass exterior so...the wax should spread just as easy as it would on a car.



Like i said before i really like your site and want to get one of my own up. Who do you use to host yours? I'm no website guru so i kinda need the 'click and drag' type of set up, so do you have any suggestions of someone who is a good site host, cheap but offers quality and EASY set up?



Thanks again man and keep the business rollin in!
 
Oh also, I've never used Blackfire Wet Diamond, who makes it? Only sealant ive used is Megs #20 Poly Seal, i really liked it and was gonna try the upgraded version of it...the 2.0 #21, but im open to other options :). Do you always do a seal, or do you offer them the option of a wax or seal?
 
BLACKFIRE wet diamond



TSS, I too am curious as your setup. PM me if you would like, or post here. I am getting into the volume aspect of things here pretty quick
 
Jaison, I would go through and spell check your site. One is the word "whipe" on your 'services' page (unless you're Stewie Griffin w-hiping Cool W-hip off the dash :lol). There was another mistake on the same page but can no longer find it. Although you're more worried about prices, as your question stated, grammar is crucial to a lot of customers and we all know you're someone who notices details. Good prices and great website though.
 
I always Seal unless they say "i want a true paste wax" then I pull out the dodo juice. Sealant lasts longer anyway so it's better for them.



I got on board the solstice/sky event by invitation. My sister company, third_shift|studios custom car emblems produced some rad "last of the brand" emblems for the solstice, so the organizers invited me to sell them there. I told them about the detailing i could do on the spot and they said "go for it." I was shocked at the outcome of requests b/c I figured car enthusiasts wouldn't want someone else washing their car. But it went great. I offered wash: $20, wax: $10, interior vac/glass for $10. So for $40 they could have a car lookign good after doing the autoX or rallyX events. Maybe it was more like 70 cars, but i know I did a lot of them.



On my trailer is a 90 gal water tank, a 2500psi Karcher pressure washer with Briggs+Straton motor and a Briggs+straton 3500w generator. Neither goes through gas that fast, I don't use the generator all the time. When i'm at a house, i plug into their outlets. When i'm at a location where I need it, i just start/stop it when necessary.



You can get a web designer from Guru.com or craigslist. figure to spend maybe $1000-$2500 for a site.
 
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