few questions before starting

M

mynavi

New member
Lately i've been thinking about doing a little mobile detailing on the side. I'm only 19 and a full time student so I'm only looking to make a few extra dollars on the weekends. I had a few questions about prices. This is what I plan on offering. First price for cars and second for suvs.
1) basic wash- wash, dry, vacuum, interior wipe down. $25 $30
2) exterior detail- wash, clay, wax, vacuum, interior wipe down $60 $70
3) interior detail- wash, dry, lexol, etc... $60 $70
4) full detail- exterior detail plus interior detail $110 $125

I also want to try to get regular customers and suggest starting off with a full detail at first and a basic wash every week/every other week leading to another exterior detail after a few months. I was thinking that this option could be a monthly plan where they end up saving a few bucks in the long run.
Sorry if the post was rather long. But it was the only way I could explain it. I also plan on making some cards and want a catchy phrase to put on there. Such as "cleans cars ride good," But better.
 
This article might help you out a bit. Are you going to be detailing on site at homes, or are you looking more to working in a parking lot? I've done both. Actually, when I started I worked out an arrangement with the owner of a nearby coin-op car wash by my work. He would let me bucket wash in empty bays as long as it wasn't too busy. Usually he had at least one bay that needed repair, so I always had a shady place to wash cars.

I've tried the monthly plan thing too. It doesn't work. Unless you have an established place of business that they know will be there when they come back to get the car done again, then those prepaid monthly things don't work out. It's not that it isn't a good idea, it is just that you can't sell that kind of thing when they know you are just temporary.

Anyway, hopefully you'll get some good ideas from the article that will get the creative juices flowing and you'll come up with some good marketing stratagies. Definitely spend some time reading the threads here too. Lots of good info on Detail City. They don't call it a City for nothin, ya know. Welcome to the best place on the web. :dcrules
 
Hey, mynavi! First and foremost Welcome to Detail City :D

I am in a very similar situation to yours, 20 years old, full time college student with a "real" part time job, and detailing on weekends, and the occasional wash or wash/wax during the week if I have time. For me, I find that making a "regular customer" out of someone isn't really under YOUR control so much, because the best you can do is give them your best work. If they're of the right mindset, they'll appreciate the level of service they're getting, and keep comming back for more. Past that, all you can do is "suggest" things to them.

In terms of savings, Just tell them that your prices are a "base" price, and that the better they maintain their cars with you (washes, coats of wax, etc.) the less you're going to deviate from those prices. I wouldn't recommend charging a "static" price to any and every customer that comes in. If you think about it, a ford ranger that stays on-road 100% of the time should NOT be paying you the same as an F350 that gets splattered with mud on a construction site. You aren't doing yourself any favors to do it that way, for obvious reasons.

Here's the website I have set up for myself, particularly take note of the "services" page (my price list). I don't know how much experience you have, what equipment you're using, or anything of that sort, but I would have to say that you're low-balling yourself on the base prices, too.

http://hahn-on-the.net/autocare/

If you have any questions, comments, or need assistance with anything, feel free to post back, PM, or email me if I can help. Hopefully this gives you at least a sketchy idea of the direction you may want to go with this. ;)
 
Welcome mynavi. My only advice would be this:
1. Since you are p/t, pick what you can do, and do it really really well. Don't spend $42000 on a truck, $11000 on a trailer, $4000 on decals, $1500 on an extractor, $500 on a machine, pads, and products, etc., if you are doing this 4-5 hours/week. Start simple, turn down work or refer it for a fee.
2. Do it really really well.
 
PEI Detail said:
Welcome mynavi. My only advice would be this:
1. Since you are p/t, pick what you can do, and do it really really well. Don't spend $42000 on a truck, $11000 on a trailer, $4000 on decals, $1500 on an extractor, $500 on a machine, pads, and products, etc., if you are doing this 4-5 hours/week. Start simple, turn down work or refer it for a fee.
2. Do it really really well.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with that, as well. You don't have to have ALL of the top-end equipment to start doing work. However, as you get "up and running" you'll want to set aside some of the money you earn to go toward obtaining equipment, products, etc. so that you not only have the stuff for your own vehicle(s), you can do an ever improving job for your customers. It has taken me a few years to get to the point I'm now at (with a PC, rotary, tons of products/pads/MFs) and I'm still growing (I don't yet have an extractor). Don't expect to start out on a grandeur level; just be sure to do what you do to the best of your ability. Know that you WILL have some shortcommings since you don't have all of the best equipment/supplies, or the experience yet. Your goal simply should be to improve, and eliminate as many of those shortcommings as you can.
 
The plan was to detail at the customer's site. I already have plenty of products since I like to keep my car clean and don't plan on buying anything other than products as I need them. Starting out, I don't plan on using a PC but I plan on getting one soon, so everything is done by hand. I just figured that since I enjoy detailing, I could try to get a little extra cash by doing it.
 
mynavi said:
The plan was to detail at the customer's site. I already have plenty of products since I like to keep my car clean and don't plan on buying anything other than products as I need them. Starting out, I don't plan on using a PC but I plan on getting one soon, so everything is done by hand. I just figured that since I enjoy detailing, I could try to get a little extra cash by doing it.
Click to expand...

Mind if I ask, what product line(s) are you planning on using?
 
The only products that I have now would be whats left of my little collection. Meguiars soap and nxt wax. I also have some Meguiars gold class wax and mother's wax, but nxt is my favorite. Stoners glass cleaner and lexol cleaner and conditioner. I don't have any polishes yet as I've never used them. I also need to buy some more clay. Am I missing anything? Or are there some better products out there?
 
You really can't do much with polishes by hand. Those are products that you need a machine for. Unless you have worked with polishes by hand for a really long time then it isn't likely you have the shoulders built for generating the speed it takes to create the friction and heat needed to break down polishes. I would stick to offering basic wash/wax jobs and don't worry about things like oxidation removal or swirl removal until you get a PC.

I've got this more basic detailing guide with some good product suggestions that you can get over the counter. That might be helpful when looking for good products for the job. There are lots of ways to skin a cat in this business, but those are products that I have found to be very good and useful to have around.
 
Jngrbrdman has some good suggestions there, and is right about simplicity, which I mentioned above.
I find KAIO (Klasse AllInOne) is a good upgrade that can it done by hand. On dark cars, especially black, the difference is real with one application. These are late model cars with relatively good finishes. Some are saying Poorboy's Polish with Sealant, releasing this spring, replaces KAIO for them. I just got mine, so we'll see.
I find NXT Tech Wax tough to use. I like Meg's bottles for on site soap dispensing. They sit well in transit, are small enough to grab and use, but you aren't refilling all the time. I don't do a tonne of on site work.
For wax, I find Pinnacle Souveran the easiest to use, followed by PB's Nattys. In all the same dept next in line are PB's EX series and Mother's Cleaner Wax (liquids), but others feel the opposite. I love paste, myself, with oils in it. I charge $5 extra for Souveran and EX/EX-P and Tech Wax.
 
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