Pricing

K

Kenney

New member
I am having a hard time figuring out what to charge people to detail their car. Currently, just have one customer (my neighbor and have not started yet) but I am planning to have more. These are the services I am offering…



Exterior



Wash exterior of car and other places (door jams and what not)

Get rid of tree sap, tar, road grime.

Clay

Get rid of swirls and scratches (using an orbital, #9, and 3m rubbing compound)

Apply Klasse AIO (at least once) (Orbital)

Apply Klasse SG ( At least twice) (Hand)

Finish with p21s wax (Hand)



Clean windows and apply Rain-X

Clean and polish headlights



Clean Wheels

Apply SG to wheels



Clean tires and apply dressing



Interior



Clean mats and get rid of stains

Apply vinyl protectant

Vacuum

Dust



As you can see I am lost here. Should I do an individual charge for each thing or make packages?



Any other suggestions are welcomed.





Thanks!
 
Kenny ,





You have a very nice package planned there. First you need to figure out how long it will take to complete this package on a typical car. From there figure about $35-$40hr for the work. I found that having three packages as worked the best for me they are as follows:



1. Complete Detail with carnuaba wax finish $160.00

2. Complete Detail with paint sealant finish $215.00

3. Complete Detail with paint sealant topped w/carnuaba $325.00



In a complete detail I am including everything , except the window treatment which I use Auqa Pel for. I charge $25.00 for this , but I include it to my customers who buy the annual package. I also do not include fabric protectant , which I do the same thing as with the window treatment.



It takes me about 4hrs for the first package , 6hrs for the second and atleast 8hrs for the third. Some times I can do them quicker , other times it takes longer , it averages out.
 
It's impossible to answer that question for you.



First, research your area and see what other mobile detailers and shop detailers are charging.



Second, are you going mobile or planning to open a shop?



Be competitive with what the market is asking for in your area but don't undercut yourself so much that you end up spending hours and making a measily profit.



If you're doing it the side kind of basis, what are your goals for profit? i.e. 300 bucks a month for toys, vacation fund, etc.



If you're not happy with the pricing in your area (too low), then prehaps you're going to have to setup a business model such that you attract "Well off to rich" clients and work solely on High End vehicles.



Setting up a business takes courage, research, imagination, hard work and great people skills and most important - quality of the finished product.



Sounds like you have a lot of homework ahead of ya :xyxthumbs
 
detailbarn said:
Kenny ,





You have a very nice package planned there. First you need to figure out how long it will take to complete this package on a typical car. From there figure about $35-$40hr for the work. I found that having three packages as worked the best for me they are as follows:



1. Complete Detail with carnuaba wax finish $160.00

2. Complete Detail with paint sealant finish $215.00

3. Complete Detail with paint sealant topped w/carnuaba $325.00



In a complete detail I am including everything , except the window treatment which I use Auqa Pel for. I charge $25.00 for this , but I include it to my customers who buy the annual package. I also do not include fabric protectant , which I do the same thing as with the window treatment.



It takes me about 4hrs for the first package , 6hrs for the second and atleast 8hrs for the third. Some times I can do them quicker , other times it takes longer , it averages out.
Click to expand...



Just curious, why does it take two hours longer to apply the sealant:nixweiss
 
Draw up 4-6 packages and make an "a-la-carte" list. The key is to keep it as simple as possible!
 
stanger99 ,sorry badly phrased.



It doesn't really take two hours to apply the sealant , I allow for cure time and I also do alittle more to the car at that level. More or less it's a scale I use to figure the charge out. I am also picking most of my cars up so the little extra covers travel time. Does that clear up the confusion?
 
Kenney said:
I am having a hard time figuring out what to charge people to detail their car. Currently, just have one customer (my neighbor and have not started yet) but I am planning to have more. These are the services I am offering…



Exterior



Wash exterior of car and other places (door jams and what not)

Get rid of tree sap, tar, road grime.

Clay

Get rid of swirls and scratches (using an orbital, #9, and 3m rubbing compound)

Apply Klasse AIO (at least once) (Orbital)

Apply Klasse SG ( At least twice) (Hand)

Finish with p21s wax (Hand)



Clean windows and apply Rain-X

Clean and polish headlights



Clean Wheels

Apply SG to wheels



Clean tires and apply dressing



Interior



Clean mats and get rid of stains

Apply vinyl protectant

Vacuum

Dust



As you can see I am lost here. Should I do an individual charge for each thing or make packages?



Any other suggestions are welcomed.





Thanks!
Click to expand...



What kind of professional experience do you have? Have you ever received any training or researched how to properly detail a car? Secondly, how much do you need to charge per hour to cover your expenses (product cost. electricity, your labour etc..)?

Carefully weigh these questions and see if you can come up with a price that is appropriate. If you are new to the biz and just learning I would start with charging enough to cover your costs plus a little something for your time (as people are basically allowing you to learn on their vehicles). As your skill and experince grow, adjust your prices to reflect the change in your level of expertise. Good Luck!
 
detailbarn said:
I also do alittle more to the car at that level. More or less it's a scale I use to figure the charge out.

Does that clear up the confusion?
Click to expand...



It makes perfect sense now, thanks:xyxthumbs
 
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