What is everyone charging for a basic detail?

Tuck91

Tuck91

New member
By basic detail, I mean wash, clay, AIO cleaner wax, interior detailed, tires, trim and wheelwells cleaned and dressed, glass cleaned etc.



small car?

midsize car?

SUV?

Truck?



For a smaller car I think starting at $150 for 5-6 hours of work is at least "good". Maybe I am wrong though.
 
Starts at $150 for small cars, usually 4-4.5 hours. Wash, clay, 1 DA polishing step, Opti-Seal, interior detail and protection. Full sized SUVs would start at $250 and typically take about 6.5 hours. Obviouisly, this isn't going to be enough for someone wanting swirl removal, but for a daily driver whose owner is more concerned with having a clean and protected vehicle, it is a good deal. Your hourly rate is a bit less than correction details but the work is easier. 2 basic car details a day is still $300 a day. Sure wasn't making that as a restaurant manager...
 
Scottwax said:
Starts at $150 for small cars, usually 4-4.5 hours. Wash, clay, 1 DA polishing step, Opti-Seal, interior detail and protection. Full sized SUVs would start at $250 and typically take about 6.5 hours. Obviouisly, this isn't going to be enough for someone wanting swirl removal, but for a daily driver whose owner is more concerned with having a clean and protected vehicle, it is a good deal. Your hourly rate is a bit less than correction details but the work is easier. 2 basic car details a day is still $300 a day. Sure wasn't making that as a restaurant manager...
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Thanks Scott,



Glad to know my prices are not too low. I do this on the side and am not really a "correction" type detailer.



I actually kind of like just doing daily drivers. Just a good washing, claying, and applying Meguiars M66 Cleaner Wax or Klasse AIO with my PC makes daily drivers look way better. Keeps things simple as well.





Do you usually do a couple basic details a day? Thats some pretty good money.
 
My prices around Scott's.



Shutter, add the Opti-seal in there for the added protection and 5 minutes.
 
Im about 240 for a onestep with wax and full interior. Try pming Sully Ill bet he has some advice to offer on this for ya! :xyxthumbs
 
salty said:
My prices around Scott's.



Shutter, add the Opti-seal in there for the added protection and 5 minutes.
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Yeah, I was thinking about topping my choice of cleaner wax with something really simple and easy to use. If I have time I use the Ultimate Quik Spray Wax from Meguiars, but at $10 a bottle I think its too pricey.



I will have to try the Opti Seal though.



Barry Theal said:
Im about 240 for a onestep with wax and full interior. Try pming Sully Ill bet he has some advice to offer on this for ya! :xyxthumbs
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His advice would be to buy a bunch of overpriced garbage from AG that will last two details and then suggest I post a how to video of how to clean my *** hole with DP Wheel Cleaner.



A 32oz bottle of DP Wheel Cleaner for $17!?! I only do this on the side and that would only last me a week.



A gallon of Purple Power at 4:1 will last at least three months at least and it will only cost me $5 at Home Depot. Maybe even a gallon of Meguiars APC at $13 would be okay as well.
 
Oh sorry basic detail starting @



compact cars $120

sedan $170

SUV $220



That's if they are in good shape, i charge extra for trouble areas.
 
Check to see what your direct competition is charging. It is more relevant than what others are charging hundreds of miles away in completely different markets. What people will pay you in your market depends on the demographics in your area, as well as your reputation. It is also not easy to find people who are willing to spend $150 and up to have their car detailed.
 
Huh, I find the pricing interesting. Just never had a clue what such stuff costs when done by good people.



FWIW, the local carwash's "hand wash/wax inside/out details" are about $75 IIRC (that's off their sign), and I shudder to think about the kind of work they do.
 
charging 150 for a car. wash, clay, one step polish, wax

, clean wheels and wells, vac inside and clean glass. 4 to 6 hours.Hey Barry i am going to order that steamer this week if your open one day ill take a drive out and we can play with it some.
 
I would do a small car for $150 for a 1 step, wax and tire and wheel dressing. More if it were real bad.



Someone here wanted me to do an extended cab truck AND drive 40 miles one way to him for $100. Yeah right...
 
I have also found that motorcycle owners think they should only pay $40-$50 to have their bike washed and waxed.



I only washed/clayed/polished/waxed twelve bikes in the year of 2009 and I always charged $100-$120. Plus I always polished every piece of chrome to absolute perfection.



Just because the bike is small does not mean anything, those little crevices can be really time consuming.
 
I typically quote per car. But I usually end up in the $150-200 range for wash/clay/1step/wax. And that is no interior, just a vacuum and windows if that really counts.
 
I agree with the comment that you need to find what your local competition is charging. Markets vary. No way I could get $200 for a detail in NE Ohio. Around $125 is the typical price in this area for a mid-size.
 
I charge around 200 but I include a full extraction.



Cyclo with provided pads. Polish, carnuba wax and a handshake.



I think I might start offering my extractor as a side option and charge around 150 for exterior detail with a bit more attention and some opti-seal :-). Navigator, 250.
 
Accumulator said:
Huh, I find the pricing interesting. Just never had a clue what such stuff costs when done by good people.



FWIW, the local carwash's "hand wash/wax inside/out details" are about $75 IIRC (that's off their sign), and I shudder to think about the kind of work they do.
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i usually start at $225 for small cars but do not include any machine work. wash, clay, wax, complete interior and everything dressed. if the vehicle is in bad shape price goes up. unless i get a group buy, then i give a decent price break but it has to be more than 4 cars.



this is what happens when you go to a local car wash or have a body shop do it around here. this is the car i was working on today, my customer actually paid for this!!!

f6f6adb6.jpg
 
BumbleBeeGTO said:
I would do a small car for $150 for a 1 step, wax and tire and wheel dressing. More if it were real bad.



Someone here wanted me to do an extended cab truck AND drive 40 miles one way to him for $100. Yeah right...
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I had a person wanted me to do two cars for a 100 was like sorry but no thanks
 
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