Your Thoughts on My Detailing Menu & Prices

[cmd]

Re: Your Thoughts on My Detailing Menu & Prices

im also new ive been doing this a couple of years now///keep it simple for the customer,dont overwelm them with options.most customers just want a clean nice looking car.only a select few are gonna care about swirls. i do an express and a complete 125 express cars only 175 complete cars only.225 trucks and suvs express, 275 complete.i live and detail in maine.people here think a detailer just puts pinstripping on cars.every car ive done here ranges from 1 -20 years old and have NEVER been detailed. there are locals doing wash and wax still useing armorall yagggh.there are only 5 professionals within 100 miles of me so i can charge what i like and i get it all day long.please keep it simple

[2slow4you]

Bump them prices up man!!!

[Junebug]

Re: Your Thoughts on My Detailing Menu & Prices

Well, here's my 2 cents. I detail cars as a side biz, just friends and friends of friends. I only do 1 a week, it's my Saturday job and I enjoy the work and the opportunity to make some cash as well as learn more about what works (product - technique - etc). I live in the south, have about 23 acres that I do what I damn well please on and if I decide to take a leak in my back yard I don't worry about neighbors much less the imperial federal guv-ment of tree huggers. My customers all understand and appreciate that I charge far less than those city boys and I have the same or better products that they use. No, I can't make a living at this, I'm just trying to earn some extra cash, and with only word of mouth advertising, I don't think the full time boys are losing sleep! BTW, I'm in my late 40's, worked my butt off from the time I was 12 on tobacco farms of my family - so hard work is not a problem. Now, my uncles have passed away, their farms sold and no kids work on farms anymore, the ones that are left are being worked by our "quest workers" from parts south of the border. BTW - they've takin over landscaping, you can't get a job cutting grass anymore - some Pedro will do it for half what you charge. Just wait til they discover car washing.........If I ever lost my day job, I'd go through the whole rule book and do this right, but for now f -it

[The Shine Shop]

Re: Your Thoughts on My Detailing Menu & Prices

we do things a little different than production shops. we charge for the day.
we make it look as close as we can to factory new for a set price. i used to say showroom new but you know how that is! to be upfront i charge 150 for a car and 185 for a "normal" truck and 200 for bigger trucks. for a show prep i start at 200. that is about the max this market will allow. i could do south of d.c. and get 350 to start! also, if you are not doing adds you may want to do a couple for free to get your name out ! i did that 6 years ago and it has turned into a seven day aweek business that i love! if you check the site for classes in md. you can see my shop. if you have any questions please call me.
good luck to you!!
mike at the shine shop

[Mayur]

Re: Your Thoughts on My Detailing Menu & Prices

What was the point of bringing back such an old thread. I posted this months ago...

Im new and never saw this thread before. I found it helpful.

[mshu7]

Re: Your Thoughts on My Detailing Menu & Prices

What was the point of bringing back such an old thread. I posted this months ago...

[Superior Shine]

Re: Your Thoughts on My Detailing Menu & Prices

Does anyone have any information on these containment mats? I did a google search and only found one. It didn't have a lot of information about them. How much do they cost? So then you have to **** up the water and take it with you? Then what do you do with the water?

Bud from Detail Plus sells them as well as Detail King and Rightlook.

You need to reclaim the water, filter it, then dump into the sewer system.

[BlueZero]

Re: Your Thoughts on My Detailing Menu & Prices

First off I'm not a pro detailer. I would love to be, but I don't think I know everything I need to know yet, and also I don't have the money to start a business the right way like the others have said. So for now I detail friends and family cars for free. I figure if they are happy and tell others, then someday I'll be ready to jump into a full business if I want to. I agree with the others, Do it right or don't do it at all. Sorry, not to be mean. Just my 2 cents.

Does anyone have any information on these containment mats? I did a google search and only found one. It didn't have a lot of information about them. How much do they cost? So then you have to **** up the water and take it with you? Then what do you do with the water?

Superior Shine quote... "The owner said that I can’t be 4 times better than everybody else. I told him we are actually 10 times better but I am only charging you 4 times as much!!"

I love that Joe! Good one!

[Superior Shine]

Re: Your Thoughts on My Detailing Menu & Prices

There is nothing I can do to help you if you take the position that you do not have to obey the laws because you cannot afford to do that.

No one will sign a disclaimer to cover you, should you damage their car. Why should they? There are plenty of shops that will do their cars that have garage owners insurance (that is what such a policy is called). As well, anyone in a business needs liability insurance, if you do not understand that you had better talk to an advisor to educate you on this sujbect.

People washing their cars at home is much different than someone washing cars for profit. Do not discount this factor. I can cost you dearly if you get caught.

Then there are the neighbors who will complain when you operate a business in a residential area.

My advise is that you should not go in business if you are not prepared to do it properly and according to the laws.

Bud Abraham

AWESOME ADVICE!


I lost a job to a guy that sounds like this guy. I quoted $450 to detail an older MBZ SL. I saw the car in person, pointed out defects, recommended correction, made readings with my film thickness gauge, etc...

The owner of the car was very impressed. He did say he had already called three other detailers to come over and look at the car when he called me.

A few days later I call the owner of the SL up and ask him if I had the job. He told me he was most impressed with me and my set up but I charged 4X what the other guys did. The other three detailers were all within $20 of each other charging $120-$140 for the detail. The owner said that I can’t be 4 times better than everybody else. I told him we are actually 10 times better but I am only charging you 4 times as much!!

He booked a detail with one of the guys the following day.

I asked if I could call back after the detail to see how things went.

Two days later I called back. The guy was remorseful and angry. The detailer destroyed his car. The paint was now burned through on the edges and deep buffer marks now covered the whole car.

The guy said, "Joe I should have listened to you!!"

He is going to have the car repair at his own cost because the "detailer" didn't have insurance.

When the car comes back I will detail it correctly.

[buda]

Re: Your Thoughts on My Detailing Menu & Prices

There is nothing I can do to help you if you take the position that you do not have to obey the laws because you cannot afford to do that.

No one will sign a disclaimer to cover you, should you damage their car. Why should they? There are plenty of shops that will do their cars that have garage owners insurance (that is what such a policy is called). As well, anyone in a business needs liability insurance, if you do not understand that you had better talk to an advisor to educate you on this sujbect.

People washing their cars at home is much different than someone washing cars for profit. Do not discount this factor. I can cost you dearly if you get caught.

Then there are the neighbors who will complain when you operate a business in a residential area.

My advise is that you should not go in business if you are not prepared to do it properly and according to the laws.

Bud Abraham

[Detaillab]

Re: Your Thoughts on My Detailing Menu & Prices

your prices are way to low

[mshu7]

Originally posted by buda
Are you going to have liability insurance?

What about a containment mat or system to contain the waste water? You know it is against the Federal Clean Water Act to discharge waste water on to the ground or into the storm drains?

If you do it at home your parents will be liable for your violations?

What training have you had to qualify you to do detail work?

Will you have a business license to do business in your town/city?

Regards
Bud Abraham
DETAIL PLUS SYSTEMS

First of all let me say that I'm not a kid. I'm 26 years old, married and own my own house .

I don't have liability insurance. What I had planned on doing is having a legal document that each customer would have to sign before and after I detail a car just basically covering my own butt. But to be honest, the people that will be my customers in the beginning will most likely be people I know. For now I'm not real worried about that aspect.

As far as the "Federal Clean Water Act", I'm not really worried about it. Right now I'm doing this in my own driveway. People that wash their own cars typically wash them in their driveways. I don't see any legal people coming after them.

As far as training is concerned, well I spend countless hours online learning from forums, websites and also dvd's. Plus, I have my own equipment that I use to detail my own cars quite a bit. I think I have a pretty good grasp on what I'm doing.

I don't have a business license but if I did start to get more than just people I know wanting me to detail their cars, then I would look into it.

I'm not looking to open up some huge business right away. This is just going to be a side job while I still work my full-time job. Nothing too fancy right now. Just something to create a little extra income. However, I want to look professional so that's why I've come up with the menu/pricing sheet.

[buda]

Are you going to have liability insurance?

What about a containment mat or system to contain the waste water? You know it is against the Federal Clean Water Act to discharge waste water on to the ground or into the storm drains?

If you do it at home your parents will be liable for your violations?

What training have you had to qualify you to do detail work?

Will you have a business license to do business in your town/city?

Regards
Bud Abraham
DETAIL PLUS SYSTEMS

[chazilla]

You have the right thinking cap on but you either need to remove a few things like on you 30 deal just make it basic wash clean the wheel area bugs and tar vac dash console windows that service takes about 30 to 35 minutes to perform on a fullsize suv given it hasn't been ages since its had a detail!

But play around you'll figure it out!

[mshu7]

Originally posted by TH0001
I really don't offer a basic wash for several reasons... One, its just not worth it to me, I don't find it exciting nor do I see people who would be intrested in dropping a car off for a wash...

However, I did have a contract with a company where I would wash like 6 to 12 cars in a day while they worked. I found this extremely boring and I would rather focus on the "detail" side then the "car wash" side. I am flexiable, however, so if a customer wanted just a basic wash, I might be willing to do something of this nature, but it would be a feel out proces and something that would be very limited...

I can understand why you dont' offer the basic wash. Maybe once I get to the level you're at, I'll do the same but I think it's important starting out, that I do whatever I can to create some exposure. Thanks for the input, as always!