Got a job coming up on wednesday

[tigersharkdude]

So on wednesday I am gonna be cleaning my sunday school teachers Dodge Ram quad cab. He wants
Wash, 3 step wax, paint resto, headlights restored, chrome polished, windows cleaned, wheels cleaned and tireshine, as well as inside detail. No under hood
I refuse to clay bar someone elses car. I will be using a 10" buffer and a powerball. What should I charge? I dont want to charge to much since it is my sunday school teacher

[Bounty]

Re: Got a job coming up on wednesday

So on wednesday I am gonna be cleaning my sunday school teachers Dodge Ram quad cab. He wants
Wash, 3 step wax, paint resto, headlights restored, chrome polished, windows cleaned, wheels cleaned and tireshine, as well as inside detail. No under hood
I refuse to clay bar someone elses car. I will be using a 10" buffer and a powerball. What should I charge? I dont want to charge to much since it is my sunday school teacher

So I get a better understanding of your service what do the "3-step wax" and "paint resto" steps consist of?

[tigersharkdude]

Re: Got a job coming up on wednesday

3 step wax-paint cleaner, polish and nxt gen wax
paint resto-ulimate compound

all done with orbital buffer

[Bounty]

Re: Got a job coming up on wednesday

3 step wax-paint cleaner, polish and nxt gen wax
paint resto-ulimate compound

all done with orbital buffer

Have you performed a test area on this truck? Do you know if the Ultimate Compound will remove the defects? Or that it will finish out correctly? Just don't want you to get in over your head on something and then not be able to get out...

When you say "orbital buffer" are you referring to something purchased at a hardware store, auto parts store, or WalMart or a polisher like a G110 or PC7424?

To give you a rough estimate I would charge $105 for the wash/clay/wax, $35 for a basic interior (vacuum/wipedown), $70 for headlight restoration, and either $35 per hour for paint correction work or $250 per pass. So that would be a minimum of $460 to get me out there...

[fe91]

Re: Got a job coming up on wednesday

So
why exactly dont you want to clay bar his car?

[VonLego]

Re: Got a job coming up on wednesday

To get a professional out there it will sure cost a lot, no doubt. Keep in mind this is a young guy taking care of his sunday school's teacher with an orbital buffer and no clay bar.

[tigersharkdude]

Re: Got a job coming up on wednesday

I got a clay bar, I just hate clay baring. It takes forever, plus its hot here right now. I will do it in the fall and winter. Just not summer

[tigersharkdude]

Re: Got a job coming up on wednesday

Also I have 2 buffers I got from wally world, a 6 inch and a 10 inch.

[Bounty]

Re: Got a job coming up on wednesday

To get a professional out there it will sure cost a lot, no doubt. Keep in mind this is a young guy taking care of his sunday school's teacher with an orbital buffer and no clay bar.

Exactly. I cannot tell him what to charge. The amount of discount, if any, directly relates to the relationship he has with this individual, amount of work, his overall financial situation, etc. All I can do is show him what it would take for his client to hire me and he can adjust from there.

In addition, being that I just noticed this is a Quad-Cab truck he definitely needs to take into consideration that most pro's would upcharge this detail due to the size of the vehicle (as would I).

[tigersharkdude]

Re: Got a job coming up on wednesday

Since I know him really well, and he will help me a little(where he can) I am thinking $120. Also I am not gonna charge pro prices, since I cant do pro work.

[Bounty]

Re: Got a job coming up on wednesday

Since I know him really well, and he will help me a little(where he can) I am thinking $120. Also I am not gonna charge pro prices, since I cant do pro work.

Since you're going to be seriously underpaid on this job here's some areas you can save time on:

1. Dump the paint cleaning step since you'll be using Ultimate Compound anyway. You're not going to clay the truck either way so the chemical-based cleaners in DC-1 won't do anything the UC won't. Waste of time and product.

2. When you're doing things like letting the wax dry use that time to pick up, get organized, perform other finishing touches, etc.

3. Do steps like the UC and the headlights together so you're not cleaning up polishing residue or tape marks at a later stage.

[Calais]

Re: Got a job coming up on wednesday

Personally, I wouldn't wax or compound without claying first. If a customer requested a wax without claying first I would probably refuse and urge them to pay for the clay job.

[cw981126]

Re: Got a job coming up on wednesday

Calais,

I can not agree more with that statement. Waxing a car that has not been clayed is such a pain (assuming it has contaminates). That seems like it would be 15 hours of work for a truck that size. I would probably say 375-400.

[Still Learnin]

Re: Got a job coming up on wednesday

be sure to post some pictures.... good luck! big trucks are killer!

[Calais]

Re: Got a job coming up on wednesday

Next week, hopefully, I am going to be detailing my boss' truck. It's a Ford Explorer, so its going to take a lot of time and effort but I am actually really looking forward to it. His whole car is pretty hammered, he needs some of his interior re-upholstered, swirls and RIDS galore, medium oxidation, filthy tires and dry trim. His only request was "make it shiny", so I decided on the following regimen: Wash w/GC, clay w/either mild clay or smooth surface kit, polish w/M80, wax with Cleaner Wax, vacuum with my home vacuum and wipe down the interior with QID. Bleche-Wite and Hyperdressing for the tires. Hyperdressing on the trim. I'm charging $175, I think he is going to be really happy with the results.