Detailing Side Business - $20 Hour to Much to Charge?

S

SR77

New member
I am planning on doing some detailing on weekends as a second job for extra cash this summer. I have done my car many times and other family members cars before, but never have really done detailing as a job for customers. My plan was to do detailing out of my garage and making up a list of services on a flyer to pass around that the customer can pick from and choose what they want done to their vehicle. I was gonna charge $20 an hour and total cost of each detail would depend on what services the customer wants done to determine the amount of time it will take. I will be using my PC with mainly Meguiars products. So my main question is, for someone that does not have a great deal of experience of detailing as a job, would $20 hr. be too high or is that a good price? I don't want to lose customers by asking to much or not get anyone to begin with.



Any other helpful infomation for someone starting a side business detailing? thanks for all the help
 
Where do you live? I have begun to think that detailing is only profitable in southern cities and what not. No one in ohio wants to pay for detailing jobs if the weathers always crappy.
 
When I was in college, my roommate and I started a snow removal business (commercial buildings and residential) and we would quote jobs one of two ways...hourly or by the job. We would quote hourly if we weren't sure how long it would take, but then we would put a cap on it....for example, we would say $20 an hour, but if it takes us 4 hours, we will only charge for 3 (the whole time we knew it was only going to take 3 hours at the most).

When I first read your post I was thinking $20 hour seems kinda cheap, but a full detail can easily take 5 hours or more, so it seems like you are on track.
 
I agree with Mr. DeSteno here, $100 for a full detail I think is fair, as long as your comfortable charging that amount and you think your quality work is worth that amount, go for it. I am sure plenty of people will jump on $100 for a full detail.
 
WOW! Mr. De Steno!?!? I like it! Usually when I hear someone say that, I think they are talking to or about my dad! ha!



SR77, Have you checked with local detail shops to see what they charge?
 
Many folks like a flat rate for a routine detail (as compared to a 10-40 hour restoration). I would continue detailing for fun the next few times, but this time while watching the clock. From start to finish, imagine that the car you are working on is a client's car that you will not see again for a while. This should give you an idea of the rate you can charge assuming you wish to make an average of $20-$25 per hour.
 
thanks for the replys. I will have to call around to some local shops to see how much they charge. I just wanted to here from some people on here what they charge, seems to be a good amount of people on here that do it as a job or 2nd job. I figured it would be better to charge by the hour cause it is easier not to get screwed by a job that takes longer then planned. Plus I was planing on making a flyer ad that listed all my services and the customer can then choose what services they want done on the car and then i can tell them an estimated time on how long it should take for those servies after i look at the car and about how much it will cost. Just seems easiler hourly rather then by the job, but thats why I posted this, to here people opnions on here that already detail for money. Thanks for the help and would love to here more tips on starting a side detailing business.
 
I charge 150 for a full detail here and I'm way low. Low to the point where I think it may drive customers away, I'm going to raise it to at least $75. It all depends on your market, call some local mobile detailing companies and see what they charge and charge the same amount.
 
The local shop here charges $125 for wash/wax/ engine steam clean, dress/ carpet,seat shampoo. and all the work is at best mediocure. They would not touch my car .. its an owner and a bunch of $8 hour kids. Its like an assembly line and to the 3 times a year washer the cars look good sitting after they are done.



One of the owners has a 69 R/T charger that he takes to car shows and its embarassing .. looks like it was washed with a barn broom.



$20 an hour for a quality job is prolly right on. It is hard work.
 
newagain said:
ANY ONE IN THE DETAILING BUSINESS THERE GOLD IS TO MAKE AT LEAST $30.00 TO $40.00 AN HOUR
Click to expand...



First you have to get a grasp of the english langage though.



Just kidding. :)
 
Reminds me of emails I get with "Re: Your Mort!%gage REFInance" or "IT was Go0d to me8t you" in the subject line.



newagain said:
ANY ONE IN THE DETAILING BUSINESS THERE GOLD IS TO MAKE AT LEAST $30.00 TO $40.00 AN HOUR
Click to expand...
 
thinksnow, good advice.



Material costs, over head cost + $20-25 ph = profit (hopefully)



See article DavidB Better Car Care on starting a detailing business.
 
SR77, I'm about to move this thread to Pro Detailing. Just a word to all newbies and wanna-be-detailers: When you're a pro and want input from other Pro Detailers, it goes in the Pro Detailers forum. Ditto for folks who want to break into detailing for profit: those questions should go in Pro Detailers.



And TOGWT had a good point in recommending that folks read DavidB's "Detailing for Profit" article. It should be required reading for folks thinking about breaking into the business side of this compulsion. :up
 
i am 18, in the same area as GoodnClean. I charge 150 for a basic full detail excluding engine. I know 75/75 is a little under on the extrerior, but i make it up on the interior. All cars come out siwrl free, polished to gleam and the interior looks brand new.



I do this becasue i like it. The cars i do are not the run of the mill caravan, tarus ect... They are cars like cobras, camaros, vettes grand nationals, s2000 ect.... All are very well taken care of, yet daily driven. The customers are true car enthusiasts, and for that reason they care for their cars and respect their cars.



I don't give a rats *** what other people charge. i charge by how much i feel my customer's limit is, and how much i feel okay with charging. Obviously i am doing well with this. I have 9 bookings, with 4 cars yet to be bid on.



In a nutshell, charge what you feel is okay. I pull 300 per weekend from this, and make another 200 at ym job after school during the week. I am happy with it.



btw.. I did not start out doing these cars. Last year i did caravans and stuff. When i started entering carshows with my car, going up against Shelby Cobras, and garaged GT500's and winning in a mustang which gets 40k per year, people started to recognize my work. They gave me credit and wanted me to do theris for shows also.
 
If you want to cover the costs of materials, your labor and any taxes due, you need to make at least $30 an hour.
 
I think your earning should be commensurable with your skill level. I've done plenty "freebies" before I ever charged a penny. I looked at it like I was doing an apprenticeship. Just because you run out and buy a PC and some detailing supplies doesn’t automatically qualify one as a “professional�.



I still don't feel comfortable charging what some other full time detailers here earn and deserve. I'm not on the same skill level, but I'm a lot better than I was last year at this time.
 
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