Does this pricing sound fair enough

EZ Boy

EZ Boy

No Woolpad Butchers Here!
Been running my polish service for a few months now and have drawn the conclusion: Not enough $$ for the work and time.

The turf I operate in is working class at best with an aging population.

How does this pricing sound:

Wash
Dry
1 step Polish (PwC, PP, SSR2 etc)

$75.00

+ $25 Clay
+ $25 for EX or EXP
+ $50 for additional polish steps

Tired of working for free. Other competition charges from $60-$95 for the same service but not the same quality - but people just don't care. Bizare!

Appreciate the feedback.
 
i noticed your posting from austrailia. Let me be the first to welcome you. I am only a junior member whose learning to take care of my commuter car myself. I think it's due to the time difference- your posts showed up for me at 1 and 4 AM my time. Hang in there, these guys are great and reply well. My feeling is your new basic pricing list is fair for the customers you're targeting. If they're in average condition. However I suggest you keep a disclaimer that filthy disgusting old people cars are charged more. whatever rate you want per hour, always check their car before you agree the price.
My 2 cents as a young customer.
 
Are you doing on-site detailing?

$75 sounds a little high for just those 3 things. You could bang that stuff out in under 2 hours, but the market might bear that price there. What about interior jobs?

Never compare your prices with the other detailers over there. I never do here...I am priced higher than competitors because I feel my work/products used supercede my competition's. Once your name starts getting around, it's pretty easy from there. You will get referrals left and right.
 
I am not fond of your one step polish setup. If you use something like SSR2 as a one step you will leave no protection behind what so ever on the car. I woudl at least offer the PWC as the one step for sure. As for the price. Seems a tad high to me.
 
that's about 40.00US/75.00AUS for wash an wax AUS 1.00 = .52US. why I feel it's quite reasonable I assumed he's in AUS dollars.
 
You might benefit from dropping flyers and stuff telling what happens to cars that aren't properly protected.

I am probably a pretty smart consumer and even I didn't know that you do alot of damage to your car without PROPERLY maintaining/detailing it every now and then. Unless the folks you service all have crummy cars and don't care, my guess is most of them would be willing to spend $150 once a year -- or even a few bucks more -- to make their care look like new and protect it from the elements.

Again, though, most people think just washing their car every few months and maybe waxing it once a year is enough. You have to let them know what they're getting for their money. I'll bet that outside of people with expensive sports cars or passenger sedans (Jaguars, etc), that 97-99% of the public would think paying to have a car detailed is a waste or just something that folks with too much money to burn get. You have to emphasize that it's not just an optional beautician kinda thing that a woman goes to; it's important to do it at least once a year.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Similar to what you have listed, I call a "wash and wax." They start out at $59.95 (usd). It includes an interior vacuum (free interior assessment ;) ). If it needs clay bar I up it $10-20 -- add on an interior $20 & up. If it needs "polishing" (where I need to turn on the buffer) it goes up to a minimum of $149.95 (exterior only). If it needs polishing, and they opt out of having it done, I will show the customer exactly what the "wax only" will do and then let them make the choice. Many times it is a little harder to apply the wax over the IFO or upon a surface that needs polishing -- but they know what they will be getting. There are times as well when I will pass on a job if they are not willing to step up ($$) to what the vehicle needs.

Biggest issue I guess with pricing is what the market in your particular area will bear -- and that can vary -- what would cost $19.95 in Pochantas, Arkansas might fetch $45.95 in Beverly Hills.
 
denetc said:
that's about 40.00US/75.00AUS for wash an wax AUS 1.00 = .52US. why I feel it's quite reasonable I assumed he's in AUS dollars.
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The AUD/USD exchange rate is currently AUD $1.00 = USD $0.71
It's been a while since the AUD was at the 0.50 range, about two year ago, iirc.

EZ Boy: Whereabouts in Aus are you? I'd recommend you try and get a reputation working in the show scene - check out Autosalon, GLO, Final Battle, Drag Combat, etc... The show scene pays well, it's not uncommon for the big competitors to pay $300-$400 for a detail.
Or if you're in Sydney, just head to the Eastern Suburbs / North Shore - plenty of people willing to pay for details.
 
I dont know what your areas is like . im working from a shop that up the street about a mile is mega houses big bucks andtons of cash and nice high dollar cars. Down the road about a mile its working class that fades to less and less income as you get up into the 4 or 5 miles away from the shop. Im located next to a big shopping center 2 banks , and down the street form a university. william paterson university to be exact .

I CHARGE -
Cars - $120.00
thats full interior. Full exterior. 150 for swirls or major paint cont.

$160.00 for suv's
same process as car but it will cost you 180.00 for swirls and paint cont.

$180.00 for big pick ups, and suv's- $225.00 for swirls and paint cont.

$60.00 for wash and wax on a car.
$75.00 wash and wax on a truck/suv
$55.00 for interior on a car
$60 for a truck/suv
some people in the area say wow thats cheap! can you believe it. there was 1 other detailer in town who was 175 for all cars 230 for all trucks and even higher on some things. He went out of buisness . i wonder why. I have a steady flow of customers due to word of mouth. and a good fallowing.
I will be sad to loose them when i move to cali next thursday!
 
A big THANK YOU to everyone who's taken the time to reply :jump

The wash and one-step is simply because the average Aussie is pretty lazy and the car will see polish about every 3years. If the paint is ok and is attended to more regularly then PwC, PP, SSR1 at worst. If I have to soften scratches, bird burn, and shopping carpark accidents then SSR2 comes out for one step. Most cars need to be clayed or my pads REALLY suffer :ticked

The A$75 is about US$53 but still relative to income I imagine. The work takes typically 2.5-3hrs at the moment with a rotary. I do upsell quite a lot of EX and EXP packages.

Of course I have comprehensive interior packages and other oddball requests, the area I really wish to expand is the paint work.

My turf is Newcastle, NSW Australia, 1.5hrs north of Sydney. A lot of $$$ is the big smoke, less so in Newcastle. I own and operate a commercial carwash (1 x Auto, 4 x Self Serve) and operate the detailing out of this site. Passing traffic is 50,000 per week plenty of exposure. I can easy ramp up the advertising.

So does the pricing as I've explained seem OK or steep. How can I lower the job time without reducing quality? I use a rotary with Edge 2000 white (it's been sent on evaluation basis). I'm not comfortable with a compounding or polising pad just yet after seeing the mess other detailers do to cars - horrible buff marks :bigscream

The Saab below was clayed, SSR2 and EX. Not a perfect regiment by many DC detailers standards but I have a lot of scratches and bird damage and the owner still gets st*ff looking as his car 2weeks later :-p
 
EZ Boy said:
Newcastle
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Sorry, but detailing isn't the business to go into if you're in Newcastle.

You won't stand a chance, especially when there are basically no 'nice' (expensive) cars in your area. The average Newcastle resident drives a VL commodore or EA falcon, not exactly the types who pay $$$ for detailing. :-p

Try and focus on car washes, maybe even wash & wax.

If you want to go mobile, then go along the central coast (Gosford, Terrigal, etc...) plenty of retired (rich) people there. However distance could be a problem.

BTW, I'm from Sydney - just here in the US for a while :)
 
JohnC said:
Sorry, but detailing isn't the business to go into if you're in Newcastle.

You won't stand a chance, especially when there are basically no 'nice' (expensive) cars in your area. The average Newcastle resident drives a VL commodore or EA falcon, not exactly the types who pay $$$ for detailing. :-p

Try and focus on car washes, maybe even wash & wax.

If you want to go mobile, then go along the central coast (Gosford, Terrigal, etc...) plenty of retired (rich) people there. However distance could be a problem.

BTW, I'm from Sydney - just here in the US for a while :)
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WOW! A VL, you must be a rich kid! :lmfao

But seriously, I was wanting to add the detailing as a side show to the carwash. People are asking and I like parting money with the people who earn it!

Are you looking for a gig?? I've got plenty of gear :headbang

I'm wanting to put on a detailer but I keep getting deadshits and time wasters - they've mistaken me for the officer at the dole que.

My setup is on the Pacific Highway in Belmont drop in an chew the fat with me sometime :)

P.S. I love all these Smilies :-p
 
I think at least 50% of the results you get come from cleaning the interior. This is where the driver spends all his time. IMHO, it would be a mistake to hand over a bright and shiny exterior and a gloomy interior. I have had my car done a couple of times at a 'professional' shop and gave up on that process. I think that "detailing" is taking care of "details". Don't let anything out of your shop that has dirt anywhere. Even a rinse off of the engine compartment makes a big difference.

Good luck with your endeavours, I would like to hear how you are making out.

Cheers.
 
EZ Boy said:
Are you looking for a gig?? I've got plenty of gear :headbang
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If only you had asked me a few months ago... I'm in the US right now, will be here for a few more years. :( It's so much easier to get detailing stuff here though :-p


EZ Boy said:
My setup is on the Pacific Highway in Belmont drop in an chew the fat with me sometime :)
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I love that road, "old pac" run from Hornsby to Gosford, then back through Peats Ridge Road to Wisemans Ferry... plenty of high speed and sideways action :lmfao :)
 
JohnC said:
I love that road, "old pac" run from Hornsby to Gosford, then back through Peats Ridge Road to Wisemans Ferry... plenty of high speed and sideways action :lmfao :)
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Ooh Yeah! :rockin I used to work in Smithfield and would drive north every Friday. As usual there'd be a huge prang at Mt White and I would race ( I had a GT Forrestor :bow) all the commodore deadshits all the way from Berowra to Gosford. They'd catch me on the straight, I'd lose them on the corners. F****ng great times :D
 
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