How do you guys make a living

I

imported_wagsjr

New member
I have been detailing for years. Did it through college in a pro shop. Now I do it as a side business.



Realistically a full detail, done with a pc, and then sealed along with a full interior takes one person forever. I have an efficient system. I pay attention to detail but can take up to 8 hours for an SUV. People just dont want to pay more than 150 bucks and thats doing correction.



Just wondering how you pros do it
 
They use a rotary - cuts down on correction time, especially when you're skilled in its use.



They don't charge $150 for an 8hr detail. I'm not a pro per-say, but I won't do anything less than $60/hr. Usually end up around $80/hr when I do it, which I less than my day job, but hey, I do it for the passion of detailing, not to make a living.
 
Raise your prices and get rid of the people that don't want to pay over $150 for a full correction job. You're still dealing with volume shop customers that have no clue what it takes to detail properly and thus hold no real value for your service. If your going to do volume pricing then you need to do volume business. (i.e. get a shop with 5 bays and have them busy all the time and then you'll start making your money) But if it's just you... then you need different customers.
 
Well hats off to you guys. I do it for the love of detailing and liking the few extra bucks. Lately I wont touch correction work any more. I am decent with a rotary but its nearly impossible to be hologram free. At least for me anyway so a pc follow up is neccessary.



But for example yesterday my job for 150 bucks did exterior with clay bar and megs 26 as well as door jams and get te rust off some chrome wheels. Interior was a full shampoo, clean all cracks and panels then dress interior and windows.





Took about 5 hours. 30 bucks an hour. Sucks. Lol.



And Im working my balls off. Was an 05 grand cherokee btw white
 
30/hr is more than a lot of people are making right now...so it doesnt suck!



depending on lifestyle and location, 60K take home is pretty good money! cant have champagne taste on beer money though, live within your means!
 
toyotaguy said:
30/hr is more than a lot of people are making right now...so it doesnt suck!



depending on lifestyle and location, 60K take home is pretty good money! cant have champagne taste on beer money though, live within your means!
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+1



There are a lot of people out there that don't make $30 an hour at their normal job...let alone a side gig!! Be happy with getting paid to do something you love. Life could be a lot worse!!
 
toyotaguy said:
30/hr is more than a lot of people are making right now...so it doesnt suck!



depending on lifestyle and location, 60K take home is pretty good money! cant have champagne taste on beer money though, live within your means!
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well said TG



i know people taking jobs at $10 an hour right now because they were laid off. thats serious business coming from $20 plus to $10-$12. so i feel fortunate to make an average $30-$40 and work doing what i love instead of what i have to do. i have seen the market in my area go way down. seems to be coming up a bit again, but i have very few $1000 plus details right now. even the well to do people in my area are cutting back and i dont blame them, i know i have. i have just adjusted my work, tried getting more into what people can afford and are willing to pay. 90% of the general public doesnt want 100% correction, they just want their moneys worth and that doesnt mean i do a crappy job, i just do it to their satisfaction not mine. yes it does pain me to see swirls i know i can get out but if its not in the budget, it just cant be done.
 
[quote name='toyotaguy']30/hr is more than a lot of people are making right now...so it doesnt suck!



not to mention tax-free...
 
i have had a few cancellations in the past couple of weeks due to "economic situation" - basically people are still scared to spend money



I have also lost a couple of accounts, and couldnt get a couple more because of "expense accounts have been cut BIGTIME" and one business place I routinely get work from went from 6 people down to 2 or 3....



its killing me, which is why I have to come up with a more efficient way to market and get a smile on EVREYONE'S faces (theirs AND mine) with the detail packages...
 
I understand what you guys are saying.



It seems 90% of people dont see swirls and love shiny tires and interiors. I am a perfectionist and hate swirls or even one smudge anywhere. Makes me crazy.



The normal customer isnt concerned with the minor minor details I guess.
 
toyotaguy said:
i have had a few cancellations in the past couple of weeks due to "economic situation" - basically people are still scared to spend money



I have also lost a couple of accounts, and couldnt get a couple more because of "expense accounts have been cut BIGTIME" and one business place I routinely get work from went from 6 people down to 2 or 3....



its killing me, which is why I have to come up with a more efficient way to market and get a smile on EVREYONE'S faces (theirs AND mine) with the detail packages...
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care to share?? if not in an open forum, you could PM a brother and share some ideas??
 
I live in a small town with mostly a low income population and I charge $160 for wash/wax (no clay), complete interior + carpet extraction, engine, and usual extras like trim/tires/wheels/polish chrome etc. Basicly a deep clean.



All of my customers are happy to pay that amount when they pick up the cars, I can't see charging any less like you did and I don't do any polishing since like you mentioned, my clients don't notice/care enough or don't want to pay $400-$500 for a full correction.



Note: I would include claying if the average vehicle around here wasn't driven down a dirt road 3 times a day. When I clay a vechile I generally use a whole bar for one car so I can't justify $20 in clay alone "just because."
 
StadiumDetail said:
I live in a small town with mostly a low income population and I charge $160 for wash/wax (no clay), complete interior + carpet extraction, engine, and usual extras like trim/tires/wheels/polish chrome etc. Basicly a deep clean.



All of my customers are happy to pay that amount when they pick up the cars, I can't see charging any less like you did and I don't do any polishing since like you mentioned, my clients don't notice/care enough or don't want to pay $400-$500 for a full correction.



Note: I would include claying if the average vehicle around here wasn't driven down a dirt road 3 times a day. When I clay a vechile I generally use a whole bar for one car so I can't justify $20 in clay alone "just because."
Click to expand...



I would do a test panel right there on the spot, show/make them feel the difference, and then charge an additional $50 bucks and explain that the feeling they got will last over months!!!
 
toyotaguy said:
I would do a test panel right there on the spot, show/make them feel the difference, and then charge an additional $50 bucks and explain that the feeling they got will last over months!!!
Click to expand...



I've done that before, it's a 50/50 of yes/no. I just don't include it where most the forum members do.
 
I live in northeast pa so a clay doesent take long and is fairly simple for me. I think the sealant adheres much better and saves me from dirty applicators but I understand your point totally. Im glad I talked with you guys.



Just doesent pay to do correction.
 
i do it on the side with about 4-5 cars a month. i try and schedule them when i have a couple of days off where they can drop the car off one day and pickup the next day. i would say that most people dont care for swirl removal, they just want their car shiny and a clean engine bay and interior. its total opposite with me. the people who call me know about my work and expect for me to take care of the swirls and then the engine bay. they could care less about dirty interior. anyone can vacuum a car. since i have the cars for a couple of days, i have plenty of time to clean the interior
 
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