Need constructive criticism on detail packages!

9

98GTPDriva

New member
Well, I'm going to try and detail on the side to make some extra cash this summer, and I just need some constructive criticism on my packages. I'm pretty set on my prices, as I think they are fair and lower than others in my area, but not too low where the work sounds cheap. I already did a coworkers car, and she loved it. So I know that my prices are good. I just want to make sure that I have all the little qwerks worked out before I actually make flyers and put them into circulation. Please share your opinions with me, but no flames either.





I will be using these products:



Exterior: Meg's GC shampoo, EFHI cleaner, Meg's "Hot Shine" tire dressing, Clay Magic clay and Klasse AIO



Interior: Lexol Leather Cleaner and Conditioner, Lexol Vinylex and EF carpet/upholstery cleaner





Now here are my packages:



Exterior (approx. 4 hours) $75 - Car / $90 - SUV/Truck/Van



includes:



Wash (includes door jambs/sills & trunk lining)

Wheel Cleaning

Tire Shining

Wax (lasts around four - six months)



Clay Bar (optional) $15 (approx. 1 hour extra)



Interior (approx. 2-3 hours) $40 - Car / $50 - SUV/Truck/Van



includes:



Cleaning Console, Dashboard, Trim & Windows

Vacuuming & Spot/Stain Removal of Carpets, Mats & Seats



Leather Cleaning/Conditioning (optional) - add $15 (approx. 1 hour extra)





Complete (approx. 6-7 hours) $100 - Car / $125 - SUV/Truck/Van



Exterior & Interior Package



plus add the Clay Bar and/or Leather Cleaning/Conditioning for only $10 each.





Note: The approximate times given for each package are based on a midsize car in mint condition. Therefore, the actual times and prices may vary on the overall size, condition and cleanliness of your vehicle.





This is what I have so far. What do my fellow Autopians think? I hope I'm on the right track. Thanks for your help.
 
Here's what I suggest: Decide how much $$ you want to make per hour and base your prices on that number. I busted out my calculator and found your hourly rates all over the place.



I base my hourly rates on $25-30 an hour. If you want to be lower priced, no problem, but try to keep your pricing consistent to your hourly rate so you are not shortchanging yourself. Base your optional services on this hourly rate (clay and leather care).



Personally I'd like to see you bump your "complete" prices another $50. $100/7 hours of work = $14.29 per hour. Not a lot. I say add in the claying and the leather care to the base pricing instead of making them optional, but offer a discount if the customer does not want them done. Make your offer more like, "here's what I charge and this is what I do".



My 2 cents. Good luck with this.
 
Thanks for the info bretfaz. I knew someone was going to nail me on the hourly rate, because I noticed it was a little bit off, but wasn't sure if it was a problem or not. Because of my proposed rate being around $15/hr. or so, I feel I put it at that because I'm still an amateur, so I need more experience and that I just don't see people in my area paying a lot for a good detail. My pricing also reflects what I make in my actual job. I'm 19, and I make $10/hr., and after taxes, I make around $7.65/hr. (I'm in a union.). So, I figure after taking out a few dollars/hr. for supplies, etc., I'll make like $11/hr., which is a good $20-$25 extra for the same amount of work. When I detailed my coworkers car, it was long/exhausting because the car was seven years old, it hadn't been washed since last summer and it was white. But, I enjoyed every second of it because I took this monster of a car and made it look beautiful. Honestly, I was surprised how good of a job I did on the car. As for the clay and leather care, I think I will just add it in and offer a discount if they don't want it or if the leather doesn't apply to them. Thanks again. :)
 
Here are my revised packages. I think these are much, much better. Let me know what you all think. Thanks.





Exterior (approx. 4 hours) $80 - Car / $90 - SUV/Truck/Van



includes:



Wash (includes door jambs/sills & trunk lining)

Wheel Cleaning

Tire Shining

ClayBar

Wax (lasts around four - six months)





Interior (approx. 3 hours) $60 - Car / $70 - SUV/Truck/Van



includes:



Cleaning Console, Dashboard, Trim & Windows

Vacuuming & Spot/Stain Removal of Carpets, Mats & Seats

Leather Cleaning/Conditioning





Complete (approx. 7 hours) $125 - Car / $145 - SUV/Truck/Van



Exterior & Interior Package





Note: The approximate times given for each package are based on a midsize car in good condition. Therefore, the actual times and prices may vary on the overall size, condition and cleanliness of your vehicle.
 
98GTPDriva said:
Exterior (approx. 4 hours) $80 - Car / $90 - SUV/Truck/Van

includes:

Wash (includes door jambs/sills & trunk lining)

Wheel Cleaning

Tire Shining

ClayBar

Wax (lasts around four - six months)

Click to expand...

You're getting great input from the veterans. I just have two thoughts from my amateur perspective. (1) Would you get better results if you added a glaze between claying and waxing? (2)

Are you actually going to put in print that wax lasts 4-6 months? I don't think I've ever had a plain ol' wax last that long. (Sealants, yes; but waxes, no.)

Just FWIW
 
Lynn said:
You're getting great input from the veterans. I just have two thoughts from my amateur perspective. (1) Would you get better results if you added a glaze between claying and waxing? (2)

Are you actually going to put in print that wax lasts 4-6 months? I don't think I've ever had a plain ol' wax last that long. (Sealants, yes; but waxes, no.)

Just FWIW
Click to expand...



I agree with the 4-6 month wax longevity. Also- no polishing? I would contest that a car is never going to look detailed if it contains swirls and dull paint. Also I think you will realize that a wash n wax job won't take you 4 hours on a car at least. I definitiely think you can charge $80 for a wash n wax job, but I also think that should include vacuum interior, glass, and clean the carpets. That would probably be a better 4 hour job.



Edit: So I just read your products used. I personally would advise against Klasse. Its great stuff for your own car, but I wouldn't use it on my customers cars because AIO isn't going to protect the paint IMO. Then you get into SG and that will streak on those hot humid summer days. I would suggest:

Wash, Clay, Polish, Sealant (poorboy's would be excellent choice) and then vacuum, glass, leather- charge them $100 for a car, $125 for SUV. Since you are not spot removing, extracting carpets I don't feel that an interior job is worth very much money. That process will take about 5 hrs in the beginning and you will get faster and drop that down to 4 hours. You will still be making more per hour than $15.
 
Well, I can see I misused the word "wax" in this case, so would it be better to say polish/sealant and wax? Right now, I use Klasse AIO, SG and #26 on my car and I've never seen it shine so well. Would I be able to just use Klasse AIO and follow up with #26? Would that be a good combination? The AIO acts as a polish and sealant and then I could top it off with #26. If not, what are some good combinations to use on customers' cars that won't drain my wallet? Thanks for all the info. I appreciate a lot.
 
You've probably heard it before, to make money you must spend money. What do you have in your arsenal right now and do you have a PC? I'll be honest, most people need a PC to get "detailed looking" results- save Scottwax and a couple others. I don't think that AIO is a great polish for a detailer. Something like DACP is going to yield significantly better results on a car that is more than a year old unless it is just oxidized wherer AIO will do wonders (Jngr). I think #26 would be good- just don't advertise it as 4-6 months. IMO AIO w/o SG is incomplete, because AIO does an excellent job of cleaning/prepping it doesn't seal, SG does. I think maybe Poorboy's EX is a great sealant.
 
Also, consider using less of the enthusiast boutique and more business detailer products. Products like Vinylex can get pricey - perhaps you want to dilute it? There will be less UV protection, but it'll be less oily and shiny.
 
It all depends how you want to make your money.



As I'm finding out, its only a small (and jealously guarded) clientele who actually want a full-on $100 plus detail job.



Most average folks want a cheap wash & vac, with maybe a wax every now and again plus the odd 'special' when they make a mess or want to sell the vehicle.



Where doing the cheap stuff comes in is it exposes your skills and experience to a much bigger market than if you just wait and hold out for the big spenders, so increases your chances of getting a fully booked diary.



I would post a whole range of services from the simplest $20 cheap n cheerful up to the deluxe $120 'back from the dead'.

That way you cater for everyone.



Just my 0.02
 
I structure my prices based on how long I believe it will take me to do it. With 'sight unseen' jobs sometimes I make out like a bandit and sometimes I get taken. Estimates are best given when you can see the vehicle. Its like a contractor coming to your house and giving you an estimate of how much it will cost him to finish your basement. He looks around and calculates how much wood, sheetrock, mud, screws, paint, man hours, etc. that it will take for him to complete the job. He can only deliver that estimate with lots of experience in that area. I can tell you within 15 minutes how long it will take me to do a car when I'm looking at it. I calculate how much I want to make per hour times the number of hours and figure in another 5 or 10 bucks for supplies and there is the total. When you do cars on a case by case basis then that method works well. If you want to advertise your prices then it is best if you have a working knowledge of the average time it takes to do a car (ranging from near new to totally thrashed) and base your prices off that. Sometimes you will take the house and sometimes you'll be beaten by it. Its a gamble. In the end it will pay off if you get regular customers.



Its like the job I'm working now with Smoker. Today we got took by our customers. However, next week when they come back it will be us who are taking them. Steve said it best to me yesterday when he said that you need to get the car up to your standard and then maintain it. The price is obviously higher if you are bringing a car back from the dead. If after you do that work the customer keeps bringing the car back every week then you will do very well. If you should have charged 40 bucks for a job but you only charged 20 and that person will pay you 20 once a week for the rest of the summer then it will all average out in the end. You did a $40 dollar job for half price once and then doubled your profit once a week thereafter. I see it as good money. You just have to work hard in the beginning for every customer so they keep coming back for more.
 
Jngrbrdman, I agree with you 100% about what you said. I detailed a coworkers' car for the first time last week, and it was a pain. A '97 white Nissan Altima that wasn't washed since the fall. It was awful, but I did gain much experience from it. Now, when I go back and do it in a month or two, I know it'll be much easier. Despite it being a back-breaking seven hours of work for a wash, clay, sealant, wax, wheels, tires and the interior, I enjoyed it and almost didn't even consider it work. On top of that, it would have taken double the hours to make the same amount at my real job. :D
 
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