I agree - the prices seem to low. In the Norfolk, VA area, my wife looked into a bunch of detailing services while I was deployed for a few months. She found a place that did a great interior/exterior job for $125, but comparing it to your price list, it didn't include the engine bay work, any clay work or polishing, or any stain removal from the interior. Plus, that was for her bringing the car to them, not mobile detailing service.

You may not feel like you'll get enough business at a higher price point, but once you ramp up your advertising and word starts to get around, I bet you'll be surprised.

Plus, with higher prices, you might find yourself working on a higher class of car, perhaps ones that have fewer defects to begin with, so it would be a win-win!

 

Not to mention repeat customers generally won't like it when the price keeps going up. You'd probably be better off starting at a higher price point, than raising your pricing later on. Maybe undercut the "big boys" just a little but not much. Or have the higher price point and market a reduced price as a limited time special to help draw in clients.

 

My two cents to the "What should i charge" question that was never asked: The first time I detailed my own car "octaneguy style" I had a great time doing it, with great results. It took seven hours. I was proud of myself (still am). About four hours after I was done, the back pain started kicking in. I thought, "heeey..."

Assessing what I would charge for a "client", you know you've got, supplies, gas, time, energy, to account for. Since I have a day job, for me to factor in "back pain allowance"/get-thee-to-the-gym fee), why, of course I'd be charging OctaneGuy fees! My respect/props for all detailers went up 6 clicks!

In short, don't forget that this *is* physical labor which may warrant a small Motrin charge incorporated into your rates!

Of course, I did start going back to the gym after that.

 

Now everyong is making me think twice about my pricing...ahh

 

My first detail job was a Mercury Mountaineer (3 rows of seats). I said I'd charge $75 for full interior cleaning, claybar and wax. It took 5 solid hours with no breaks. That averages to $15/hr, and not including the cost of clay (Megs= $18 for two bars). I'll probably now charge a little more for SUVs now that I did that one...and in hindsight I wish I'd charged more in the first place.

 

Yep - auto detailing, like stereo/alarm installation, while not solely a "young man's game", *does* require some physical conditioning and flexibility.

Twenty+ years ago, there was nothing I enjoyed more than crawling around a car installing stereos and alarms. But even though I've stayed in good shape, I'm still 37 years old, 6'2", and 205 pounds. As a result, lying half-in/half-out of a car, with my back on the doorsill and my head resting on the brake pedal while I'm tracing some wire under the dash just doesn't hold the same appeal for me as it once did...

But seriously, I'm thrilled about your new business, Jeremy, and a little bit envious. I've always thought about starting a detailing business, but my current job situation is too good for me to do anything but daydream about it until I retire in seven years.

 

+1 (agree with being jealous of Jeremy's business and SR being an old hag)

 

Who is going to pay anyone $30/hour to wax their car? NM $50. Most people don't come close to making that much money.

The median HOUSEHOLD income in 2005 was $46,326
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Househo..._United_States
Adding gas/supplies maybe $40/hour? Thats $82K/year.
Good luck on that.

Consider the local market. One can easily find many places doing detailing here. I know of only one price but at a local independent BMW/MB shop they charged $125 - $150 for everything but the "engine degreasing" including treating the interior leather, etc in my MINI.

Considering he's willing to come to your place, I presume, that means he uses the customers water, the customer's electricity ... which took a huge jump here this year, and place ... and at least in some counties here, there is a watering ban on the weekend ... no washing cars from 6 PM Friday to 6 AM Monday (and holidays).

The other thing to consider, and all due respect to Heather, et. al., while Prima may be popular on this website, I find nobody else ever heard of it. People talk carnauba or zaino (like they used to talk Zaino here a year or so ago).
I think his prices are very reasonable considering experience level and possible competition.

I'd also add that to get ppl with more expensive cars, that would probably take advertising in the local car club newsletters (cost $$), establishing a reputation among those car owners that might take years. Just increasing the price isn't going to get, for example, M6 and Aston Martin owners to shop up to be detailed. The stakes get raised and any "mistakes" made will cost dearly. I'd work on gaining a local reputation before raising prices.

I'd also do some work on the website. Throw up lots of pictures of cars done and customer comments. Get the website advertised somewhere. Hire a professional web authoring place to put some modern design into it, etc. I'd also worry about insurance. What if you damage a car? Just my opinion.

 

There are a lot of other common services that fall between "unskilled labor" and "highly-qualified professional" that command much more than $30/hour.

As an example, I see a massage/physical therapist once or twice a month. While her accreditation process is by no means trivial, it's not in the same league as getting an M.D., either. Her rate is $55-70/hour, which is typical of most markets nationwide.

Or how about when the plumber comes out to your house, or the guy that repairs your stove? While they're certainly not unskilled labourers, they're not degreed professional engineers, either, and $30/hour would be on the low side for their services.

Or how about the $75-100/hour labour charges at most garages? While the mechanics are (hopefully) ASE-certified, most of them aren't walking around with degrees in automotive engineering, either.

 

That's definitely a good concern to have. I messed up the paint on a friend's car once, requiring a re-paint of the hood and front bumper. Fortunately, since she was there helping me when it happened, and I wasn't charging her anything, my homeowner's insurance covered it with no deductible (total bill was ~$1400), but if I had been doing the same job on a car that I was charging for, I would have been out-of-pocket for the entire cost of the repair.

 

I'm not knocking anybody making money. I'm only saying that if your making $82K/year, that is WAY beyond the average HOUSEHOLD, not individual but the whole family, income in 2005.

In the case of mechanics, you know the mechanic is not making that money. Its going to the dealer or shop to put the roof over the head and pay all the overhead and profit to the owners.

Plumbers and electricians. Of yeah, they make great money. Now that is a business to get into to. I'm glad you pointed that out because you see... everyone who owns a house needs a plumber or electrician or bricklayer or tile layer, etc with skills far beyond the average homeowner. And they get paid well for their services

On the other hand nobody "needs" to get their car waxed and many don't ... ever. Big difference. The fact is, if your in one of the trade skilles, regardless of the economy, your always going to have work. Car detailers ... no luxaries are the first to go.

That is not to diss detailing services or has anything to do with education. Its only to point out that choosing a business where people actually need the services to live vice one that is a "luxary" makes a big difference.

 

I went with Zaino for my initial stock and I love it!! Unfortunately it appears as if Zaino does not make compounds.

But I discovered that I need to do some compounding to get rid of some water spots. Sooo...I'll be mixing the product labels, Prima for the compounding portion and Zaino for the top coat.

 

I would be very concerned about insurance. Its more than just damaging the car. If your using their house, their electricity, their water, who knows what damage can be done and the results?

What if you spray water on the homeowners prized orchids and they die and cost thousands of dollars (OK bad example but you get the point).

Heck I just had the Lawn mower guy here recently and he charged a fortune ... far more than any car detailer, for ONE hour of work including a few small parts. He was making a LOT of money, more than Jeremy's rates. Then again, he could rebuild those little carberators in the street and whatever else he did.

And THAT is where the difference lies. I HAD to get the lawn mower fixed or buy a new one. I don't HAVE to get my car washed (and many people never do). Therefore I have a hard time seeing anyone pay $30/hour for what most people consider not even necessary. But I am willing to pay $100/hour for someone with the skills I do not have to fix something that MUST be fixed (like electricians and small engine repair).

BTW, this is not to be discouraging. I'm just saying the current rates are probably in line with local prices!

 

Charging $30/hour for detailing is far from equivalent to making $82k/year, because of the very nature of detailing. You can't fit eight billable hours into a nine-hour workday, the way you can if you're an office receptionist or something like that.

Take my physical therapist again - even though her hourly rate is about $60/hour, that in no way means that she's making $125k/year (forty hours per week times 52 weeks). She can only schedule a certain number of sessions per day, and there's downtime between sessions that's not billable (paperwork, equipment maintenance, etcetera). Plus, there are some days when she just doesn't have any clients - that's one of the drawbacks to a career that's per-job oriented, rather than a clock-in/clock-out hourly type of job.

Likewise, just because you tip the bagboy at the grocery store $5 for the five minutes it takes to carry your groceries to the car and load them in, that doesn't mean he's making $60/hour in tips.

 

He's already said that his rates are significantly lower than the going rates in his area.

And while it's true that luxury services are more prone to economic whims, Jeremy doesn't need hundreds or thousands of regular customers to make his business model work. In fact, if he can get 40-50 "regulars" that see him once per month, that would more than keep his plate full. Throw in a larger number of less-frequent customers, and he wouldn't even need that many regulars.

 

Jeremy,
I am getting ready to place my Prima order, and do the first detail on my own car. If I do a good job, AND enjoy it, I'd also like to do friends and relatives cars and charge for it. When you go to someone's home or office, where do you do the detail? Do you stay outside for everything? Aren't you suposed to polish and wax in the shade, or inside? Do you bring lights? And how long does it take on a mid size car to do a complete exterior job?

 

Scott, I understand that.

But, IMO, the problem still lies in perceptions and what are "luxaries" vs "needs". You may "need" some medical service. It's not a "want". You "need" a plumber. You don't "need" to have someone wax your car anymore than you "need" someone to shovel your driveway after a snowstorm (unless its an emergency)

Having your car waxed is a "luxary". Hence the price is going to be whatever the local market will bear.

 

If you're interested in a compound from Zaino, check out their "Z-PC". It's a diminishing-abrasive paint cleaner/swirl remover. I have some, and it works as well as the other products I've used with similar cutting ability.

 

I dont see that anywhere in this thread. I read:
I don't plan on keeping my prices where they are very long, only a couple of months, so I can get my name out there, then slowly bump them up until I am in competition with the 'big boys' in the area. Not sure what that means. What big boys?

I am in the same area as he and can just go down the street, pay someone who has been doing the same thing for years, use their water, their electricity, a well-established independent shop and last summer it cost $150. Today, even if the price went up, the price is comparable.

 

Yes, but the actual list of true "necessities" (food, basic clothing, basic shelter) is actually pretty short. But almost everyone has some level of "luxuries" that they continue to want and to be able to afford, regardless of their financial situation. Unless an area for some reason becomes super-saturated with detailers, there will always be enough customers for whom $30-50/hour is a reasonable rate to keep the detailers busy. If this weren't the case, the prevailing local rates would drop accordingly.

All anyone is suggesting to Jeremy is that he bring his rates up a little closer to the going market rate for his area. No one is suggesting that he start off charging double the going rate and wait for the Ferraris to roll in.

 

Are you sure the services are the same? I don't see many places where I've lived that only get $150 for clay work, multiple grades of polish, and synthetic sealant or carnauba wax, plus engine bay work and interior stain removal.

 

Well like I said, I can still go down to a local shop and the prices are already comparable for a well-established BMW shop.

In fact, if he can get 40-50 "regulars" that see him once per month, that would more than keep his plate full.

Once a month? I think this is reaching. People usually fall into one of three buckets.

1. The OCD people who wash their own cars every week
2. The "vast" majority of people who will wash their cars after a snowstorm to get the salt off, otherwise maybe twice a year
3. The "well off" who drop their car of at Whips for some custom work

So who is the target audience? Who are you going to advertise to? It's not the "enthusiasts". Enthusiasts dont want anybody to touch their car. Its #2, who, if they got extra money, "might"
think about it (and thats a reach). #3 is going to a highend shop.

 

I said no engine work in my first post.

everything else yes. More money for SUVs or Vans. Cheaper for just wash and wax. Again, this was last summer. Even if the price went up a bit, its all the same. Yes, they did the interior and cared for the leather.

I dont want to hijack this thread nor discourage Jeremy. Im just saying I dont think his prices are too cheap.

I hope he can make whatever he can make and become a tycoon!

 

OK, I actually went and dug up their Brochure. Forget the engine work. Everything else was $155 including pre-spotting and steam cleaning the carpets. Pickups/Vans $205. Was it "multiple grades of polish? Doesn't say. I had no clay done, the car didn't need it (yes, this was moment of weakness and the car was clean anyway so I decided to have someone else do the work). Was it custom work? Doubtful ... just detailing jobs for BMWs and MBs. In fact, I do remember the guy telling me I needed to treat the MINI leather more often because it was starting to dry out. As to the outside, he had very little to do.

 

So it was $30 more than Jeremy's "Premium interior/exterior" package, and didn't include the engine work or claying the paint. Did they polish it as a separate step at all, or did they just go straight to the final wax/sealant?

Considering the engine work, clay work, and at least two applications of polish *before* the final wax, $125 for Jeremy's bundle sure doesn't sound like it's in line with the local going rates to me.