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How much should I charge?

danielle15

danielle15

New member
My boss wants me to detail his wifes Escape inside and out so they can sell it.
Outside is ok, just a clay and hand wax would be good enough. Inside has seen better days due to 3 kids and I think its been neglected and not really swept out.
I think it'd take a few days, 1 day for inside especially.

What are some opinions on what I should charge?
I don't wanna get rich by doing it, just wanna help out.
 


Id say $100/day.....but that's me. I think that's pretty fair. Or you can do it for free and negotiate a decent pay raise/job perks. ;-)
 
my mom got hers professsionally detailed for 250...and that was at a detailing shop.
i think 150 is a good price because youre not a certified professional.
 
Don't forget materials. I wouldn't charge the same using Adam's as I would Turtle Wax. Do you need to purchase tools to do it?
 
I have a porter cable and enough wax on hand to do it(stuff I wanna get used up).
Probably won't use the pc tho, just do exterior by hand. Just because I haven't used it yet.
I think all I'd really need is some carpet foam, window cleaner and maybe tire cleaner/foam and quarters for the wash bay.

When I did the interior of his new/used van, I only worked on it for 2 hours and got $35 I think.

Edit: waxes i have that i would use are some inexpensive turtle wax and the like that I've had for awhile and just want to use up. So nothing to expensive.
 


Depending on the paint, I'd use a SIP or FP then a wax/seal. Quick easy and will make it look great.

On the interior, I live by Tuff Stuff. It's turned cars that are kid dumpsters back into cars that dealerships say "you really take good care of your car" when it's being traded in.

tuff stuff, scrub brush, rags. ...

I'd say $150-200 if it's bad.
 
that tuff stuff is the chit, i've been using it for over 10 years, remember tho its not a spray on and wipe off, you need damp rags to wipe it down with, rinse repeat. sprat it let it sit for a bit then get at it, a scrub brush with this stuff works great too, i had the vinyl floors in my last 2 trucks, tuff stuff and a scrub brush made them look new every time.

and tuff stuff can be used on cloth seats, leather, carpets, plastic, vinyl, what ever is dirty lol
 
danielle15 said:
I have a porter cable and enough wax on hand to do it(stuff I wanna get used up).
Probably won't use the pc tho, just do exterior by hand. Just because I haven't used it yet.
I think all I'd really need is some carpet foam, window cleaner and maybe tire cleaner/foam and quarters for the wash bay.

When I did the interior of his new/used van, I only worked on it for 2 hours and got $35 I think.

Edit: waxes i have that i would use are some inexpensive turtle wax and the like that I've had for awhile and just want to use up. So nothing to expensive.
Click to expand...


by all means use you PC to WAX THE CAR its twice as fast vs doing it by hand. large soft foam pad, on hi speed. you dont need to lean on it when waxing VS doing a full compounding where you need to put a lot of elbow grease into the job.
 


I love tuff stuff and was planning on using it heavily.
I was thinking 75-100. The interior is going to be the worse of it.

Thanks for the link Nick. It would def be a basic, I doubt ill touch under the hood unless he wants it cleaned.
I will probably do it at work over the course of a few nights after i get off and then maybe over the weekend to finish it up.
 
Meh, what do most detailer monkeys make to start? $15/hr? Figure... [select those that apply]
1 hour wash, wheel clean
1 hour claybar
2 hour wax
1/2 hour vacuum
1 hour scrubbing carpet stains
1 hour scrubbing plastics/dash/doors
1 hour cleaning/conditioning leather
1/2 hour cleaning glass
2 hours cleaning engine bay
 
There's a kit I got at OSH (HD might have) that had a bunch of detailing tips and crevice tools for the shop vac.... Makes the interior work a lot easier.
 
No problem.

I charged a flat rate.

Based on basic vehicle size and the average time it would take, as an SUV would take about an hour ish more than your standard 4 door sedan would because of the roof and extra interior space...etc.

As well, I detailed a Escalade ESV...the extended ones...in and out...full buff yob/engine bay, etc...let me tell you I have so much respect for the size of those things after cleaning one.

Effffffffffff, $200 or bust on crap that big. Things I liked cleaning? And I still do...is a local Neuro-surgeon's 1986 Whale-Tail 911 Turbo...dropped on gold BBS wheels, custom made because of the width...375's out back. Awesomesauce.
 
I would tell him $20/hour.

You take care of supplies. Don't use expensive products.

Unfortunately, nobody is getting rich detailing cars.

Billing hourly will allow you to work under less pressure than if charging a fixed amount.

He's probably looking at $300.
 


1 or 2 days off with pay, perhaps a Fri & Mon give you a long weekend and he gets a nice clean ready to sell car is my suggestion unless you are doing it for extra cash then maybe 150ish as others have said since you are not a full on detail shop. I've seen the work you do to your car and it's very nice which is obviously why he is asking you to do his as well. Post b4 and afters though I like seeing the havoc kids do to other peoples cars, makes me feel a lil better about my vehicles
 
You shouldn't charge anything.........refer your boss to a professional detailer.

You doing this for your boss will only cause problems in the future. If you do a good job on the cheap, he will expect it from you for every car he owns, and his in-laws car too. If you don't do the job well enough, it could be awkward at the work place.

Also, you've never used a porta-cable yet......but you're going to charge someone to detail their car??
 
I'm thinking it'd be on the side cash job. I couldn't work on it here during business hours cuz shop is busy, so it'd have to be after hours.

It's something I enjoy doing, so its not like I need the money to make me happy. Id feel bad charging a lot. I'll talk to him at lunch and see what he's thinking.

And don't worry, I will take lots of pictures because I'm a picture whore. It's bad when most of the pics on my phone are of the prix...
 
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