Prices For Detailing

**Reeder6** · 03-02-2011, 12:33 AM

I'm going to start detail cars to make some extra bucks and I was wondering what yall might pay to get yours done or what you charge to do one. I was thinking like 20 for a hand wash and vacuum. To much or could I get more? How much should I charge for clay bar and wax? Shampoo carpets? I mean I'm not a pro but I'm not bad at it by any means. Any help yall can give would be great. Thanks!

**BuckMaster9** · 03-02-2011, 01:39 AM

For a complete interior and exterior detail $75-$100 is reasonable. Dealerships usually charge around $80 (I used to detail cars at a Chevy dealership), and detail shops will charge at least $100 or more for a full detail. By "full detail" I mean engine and wheel/tire degrease, wash, maybe clay if needed, scratch removal, glass cleaning, and wax. Interior vacuum, shampoo, floor mats, wipe down/clean dash and all plastic surfaces and seats. Then dress the engine, tires and interior. I do this at my house and it takes about 5 hours depending on vehicle condition when I start. If you do a good job you should have no problem getting $100 per job. Especially since you would be using your own supplies. Detailing cars/trucks is a really good way to make cash on the side.

**seth350** · 03-02-2011, 05:54 AM

I paid a shop here $75 to do my truck and he washed, waxed, vacuum, wipe interior down, shined my wheels and dressed the tires.

They dont do any buffing tho sadly. I really need to find someone to do mine. Id pay top dollar, cause I dont have the time or the materials. lol

**Tweaks** · 03-02-2011, 08:08 AM

It's a fine balance between getting work to do, but getting paid enough to make it worth your while. I like to factor in the size of the vehicle and the overall condition interior and exterior. If I gotta clean up a science project inside, that's going to add time and also the price. If the exterior is so neglected that I have to attack it with several passes of different grades of compounds/polishes, then that adds time and cost.

Consider how long it takes you to wash a vehicle. How long to wash the exterior and clean up the interior. How much more time does a clay bar treatment add. Once you get a good sense of how long it's going to take you to do what the customer wants done, you times the hours it's going to take by a reasonable hourly rate and see if that figure is worth it to you. Run that figure by the customer and if they balk, let them go elsewhere. If they don't balk and you do a great job, word-of-mouth will bring more work and the next round of customers already know what they are getting for the money.

I do this sort of stuff as a hobby and to practice getting better and better. If it is a sedan or midsize SUV and the exterior is decent and the interior only needs some minor carpet stains removed, it will be an 8 hour job and I like to get compensated 150 dollars. That's a very reasonable hourly rate for the sort of work. If the customer wants it to look showroom new when they get the vehicle back, it's going to be a full days work and you want to get paid for that effort. Nothing worse than busting your arse off and thinking about how little per hour you are getting paid. The materials and tools involved are not cheap either. I mainly look to cover my costs and pay for my hobby through working on others vehicles, but I also want to feel like I made a 100 or more bucks for the effort too so that it's worth my while. My prices tend to be low because like I said, this is mostly for fun and practice. I have seen 250 dollar + detail jobs and above. I've also seen the photos of horror stories of folks paying that much and getting hack work. It's all relative. Just find your balance in there and work towards earning a reputation that commands the prices you set.

**07Burb** · 03-02-2011, 08:14 AM

For the Burb (especially considering it's larger) I'd have no problem paying someone good $200 - $250 to detail inside and out including a good polish job of the exterior and cleaning the carpet really well. I keep my vehicles very clean to begin with so the job itself most likely wouldn't be too hard for a good detailer to tackle but to me that service is worth quite a bit when the job is done right.

**96lasersnake** · 03-02-2011, 06:40 PM

$20 would be on the cheap side for a good handwash, and interior clean. I used to do between 75-100 for a good hand wash interior cleaning. That included hand wash using two bucket method, two different wash mits, cleaning the door jambs and fenderwells. Wipe down underhood, vaccum interior and dress plastics and tires.

**Reeder6** · 03-03-2011, 03:13 PM

thanks for the responses guys. i'll probably just start out pretty cheap just doing friends cars then once i feel that i've gotten the hang of it i'll start charging more. i'm just always terrifed i'm gonna screw up the paint on some nice car like a lexus or something

**BuckMaster9** · 03-03-2011, 04:11 PM

The best way to prevent screwing up paint is to remove scratches/polish/wax all by hand. If you're not totally sure what you're doing with a buffer then I wouldn't use one. Other than that you should be fine. I wouldn't charge anything less than $30 for a good hand wash and interior vacuum and wipe down.

**canuckz71** · 03-03-2011, 04:26 PM

The GM dealership where I work charges $250 for an interior - shampoo, vaccum, blow out any dirt, vinyl dress, exterior - degrease, foam brush, wash, wipedown, clean windows, tire gloss and dress engine bay. Then just a machine polish job is around $150-$200.

And ya if you have never machine polished or don't have the right products or a DA polisher I wouldn't advise trying. A guy can eff paint up pretty quick without the know how. But trying on old beaters first would be a good way to learn.

**Tweaks** · 03-03-2011, 07:27 PM

Originally Posted by Reeder6

thanks for the responses guys. i'll probably just start out pretty cheap just doing friends cars then once i feel that i've gotten the hang of it i'll start charging more. i'm just always terrifed i'm gonna screw up the paint on some nice car like a lexus or something

What's to be terrified of? So long as you avoid using rotary styled buffers with wool pads you can do no harm. You'll pick it up quick as you run into all sorts of neglected finishes and deeper scratches/swirls. A Porter Cable 7424xp kit will be your best friend and pay itself off after just a few details, I highly recommend investing in one.

Screw up paint on a nice car like a Lexus??? Don't be so intimidated by the brand or projection of a brand. Lexus are exactly the same as Toyotas, the only difference is there are a lot of morons who pay more for the same exact car because the badging says Lexus and it makes them feel richer than you and I.

**Reeder6** · 03-03-2011, 08:18 PM

well i have a craftsman random orbital buffer. will that be ok to start off with? i wax my truck and boat with it now. well my mother is one moron to buy a lexus and she just always complains how its still dirty after she gets it cleaned. thats why i wash everyone elses cars in the family but hers haha

**Lobsters** · 03-03-2011, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by seth350

I paid a shop here $75 to do my truck and he washed, waxed, vacuum, wipe interior down, shined my wheels and dressed the tires.

They dont do any buffing tho sadly. I really need to find someone to do mine. Id pay top dollar, cause I dont have the time or the materials. lol

If you're ever in the Manchester area you are more then welcome to drop by the shop for some buffing love.