Moe has nailed it!!, people who have no idea the risk,effort and knowledge required to detail a car to the highest level. I have had clients call and the first thing is always " my car is mint" well the reply should be " why do you need me then?" because they KNOW thier car is hammered but do not want pay the freight so to speak, it is like stating why does a Porsche cost more than a Toyota Yaris..... well quality, performance etc etc .. the price for the care and feeding of a high line car is more because Moe,phil, matt at Detailing dynamics provide MUCH more than the unqualified detailers that charge less.

Common sense should be inserted at this point,not everyone can or will pay the high price, but the aforementioned companys including myself sure are busy for some reason.... wonder why?.

 

somewhat of a buzz kill

 

Great thread guys. I'd love to chime in with my .2 cents but most of it's already been said.

Great questions and great answers.

About the pricing question.....

I have a couple very basic details that I typically charge a set rate on (provided the cars aren't muddy) but when it comes to any sort of paint correction it goes to an hourly rate.

As many of Moe's comments have mentioned, it's a skilled practice and one cannot determine the final outcome till it's completed.

I just finished off ParkerDR's father's old Mercedes, I estimated at least 15 hours on the paint, but it only ended up taking me about 13.5 hours.... The results are incredible and I could have spent more time on it, but it's in Houston and I'm in Dallas. What's funny is I honestly thought due to the condition it was going to be a good 15-20 hours and turns out the damage was removed a bit easier then I estimated......

Josh

 

BTW, for the record, Detailing and Paint Correction are two different things.

 

Great answer. I hear that all the time also, so my response is "I didn't ask you what flavor your car is".

In truth, a professional detailer gets paid as much for the things they do not do as much as for the thing they do; they don't burn painted edges of panels, they don't leave buffing trails, they don't remove dye off the leather while cleaning, they don't discolor your Fuchs rims, they don't spray silicone dressing while the engine is running ruining the O2 sensor, they don't spooge tire dressing on your dash which off-gases a film onto the inside of your windshield, they don't leave the carpet damp thus introducing mold into the car's interior, they don't burn the edges of the "Carrera" emblem on the engine cover, etc. And if by accident they do, they have adequate business insurance to repair everything to OEM standards while renting you a car to offset any inconvenience. That's why a professional detailer is not going to detail your car for $150 to match the price your neighbors kid quoted you.

And BTW, in my opinion paint correction is part of detailing. Just like pediatrics is part of medicine.

Matt

 

Well said Matt. I think everyone here is hopefully getting the idea of what it truly costs for a detail. Fellas, there are going to be "detailers" out there that give the rest of us a bad name because of their lack of experience, greed, or simple lack of passion. But I promise you there are also true professionals that care about what leaves their hand EVERY time. There are a few here on this board that I've had the pleasure of calling my fellow detailers. We need the support of the enthusiast community to keep growing and infusing our ideas and passion into each and everyone of your friends. So keep doing what you all do and remember that we're all basically in this together; for the preservation and advancement of these cherished automobiles so that generations after us can enjoy them too.

 

YOU GO MOE!!!

 

Moe
You made a very good point. If your brethern of detailers are as positive and conciensious as you are then you all deserved to be compensated well. Now as part of the community I would be happy to give you my business, geographically phohibitive. To that end, maybe we ought to compile a short list in our areas of detailers who the best of the best. Just listening to Moe, I'd have you up there.

 

That's about the same as here. Not all $500 detailers are the same that's for sure. Where I live in a gated community they have this kind of service that costs the same but the results aren't... This kind of stuff takes a lot of time, skill and effort. It's not really just a "detail" and more often than not it's paint correction as well. I'm not an expert and although we build a lot of fast/modded cars folks around here want them to also look good hence they turned us on to Bob@Autoconcierge. He does our cars and we often have to have them in concours condition (for magazines/TV) which is hard seeing as we drive the $hit out of them...

 

Only in the Detailing business where anyone with a bucket and wax is considered " a detailer". Consider this when detailing a highline vehicle the skill set to accomplish true paint correction is very hard to aquire, I have seen top body shops and painters not able to properly wet sand and buff the car out, almost every dealership whether selling Hondas or Bugatti's struggles with getting the car sorted out.

From a clients perspective I could see where they think $400.00 plus for a detail is outrageous, consider these facts though a professional company will have insurance(mobile general liabilty) and (shop garage keepers) this costs dearly especially if you service exotics and the equipment needed to work on every surface of the car adds up( my work truck is bursting with gear and chemicals) oh and I almost forgot gas is in the high three dollar mark in Northern California.

There will always be the guy who says" I can beat his price " or "just as good as" when you pull out a defelsko paint guage and start explaining what is needed to correct the finish and why thier particular car has nano particle ceramic paint or why you use a specific wheel cleaner on thier $ 1,500.00 a corner HRE painted and polished rim so you do not etch the lip.... this is some of the reasons why the job will run more than put up the tent anywhere and hack away guys that come out of the woodwork this time of year. My .02$

 

Jesus! After reading this thread I REALLY need to raise my prices.

 

If you're skills demand greater compensation, then yes. You cannot simply raise prices because other detailers charge this amount. Your clients need see why they're paying what they do and should be paying you with a smile and referring thier friends; that's a sign of a good value. (Not saying you would, just in general)

I always tell my clients that it's easy for me to sell you my details, I'm a great listener and I hear what your needs are. But the moment of truth comes when someone that is a detailing enthusiasts appreciates the look of your car, asks how and who did did the work, and says how much did this cost. You should look him in the eye and say $500-1000-2000, whatever the cost. At that moment someone that knows detailing will say, well worth every penny or you got ripped off dude. That's how I detail. If I don't give my clients good value and charge them what I do, word will spread and I'd be through. It's not easy to demand this level of compensation; you have to deliver the goods as well.

 

Yeah, I agree. I have been slowly working my way up to higher level clients. In my opinion, my skills and especially my attention to detail are right up there with any professional detailer.

More than anything I have been having a hard time finding the people who will appreciate my work. I was trying to get something going with a local guy with a Ferrari 550M, but he is stuck on this "cheap" detailer who has effectively ruined his car. A lot of people don't understand car care, try as I might to educate them some people are really stubborn.

 

Keep improving and NEVER stop learning. Don't worry about those guys that won't pay; you need to do a good job educating them and if the light bulb doesn't turn on, move on and don't budge on your pricing. The good clients that care about your work and are keepers will appreciate the work going into their car and will pay accordingly.

 

Great points Moe and Bob. But like you guys said, it's one thing to talk the talk but eventually you have to walk the walk. There are a number of detailers out there who have the give of gab and can "sell" a $1K detail, but will the client come back again and pay $1k again in the future? That's the difference between "selling" and "delivering value".

I still remember the first time I quoted someone $1K for a detail. It was on a gold '88 MB SL560 (my favorite car to detail). The look on the customers' face was priceless. He told me that he had never paid more than $200 for a detail and just looked at me baffled. I made him an offer; "Let me detail your car and if you don't think the job was worth the money, pay me nothing (the only caveat was that he not rush me). "Even if you think the job was only worth $900, I won't take it". He thought about it and said OK, b/c he really wanted to see what a $1K detail was like. He later told me that he went home and had nothing but second thoughts and regret. He was even afraid to tell his wife. When I finally finished the car, I told him to bring his wife and I specifically left it on the lift under the fluorescent lights for them to see. They must've spent a good 20 minutes looking over the car after which he turned to me, shook my hand and said "Now I know what a $1K detail is". His wife now won't let him sell that car. To this day he is one of the best promoters of my work. But what most people don't realize is that the reason I (as well as the other top detailers on this board) remember this moment is not b/c of the $1k, but rather the look on the customers' face when they first see the car and say WOW! That's what it's about for us.

Matt