Ok so my neighbor wants to hire me to hand detail her volvo station wagon. Now she wants it all done by hand (no buffers) and she wants a lot of work done. She wants:
wash, polish, clay bar, two coats wax, plastic trim dressing, wheels, tires, gaskets, carpet, leather, dash, and windows.
Now this is a lotta work for me to do by myself by hand. My question is she wants to know how much i will charge for all of it. I have no clue what to charge. I was guessing $150, but i'm pretty sure that's way undercutting myself. What do you guys think. It's also a fairly large vehicle.

 

Call around to local detail shop's and see what they are charging in your area.Then beat that price by around $30.

 

I have a question...

If that was done by a professional with a buffer, How much does it cost in your area for a good polish (1 or 2 coats) and a solid finishing wax. Also include tire shine, wheels, headlights, etc. basically the whole exterior.

This is pointed to everyone.

 

You have to factor your expirence level into the price too. If you're a beginner, then you cant charge as much as a place or a pro detailer would. You also have to factor in the products used. Are they top of the line, or are they stuff you can find at Advance Auto. Then you need to factor in the condition of the car. How many coats of polish is it going to take to get rid of the swirl marks, etc.

 

since its done by hand id do like 180 plus how ever much u wanna charge her for the claybar cuz that isnt a quick job

 

Local shops in my area charge from $125-$300 depending on vehicle size and condition. I got 2 guy's that i send business to all the time that are doing my car fully detailed for $65!!!!

 

I was wandering, because I love auto car care. I would love to open my own shop one day specializing in car care and auto detailing. From exterior to interior to engine bays.

I might also add a retail shop also, including products that you can't buy at local chained auto stores. I.E. Poorboys, wolfgang, portercable, and full line of meguiars and turtle wax, etc.

 

I would charge her at least $200, I figure 4-5 hours @ $50 per hour.

 

Yes I would say $200 even for your time and hard work. It would probably cost more elsewhere to have it done so it would be a good deal!

 

at a pro detailer my stang was 175 for the whole outside inside and engine. and he was the best in town so idk 150 might not be bad

 

Dude, this thread is over 1 year old. lol

 

 

lol maybe hes still making the decision on wether or not to detail her car?

 

haha.



fyi OP (if you still post)
I wash/clay/wax a car for 50$

Interior on a 2 door car is 40$ for the normal vacuum/carpet cleaning, window clean, stain remove, etc.

 

then y is it at the top of the list?

 

lol its at the top of the list now because it has new posts! before you posted it was over a year old. it says at the top left of each post when it was posted

 

OMG wow this is old....yeah i went ahead and did her car and then two weeks later she totaled it!

 

lmao^

 

yeah i see the date now. haha

 

lol good, even though i get a kick out of it whenever this happens... especially now because after reading it all i really wanted to know what happened. and now i know, she totalled her car