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In response to the original post, all I can say is that I took a week off from my day job to detail full time last week. I earned just over $2300 in 5 days of detailing. That is just the total intake of money though. That isn't considering the overhead involved. Still, if I were making $8000 per month then I could easily afford the overhead involved in running the business as a mobile operation. In fact, if it weren't for my physical health and the miserable climate 6 months out of the year, I would seriously consider doing this full time. Once you take out the cost for insurance, health care, supplies, and everything else involved with running a business, I'd still be brining in at least $60,000 per year if I did nothing more than maintain the level of business I did last week. That is my max as far as work that I'm able to do. To do more cars than I did would probably require bringing on another detailer which would only increase my revenue.
So the answer is that a successful detailing business can make you really good money. If you have the talent and knowledge to make it successful, and if you live in an area where the service is needed and valued, then you can make a very comfortable living at it. I live in those conditions six months out of the year, so I only do this part time. You have to consider how long you will be able to run the business as part of the things that need to be thought about before you jump in with both feet. My recomendation would be to gain a very good understanding of the processes involved in properly detailing a car and then get lots of practice before you commit your resources to launching a business like this.
I've been detailing for ten years professionally (as professionally as a part time detailer can be) and to be totally honest I can probably do it faster and better than someone just starting out. So don't expect to make $2000 your first week on the job. There are a lot of skills that have to be learned before you can be at that level. That isn't meant to brag or anything, it is just some honest advice about an industry that all of us are still learning new things about every single time we work on a vehicle.
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Faster isn't better. BETTER is better no matter how long it takes.
Thats in impressive number for a single week...you must have had these ducks all lined up...The best that I have ever done in a week is 1400 at 200 a car....how many cars did you detail to reach that number?
I did 14 total. I started calling some of my regulars the week before and had everything set up in advance. I only had one car that sort of showed up out of nowhere. Those 14 cars have already generated 5 more cars before the end of the month in new referal business, so I can't imagine how busy I would get if I maintained that level of business.
I did learn that three cars a day is my maximum. Only two days did I do three. The rest of the days I did two and that was much easier to manage. Three vehicles is a waaaaaaaay long day even with as efficient as I try to be with the time. It is still an average of 3 to 4 hours per vehicle even with my fairly refined process. When I realized that 3 hours to fully detail a car wasn't the industry average, I started looking at what my process was and began documenting it. That documentation has turned into a whole other project all its own. lol I'm probably going to take the rest of my vacation this year completing that project and getting it organized into an ebook.
~ ~ www.OCDetails.com ~ ~
Faster isn't better. BETTER is better no matter how long it takes.
I would love to be able to do this as a profession, I just don't think in my area there is enough of a market to where I could do it contuously...plus the state I live in really reduces the season for detailing, unless I could get an indoor heated facility, large enough to wash cars.
The problem is like Jngrbrdman said, my process takes between 3 - 5 hours...with that kind of time I could only do two a day on my own. The problem is around here you get some of those larger car wash places where they detail and they can put a team of people on your car, who all probably don't have a green card...one does the inside, one the outside, one tires and rims...etc. They can push those out in an hour, although they don't always usually do the same amount of steps we all do here.
Also this thread is old and I have never seen anyone with a red square...
I like beer. On occasion I will even drink a beer to celebrate a major event such as the fall of communism or the fact that our refrigerator is still working.
In Southern California, if you spend time finding good clients, you can charge anywhere from $75 to $100 per hour for your detailing services. Car wash details are about $150 here for the bare basics (wash, cheap wax, vac, uv protect).
how much money does professional auto detailing make? anyone know how much a person is charged to take their car in to be detailed?
I was thinking of going in the auto detailing business myself.
Asking a question like this means you have a great deal more research to do and little idea of what is involved. Please do a great deal of reading and digging for facts before you even consider going into this trade. No offense meant whatsoever.
To me you offer to many choices...I would offer a wash wax package and then a complete detail...you could offer a inside or outside only package...but that would be half the price of the complete detail...this way if the client wants to get just the inside done they know what the cost would be and the work that would be done...your pricing seems a bit on the cheaper side but that maybe what you can get in your area...I would also separate the cost in two areas...cars small compact / large sedans two prices the same holds true with trucks & SUV's.....my pricing is cars $200...to $225....trucks and SUV's $225 to $250 this depends on condition and the finial price is when I can see the car
I would also separate the cost in two areas...cars small compact / large sedans two prices the same holds true with trucks & SUV's.....my pricing is cars $200...to $225....trucks and SUV's $225 to $250 this depends on condition
I agree with beemerboy on categorizing your price.
My quots are:
$135 for cars
$150 for trucks
$175 for SUV's
$225 for vans
Quote:
and the finial price is when I can see the car
This is so you don't give a set price and end up looking like or what did I just get myself into. Once the vehicle is in you position
I agree with beemerboy on categorizing your price.
My quots are:
$135 for cars
$150 for trucks
$175 for SUV's
$225 for vans
This is so you don't give a set price and end up looking like or what did I just get myself into. Once the vehicle is in you position
Thanks I quote a range on the phone, then finalize that price once I see the car...rarely do I have to ask for more than I quote on the phone...if you set a price list with out a clause for some wiggle room its sudden death in some cases...kiddie mini van comes to mind
you need a permit to work with the general public, right? like business wise.
what happens when you get old and frail. And you can't work anymore, what are you suppose to do. your not going to be making any money.
You should consider college!! After you have your degree, get yourself a good job with good benefits, and a 401K. That way you won't have to worry about what you're going to be doing when you're "old and frail".
I like menus!! The most profitable detailing shop I've ever seen had a menu 4 times bigger than yours.
Good Luck
Don't you think that in detailing that offering to many choices is confusing to the customer?
to me detailing is not like ordering food that most everyone knows what they like and want...detailing to some is a mystery to most..that's my take on having a menu list...people will pick the cheapest package.
Don't you think that in detailing that offering to many choices is confusing to the customer?
to me detailing is not like ordering food that most everyone knows what they like and want...detailing to some is a mystery to most..that's my take on having a menu list...people will pick the cheapest package.
No - I don't!!
Like I said earlier, I've seen profitable shops with menus like his in the past. One in particular that flabbergasted me.
My take is, it's his job to take some of what you call the "mystery" out of detailing, and up sell the hell out of it.
or 
what did I just get myself into. Once the vehicle is in you position
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