Washing large SUV's and trucks...what do you charge?

S

Secret Chimp

New member
I have recently begun doing business in a neighboring town. And the mix of individuals is a bit different from this town. The bulk of these folks still have lots of money to spend on detailing services, like my town. But they tend to drive large SUV's and trucks instead of BMW's and MB's. So I before I go scaring everyone away with an outrageously high wash price, I wanted to know what you charge.

I'd like to hear primarially from those folks who make detailing their full time gig....and have all the needed business paperwork/ insurance/ licenses that a business should have. Part timers and fly-by-nighters have a different scale and overhead to price by.

For reference sake, my wash includes a waterless S&W of the whole exterior surface, wheel well cleaning, tire and wheel cleaning, glass cleaning inside and out, interior vac, and a dusting of the dash and other interior panels.

Thanks!
SC~
 
how long do the details usually last you? think of an hourly rate you want to achieve and multiply that by the time you spend on an average.
 
Full size SUV (Explorer ,Expedation,Suburban ) just a wash ,vac, wheels/tires, glass in/out . $40-50 depending on condition . I base my details on a 40-50 per hour average. Since you use S&W ,which isn't cheap and your going to use more of it on vehicles this size along with more towels , I would go on the higher end. If you doubled your full size car price what would you get ?
 
rollman said:
Full size SUV (Explorer ,Expedation,Suburban ) just a wash ,vac, wheels/tires, glass in/out . $40-50 depending on condition . I base my details on a 40-50 per hour average. Since you use S&W ,which isn't cheap and your going to use more of it on vehicles this size along with more towels , I would go on the higher end. If you doubled your full size car price what would you get ?
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I think if you added a tire dress and maybe a gloss enhancer (Adams DS, S+G) You could get upwards of 50. I live in a small town and would do a wash like that for probably 40 but thats just becuase there is not a market really for high priced details. I figured you could add the dress and gloss enhancer becuase realistlly it doesnt take that much longer and can make a big difference in appearence. If your going to get into dressing wheel wells as well i would go with 60 or so.

Greg
 
GregCavi said:
I think if you added a tire dress and maybe a gloss enhancer (Adams DS, S+G) You could get upwards of 50. I live in a small town and would do a wash like that for probably 40 but thats just becuase there is not a market really for high priced details. I figured you could add the dress and gloss enhancer becuase realistlly it doesnt take that much longer and can make a big difference in appearence. If your going to get into dressing wheel wells as well i would go with 60 or so.

Greg
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Sorry if I wasn't clear , but when I listed them I meant that to mean dressing them . When I wash I just include cleaning wheels and tires as part of the wash .
 
I normally try to price out my details and washes by figuring an hourly rate that covers my expenses and pays me $50 an hour. If they are purchased in bulk (monthly maintenance packages) I offer a substantial disc.

Rollman, you are right. Using S&W does cost more....esp as the vehicles increase in size. But I make up for it by not having to (1.) buy hundreds of gallons of water each day (2) buy and maintain pressure washers a trailer and other related equip and (3) drive a 10mpg beast of a truck. My work vehicle gets 50mpg!

I think I'll quote them $40 each for their SUV's.

And I like GregCavi's idea about the tire dressing and gloss enhancer. I think I'll offer that as a service upgrade for $10.
 
These potential clients with the large vehicles don't have a hose and water at their homes for you to actually wash the car? What do you do if the vehicles is really dirty? What do you say if someone says "Hey you didn't wash my car and I payed 40-50 bucks"? Just wondering...
 
gentletouch said:
These potential clients with the large vehicles don't have a hose and water at their homes for you to actually wash the car? What do you do if the vehicles is really dirty? What do you say if someone says "Hey you didn't wash my car and I payed 40-50 bucks"? Just wondering...
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What are you going on about? :wha Are you trying to say that since I do not use water, I am not washing the clients car? That makes zero sense. And no one with a brain would accuse me of having not washed their car when they don't see polluted water running into the storm drain and a big wet spot on their driveway. It's the cleanliness of the car, the end product that is proof that I DID in fact wash the clients car. Don't you agree? :)

I wash with S&W. If the car is really dirty, I use QEW and a half gallon of water to deal with the dirty spots. People who like to pay for detailers typically are not the type that go offroading on the weekends. And since it is sunny here 350 days a year, cars don't get too dirty.

I could easily have a tank and a pressure washer if that is what I wanted to do. There are dozens of businesses in the area already doing that. My whole business plan is based upon the paradigm, "You will never do better than your competition if you do business the same way they do." Competition in this area is quite fierce. And being 'just another car detailer' is not what is needed around here. So I do things differently....I market those virtues heavily.
 
Secret Chimp said:
...being 'just another car detailer' is not what is needed around here. So I do things differently....I market those virtues heavily.
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Hopefully a word of advice, assuming you are a relatively new entrepreneur. Good thought about not being "just another car detailer", but doing things differently doesn't necessarily equate to being better. That's what we all strive to be is better. Not just better than the other guy, but improving our own skills.

Good luck in your new endeavour.
 
Mr Chimp,
To a person wanting to have their car washed, seeing a detailer spraying something out of a bottle and wiping the car down would probably "not make sense" to them. It makes perfect sense to me. I was just relaying what I have had customers ask me when I finish their car using the S&W method and they ask, "You washed it?" I do believe you are wrong about "People who like to pay for detailers typically are not the type that go offroading on the weekends." comment because if they are a "regular" weekly or bi-weekly customer than they know you are coming to take care of the car anyway. I am happy that it is sunny 350 days a year there for your sake but I do not envy the fact that like you stated competition is rampant. I wish you all the luck in your business and may you never be questioned about actually washing a car.
 
Gentletouch. I reread my post and it sounded a bit harsher than I anticipated. For that I apologize. I wasn't trying to yell or be an 455.

In all my ads I mention the fact that I do waterless washes exclusively. My advertising is done in water conservation/ ocean conservation newsletters and magazines. So I am targeting a specific audience that currently has the need to get their cars cleaned, but feel guilty hiring someone who 'wastes' water. It's an untapped audience.

I do however have customers who have no environmental agenda also. Those people get a full explanation regarding my products and what I do.

If some rube came to me and started making accusations about my process, they will be referred to one of the local car washes. I'd rather not deal with the stupidity! :)
 
Mr. Clean said:
Hopefully a word of advice, assuming you are a relatively new entrepreneur. Good thought about not being "just another car detailer", but doing things differently doesn't necessarily equate to being better. That's what we all strive to be is better. Not just better than the other guy, but improving our own skills.

Good luck in your new endeavour.
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Thanks for the advice. Detailing is my newest entrepreneurial business. But there have been others.

You are absolutely right in the thought that different doesn't always mean better. The only thing that can be guaranteed is that different is just different. And it is a gamble. But sometimes that's just what potential clients need to be pulled away from a service they pay for currently, but aren't as happy with as they would like.
 
Secret Chimp said:
I normally try to price out my details and washes by figuring an hourly rate that covers my expenses and pays me $50 an hour. If they are purchased in bulk (monthly maintenance packages) I offer a substantial disc.

Rollman, you are right. Using S&W does cost more....esp as the vehicles increase in size. But I make up for it by not having to (1.) buy hundreds of gallons of water each day (2) buy and maintain pressure washers a trailer and other related equip and (3) drive a 10mpg beast of a truck. My work vehicle gets 50mpg!

I think I'll quote them $40 each for their SUV's.

And I like GregCavi's idea about the tire dressing and gloss enhancer. I think I'll offer that as a service upgrade for $10.
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Dont mean to bust on you...but I'm having a hard time seeing a "waterless" wash being effective or as safe as a full water wash. Too many nooks and crannies for pollen, dust and dirt that will cannot be cleaned or even reached. 98% of the loose dirt comes off with my pressure washer. The rest with soap/water/sponge and rinsed again.

There is no way to get dirt trapped in between body panels, body mouldings, lights, road grime inside of mirror housings etc without pressured water.

What about brake dust inside the wheel/hubcap and on the calipers...where you can't reach without pressurized water? Or all the nooks and crannies between the seams of plastic and plastic rivets/screws inside of wheel wells?. Filthy A-arms, shocks, struts and tie rods? What about the under carriage? I can clean a good portion of that with just my PW without a lift.

What about engine cleaning? No way that can be done waterless...those chemicals need to be washed off the engine with water or they can stain, pit and eat parts. This is a valueable service that prolongs hose and belt life that you may be missing out on an easy $35

If addressing and pandering to the environmental concerns of your customers, I think that using a water wash with biodegradeable chemicals with a water reclaimation system would be the only way to go (and may be the law in certain areas). A 1000-1200 psi PW will only use a gal or so a minute.

This waterless system sounds like more of a touch-up within a few days of a real watered detailing.

I mean, i won't even QD a relatively "clean" car without at LEAST rinsing off the dust first.

Flame Away, just raising some questions.... :flamed
 
DShiznitz said:
I mean, i won't even QD a relatively "clean" car without at LEAST rinsing off the dust first.
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Good point. I was the same way until I started using Spray & Wipe. As a matter of fact, I had all but given up on QD'ing a vehicle........ unless it was freshly washed. Spray & Wipe changed that to some extent. If done correctly (the part that some people forget), it will clean a lightly/moderately dirty vehicle safely.

However, I would find it difficult to run any detailing business by "only" washing vehicle with a waterless wash. Of course, in some areas of the country, under certain conditions, the detailer may have little choice?
 
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