How much would you pay for a detailer?

[sgtbash]

I have been detailing all of my own cars for several years, and enjoy it enough to get more serious about it.

I just want to gauge how much PH would pay for someone to visit their home, and spend a solid (weekend) day to wash, detail & protect their motor using decent products.

Is this something I should even bother with? I work management throughout the week, but im interested in turning my weekends into a little side earner really.

Thanks guys

[_Leg_]

I've just had four of my classics (Mk2 Jag, Alfa Guilietta Sprint, Esprit V8 and Mk1 Escort RS1600 BDA) paint corrected and ceramic coated (not touched the interiors, engine bay etc) and each took 2.5 days. Each car cost me £650. Worth every penny. I also had the leather in my Mk2 Jag removed and repainted (everything) in the same colour and it now looks like new but is original rather than re trimmed, £700. No, it doesn't come off. :-)

Not a scratch or swirl in sight now. Bought a pet blow drier to dry them with now so they should stay that way.

[sgtbash]

So the moneys there then!

Unfortunately I wouldnt be able to offer that level of service due to the fact it would be weekend only work. Maybe in the future!

[Shnozz]

_Leg_ said:

I've just had four of my classics (Mk2 Jag, Alfa Guilietta Sprint, Esprit V8 and Mk1 Escort RS1600 BDA) paint corrected and ceramic coated (not touched the interiors, engine bay etc) and each took 2.5 days. Each car cost me £650. Worth every penny. I also had the leather in my Mk2 Jag removed and repainted (everything) in the same colour and it now looks like new but is original rather than re trimmed, £700. No, it doesn't come off. :-)

Not a scratch or swirl in sight now. Bought a pet blow drier to dry them with now so they should stay that way.

Can I enquire who you used for this?

[So]

sgtbash said:

So the moneys there then!

Unfortunately I wouldnt be able to offer that level of service due to the fact it would be weekend only work. Maybe in the future!

I've paid as much as £350 for a detail (1.5 days).

I've been through a few detailers of various qualities. The current chap normally does valets for me but can do more advanced work. The advanced guys, I think, found that they had competition from amateurs who liked detailing - is this you? One of them became so annoyed by it he used the names of people off Detailing World in his SEO, so if anyone searched for them they would find him.

[sgtbash]

That is exactly me.

I don’t expect to charge as much as the guys that do it full time, I don’t pretend to have the kit they have, but I do know I have a clue!

Which does make me think, shall I even bother!

[t.boydy]

Depends if your fully legit, have insurance and offer any warranty to your work......

If your just a bloke earning a few quid on the side....

Overheads and endorsed products play a massive part in costs

[richatnort]

I can't help on how much to charge but if you want someone to start out on I'd be interested in getting my 3 series detailed and ceramic coated. Not sure if you want to do it but pm me if it's something you'd be interested to do.

[_Leg_]

Shnozz said:

_Leg_ said:

I've just had four of my classics (Mk2 Jag, Alfa Guilietta Sprint, Esprit V8 and Mk1 Escort RS1600 BDA) paint corrected and ceramic coated (not touched the interiors, engine bay etc) and each took 2.5 days. Each car cost me £650. Worth every penny. I also had the leather in my Mk2 Jag removed and repainted (everything) in the same colour and it now looks like new but is original rather than re trimmed, £700. No, it doesn't come off. :-)

Not a scratch or swirl in sight now. Bought a pet blow drier to dry them with now so they should stay that way.

Can I enquire who you used for this?

Glyn of Elite Detailing. Absolute top man and top work. I'm extremely fussy about my cars and he understood that, still took the work on and did a great job. He's back at my place on Monday doing a final bit of work on my RS1600 BDA and cleaning any fly splats off the front of My F12 and 458 Spider (which both have full PPF) before ceramic coating the fronts.

Bear in mind the work on my classics has been paint correction on cars that are now concourse, 95%+ kind of cars. I wouldn't spend this kind of money nor effort on my daily drivers.

Edited by _Leg_ on Thursday 14th March 20:16

[CharlesdeGaulle]

sgtbash said:

I don’t expect to charge as much as the guys that do it full time, I don’t pretend to have the kit they have, but I do know I have a clue!

This is your selling point. I've never had a car detailed, and my definition of cleaning is a bucket and sponge, but if someone offered to detail my car for rather less (a lot less!) than the 650 mentioned above I'd probably take it.

On a larger scale, that's how capitalism and the free market economy works.

[Wilmslowboy]

sgtbash said:

....

I just want to gauge how much PH would pay for someone to visit their home, and spend a solid (weekend) day to wash, detail & protect their motor using decent products.

...

Thanks guys

Had this done at my home, including machine polish (not a full correction, but light swirl removal), plus wax, a full 8 hours on-site.

By a professional detailer, (own unit, FB page full of top exotica) - £180.

There are some local mobile 'detailers', that do a 'showroom valet'; (half day) for £50.

[_Leg_]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

sgtbash said:

I don’t expect to charge as much as the guys that do it full time, I don’t pretend to have the kit they have, but I do know I have a clue!

This is your selling point. I've never had a car detailed, and my definition of cleaning is a bucket and sponge, but if someone offered to detail my car for rather less (a lot less!) than the 650 mentioned above I'd probably take it.

On a larger scale, that's how capitalism and the free market economy works.

As I said, what I had done wasn't a detail, it was a full paint correction on cars that are now concourse and three of them, the Mk2 Jag, Alfa Guilietta Sprint and RS1600 BDA would be contenders for winning any concourse competition. 2.5 days per car on the paint alone, no interiors, no wheels, no tyres, no engine bays etc were touched. Their paint is now completely swirl and scratch free, as flat a is possible and also sealed in with top quality ceramic coating.

Those have all been restored and obviously are steel cars. My Esprit is completely original and fibre glass so was never going to come up as well. However, here's a before and after shot and some more shots of the Esprit...





and the Alfa and Jag...










I've had the sills on the Escort repainted to remove stone chips and that lower section is being re paint corrected on Monday before it goes for PPF on the lower sections and then ceramic coating. I'm having some PPF on that one because the other cars are steady drivers whereas the Escort is an absolute weapon and frankly, I cant resist it. :-)

Edited by _Leg_ on Thursday 14th March 22:00

[ben5575]

Yeah to be fair, that's worth £650 a pop.

Stunning work. Makes my teeth itch just thinking of the patience and attention to detail required to do that. Complete anathema to me.

[_Leg_]

ben5575 said:

Yeah to be fair, that's worth £650 a pop.

Stunning work. Makes my teeth itch just thinking of the patience and attention to detail required to do that. Complete anathema to me.

Originally I thought, "I'm not paying for them all doing, I'll pay Glyn to do one of the cars, do it with him and do the rest myself". After an hour I realised I was fooling myself. Imagine spending 2 hours on one door. Not a f*cking chance.

Each to their own. Well worth the money from my perspective. The cars are absolutely superb now, Glyn took the time to run through my cleaning processes, helped me sort the drying bit, which is where I was going wrong, and is now always available to me if I need advice or an hour (or whatever) on a specific issue. I have a 20 year view on my collection so investing in preserving them makes sense.

[Lemming Train]

sgtbash said:

I have been detailing all of my own cars for several years, and enjoy it enough to get more serious about it.

I just want to gauge how much PH would pay for someone to visit their home, and spend a solid (weekend) day to wash, detail & protect their motor using decent products.

Is this something I should even bother with? I work management throughout the week, but im interested in turning my weekends into a little side earner really.

Thanks guys

What town are you based out of?

[detee]

_Leg_ said:

ben5575 said:

Yeah to be fair, that's worth £650 a pop.

Stunning work. Makes my teeth itch just thinking of the patience and attention to detail required to do that. Complete anathema to me.

Originally I thought, "I'm not paying for them all doing, I'll pay Glyn to do one of the cars, do it with him and do the rest myself". After an hour I realised I was fooling myself. Imagine spending 2 hours on one door. Not a f*cking chance.

Each to their own. Well worth the money from my perspective. The cars are absolutely superb now, Glyn took the time to run through my cleaning processes, helped me sort the drying bit, which is where I was going wrong, and is now always available to me if I need advice or an hour (or whatever) on a specific issue. I have a 20 year view on my collection so investing in preserving them makes sense.

Glyn is incredible, he has just detailed my new car. Very knowledgeable and always goes above and beyond. As you say he is always incredibly helpful.

[R8FUN]

Jon @ Advance Detail in Leeds has just done my MX5 - 2 very long days & £820 later :

[Lemming Train]

EIGHT HUNDRED AND TWENTY POUNDS ?

[richatnort]

Lemming Train said:

EIGHT HUNDRED AND TWENTY POUNDS ?

OK A MAZDA!!! You could buy one for that price

Looks lovely though!

[R8FUN]

richatnort said:

Lemming Train said:

EIGHT HUNDRED AND TWENTY POUNDS ?

OK A MAZDA!!! You could buy one for that price

Looks lovely though!

Whats the problem, some people would easily blow that in a couple of months on Drink, Drugs Smoking & Gambling.
I choose to spend it on my car.