What would you charge to wash/wax someones vehicle?

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Just wandering what the minimum someone would charge for your physical effort to hand wash/shammy dry and wax a car/truck or SUV? Basic Meguiars car wash soap and Meguiars Carnuba wax that you would supply.
 
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I wouldn't charge the same for a car as I would for an SUV or truck. I'd base my price on T&M. Set a price you want per hour, and approximate the cost of the materials you plan on using, add them up and that should give you an idea of what to charge. People who do top quality work don't worry much about what the competition is charging. People just starting out is a different story. Prices also vary by location, Metro NY prices would/should be higher than PA for example.
 
I'd give the customer a $2 per foot (car length) cost. A '19 VW Tiguan would be $30, and a '19 Suburban would be $38.
A Chevy Sonic would be $26.
Notice how that scales nicely with a base charge for just pulling stuff out and getting sponges dirty, etc, while accounting for vehicle size, so you don't need the width.
You could go out and measure the vehicle, or just type in "2019 tiguan dimensions" in your phone or laptop (google) to get the length.

Then charge $1 per mile one-way mileage to do it in their driveway.
 
Originally Posted by BAJA_05
Just wandering what the minimum someone would charge for your physical effort to hand wash/shammy dry and wax a car/truck or SUV? Basic Meguiars car wash soap and Meguiars Carnuba wax that you would supply.

$100
 
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
Originally Posted by BAJA_05
Just wandering what the minimum someone would charge for your physical effort to hand wash/shammy dry and wax a car/truck or SUV? Basic Meguiars car wash soap and Meguiars Carnuba wax that you would supply.

$100

$150 seems to be the market price around here for a wash/clay/seal on a passenger car.
 
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
Originally Posted by BAJA_05
Just wandering what the minimum someone would charge for your physical effort to hand wash/shammy dry and wax a car/truck or SUV? Basic Meguiars car wash soap and Meguiars Carnuba wax that you would supply.

$100


My price.
wink.gif
 
100+ for wash/hand wax which would be significantly better than any cheap auto wash sounds reasonable based on how labor intensive waxing can be. I can't imagine wanting to do it any cheaper than that for my time.
 
The Professional Detailer I know charges the following for interior cleaning, wash, wax

Small cars - $100
Medium/CUVs - $125
Large/light truck/van/SUV -$150

Wash, clay bar, paint correction, Ceramic coat body and wheels, Same sizes....

$550+
$700+
$850+

He is too notch and has cleaned cars for nascar drivers and moderate celebrities. Regularly coats Exotic cars and boats as well. I use him on occasion to get something done perfectly.

Your pricing power will be related to your market/clientele and ultimately your skill and attention to detail.
 
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I would look at how much time is involved and what you think your time and skill is worth. And add cost of materials to the price.

3 hours for a car at $25 per hour or 4 hours at $25 per hour for a truck is where I might start - add your materials cost - water, soap, wax, microfiber cleaning.
Car may end up being $100 and a truck $125.
 
A local large dealership does details on the side. $69.95 gets you wash, vacuum, wax, tire dressing.

$120 gets you the above, plus engine bay and steam clean carpets and detail.

One of my friends is the manager. He makes $12/hr. Helpers get $10/hr.
 
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
Originally Posted by BAJA_05
Just wandering what the minimum someone would charge for your physical effort to hand wash/shammy dry and wax a car/truck or SUV? Basic Meguiars car wash soap and Meguiars Carnuba wax that you would supply.

$100



This what I charged 4 years ago for cars. Never did an SUV.
 
Small cars - $100
Medium/CUVs - $125
Large/light truck/van/SUV -$150

I agree with donnyj08 on these prices. I think the other prices he stated are about right as well but I wouldn't actually go that far detailing a vehicle.
 
More than they would be willing to pay.

I wash and wax my own cars because I enjoy the satisfaction of the results. And I would wash/wax a family member's car if they needed the help, or to teach them how to do it.

But my time is worth more than what someone would pay me to wash/wax their car.
 
Originally Posted by BHopkins
.... my time is worth more than what someone would pay me to wash/wax their car.

Me too.

I wash and (occasionally) wax my cars because I do it well. I use a cloth and a pail and lots of water. I don't enjoy it all that much.
 
if it s just a wash wax vaccum and glass cleaning i think 2 hours would be about the time it would take . So $100 to $125 sounds about right. cost will depend on location and client base
 
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