Pro Tips
Basics
Dec 2, 2024
How much does car detailing cost?
Car detailing includes more than just a normal regular wash; This is a deep restoration process that allows your car to look like new. But a very good question now comes to mind: how much will it cost? That depends upon various factors, and we will consider each of these during the course of this article.
Factors That Govern Car Detailing Prices
This can depend on factors such as the size of the car, type of service, and geographical location.
Size of the Vehicle: Smaller vehicles like cars tend to be cheap as opposed to large-sized vehicles like SUVs and trucks.
Type of Detailing Services: Car detailing has three forms.Interior, exterior, or full service. Interior detailing is about cleaning and restoring the interior of the vehicle,such as seats, carpets, and dashboards. Exterior detailing is about washing, waxing, polishing, and sometimes correcting paint. A full-service package includes the two former services for a comprehensive change in outlook in your car.
Location: Urban areas or regions with a high cost of living like New York are generally more expensive, even though their rates in rural areas or smaller towns are more competitive.
Condition of the Vehicle: A vehicle which hasn't been cleaned in months or years or the vehicle got stains and extensive wear will need significantly more work than a regularly maintained car.
Level of Detailing: Basic services include a simple wash and wax. The premium ones come in paint correction or ceramic coating. The greater the detailing involved, the more you should pay for.
Detailer's Experience and Reputation: If you are working with a renowned detailing shop with professional-grade equipment, then you should be prepared to pay more money.
Average Price Range for Detailing Services
The average price that individuals pay to get their cars detailed can vary greatly depending on the above factors.
Basic Interior Detailing Costs: $50-$150. This includes services such as interior vacuuming, upholstery cleaning, and interior polishing.
Basic Exterior Detailing Costs: $75-$200. Typically, this involves washing, waxing, and polishing. Paint correction or ceramic coating can easily double or triple the cost of detailing, with many services exceeding $500.
Full-Service Detailing: Costs can vary from $150 to $300 for a more comprehensive detailing service.
How to Get Value for Money
Start by researching local detailers and reading reviews. Find a certified or highly reviewed shop that balances quality with price. Many detailers have seasonal deals, package discounts, or loyalty programs; these would potentially save you some money.
Starting a detailing business under $600
The first thing I would like to pick up would be a Ryobi pressure washer. It's going to be electric. I know a lot of people like to get gas models because of more cleaning power but electric is going to be super convenient for you first when you're starting off your detailing business and super easy for maintenance.I suggest the 1800 psi pressure washer
The second thing we'll pick up would be a garden hose. you always want to stay within the 100 feet range just because clients might have a 25 ft hose or a 50ft hose. it might not reach the car you're working on we're going to pick up.
Now we need a vacuum. There's cord and cordless vacuums. But what is my go-to would be a Rigid 4 gallon. it's super compact, it's easy to fit in your car, it's very mobile.then also the kit. The kit is what's important. I used to grab this kit all the time because the hose is what you need. The hose that it comes with is really big and bulky. but you need the hose right in the kit.so make sure you guys pick this up because without this, detailing is going to be a little bit more Harder.
Next thing we got to grab a few buckets.
Now we're going to grab some soap. the best soap that I think would be a gold class. It has good lubrication and smells great good for your clients. It is super easy to use. you can put 2 oz in your foam Cannon or you can put 2 oz in the bucket and be ready to go.
So the next thing we got to grab is tire shine. so you want to stick away from the oil based dressings. What I would prefer is a water-based dressing. So we suggest Jay Leno's tire shine water based dressing. It's easy to use.It's going to sit in the tires and in the pores the oil is going to sit on the edge of the tire where you get that sling.I definitely would recommend this one.
Next is a glass cleaner.if you guys don't like the foam action, you could always pick up the bottle as well.
Towels. Choose microfiber towels.It could be good for paint, glass whatever you do need it when you first start off.
You'll need to grab a drying towel. So it's going to help you draw off your vehicles and when you're done through the day, just wash it after.
Now we have to grab an interior detailer. so we suggest Sudslab. The Sudslab interior cleaner is an all purpose cleaner. So you can use it for the wheels, you can use it for the tires & the interior.
So after you wash your client's cars you need something to protect your client's vehicles and it's a good upsell for your business.I suggest Maguire's Ceramic spray wax. it's going to help you protect your client's car and be a perfect upsell for your detailing business.
Tire shine: We suggest TS tire shine applicator. You can spray your tire shine on it and just apply the wheels. This will be good for all Wheels except for the trucker Wheels.
Foam cannon: We suggest hyper tough foam cannon but you can choose any you prefer. This going to be cost efficient for your detailing business
So now we need something to clean your tires and wheels. So we suggest super clean. It's super dilutable, easy to use. So you can use this for your wheels, your tires and carpets. Pick up two spray bottles, we're going to recommend a couple products on Amazon. SPTA wheel and interior brush kit.I highly recommend it
We would like to recommend an extension cord. You always want to do a 12 gauge extension cord 50 ft. The reason why we suggest 12 gauge is because other gauges like 16 and above that 18 that's not going to work for you because the cord is going to overheat. So the 12 gauge is designed for vacuums, compressors and more bigger machines.
Last but most important 📲:
Take video highlighting all this to share with your customers
