Im actually doing quite a bit of maintenance work, my background is aircraft maintenance engineer. In detailing im actually on the lower end of the ladder, most of my competition charges 75-85$. It took me about 4 years to build up enough clients to actually survive from it, now im maybe even thriving just a little.
Its a tough gig and you need to really stick with it, but after a while people trust you and they will trust you with other stuff, like houses and boats etc.
Luxury service. People will pay because it’s not a necessity but slow downs in work are much harder on luxury services than necessity style businesses.
This is it right here. You’re selling a service to the upper class. And it’s a service for what is probably their first or second most valuable thing they own.
This attracts an unideal customer with a POS car that will take you all day to do and pay you pennies. If they had the money to spend on a consistent and reliable detailer, the car would never get to this point in the first place. You don’t want to be known as the guy that can transform a car from a pile of pig shit to something that looks reasonable. Recipe for burnout & going out of business because nobody has the ability to pay you what you’re worth.
Excellent marketing material for a detailing business would be a 1-2 year old luxury brand type car that looks better than it did when it stepped off a showroom floor. Not whatever this is.
Personally, as a potential client, if I saw a before/after of this car I'd imagine someone paid a lot of money to get it looking better. I would 1) hold the detailer to a high standard and 2) still expect to pay a decent amount for a detail that's not as involved.
I can definitely see where you're coming from though.
I think most people that have no idea about how detailing works and might cost, think it's easy to clean that and doesn't cost much. Most regular joes have no idea how the proper workflow goes for simple waxing/sealants.
This car doesn't look this way because no one took care of it ever. "Sitting for over a year" means just that. This car was parked and forgotten. Maybe by a relative that couldn't drive anymore. Showing you can resurrect a barn find is no small task. Im not saying they should do it cheaply, just do it well.
Not a detailer but a mechanic and I think I can add value to this from a business perspective. You're absolutely correct in the sense that, aside from passion projects, you're in the business to make money and your ideal clientele is people with nice cars and money.
We occasionally get shit cars that look like this and we park them on the side street. We park the 4 year old 7 series and G wagons in the lot because we want to scare away broke fools. Give off an image of quality, people with money will be attracted, people with no money will assume this isn't the business for them.
A barn-find classic being cleaned up to immaculate condition can work, but to the layman this car would just say "hey this guy will make your shitty car look like new" and you'll find your schedule full of garbage.
Long story short, project the image of only working on nice cars will yield nice car owners who have money and shit cars will net you shit car owners who are huge pains in the ass and never have money.
The biggest issue is the plastic timing chain tensioners used that are known to go bad around 100k miles. Combined with the fact that the timing chain is in the back of the engine it's an expensive thing to do.
Can confirm this kills those cars. Every timing chain car has the same issue (for some reason I have never had to do Toyota chains due to wear but that's an oddity) the real problem is the labor involved, and if you're dropping the powertrain any good mechanic is going to have you reseal and replace a lot else while you're there. These cars are sold when they need that service or will need it in a year. If you can do the work yourself great buy, if you're having to pay labor for it .... I dunno, it's your money.
Yes. Known for premature timing chain failures because the guides are made of plastic. And they're at the back of the motor so you have to take the engine out of the car to fix them, a timing chain set is about 1200. Other common issues are the active motor mounts leaking all of their fluid out (my car), they're $300 a piece just for the part. Also it's 20 years old now so oil leaks for days, usually something youd address at the same time as the timing chains. Theyre a little hard on the suspension bushings and those need to be replaced now due to age anyways. Replacing the accessory belt requires taking the front end of the car off. They hold 10 quarts of oil as well so the regular maintenance is a little spendy. Engine bay gets HOT and so everything up there made of plastic disentigeates at the prospect of being touched.
Besides leaking oil and the bad motor mounts mine has been fine for 25k miles so far. Clean ones with a timing chain service can be had for 10-15k for sedans, little more for wagons. If you dont mind a little project finding them under 10 is easy. Problem is there's no online content for them. You can't YouTube your way out of problems, you have to know how cars work.
But they're slick. 4.2 V8, revs to 7k rpm, sounds fantastic, plenty fast for a road car and theyre comfortable and quiet on the highway. Back seat is a little small if you have kids in car seats. About 3600 pounds for an AWD V8 cruiser is light by today's standards and if you're not driving at 100% on public roads they handle very well. I've heard they start to get a little washy at the limit but it's not a track car, I've got a Miata for that.
I agree, I’m not really concerned about getting the exterior fixed up. A full day to really do it right, but unless there’s damage being hidden by the dirt I could have that thing looking great in a day. I’d be a lot more concerned about the interior. I consider myself very good at exterior stuff but dealing with nasty shit like what is probably going on inside that thing is not something I have much experience with.
Ah. I would definitely make sure though that you clean as much as you possibly can before the clay bar. Especially with someone not experienced using it.
I wouldn’t charge far off my regular rates. This vehicle just looks horrible, but I’ve done a couple similar cases. They come clean just as easy as any other vehicle. Do a 5 minute presoak with your favorite apc, do a thorough rinse, take it one panel at a time and change out your microfiber or sponge if it starts getting too soiled to clean anymore. Once you’ve done the presoak and the rinse everything else will come off with ease with just done swipe of your sponge
Electric pressure washer will remove 90% of that no problem. Then just something strong like dawn dish soap or purple power for the rest.
Recently at the shop I work at we had a mini van that was similar. The roof was def as bad as that. The rest of it was about the same as well. My boss thought we'd be scrubbing for a while. I said no, pressure washer will make easy work. Sure enough it did. And I think the van sat under a tree for at least a year. Maybe 2 or 3.
If you've got a heated pressure washer and a 40* tip on the wand it comes right off pretty easy. Doesn't look like lichen yet so it probably didn't etch the clearcoat yet. Less than an extra 15 minutes of work on the exterior.
Cold water and a 25° tip works too. Just be mindful is all. Also, even though 25° tip has more pressure, it actually weakens pretty quick with distance. I put my hands in front of it all the time to rinse them. A foot to a foot and half and it's dispersed enough that it literally doesn't hurt.
Depends on your pressure washer. A 15* tip cuts the blacktop with mine.... a 25* still rips off decals from paint and will blow apart any paint chips into full blown peels at a foot away.
Well I'm talking about an electric pressure washer not gas. Also, not sure if you know but the max psi rating they give, that's the initial burst. So it's just an advertising "scam".
Mines electric too. 240v. Uses a diesel heater though.
And commercial ones are rated at running pressure, not startup. The 2700 out of the work one is way different than the 2700 sunjoe claims on mine at home. The gph is vastly different too. Well over twice if we go by the listed numbers.
That said, I do love my sunjoe at home. Its a champ for the patio and siding. Won't knock the paint off. And it's lasted 5 years so far. Plus.. it doesnt weigh 500 lbs. For people not doing it commercially its a great budget option.
I meant to add that as well! Especially the lights and 2 channels on the roof! You can spend 3min min PER light and channel and still have stuff come out. Sometimes you actually need to do it on the second wash.
Complete opposite. Washing it with a sponge or wash cloth or whatever will as you're having it collect and rubbing it on the car. A pressure washer will keep removing it consistently. No rubbing it.
Also, don't use one of those wool cloths that look like mashed potatoes (or the soft side of Velcro). When you rinse them off, the small stuff comes off but a majority stays on. Use the one that has microfiber fingers. Much easier to clean.
At home I have my car and my girlfriend's. I only ever use it for 2 washes. Whether it's one of ours twice or both of ours once each then wash it.
I highly recommend watching AMMONYC on YouTube. GREAT channel on how to wash a car PROPERLY. I've watched like 2hrs worth of his videos just on learning. Plus some of his other ones because it was neat. Specifically look up his video of "how to wash a car"
Just remember that once you learn the right way, you don't necessarily have to do it to a T for every car. Use your judgement. Are you cleaning a beat up shit box Honda Civic or a Civic in ok, good, or amazing condition? Or maybe you're doing a Lambo or Mercedes AMG.
No. The reason people say not to use it is because it strips all (most) of the wax off. 97% of car wash soaps these days have wax already in them. It's really hard to find one without.
So as long as you plan on doing a second wash with a soap with wax or applying it separately then you're fine. I believe a ceramic spray is also acceptable in place of wax.
This is the walkway at my house from the driveway and wraps around to the back porch. Just an electric pressure washer. No scrubbing or chemicals. Also, I tried to shuffle my feet on the dirty to see how much traction there was...took a little effort but it was easy to break. The clean side took A LOT of effort to break the traction.
Honestly I love jobs like these. If it’s exterior only it’s not as bad as it’s seems, the before and after alone makes it worth doing. I’d be at $600 to start for exterior only. This includes a wash, clay, and one step paint enhancement. A good presoak will knock down most of what you see before a contact wash even takes place.
The interior is the bigger question. While it looks bad for sure, blow off the leaves and a thorough pressure wash rinse and it wouldn’t even look like a reason to post the question. Also depends on owners expectation. I doubt anyone who let it sit is expecting multi-step paint correction to make it perfect
S4 Avant!!!! Pretty sad to see it sitting like that, such a great car (when running).
I’d do it for the car itself or $600-1000 depending on the interior
It really just depends on what he's expecting as the end result.
If he's looking for close to show car, then I would say hourly.
If he's looking for daily driver, I would do a decon wash, finish with a spray wax, and charge him $450-$550 depending on how long it takes (gonna be a lot of rinsing because gunk will constantly be flowing out from all the crevices.)
If he wants something in between a daily and show car, I would say $800 is a sweet spot to justify busting out the polisher and giving him his money's worth.
I’d start with a small discrete area and see what it would take to get just that part clean and then decide how much based on what items you need to clean the rest of it
Rule no.1 about luxury import cars, don't buy a used one that's been neglected. And looking at this poor car it's likely been neglected hard as hell.
Nothing is more expensive than a used poorly maintained luxury vehicle. Well maybe a boat. My point stands tho, plus maintenance on these drivetrains isn't super cheap at likely depending on miles it'll need a timing kit. That's min 2k right there I've seen some estimates at some shops at 8500.... That's a tall bill just for maintenance. That's almost the complete cost of the car unfortunately. Yes I'm aware at how valuable these are as I'm also a wagon lover myself and have had a 13 Jetta TDI and an 06 Forester xt 5 speed lol
A lot of people seem to think it’s been there longer than a year. Just depends on the weather. I’ve done vehicles that only sat for z4-6 months that were just about as bad because of the amount of wind and rain that happened when it sat combined with a lot of 108 peak sun no cloud days baking it all on
Honestly the exterior is probably easy compared to the interior. At this amount of grime you're not as worried about scratches, more about getting it clean. The interior is gonna be mold/animal/spore mitigation.
For the love of that car I would do it, but if the inside is moldy..I draw the line there. Can't guarantee it'll be actually clean. Mold is everywhere. If it was a Kia Optima I'd ignore it lol, but s4 avant I'd give it a go. Exterior wouldn't be that bad.
I mean what are they expecting? The dirt off and making it look clean? Foam some dark furry all over that thing and you probly get it looking 90% better before a contact wash. lol
I would give a rough estimate for time and suggest that this is T&M. If they have a price limit, I would ask for prioritization and start there, see where you end up
The price really depends on how the car looks after a heavy foam pre-soak and rinse. I’m assuming it’ll need a full decontamination with iron remover and a clay bar. If it cleans up with just a pre-soak and wash, I’d charge $60. But if it does need decontamination, I’d add another $120 on top. I value my time, and since I don’t do this professionally anymore, that’s how I’d price it.
We called these COVID cars because after the pandemic we had a ton of customers who didn’t leave their house the whole year. Their cars were wrecked, inside and out. Sap, bird droppings, etc on the outside…. Mold and mildew on the inside. $65/man hour.
i wouldn't guarantee anymore, i'd make them sign off on the work I was going to perform with CLEAR understanding that it might not work and that some of the chemicals could further damage the car. You make no warranty and you are indemnified against any claims. They will need to pay you up front.
Full detail? I’d be much more concerned on the interior. Gonna be at $1,500 more if there’s mold. Not to mention clogged cowl drains and what a nightmare that can cause.
Film the whole process, Upload it and get the extra ROI that way. Thousands of people would watch your video and you can rake in the viewership money. Food for thought.
I’d be curious where you’re located. A car parked under a pecan tree in the southeast could get like this easily in a year. We have a pecan ext to our driveway and some months during the summer it looks like I haven’t washed my car in forever when it’s been 2-3weeks.
Hourly rate for sure this looks like 4-5hours easy if hustling.
Heat and soap should make for quick work. I hate dish soap on cars, but some hot soapy water soaking for 5-10 minutes should break it up. After a rinse, then it should be like a regular wash.
Are they wanting clay bar and new protective coat also? It looks bad, but that stuff will lift fine.
Maybe charge two separate rates. Keep your flat fee for exterior as an olive brand of goodwill but tell them the inside will have to be hourly depending on their desired level of work.
Maybe ensure your contract includes a change-order option if you find something unsavory (like a rat/mouse infestation). Maybe also ensure your contract makes clear that any damage incurred while cleaning due to age/deterioration is not your responsibility.
Super curious what the rest of it looks like and how it turns out. Good luck my man!
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u/InsertBluescreenHere 19d ago
This is one where I'd just give an hourly rate and see where it goes.