How much do you pay to have your ride detailed?

[riptides]

... I just see a $100.-150 to have a car detailed as a total waste of money .but in today's throw away culture I guess it's acceptable as long as you don't have to get your hands dirty .

And I see it as a time saver, and an investment protection. My 1993 vehicle looks as good as the day I bought it. I don't have the time to spend on it like I use too.
And I get my hands plenty dirty.

I think your looking at it as an hours worth of time, but in reality (in my world) it is way more than that. By the time it takes me to get all the supplies out, material ready, weather right, heck, I could be billing someone and elsewhere making dollars. So, it is one less task that has a whole bunch of other things it is dependant on that I don't need to worry about. Now add that up to all the vehicles in the fleet (business and farm) and it becomes a labor task which is not worth my day.

 

[JJZ 109]

BBB is a scam.

My opinion also. If a business is paying them to be a member, chances are good that ratings might be less than honest. They got pissed at me when I told them I wouldn't "pay to play" with my business. I'm buried in work. I don't need them.

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

My opinion also. If a business is paying them to be a member, chances are good that ratings might be less than honest. They got pissed at me when I told them I wouldn't "pay to play" with my business. I'm buried in work. I don't need them.

I owed my own business for more than 30 years BBB would show up 2-3 times a year wanting us to "join" We never did ,never wanted to and never missed them in the least , Chamber of commerce was the same way .

 

[murphy1244]

Roger, I like the way you keep your equipment wish my tractor shined. I used to be able to do that.

 

[Larro Darro]

BBB is a scam.

Sent from my Samsung SPH-L710 using TractorByNet

The BBB was always after my Swiss friend with the pawnshop to join. They said it could hurt his business if he didn't. He told them if someone was late paying the electric bill and was needing to pawn their hunting rifle, they were not likely to see if he had the BBB's seal of approval. All fee based ratings systems are a crock.

 

[clemsonfor]

i hate washing vehicles. I will do the outside but hate the inside.

When i go to greenville For $15 you can get your car run through a robo wash, they hand vaccume, then a team of guys decend on it as it leaves the wash. they vaccume the inside, wipe all the windows inside and out, and clean the seats re-vac the floors or seats if necessary, wipe jambs etc. NO protectant on anythning (tires sometimes dash even less) because the hair from the dog pluss dust sticks to it. For $25 you get the high dollar wash there, this includes the liquid wax, protectant , yada yada on your car as well as protectant on dash and door panels and tires.

I pay a local guy, he will get the wifes car at her office take it to his house/shop and clean it. Just a interrior wash and exterior wash is around $35ish. If you want carpets shampooed and the outside buffed n waxed its around $100. All these prices are for my toyota highlander that the wife drives. The cars i drive may go to the wash in greenville but the ranger has the clear gone on the roof and hood so i hand wash it and just throw the dirt out of the mat, and the saturn will go to greenville and get washed but its got clear problems on the spoiler and door trim so i am not spending much on it. The Toy is our new vehicle and a 2001 and in the best shape so i want to keep it that way. We cant afford a new car now or in the next few years.

 

[clemsonfor]

Oh yea if you keep it in the garage then yes a 20 year old vehicle will still look new, esp if it only has 40,000 miles on it which means it rarely was driven to work and let sit in the sun all day before returing to its garage.

My ranger i drove 35,000 miles my first job outta college.


Oh i have a 1980 K10 that has a repait, chipping paint , chipping clear, its a farm truck and i always wanted an old one like it. I washed it a few months ago i think for the firsst time since i bought it like 7 years ago. I think i have used a pressure washer to knock off mudd and dust but this is the first time with a rag. It looks amazing, and it still looks rough!! The tires had black just rinsing off of them, and now look way better!

 

[slowzuki]

I'm gonna go with still a waste of time here. Between the salt, sand, dirt, bugs etc... I'd rather put that money into mechanical maintenance of the car to get some lasting benefit. I do powerwash under our vehicles multiple times in the spring to try to remove the salt from the winter, have welded too many old cars back together.

I have 1500' of gravel and crud driveway...I still keep my fleet nice...I get moody when the trucks and cars are filthy...The more you clean them the quicker it gets....A full detail can't be rushed though---ergo the beer.

 

[94BULLITT]

Thanks for all the replies. The reason I asked is I had a guy ask me what I would charge him to detail his Explorer. I told him $125. He said that is about what he was paying someone else but the guy live on a real dusty dirt road. By the time his vehicle hit the black top it was dirty again. He has 5 vehicles so he could keep me pretty busy. I am going to use all high quality products, not stuff from Walmart or a auto parts store.

I am going to wash it using the 2 bucket method with grit guards
Dry it with a Microfiber cloth cause chamois are bad
Clay bar it
Use a paint sealant or wax
Clean the wheel and tires
Vacuum the interior
Wash the interior
Use spray protectant on the dash and plastic/ vinyl
Clean the windows

I got the job. He hauls his 3 dogs in this vehicle so it had a lot of dog hair on the inside. I only got a picture of the back of the interiror but the rest was just as bad. I vacuumed for a hour and half on it.

Before














After

 

[madmax12]

Quite a difference you made on the paint. Looks really good. Great job! :thumbsup: