Avg. Cost for a detailer to apply opti-coat?

[Steedman07]

Then go get it done for $200..Let us know how you make out..

And by chance, did you vote for Obama?

 

[Fuerte]

I got quoted around 800 plus depending on condition of my paint and where i wanted the paint to be, 800 being the low end, just to opti coat my car. I would need a new DD in order for me to get my car to the point i felt content with my finish to seal that it for 2-3 years just because of the sear amount of time and effort need to get the to that point. I wouldnt cheap out you dont want to look at a finish you cant do anything about for the next 2 ish years.

 

[Torched S197]

I don't work with opti-coat so I've never once used it. I'd rather just use sealants and waxes on the cars I do for people. I do detailing on my days off and to give me something extra to do but even doing it with my flex I'm still in to each car between 8-12 hours depending on how much work has to be done. Even if they do it for a living I can't see them only charging 400 for a full detail. They may do a good job on your car but they will try and cut corners if they only charge 400

 

[Kbreeze]

it is alot of work, I couldnt do it for a living. When I get done doing my car, and keep in mind I dont even get into 1 or 2 stage anything, I am fucking beat. By the time I am happy with the finished product, I dont want to do the rest of the car. If I was going to pay myself to do my whole car, it wouldnt be less than $500 bucks including product.

its definately a lot of work no doubt. Im not questioning that. If you do it for a living though you get conditioned to it and develop better and more efficient techniques, get bulk discounts etc etc. I just dont see how $400 is too low for a professional to do an opti coat service on a 2012 vehicle. I think its just certain people justifying their prices so they can continue to do things like buy new GT500's



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[Fuerte]

its definately a lot of work no doubt. Im not questioning that. If you do it for a living though you get conditioned to it and develop better and more efficient techniques, get bulk discounts etc etc. I just dont see how $400 is too low for a professional to do an opti coat service on a 2012 vehicle. I think its just certain people justifying their prices so they can continue to do things like buy new GT500's



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new factory paint still have defects to remove.

 

[Steedman07]

its definately a lot of work no doubt. Im not questioning that. If you do it for a living though you get conditioned to it and develop better and more efficient techniques, get bulk discounts etc etc. I just dont see how $400 is too low for a professional to do an opti coat service on a 2012 vehicle. I think its just certain people justifying their prices so they can continue to do things like buy new GT500's



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Why are you attacking Seer? The guy has probably forgotten more than you and I both know about proper paint care, correction and protection.

Maybe you havent learned the hard lesson yet of you get whay you pay for. The only way to learn is to get fucked once, then you wont cheese out on something as important as paint protection. Good luck..

 

[Kbreeze]

I got quoted around 800 plus depending on condition of my paint and where i wanted the paint to be, 800 being the low end, just to opti coat my car. I would need a new DD in order for me to get my car to the point i felt content with my finish to seal that it for 2-3 years just because of the sear amount of time and effort need to get the to that point. I wouldnt cheap out you dont want to look at a finish you cant do anything about for the next 2 ish years.

Honestly, the finish looks good to me now. And it's a black car. With some mild polishing it will look even better.

The service industry is funny. You always have people who want to charge an army and a leg, because they have a boat they want to buy

I did email another detailer lidetailers.com they do a lot of exotics, etc. We'll see what there price comes in at Here is there exterior price list (doesn't show Opti-Coat cost - but I saw them saying they do it, on autopia so I emailed them)

http://www.lidetailers.com/exterior.html

I'm guessing they will be in the $600-$800 range.

Why are you attacking Seer? The guy has probably forgotten more than you and I both know about proper paint care, correction and protection.

Maybe you havent learned the hard lesson yet of you get whay you pay for. The only way to learn is to get fucked once, then you wont cheese out on something as important as paint protection. Good luck..

I'm not trying to attack seer. He is very helpful to be honest. But him claiming it would cost $350 in materials is BS. Guys like him do great work I'm sure but they also charge hefty prices and do very well for themselves, so I find it amusing when they make it out as if they don't.

 

[Seer]

You are telling me that would cost them $350 in materials to prep and opti-coat a 1 year old car that is in excellent condition? How is that possible? It sounds like you are already calculating time into that.

No I am telling you time is valuable. I am not sure if you run a business or have been an ops manager etc. I detail as a side company, I have a daily position where I am compensated quite well for.

I have a lot of experience in detailing, I'm not the best, nor am I the worst. I've been around long enough to know when someone is charging X, that is 200% cheaper than qualified experienced detailers, I know corners are cut, or they aren't making a damn dime off of the job.

I don't clean three month old french fries from mom's mini van, I just turn those customers away as they are not what I've built my side business up to be. I'd rather spend 30 hours on a ferrari and make 100% more than detail 10 mini vans and still not come out on top.

Good detailing companies take into consideration their materials cost and hourly rate. Anything after that is considered a profit. Even if you own your own business.

If I was to charge a customer let's say $1500 for a full detail plus Opti-coating, I'd most likely have about $250 in materials. I don't reuse buffing pads for high end details, I don't use dealership chemicals and I rarely reuse microfiber clothes on details of that nature.

Is there a problem reusing pads? Not really, but if someone is paying for quality, you give them that. By profession I practice six sigma as a black belt. I look to remove defects from my process. Could I introduce contamination to the freshly buffed paint by reusing a pad or a microfiber cloth? More so than I could if I used a new one, thats for damn sure.

But if you came to me asking me to clean your engine bay, wheels, clay your car, buff your paint and then apply Opti-coat for $400, I'd tell you no thank you.

My pricing is about in line with Esoteric detail's prices. http://esotericdetail.com/detailing-services/

IMO there are 4 types of detailers.

1. Dealership detailer who does nothing but quantity, where presentation is not important as you are showing your car to a client base that does not know any better. To them clean is good enough
2. The Bargain detailer with the $100-150 wash, buff wax. Uses similar products to the dealership detailer, does a speedy 2-3 hour job, and does a few of these a day. No real paint correction is done.
3. Enthusiast detailer, typical details run about $400-800, uses good products, knows what they are doing and typically take about 7-12 hours. Also is smart enough to educate customers and keep them on a maintenance plan to ensure their investment lasts a long time.
4. Concours style detailer, uses the best products, studies the proper materials needed to accomplish what the customer is looking for, removes trim pieces, wheels, seats, interior pieces to ensure full and thorough cleaning is done, mastered paint restoration/correction. Guarantee's their work.

 

[Kbreeze]

Good detailing companies take into consideration their materials cost and hourly rate. Anything after that is considered a profit. Even if you own your own business.

How is your hourly rate not your profit? That's the money you are getting paid to do the job. Geez I'd love the next time I got a paycheck for it so show my normal rate and then a separate column marked profit, lol. What you are talking about is a "Bonus." Profit = the money you make beyond your expenses. Google the definition if need be.

 

[Seer]

How is your hourly rate not your profit? That's the money you are getting paid to do the job. Geez I'd love the next time I got a paycheck for it so show my normal rate and then a separate column marked profit, lol. What you are talking about is a "Bonus." Profit = the money you make beyond your expenses. Google the definition if need be.

Reinvestment back into the business. Stick with zaino or walmart meguiars nxt these concepts are clearly escaping you.

How much do you think a good detailer charges for their labor per hour?

This is what $500 gets you from a Concours detailer:

Wash the vehicle
Clay bar painted surfaces
Wheels/wheel wells cleaned and detailed
Trim and exhaust tips addressed
Single stage buff, typically with a product similar to Meguiars 205 or Menzerna Super Finish with a Tangerine pad
Sealant applied

Extra services:

engine bay
interior

 

[Kbreeze]

Reinvestment back into the business. Stick with zaino or walmart meguiars nxt these concepts are clearly escaping you.

Do you really have much overhead? Do you have a shop? Employees?

And I didn't realize Meguiars was a Walmart brand. Strange because I bought my NXT @ an auto parts store.

 

[Seer]

NXT is a consumer line brand, that was made for stores similar to Walmart and Pep Boys to carry. Is it a bad product? No, but its filling abilities are similar to Zaino Z5, the defect covering usually only lasts a few washes, depending on weather. There are plenty of better products for the same price in the boutique world. Chemical Guys Black Light being one of them.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Meguiar-s-Nxt-Generation-Tech-Wax-2.0/16550249

I'm a 1 man show. I do it on the side, my time is valuable to me. I have plenty of experience and I cater to an enthusiast crowd who are educated and know what they are looking for in the appearance of their vehicle. I make a great living outside of detailing, so to take on a detailing job, it has to be worth my time to do it. This is the case for many high end detailers who have 15+ years of experience under their belt who cater to this crowd.

Look at it also from another perspective. If I am detailing $60,000+ cars and I make a mistake or something happens, who is at fault? Me. Do you really think I want to open myself up for that liability and risk it over a $200 detail... screw that. Sure I'm insured, but that will ruin your reputation. So I may as well charge more and take my time instead of rushing jobs to try and earn pennies.

Meguiars has 3 lines. Professional Series (which is where you find products like 105/205), Consumer line (products like NXT, Gold Class) and then there is the Detailer line, which is primarily bulk chemicals.

 

[Kbreeze]

How much do you think a good detailer charges for their labor per hour?

I think it should be no more then $40/hour with certain services like an Opt-Coat adding cost since the product alone costs $60.

 

[Seer]

I think it should be no more then $40/hour with certain services like an Opt-Coat adding cost since the product alone costs $60.

Then you'd be looking at an Enthusiast detailer, and expect to pay around $700-800 for a full detail with opti-coat.

 

[gothamite302]

You are telling me that would cost them $350 in materials to prep and opti-coat a 1 year old car that is in excellent condition? How is that possible? It sounds like you are already calculating time into that.

Excellent condition is subjective. Your meaning of that term is VERY different than mine or Seer's. And at 14k miles, I'm sure the car has more defects than you realize on top of the ones that the dealership installed for free I just got a Lexus this week with 17k miles and it needed a full compound, polish, and finishing along with full interior. I only knew this once I had stripped everything off and really got a good look at the paint. This job was labor intensive and the car was black. Without a coating, just sealant and wax, it was a $500 job and the customer was ecstatic about the transformation. That doesn't mean your car will be but it's a lot of work and paying someone who can do it properly will make a difference in the final appearance of your car. This a 50/50 to show the difference. Btw Zaino AIO and megs NXT have a ton of fillers that hide imperfections.

Using your point, being professionals we have more experience and can do things quicker etc. That experience also gives us knowledge to know what it takes to do a job to a certain level and we have developed an eye for seeing defects and making sure our customers are happy with the work we produce. I have yet to have a customer disappointed in my work and intend to keep that up for as long as possible. And my work ranges from basic washes to $1000 corrections and coating (not at the $2k level yet like seer) so I can speak to all level of work.

JR has been doing this a lot longer than I have but he has beyond helpful in guiding me in building my business and my skill with advice in technique and product and I am truly thankful for his help and support so calling him out isn't really welcome when he is giving legitimate industry info. Side note, his day job more than pays for a GT500!!

Also, I'm sending this from my phone so it might seem a bit scattered but I don't really feel like going back through it lol

Sent from my Galaxy S III

Anyone know of someone in Houston, TX who can perform this reliably? I have a car that needs a good detailing and the opticoat would be great.

I'm in the north Houston area. I do a wide range of detailing work so feel free to hit me up for a
quote or just a conversation about getting your vehicle to the level you would like.

Yep, Gothamite302 on the boards here can do it. He learned from good folks

Premier Auto Detailing
17514 Loring Ln, Spring, TX.
(832) 499-2696

Thanks for the referral!

Sent from my Galaxy S III

 

[Kbreeze]

I'm just saying, it's a new freaking car, and one that I have taken care of. It's never seen a car wash, only hand washed by me with proper & clean towels etc. There has to be a big difference between that and say a 2009 car that only saw car washes and was only "waxed" a few times. But it sounds like you guys are kind of elitists and don't even touch cars like that. Most people think I am anal and say I always have immaculate cars...I am in the minority when it comes to that, probably in say the 5%...you guys are in the .1%, so I guess the bottom line is that it all depends on someones perspective.

 

[gothamite302]

I'm just saying, it's a new freaking car, and one that I have taken care of. It's never seen a car wash, only hand washed by me with proper & clean towels etc. There has to be a big difference between that and say a 2009 car that only saw car washes and was only "waxed" a few times. But it sounds like you guys are kind of elitists and don't even touch cars like that. Most people think I am anal and say I always have immaculate cars...I am in the minority when it comes to that, probably in say the 5%...you guys are in the .1%, so I guess the bottom line is that it all depends on someones perspective.

For starters, I work cars like that all the time since I am doing this full time now. Seer has the opportunity to be a bit pickier with his selection of customers where I do not. My work ranges from older cars looking for a bump in gloss to full corrections and coatings on luxury or exotics.

If everything you say is true (not at all saying that it isnt) then it would not be very much work to polish your car to level that you would want for a semi permanent coating. The main reason we always recommend a more in depth correction is because the products you are using have a lot of fillers. That means that once the car is stripped and prepped, you might have imperfections that weren't visible before and will be locked in for a long time.

Lastly, wouldn't you want the person working on your vehicle in the .1%? For many people, their car is a very prized possession and want it to be well taken care of. Especially people that spend time on forums entirely dedicated to their cars.

Sent from my Galaxy S III

 

[Seer]

I'm just saying, it's a new freaking car, and one that I have taken care of. It's never seen a car wash, only hand washed by me with proper & clean towels etc. There has to be a big difference between that and say a 2009 car that only saw car washes and was only "waxed" a few times. But it sounds like you guys are kind of elitists and don't even touch cars like that. Most people think I am anal and say I always have immaculate cars...I am in the minority when it comes to that, probably in say the 5%...you guys are in the .1%, so I guess the bottom line is that it all depends on someones perspective.

Not at all elitist. New cars are filthy. Period. Rail dust, dealer installed swirls, quick wet sanding at the factory. Transport drivers brushing up against them.

Let me ask you a question, when you want to strip your car of waxes and sealants how do YOU do it? Do you use microfiber or cotton towels?

I just don't work on mom's mini van, it doesnt excite me and quite honestly, I doubt that person would pay me the rate that I charge to clean their car. An enthusiast mustang owner, a lamborghini owner, or a corvette owner is more of who I go after. They are car people.

No one is saying you have to have a $1000 detail. What we are saying is there is a quality difference between a $150, $300, $500, $1000, and $1500 details

 

[Kbreeze]

Lastly, wouldn't you want the person working on your vehicle in the .1%?

Not if it costs me $1000 for an Opti-coat! lol. And honestly, at the end of the day 99.999% of people wouldn't even be able to tell the difference from a hobbist to a concours job. Even professionals with an eye for it probably wouldn't unless they did an up close inspection. That said, of course I want the person to care about the car and do a good job generally speaking.

 

[gothamite302]

Not if it costs me $1000 for an Opti-coat! lol. And honestly, at the end of the day 99.999% of people wouldn't even be able to tell the difference from a hobbist to a concours job. Even professionals with an eye for it probably wouldn't unless they did an up close inspection. That said, of course I want the person to care about the car and do a good job generally speaking.

No one is saying you have to have a $1000 detail. What we are saying is there is a quality difference between a $150, $300, $500, $1000, and $1500 details

There are many ways to get a more reasonable prince from someone doing this type of work for you. Since you know how you want your vehicle cleaned, do that portion of it yourself. The wheels, wheel wells, interior, glass, etc are all things that you can do and remove some tedious work from the detailer and he could lower the cost.

I know I would charge less if i didn't have to touch anything but paint on the vehicle. Its only a fair compromise if you give up something for paying less. Asking someone to just charge less for that much work doesn't seem fair to the person actually doing the work.

Either way, the coating isn't your biggest concern, it's the quality of the compound (if needed) and polish work that matters the most. The coating is the cherry on top, that you want someone who has done it correctly before to do on your car.