Pricing Question for 3 step process

So, this weekend I have my first customer for a full 3 step paint correction. It's a Hyundai Sonata. My question is what do you think is a reasonable price for this full paint correction. I haven't seen the car yet, but was told that there are some scratches and a lot of swirls. The guy that is bringing me the car is a guy I work with, so I want to give him a reasonable price, but don't want to sell myself short either.

I was thinking in the range of $300. I also planned on cleaning up the interior the car for him as an added bonus.

Any advice or ideas are welcome! Appreciate the help!

 

At least $300. Is it black? How much time will you have to work with?

PS: Why does it need to be a 3 step? Maybe you can do it in 2? Don't sell yourself short. This is business. If you were to do it for free because he is your best buddy? That is understandable, but if you are trying to put food on the table.....

 

You can do a 2 step on that Hyundai. Trust me.

What year is the Sonata, and the color?

 

I recently charged $350 for a 2 step polish and interior clean. I thought they got a heck of a deal.

 

i am booking an hourly rate, based on my educated estimate

 

This is exactly what I think you should do. I've made my estimates based on how long it takes me to do my car. Than charge accordingly.

Let's say you charge $25/hour. A rough estimate of cleaning the car and wheels, then all the work, and finally sealing it will give you a global price. Add an additional hour to what you estimate in time since you will generally ALWAYS go over that for a client, and multiply that by your hourly rate. There's your price. With special mention, NEVER charge more than your estimated price, this results in negative feedback and a slightly upset client - Hence the additional C.Y.A. time.


So, (15 hours estimated time + 1 hour C.Y.A.* time) x $25 = $400

*C.Y.A. time = Cover Your A** Time



Since this is a co-worker/friend, $300 is a very good deal.

 

Hit it with 105 and 205 this should do the job no reason to do 3 step on a hundai but depends what u count as step (2 passes of same polish pad combo as 1 or 2 step)?

 

I think $250 is fair for a one step. Add $100 on top of that number for each additional step.

 

For cars I charge $325 for a one step, $525 for two step and around $700 for three step. I allow 6 hours for each cutting or polishing stage and 4 hours for a finishing stage .

 

in all honesty even though somebody like Ken may be able to charge $325 for a 1-step doesn't necessarily mean you will as well. Ken has been in the business for a while and knows what he's doing. You are just starting out so charge accordingly. The last thing you want is for somebody to pay top dollar for a job thats on par. As you build more experience and get better, bump your prices. Its a good incentive and an even better reward.

If it's one of the few cars you've done and are still looking to gain experience then charge enough to cover your materials + a reasonable profit. If you move quickly without taking breaks then you can complete a Sedan in about 3 - 3.5 hrs per stage. Use that as a guideline.

 

In my experience, its not possible to get around a car, even a small one, in less than 4 hours. If you are mainly concerned with improving the gloss then by all means its possible. But if you are trying to do any type of correction work, you can't do a thorough job in 4 hours.

 

I definately agree, I just did a mazda 3 hatchback, wash, clay, one step and wax, with no break and working like a dog, took five hours. and that was a true one step, one shot of polish on most areas.

 

I'm not sure on the year or the color yet. I need to get some more info I guess. So basically the $300 I was planning on charging him should be enough. My plan was to hit it with Megs 105, then 205 and then apply collinite 845 as my LSP. So, technically a 3 step process.

He is dropping it off for me Saturday morning and I'll have until roughly 12-1 on Sunday to work on it. Which is plenty of time I think, since I have a garage I can work well into the night if I need to.

I am planning on talking to him some more today, I just wanted to get an idea of what a reasonable price would be. Since this is the 1st car I've done for a profit I'm going to give him a deal.

I have some experience with paint correction on my girlfriends 05 Chevy Equinox and my 06 Avalanche. So I have a process down and I know what I'm doing. I'm by no means a professional and couldn't charge what Ken charges. But I'm the type of person that will do the job until I get it right. I don't do things a$$ and will put in the extra time (even if I'm not making money) to ensure that the job is as perfect as possible.

Thanks for everyone's advice!

 

When you are done, let us know how it went and your feelings on a 3rd polishing step . 300 dollars for two step with 105 an 205 is like some three steps, so your frien is getting a great deal.

 

try 205 with a green pad first on a test panel to see how much you can correct, then move up.
or if you have Menz power finish, use it as a 1-stepper

 

What kind of polisher and pads do you have?

 

3-step polishing should be AT LEAST $500...

 

I have the PC7424 and edge pads and some LC CCS pads.

I plan on going with the least aggressive combo first on a test spot and figure out exactly what I need to do. I may not end up going with a 3 step polish depending on how much correction I can get.

He is getting a sweet deal on this, but he's my first customer for paint correction, he's a co-worker, and he's bringing me his daughters car as a test. He has a late 60's mustang that he is considering having detailed, but wants to see where my skills are. He's also part of a couple car clubs and if I can get him to come to me for his details I may be able to get some word of mouth business as well.

 

I haven't used the edge pads so can't comment. Smart move trying the least aggressive first. The PC is a great polisher for one stepping cars as you can use a more aggressive polish and pad without havin go worry about holograms. I routinely use my Uber Yellow with Power Finish or even Megs 105 on one step polishes with great results.

 

edge pads are decent, I was a edge user for a number of years, I still use the 5 inch wool pads from time to time. on a pc I would try the yellow or green edge pads. the yellow may be a bit too agressive and cause a heat issue with the pc, but its worth a shot. Use some power finish or SIP on the pc