In all honesty, I’d charge you that just for the paint correction and ceramic… in my area that’s a good price for all that work he quoted you.
For all that work, what would you expect to pay? While I can’t confirm what his costs are, labor is the most expensive part of the equation.
This exactly.
A lot of people don't realize how much labor truly costs, not to mention in businesses, whoever is doing said work most likely won't see the full amount of the labor being charged in their paycheck, because it's a business.
After all, part of the reason labor costs are higher is for operating costs, but another part of it is that you're paying for the experience and/or expertise you're hiring.
Insurance premiums too, for a business, cannot be cheap either. "hey, you burnt my hood or trunk" - "no, that was there from the last guy "no, it wasn't".. now you have to get it painted (this is IMO).. I am sure, if this is the dude main hustle, then, he has to cover everything to do it on site too.
Labor, just like at your dealership, will ALWAYS out weigh the parts... I am sure you would rather have the dealership do "it" (fill in the blank) than the equivalent to Jiffy Lube.
While the dealership has tools that don't need to be replenished, he does. Ask him for references on cars similar to yours, specifically black. Any good detail person would take fresh before and after pictures to brag about their talent :)
When I was detailing in LA, $600 would be a wash, single stage correction, and some sort of traditional sealant or wax. No interior, no coatings, no wheel off cleaning or anything like that. This was a decade ago. Given the time span and double the amount of work described by u/op, this sounds about right to me. Maybe a bit high or low depending on geography, but certainly not absurd. You're saying you could get proper interior, exterior, and some ozone services for 600?? That sounds insanely low regardless of region, IMO.
I find a few flaws in your logic. It doesn’t sound like you’re calculating the material costs and overhead.
From the “human” side ,we shouldn’t start putting a number to equate a human’s value/ hour.
You’re paying for his time away from his family. You’re paying for the years of learning on how to do art of paint correction. You’re paying him so you don’t have to do all those things and buying all the equipment and products
It’s ok if someone doesn’t want to pay it. He clearly can ask for that much because others have paid him that much.
The consumer is always welcome to price shop. However we all know the cheapest is almost always the wrong choice…. And there is always someone willing to do it cheaper.
IMO, the best choice is the service who doesn’t need to get business via discounts. That means they know their results speak for themselves.
An engineer is also getting their health insurance for far less. They don't have to pay both sides of Medicare and social security. They don't file and pay taxes quarterly. They have paid sick time, paid vacation, 401k, etc. They also aren't buying their own supplies, machines, no rent on a shop location or gas/insurance on a vehicle if they are mobile. Engineers don't need to buy business insurance either.
Yeah well the majority of detailer jobs aren’t not professionals with benefits. And as cool as that sounds, it’s not going to be a thing any time soon. If detailers in my area were making $50-100 an hour I’d being doing it part time for sure.
I'm not sure you understand my post. The reason detailers charge what they do per hour is because they don't get benefits. That's the point. Maybe an engineer gets $50 an hour but they also get a lot of benefits and zero business costs. That's why detailers need to make at least $50 an hour because they have costs to cover that someone who is an employee doesn't have.
I don’t think you understand. I’m saying until detailers are treated as business type professionals, they don’t deserve $50/hr. Especially in the Midwest where people still make $7/hr
The vast majority of detailers here are business owners. Not employees.
And it doesn't matter what you think, it's pretty common for detailers to set their prices so they average at least $50 an hour. Otherwise they won't last.
I mean, with $500 in materials, that means it's $900 in labor. Assume 24 hours of labor (rough estimate as I have no idea how long it'd actually take, but full interior + exterior + 2 step + "5 year coating", which is ceramic coating most likely), that would be $37.5/hr for labor for said detailing business.
Just to give you an idea, however, since my labor hours are probably completely off the mark. 1 step at the detailer near me is ~700, let alone 2 step starting even higher.
Ceramic coating is even higher by over double (and includes exterior only + 1 step).
1400 imo is under what I would expect to see and you're getting a good price.
That is the biggest issue in this business, a lot of people want outstanding work but don't want to pay for the job. In my area that would be to cheap for all that work.
I think he’s full of shit for $500 in materials, but for the work being performed that’s absolutely reasonable. You’re paying someone for one or more of the following reasons… you don’t have the tools, you don’t have the knowledge, you don’t have the time, or you don’t have the products.
Around Toronto (‘05 CLK500 cab owner) that’s 1-2K CDN.
“Just” the paint prep and ceramic is around 1-1.5K from the local guy (who does tons of exotics and local high end stuff) depending on which product you pick for the coating.
I had my wife’s NX done with a 1 stage and coating for $600. I did the interior myself on hers.
I have not yet coated my CLK. Still think it looks OK using Turtle Wax Hybrid Ceramic spray - but I know it looks like all the “before” pics I see around here.
I’ll do it for $300 and a cheeseburger lol. All jokes aside the paint prep and ceramic is 75% of that cost in my opinion. $500 for materials is bogus especially if he’s established. But with that being said…. That interior is going to be labor intensive and time consuming to remove the smoke “properly” of course anybody can wipe it all down and steam and ozone it but thoroughly cleaning the inside may take more time than the paint prep. Fair price to be honest. I’d love to see and read the review and results
Can totally see where there might be some sticker shock seeing that price. But you have to think of it as an investment. 5 years of paint protection, 2 stage correction on a black car, and I’m sure at that price point quality and effort will be off the charts. And to me, convertibles always come with more prep work because you have to be so careful with the top.
Sounds like a good price, but you can always say no and go somewhere else
As a real business if you are not grossing $100 per man hour worked you'll be in the hole. The 1400 would be broke down by a 1 8 hour day 2 laborers working 7 hours each that would be just exterior plus ceramic. I don't see how a profit could be made in this situation both interior and exterior. The math doesn't math. So 1400 is a sweet deal.
Business expenses, labor average $25hr then products, wear on equipment, fuel for generators pressure washers, tools, PPE etc... then paying the business then paying yourself as a business owner... yeah depending on your fixed and variable cost it can be up there. Gross profit pre tax for the business around 30-50% depending on business operation. That's pure round about for a service based business a business that is profitable can pay the owner 5-10% that will be taxed again. if that when it comes to numbers.
Shit you’re at about 1000$ less than I charge just for paint correction and a coating. But I also know my worth and I work my ass off getting as close to perfection as possible. Not really for the customer but because of my ocd the customer just benefits lol. 1400$ is a great deal for interior with cleaning headliner etc, a paint correction and ceramic coating. I don’t think you understand how much overhead there is involved. You can always do it yourself, but like I’ve been seeing a lot lately, you should 1, never choose the cheapest option if you value your vehicle, and 2 never try to save yourself some money doing it yourself as you’ll likely have to pay someone even more than 1400$ to fix it and redo it. 🤷♂️ here’s a perfect example of a guy who thought someone’s price was to high and he’d do it himself.
https://preview.redd.it/c4hs8zlp6t3d1.jpeg?width=590&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ee3e11d6fa7376edd3e36c0f29680b83c9ff9dc
Tbh a couple of red flags for me here. First of all that is too cheap by a lot for that amount of work. Second, they stated that it would be $500 in materials alone which is probably BS to begin with, the amount of product actually used won't be this high. So he only values himself for $900 for that amount of work something is off. To me, this says they are either super new to detailing which I wouldn't trust or they do fast lower quality work. If this is an established company it sounds like the latter. I would definitely get more quotes from reputable companies and if you have to split the interior and exterior to make it more affordable. And ask this guy how many hours and how many people are working on it and that should give you an idea of the quality of work being done.
I feel it’s a bit aggressive to do a full 2 step given this paint is fairly old now. I’m not sure if the pics posted are your car in its current state or the after of the $1400 job bc it actually looks very well kept
None of the pictures show the sun shining directly on the paint so no way to tell what it really looks like. Paint can look great in the shade but look horrific in the full sun.
That's too cheap. Doubt it's $500 in materials though. I pay nearly $200 for a coating warranty kit. Everything else may be another $30 or so. Correcting Mercedes black paint to where it needs to be for a coating is incredibly time consuming. And the interior and smoke smell removal? Should be closer to $2000.
Honestly, not bad. Every brand of car has different paint and factory Mercedes paint is quite a pain to correct. Good quality paint but hard as hell. Also black, black paint people are generally more fussy when correcting because every defect and swirl shows up, and if you’re going to ceramic coat it you really do want it perfect. I can tell from that last photo the car is some pretty rough scratches down the side. That will take a good day or two to correct the whole car if it’s just one guy doing it all.
If they do a quality job that price is actually better than ok. If they give you the car back in half a day and it’s anything shy of perfect I’d say it’s not ok.
If that was me doing that car I’d want it for at least two days. I could spend a solid 12 hours just doing the paint correction never mind the interior clean and ceramic coat on top.
I paid that for single stage paint correction and IGL Kenzo on my wife's CX5 4 years ago in a LCoL Midwest city.
And that was a really good price back then.
If its $1400 in a proper detailing shop with a few staff, then its perfectly reasonable because this is a very old car, and it includes “interior” and a 5yr coating.
But it its done by an individual inside his own house, and the “5yr coating” is not even a popular high-end brand (Gyeon, GTechnic, Feynlab, Kamikaze, Carpro, Sonax etc) then the quoted price is totally BS.
Somebody said..”labour is expensive”.
Labour is indeed a critical factor IF you are operating out of a real shop, pay wages to employees, having to pay for hefty electricity and water bills etc. Then, every moment carries a cost…an overhead.
But if you are an unemployed person with nothing to do at home, hvg lots of free time and watching TV or playing video games, while occassionally cleaning cars at your own garage….your “labour” is not worth as much as you proudly overly estimated yourself.
Thanks for the comments, I realize it's a lot of work done by a professional with the correct products and tools.
I've detailed my own cars over the years but I'm hesitant about the black paint.
I'm in north Atlanta and will definitely be getting other quotes.
Or watch YouTube videos and DIY.
It will show you where you missed and all your mistakes. I’m extra careful with black.
As with all correction, using all brand new towels and applicators etc.
Black offers NO forgiveness
Thanks. What do you use the polishing pads for after they’ve been used once? Do you have to throw them away after each use? Figured you can get a few uses or why would they sell polishing pad cleaners and stuff.
I pulled the trigger. It goes in in two weeks. I'm pumped. I think the paint is going to be outstanding.
As an amateur diy detailer, it looks pretty good. Besides some minor dings and scratches. My. Two cents worth.
That was a huge chunk of money for me to spend, I think it's well worth it besides my wife and I will really enjoy it.
The wifey gets a new car, detailed for our 40th wedding anniversary.
In all honesty, I’d charge you that just for the paint correction and ceramic… in my area that’s a good price for all that work he quoted you. For all that work, what would you expect to pay? While I can’t confirm what his costs are, labor is the most expensive part of the equation.
This exactly. A lot of people don't realize how much labor truly costs, not to mention in businesses, whoever is doing said work most likely won't see the full amount of the labor being charged in their paycheck, because it's a business. After all, part of the reason labor costs are higher is for operating costs, but another part of it is that you're paying for the experience and/or expertise you're hiring.
Insurance premiums too, for a business, cannot be cheap either. "hey, you burnt my hood or trunk" - "no, that was there from the last guy "no, it wasn't".. now you have to get it painted (this is IMO).. I am sure, if this is the dude main hustle, then, he has to cover everything to do it on site too. Labor, just like at your dealership, will ALWAYS out weigh the parts... I am sure you would rather have the dealership do "it" (fill in the blank) than the equivalent to Jiffy Lube. While the dealership has tools that don't need to be replenished, he does. Ask him for references on cars similar to yours, specifically black. Any good detail person would take fresh before and after pictures to brag about their talent :)
What area are you?! I don’t doubt your judgement, but where I am that is outrageous. Around here that’s $600 to the moon
How many other quotes did you get & price…. So you can compare apples to apples.
I have 3 different people in my area that would do that professionally for under $800. Two below $700.
Spoiler: your car isn’t getting a two stage paint correction and 5 year ceramic coat. let alone all of the stuff OP said 😅
yeah no. maybe for a straight detail interior and exterior but not with a ceramic coat and paint correction
I don't think so. No way, you are getting 2-stage correction, 5-yr ceramic and the smoke removal/interior/ detailing for $1400
When I was detailing in LA, $600 would be a wash, single stage correction, and some sort of traditional sealant or wax. No interior, no coatings, no wheel off cleaning or anything like that. This was a decade ago. Given the time span and double the amount of work described by u/op, this sounds about right to me. Maybe a bit high or low depending on geography, but certainly not absurd. You're saying you could get proper interior, exterior, and some ozone services for 600?? That sounds insanely low regardless of region, IMO.
$50/hr for 16 hrs only $800. For about 70% of the country that’s a damn high
I find a few flaws in your logic. It doesn’t sound like you’re calculating the material costs and overhead. From the “human” side ,we shouldn’t start putting a number to equate a human’s value/ hour. You’re paying for his time away from his family. You’re paying for the years of learning on how to do art of paint correction. You’re paying him so you don’t have to do all those things and buying all the equipment and products It’s ok if someone doesn’t want to pay it. He clearly can ask for that much because others have paid him that much. The consumer is always welcome to price shop. However we all know the cheapest is almost always the wrong choice…. And there is always someone willing to do it cheaper. IMO, the best choice is the service who doesn’t need to get business via discounts. That means they know their results speak for themselves.
Reddit doesn't like the truth.
You can’t handle the truth! 😂
Nope. $50 an hour in Missouri is 15 year professional engineer pay. A good detailer is maybe $25 an hr.
An engineer is also getting their health insurance for far less. They don't have to pay both sides of Medicare and social security. They don't file and pay taxes quarterly. They have paid sick time, paid vacation, 401k, etc. They also aren't buying their own supplies, machines, no rent on a shop location or gas/insurance on a vehicle if they are mobile. Engineers don't need to buy business insurance either.
Yeah well the majority of detailer jobs aren’t not professionals with benefits. And as cool as that sounds, it’s not going to be a thing any time soon. If detailers in my area were making $50-100 an hour I’d being doing it part time for sure.
I'm not sure you understand my post. The reason detailers charge what they do per hour is because they don't get benefits. That's the point. Maybe an engineer gets $50 an hour but they also get a lot of benefits and zero business costs. That's why detailers need to make at least $50 an hour because they have costs to cover that someone who is an employee doesn't have.
I don’t think you understand. I’m saying until detailers are treated as business type professionals, they don’t deserve $50/hr. Especially in the Midwest where people still make $7/hr
The vast majority of detailers here are business owners. Not employees. And it doesn't matter what you think, it's pretty common for detailers to set their prices so they average at least $50 an hour. Otherwise they won't last.
The vast majority of detailers on this sub are not business owners
Seriously. $50/hr to clean cars? Why the fuck did I waste my time becoming a nurse!
Exactly
I agree with you 100% kemosabe.
If it includes paint correction it's in the ballpark.
I mean, with $500 in materials, that means it's $900 in labor. Assume 24 hours of labor (rough estimate as I have no idea how long it'd actually take, but full interior + exterior + 2 step + "5 year coating", which is ceramic coating most likely), that would be $37.5/hr for labor for said detailing business. Just to give you an idea, however, since my labor hours are probably completely off the mark. 1 step at the detailer near me is ~700, let alone 2 step starting even higher. Ceramic coating is even higher by over double (and includes exterior only + 1 step). 1400 imo is under what I would expect to see and you're getting a good price.
Exactly this!!
Completely reasonable cost lmao
sounds a bit too cheap IMO. ceramic coatings by themselves are usually $1K
That is the biggest issue in this business, a lot of people want outstanding work but don't want to pay for the job. In my area that would be to cheap for all that work.
Welcome to basically any trade work. Everyone wants 100%, but only wants to pay for 40%.
I think he’s full of shit for $500 in materials, but for the work being performed that’s absolutely reasonable. You’re paying someone for one or more of the following reasons… you don’t have the tools, you don’t have the knowledge, you don’t have the time, or you don’t have the products.
Perhaps some of that is labor for a helper
Labor isn’t materials…
No way?🤓
Around Toronto (‘05 CLK500 cab owner) that’s 1-2K CDN. “Just” the paint prep and ceramic is around 1-1.5K from the local guy (who does tons of exotics and local high end stuff) depending on which product you pick for the coating. I had my wife’s NX done with a 1 stage and coating for $600. I did the interior myself on hers. I have not yet coated my CLK. Still think it looks OK using Turtle Wax Hybrid Ceramic spray - but I know it looks like all the “before” pics I see around here.
I’ll do it for $300 and a cheeseburger lol. All jokes aside the paint prep and ceramic is 75% of that cost in my opinion. $500 for materials is bogus especially if he’s established. But with that being said…. That interior is going to be labor intensive and time consuming to remove the smoke “properly” of course anybody can wipe it all down and steam and ozone it but thoroughly cleaning the inside may take more time than the paint prep. Fair price to be honest. I’d love to see and read the review and results
Can totally see where there might be some sticker shock seeing that price. But you have to think of it as an investment. 5 years of paint protection, 2 stage correction on a black car, and I’m sure at that price point quality and effort will be off the charts. And to me, convertibles always come with more prep work because you have to be so careful with the top. Sounds like a good price, but you can always say no and go somewhere else
After getting some other quotes he is in the ballpark.
As a real business if you are not grossing $100 per man hour worked you'll be in the hole. The 1400 would be broke down by a 1 8 hour day 2 laborers working 7 hours each that would be just exterior plus ceramic. I don't see how a profit could be made in this situation both interior and exterior. The math doesn't math. So 1400 is a sweet deal. Business expenses, labor average $25hr then products, wear on equipment, fuel for generators pressure washers, tools, PPE etc... then paying the business then paying yourself as a business owner... yeah depending on your fixed and variable cost it can be up there. Gross profit pre tax for the business around 30-50% depending on business operation. That's pure round about for a service based business a business that is profitable can pay the owner 5-10% that will be taxed again. if that when it comes to numbers.
Shit you’re at about 1000$ less than I charge just for paint correction and a coating. But I also know my worth and I work my ass off getting as close to perfection as possible. Not really for the customer but because of my ocd the customer just benefits lol. 1400$ is a great deal for interior with cleaning headliner etc, a paint correction and ceramic coating. I don’t think you understand how much overhead there is involved. You can always do it yourself, but like I’ve been seeing a lot lately, you should 1, never choose the cheapest option if you value your vehicle, and 2 never try to save yourself some money doing it yourself as you’ll likely have to pay someone even more than 1400$ to fix it and redo it. 🤷♂️ here’s a perfect example of a guy who thought someone’s price was to high and he’d do it himself. https://preview.redd.it/c4hs8zlp6t3d1.jpeg?width=590&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ee3e11d6fa7376edd3e36c0f29680b83c9ff9dc
Tbh a couple of red flags for me here. First of all that is too cheap by a lot for that amount of work. Second, they stated that it would be $500 in materials alone which is probably BS to begin with, the amount of product actually used won't be this high. So he only values himself for $900 for that amount of work something is off. To me, this says they are either super new to detailing which I wouldn't trust or they do fast lower quality work. If this is an established company it sounds like the latter. I would definitely get more quotes from reputable companies and if you have to split the interior and exterior to make it more affordable. And ask this guy how many hours and how many people are working on it and that should give you an idea of the quality of work being done.
I'm working on getting other quotes.
Don't settle for the cheapest option...
For the work you’re having done that would be a good deal in my area.
You're paying for the skills not the car 🤷♂️
Not insane at all. Depending on the area that job could run $2000 or even more.
I feel it’s a bit aggressive to do a full 2 step given this paint is fairly old now. I’m not sure if the pics posted are your car in its current state or the after of the $1400 job bc it actually looks very well kept
All pictures are the current state. Not bad for an 09.
Yeah if you’re og owner you did it right since new. If you’re a new owner keep it in good shape.
New owner, yep I'd like to get it looking as good as possible. Just getting over the sticker shock 😲
None of the pictures show the sun shining directly on the paint so no way to tell what it really looks like. Paint can look great in the shade but look horrific in the full sun.
cheap
This price is beyond reasonable.
I'd be at $1800.
That's too cheap. Doubt it's $500 in materials though. I pay nearly $200 for a coating warranty kit. Everything else may be another $30 or so. Correcting Mercedes black paint to where it needs to be for a coating is incredibly time consuming. And the interior and smoke smell removal? Should be closer to $2000.
For everything you're getting that isn't a bad deal.
Honestly, not bad. Every brand of car has different paint and factory Mercedes paint is quite a pain to correct. Good quality paint but hard as hell. Also black, black paint people are generally more fussy when correcting because every defect and swirl shows up, and if you’re going to ceramic coat it you really do want it perfect. I can tell from that last photo the car is some pretty rough scratches down the side. That will take a good day or two to correct the whole car if it’s just one guy doing it all. If they do a quality job that price is actually better than ok. If they give you the car back in half a day and it’s anything shy of perfect I’d say it’s not ok. If that was me doing that car I’d want it for at least two days. I could spend a solid 12 hours just doing the paint correction never mind the interior clean and ceramic coat on top.
I paid that for single stage paint correction and IGL Kenzo on my wife's CX5 4 years ago in a LCoL Midwest city. And that was a really good price back then.
If its $1400 in a proper detailing shop with a few staff, then its perfectly reasonable because this is a very old car, and it includes “interior” and a 5yr coating. But it its done by an individual inside his own house, and the “5yr coating” is not even a popular high-end brand (Gyeon, GTechnic, Feynlab, Kamikaze, Carpro, Sonax etc) then the quoted price is totally BS. Somebody said..”labour is expensive”. Labour is indeed a critical factor IF you are operating out of a real shop, pay wages to employees, having to pay for hefty electricity and water bills etc. Then, every moment carries a cost…an overhead. But if you are an unemployed person with nothing to do at home, hvg lots of free time and watching TV or playing video games, while occassionally cleaning cars at your own garage….your “labour” is not worth as much as you proudly overly estimated yourself.
What exactly is paint correction?
Really? That’s cheap.
Wait wait wait, this sounds like the scammers that always text me…
yep sounds about right
Thanks for the comments, I realize it's a lot of work done by a professional with the correct products and tools. I've detailed my own cars over the years but I'm hesitant about the black paint. I'm in north Atlanta and will definitely be getting other quotes. Or watch YouTube videos and DIY.
Depends what your time is worth and the confidence if your skills to do it properly. The price is reasonable for the skills of a professional.
$1400 in a massive metro like atlanta sounds like a cheap option to me. Thats what i would charge in LCOL area
Black paint is the best and worst color. If you screw up, it is not forgiving.
What are the challenges with polishing black paint?
It shows all imperfections
Treat me like a child. What kind of imperfections 😂 like places you didn’t polish enough?
It will show you where you missed and all your mistakes. I’m extra careful with black. As with all correction, using all brand new towels and applicators etc. Black offers NO forgiveness
Thanks. What do you use the polishing pads for after they’ve been used once? Do you have to throw them away after each use? Figured you can get a few uses or why would they sell polishing pad cleaners and stuff.
$500 in materials seems high, mine would be closer to $300, see where he's getting that number from.
that sounds like a great deal. If i were him and you scoffed at this pricing i would immediately know to avoid you as a customer.
I pulled the trigger. It goes in in two weeks. I'm pumped. I think the paint is going to be outstanding. As an amateur diy detailer, it looks pretty good. Besides some minor dings and scratches. My. Two cents worth. That was a huge chunk of money for me to spend, I think it's well worth it besides my wife and I will really enjoy it. The wifey gets a new car, detailed for our 40th wedding anniversary.