[Envious Eric]

If you were to have the option of a full paint correction plus a coating application for long term protection that looks better than a wax does, what would you be willing to pay? What are the factors that dictate your willingness to pay what you are willing to pay? Do you factor in the fact you wont have to wax for another 2 years if you didnt want to? Do you factor in you will have a better looking car than most on the road, and the fact it will be protected for the long haul?

input wanted please!!!

 

[saintv90]

I have no idea what it costs to do any paint correction. But a full detail in my area costs around $150 - $250. I know they aren't fixing the paint...just buffing it and covering it up with wax, at least that's my assumption. So I'd say $500. But as I said...I have no idea what paint correction costs.

 

[adanmtxt1]

I think the clientele likely to consider shelling out extra for one of the new polymer coatings is more concerned with the protection of their car and more understanding of the true benefit the coating yields. The cost you charge should be the cost of the coating and labor, and most but not all of what it would cost to equivalently protect the same car with wax applications for the period. I say not all because while you might lose the follow up application business they are spending more up front and freeing you up for time with other clients. At least that's how I would see it.

 

[Envious Eric]

^^^^ exactly why there is a upcharge for a coating, whether it be 300-400-600 ON TOP of the paint correction.

waxing every 3 months over 2 years is going to be about 900 dollars for a 150 wash and wax type detail.
coating the car ONE time for 2 years is going to run about 350 AND make the top surface of your paint HARDER and more scratch resistant then the clear on the car is currently. Now factor in the down time vs free time with the car between the two options, the ease of maintaining (car washing, cleaning, etc), and the money...seems like a n brainer!

But what about paint correction costs along with the coating...willing to shell out 1500, or is it more palatable to have a standard of 1000 flat????

 

[sjoel92]

The $1000-1500 number isn't super unreasonable but then it gets down to what level of paint correction are you doing. I mean a wash/2 step polish/clay/wax would be a 200-300 job for a car, maybe 350-400 for a full size SUV. I don't mean to condescend here, but I don't believe in the coatings as being a realistic 2 year protection but then again I am a bit of a perfectionist. That said I'd consider the steps above with a coating for 600 to be reasonable. To pay 1k+ you really need to be doing 95-100% paint correction which isn't always possible based on paint hardness and thickness and I've never seen a car with over 10k miles that didn't require a bit of wet sanding to achieve that quality of defect removal. If you haven't already, ask around on autopia.net. Hope this was helpful, fellow detailing enthusiast here who does some work on the side.
Best of luck