How much for scuff removal

[chops1sc]

Someone asked me to fix a scuff on their new truck where someone hit it with their mirror. I am curious about what to charge him. He will in turn get the money form the person responsible for the damage. I will be looking at the truck today around 3pm.

 

Thanks!

[RayS]

Here are pictures from a Range Rover that had the mirror scuffed by a mailbox and it took about 30 minutes to correct.   As far as what to charge, it should be your normal hourly rate by the amount of time it takes to do the correction.   When it comes to doing specific corrections, they should be priced by the effort, not a fixed price.  The owner should expect a reasonable estimate before you ever touch the vehicle.

Edited April 20, 2020 by RayS

[Chris@Adams]

Post up some pics tomorrow and we can maybe give you a better answer.

[shane@detailedreflections]

You ask a hard question with diminishing returns. What’s the expectation?  To eliminate it?  Or improve it?  
 

Do you have the experience and equipment to really go after it if it’s bad?  Ever wet sanded?  We don’t typically mess with that, honestly. Do you have a paint gauge to know how far you can push?  
 

Make sure you set the expectations of your client so you don’t set up a disaster for yourself. 
 

As for cost, we would treat it similar to what @RayS said with an hourly rate. I know what we need to make per hour ideally. It’s that rate multiplied by the time spent on the job. If you’re taking the job on, you should have a feel for how long it will take. 
 

Are you doing any accompanying work on the vehicle to “add it on?” Or are you setting up just for this part?

 

There are a ton of variables. The short answer is hourly rate times time spent. So if you’re hourly rate is $100 and it’s a thirty minute job, it’s $50 plus taxes. 
 

Hourly rate is a whole other creature to discuss. If you’re collecting money for detailing, hopefully you’ve figured that out so you know how to cost jobs out. If you haven’t, you should if you want to understand how much to charge (and what jobs to over/under charge) on it. Like I said, it’s a whole topic in itself we could discuss at length if we want to. 

[BRZN]

By myself in my garage, or on my driveway I charge $25.00/hour. Usually a $75.00 minimum. A scuff would depend on how bad the scuff is and what would be required to meet the customers expectations. Last fall I took care of a minor scuff on a guys Lexus that goes to the same gym as I do. The scuff removal for $25.00 turned into an entire detail job after he saw my results. His wife's car is scheduled for later this spring, and his for a maintenance job.

[chops1sc]

Thanks for the replies guys! I was able to get the scuff out. He took pictures with his phone but I forgot to get them from him. As soon as I can get them I’ll post them. 

[chops1sc]

Here’s a before and after shot. I ended up charging him $50. Not bad for maybe 10 minutes of “work” 🤣

 

[RayS]

Looks good.  Hopefully, it will turn him into a client.

[shane@detailedreflections]

Good job. Looked more like paint or plastic transfer than damage.