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Think this guy might be overcharging a bit !


byron13
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I don't see this as overcharging. He's just charging what people will pay and the time investment is considerable.

If he works for 4 weeks on it, at 37.5 hours a week then it's about £46 per hour before you take into account the cost of materials - and if the wax he is using is ultra expensive then that is going to make a big dent in it too (well, not a physical dent!).

Then he'll have tax to handover. I think the reality is that the initial seemingly very high cost on something people would associate with low cost is actually not what it seems if he is genuinely putting 4 weeks of work into it.

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There is nothing you could do to a car that takes 4 weeks of solid work, feck you could strip the entire car into individual components, clean them all, and put it back together in 1 week, let alone 4.

What is he doing that takes 4 weeks, that the other 'top detailers' don't do in an average full correction detail that takes a couple of days max?

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There is nothing you could do to a car that takes 4 weeks of solid work, feck you could strip the entire car into individual components, clean them all, and put it back together in 1 week, let alone 4.

What is he doing that takes 4 weeks, that the other 'top detailers' don't do in an average full correction detail that takes a couple of days max?

Yeah that's what I was thinking - he must be working on a government (ex government) contract.

Each to their own but there are limits to "quality" Nathan (Cambridge Auto gleam chap) did my RS4 a couple of years back, long hard day but heck you would be hard pushed to beat the finish he got even if you took a month SLOWLY!

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I think what being missed is that the process he sells at c.£7K involves applying mutiple layers of wax. He comes back once or twice a week for the 4 weeks to do this?

Similar articles were in the press, all of which were a bit missleading in terms to what acutally takes place.

Wel that just makes it even more expensive in real terms. "Emperor's New Clothes" comes to mind here, guy tells the multi millionaire that all this gives a much better finish and low and behold he can tell the difference!!

Good luck to the guy if he can get these idiots to pay that amount of money BUT dispute totally that it can look any better than one of the other top guys out there who can do this for a fraction of that amount!!

Has got me thinking though if these customers want their grass hand cut with diamond blades for £5k a time and their windows washed with antarctic water and Dodo Feather cloths at £5k a week! Can feel a change of profession coming on!!

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Wel that just makes it even more expensive in real terms. "Emperor's New Clothes" comes to mind here, guy tells the multi millionaire that all this gives a much better finish and low and behold he can tell the difference!!

Good luck to the guy if he can get these idiots to pay that amount of money BUT dispute totally that it can look any better than one of the other top guys out there who can do this for a fraction of that amount!!

Has got me thinking though if these customers want their grass hand cut with diamond blades for £5k a time and their windows washed with antarctic water and Dodo Feather cloths at £5k a week! Can feel a change of profession coming on!!

Ha ha!

These cars are never out long enough to get dirty!

At £7K a go, I'd also expect the polish to physically repell the dirt.

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It only sounds expensive if you can't personally justify it or afford it.

If I had a bought reasonably low mileage F40, spent £7,500 to get every nut and bolt polished to perfection and virtually every defect removed from the paint, I reckon I may end up with one of the best examples for my collection....and more than likely put way more than £7500 on the value.

Most of us are probably paying an apprentice at the local Audi garage £80 per hour to change your cam belt and top up your windscreen washer fluid and probably kerb your front nearside allow at the same time.

Some of us might even consider £7500 reasonable for a rebuild of a supercar engine so why not spend the same money on the bodywork to maintain that and restore it?

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I do see your point chaps BUT you miss my point I think? It's not the amount it's the validity of the amount. Granted it's loose change to his clients but seriously rich people don't usually get that rich by throwing money away (Apart from perhaps Arab billionaires) I just think in this case they are paying for something that IMHO can be done just as well with no discernible difference for much less! Would be interested to hear thoughts on this from one of our resident detailers who regularly work on super-cars and what they think they could achieve given a month and a budget of £7.5k. I suspect they would say exactly the same in a lot less time and at a fraction of that cost! But also suspect would very happily take the gig if offered!! :) (and who would not)

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Indeed, it's not relative in any way shape or form whatsoever, just because you're rich, doesn't mean you should pay over the odds for something.

A mars bar is a mars bar, but you wouldn't pay £100 for one, just because you could afford to.

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Indeed, it's not relative in any way shape or form whatsoever, just because you're rich, doesn't mean you should pay over the odds for something.

A mars bar is a mars bar, but you wouldn't pay £100 for one, just because you could afford to.

But he's not buying an off the shelf product. It is relative.

Everyone seems to be presuming the guy is not putting in the 4 weeks work, why?

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I'm not sure you understand the definition of 'relative'.

It's irrelevant wether he's buying a product or a service, it's still only worth a certain amount.

If my window cleaner does my windows for £12, and then someone else tells me they can do a better job, but it'll take a week, and cost 1k, I'm not going to employ their services.

Again, an individuals net worth has no relevance to how much they should pay for either a product or a service.

And if he genuinely is putting in 4 weeks work, then he's either not very good, or he's stitching people up, as the job can be done to at least an equal standard by a good detailer in a couple of days.

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No I don't doubt he puts 4 weeks into it but it's just the need to do it that I question? Put it this way if you were to buy a super car you know and can see that it is a mark above say a production line Porsche or other similar car either in speed, technology or materials used. There is a proportion of the cost that is based on the badge BUT most of it is tangible. With this £7k clean I dispute whether there can be and discernible difference over a very good 2/3 day detail (as long as the original car is not in a atrocious state to start with).

Another parallel would be interior decorators (painting) Just because a house is worth many millions can it be possible for someone to paint the place any better because they charge 5 times the price most top notch decorators charge (regardless if the put 20 coats of paint on the walls and wood work)

Like anything in life you can pay a range of prices for a service depending upon quality etc BUT in this case I just feel that it's gone so far off the scale it's untrue.

The only thing that can possibly justify this price is if (and it may be the case) that the guys reputation and hence scarcity enables him to charge these prices! As in bragging rights "Detailed and corrected by Fred" or whatever his name is. So branded in a way??

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And if he genuinely is putting in 4 weeks work, then he's either not very good, or he's stitching people up, as the job can be done to at least an equal standard by a good detailer in a couple of days.

Again, presumption. No facts whatsoever. You're just guessing, blind.

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