Detailing business guide
How to quote a detail from photos
A customer texts you a picture of their car and asks "how much?" One dark photo of the driver's seat doesn't tell you enough to give a number you can stand behind. Here's which photos to ask for, what they can and can't tell you, and how to turn them into a quote that holds up when you see the car.
The photos to ask for
Ask for these, in daylight, with the doors open and the mats left in place. There's a message you can copy in the customer text templates. A short walk-around video works for the outside too.
- Driver's floor: with the mat in place, so you can see what's caked on it.
- Rear floor: behind the front seats, where crumbs and sand collect.
- Seats, close up: the bottoms and the backs, front and rear, for stains and wear.
- Console and cup holders: for spills, crumbs and sticky buildup.
- Cargo area: the trunk, the third row or the truck bed, whichever the vehicle has.
- Each side: the whole vehicle from the driver's side and the passenger's side.
- Front and rear: for bugs, tar and how the paint looks overall.
- Wheels: one close-up is enough to see the brake dust.
- Headlights: close enough to see any haze.
What photos can and can't show
What you can usually tell
- • The vehicle's size
- • Which services it needs
- • Dirt, crumbs and sand you can see
- • Caked mats and obvious stains
- • Brake dust and hazy headlights
What you find out on-site
- • Odors, smoke included
- • How deep the pet hair goes
- • How set-in a stain is
- • Swirl marks and contamination in the paint
- • Anything under the seats or out of frame
Quote a range, then confirm on-site
- 1. Start from your menu. Pick the services the car needs and use your own prices. If you haven't worked those out yet, start with how to price a detailing job.
- 2. Adjust for size and condition. A dirty full-size truck takes more hours than a clean compact. Price the extra time.
- 3. Make the low end what the photos show. Make the high end cover what they might be hiding.
- 4. Say what you'll check. Name the areas you couldn't see, like the rear floor or the truck bed, so a change on-site isn't a surprise.
- 5. Confirm the final price before you start. Put that in writing with the range, then look the car over with the customer.
One truck, two sets of photos
Here's what one truck got from two sets of photos. Our founder's own Ram 1500 went through Fourth Bucket twice on the same day, with a different set of photos each time. Both used a sample service menu (Full Detail at $200–$400, Deep Interior Detail at $150–$300), scaled for a truck in moderate condition.
| Photos | Services suggested | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Mostly the outside, with the doors open | Full Detail, $325–$650 | $325–$650 |
| Close-ups of the seats, floors and console, plus the outside | Full Detail, $325–$650, and Deep Interior Detail, $245–$490 | $570–$1,140 |
The first report said the rear seats and floor were only partly visible, and listed them to check on-site. The second report, which had close-ups, named crumbs in the cup holders and heavily caked rubber mats. It also noted that a Full Detail covers both, and listed Deep Interior separately “in case they only want interior.”
This is one truck, an illustration and not a study. One run of each can't show that the photos alone made the difference, and it doesn't show that either range is the right price. The second range isn't a price to send as it stands: a Full Detail already covers the interior, so the detailer decides whether to quote both, or just one of them. Those are the app's starting numbers from sample prices, and the detailer approves or changes them.
Doing this from your phone
Fourth Bucket drafts a quote from the photos a customer sends you: a condition report, the services it suggests from your own menu, and a range from your menu's low price to its high price. The AI judges the vehicle's size and condition, which scale that range, and no dollar figure comes from it. The report lists things to check on-site, you still look for anything the photos can't show, and you approve every number before you send it as a link the customer can accept.
Frequently asked questions
Can you give an exact price from photos?
Not honestly. Photos hide swirl marks, odors, how deep the pet hair goes and stains under the seats. Quote a range from the photos, say what you'll check when you arrive, and confirm the final number on-site.
How many photos should I ask a customer for?
Ask for views rather than a number: the floors, the seats, the console, the cargo area, each side, the front and rear, a wheel and a headlight. If a customer only sends two or three, quote from what you can see and say which areas you haven't seen.
What if the car is worse than the photos showed?
Tell the customer before you start, show them what you found, and give them the new price while they can still say no. Saying up front that the final price is confirmed on-site makes that conversation a lot easier.
Should I quote from photos at all, or only in person?
That's your call. Driving out to look at every car costs you time and fuel, and a range from good photos can tell a customer whether you're in their budget before either of you commits. The range and the on-site check are what keep it fair for both of you.
Keep reading: Customer text templates · How to price a detailing job · Detailing price calculator