What new operators are really asking

A new detailer in a large detailing community asked in 2024 whether dealership work is worth it. They’d been told fleet work pays more than everyday customers. The replies split. Some said dealers want top quality for little money. Others said it’s steady work if you can keep up.

One reply came from someone who does paintwork for dealers in Kansas City. They put the local going rate at about $250 a car and said most of their dealers move 60 to 70 used cars a month. Their advice: you would need a crew. That’s one person’s report, not a benchmark.

An older forum thread, from 2012, told a different story. A detailer said a dealer offered 20 to 30 cars a month at about $100 each. Another poster put the going rate at $75 to $100. Ask the dealers near you before you trust either number.

You’re competing with recon companies, not just other detailers

Large reconditioning firms sell dealers a full package. One national vendor says it already serves 25+ dealer locations in the Kansas City area and offers same-day availability in most markets. One staffing firm pitches dealers on outsourced detail crews of hired, trained, paid and insured workers.

Its FAQ says most dealerships average 7 to 10 days in recon, and it aims to bring that down to 2 days. That’s the clock you’re judged on. A used car that sits waiting for a detail can’t be sold.

So a solo operator usually wins on one of three things: a smaller lot the big firms skip, a niche service, or faster turns on short notice. If you are weighing a utility-van account instead, see quoting your first fleet contract.

Three ways to price dealer work

Pricing model How it works Watch out for Example from operators’ own pages
Flat per car One price per used-car detail “Full detail” grows to include headlights, odor or paint correction One national recon vendor has you request pricing (APAR)
Per service Separate prices for wash, interior, buff, add-ons More line items to approve and invoice Lot wash: starting price $2.50 per vehicle, March to November (Carsmetology, Michigan)
Retail menu, quoted first Your normal menu; final price after inspection Higher price per car, so fewer dealers may say yes Full detail from $275 at a Missouri shop with dealership experience (Southwest Dealer Services)

Whatever model you pick, divide the rate by the real hours a car takes, including drive time and waiting for keys. Compare that with what the same hours earn on your retail menu. If dealer work pays less per hour, it has to fill days you’d otherwise lose, like weekdays or the slow winter months.

Write down what “a detail” means

New-car prep and used-car recon are different jobs. One Michigan detailer that has served dealers for decades lists new-vehicle prep, daily care of trade-ins and bought cars, and a service-customer detail program as separate services.

Put your scope on one page:

  • What’s included in a used-car detail: wash, interior, engine bay, wheel wells.
  • What’s extra: polishing, headlight restoration, odor, pet hair, biohazard.
  • Turn time: cars dropped by a set hour are ready the next business day, or whatever you can truly hold.
  • Who moves the cars, and where keys live.
  • How damage is checked before you touch a car, with photos.

Careless lot work is how new cars end up with dealer swirl marks. A clear method protects your name too. If you wash on the lot, check the wash-water rules where you work first.

Getting paid

Paperwork first. The SBA describes an independent contractor as a business that invoices for the work it has completed. Expect the dealer to ask for a Form W-9 with your taxpayer ID before the first payment. Under the IRS’s 2026 instructions, a business files Form 1099-NEC for a non-employee it pays at least $2,000 in a year. Payments to most corporations, including LLCs taxed as one, generally aren’t reported. If you don’t give a correct TIN, the payer may have to hold back 24% of each payment.

Terms in writing. A nonprofit mentoring group funded in part by the SBA suggests a contract that says when payment is due and how you’ll be paid. It also suggests asking ahead what each invoice must show, such as a PO number. For a dealer, ask whether that means a stock number, VIN or repair order for each car. Its other tips:

  • Send each invoice as soon as the work is done.
  • Write “payment due” instead of “net 30” so the deadline is clear.
  • State when a late fee applies and how much it is.
  • Follow up as soon as a payment is late.

Billing per visit is one option: the Michigan operator above invoices dealers after each lot wash. If a dealer pays by card, keep the same records you’d use to win a chargeback.

Don’t let one account get too big. If one dealer is most of your income and pays late, you’re carrying its float. Our guide to mobile vs shop business models covers fixed costs you’ll want covered first.

How we check every number: methodology.

Sources

Checked 2026-10-09. Forum reports are paraphrased as anecdotes only. The threads themselves aren’t linked here because of brand-safety rules for comment content.