Illustration for Written Agreements for Fleet and Dealer Accounts

A detailer asked exactly this in a community discussion: do pros actually use written contracts for fleet deals, or just shake hands and start? Replies ranged from “we should but don’t” to “everything should be in writing.” One had a customer insist the agreed price was half what it was. One nearly took a dealership account that wanted cars picked up, driven to the shop and returned, until the detailer’s insurance turned out not to cover driving customer vehicles. The most practical reply: find a service contract online, modify it, and keep it to one or two pages covering price, expectations and liability.

The eight clauses

Clause What it says Why it matters
Scope per vehicle Exactly what a “wash,” “interior” or “full detail” includes, by vehicle type Stops scope creep when a manager asks for “just the mats too”
Price per vehicle and per visit A rate by vehicle size or type, plus surcharges (pet hair, heavy soil) One detailer in the thread had a customer claim the price was half
Turn time How long you need per vehicle and how far ahead they book A car that isn’t ready on the day can’t be handed over
Pre-existing condition You photograph each vehicle before work; existing scratches, chips, oxidation, torn upholstery and electrical faults are excluded Published detailer policies carry a list like this; fleet agreements need it more
Liability Who is responsible for what; whether you ever drive the vehicle; your insurance limits and the client’s General liability excludes property in your care, custody or control (see below)
Payment terms Net 30 from invoice date, or other; late fee stated up front; W-9 provided Businesses pay on their cycle, not yours
Cancellation Notice required for a skipped visit (24 hours in two published consumer policies) and the fee A fleet day cancelled at 7 a.m. is a day’s revenue
Signatures and term Who signs for the business, start date, how either side ends it The manager who agreed may not be there next year

How we research our articles: methodology.

Scope and price: write what the word means

A fleet manager hears “wash” and pictures a shiny truck. Your crew hears “wash” and pictures something quicker. Define each service in a sentence, per vehicle type, and price it the same way. Our fleet quoting guide covers per-van and per-visit prices and volume discounts; maintenance wash pricing covers the repeat-visit rate; dealer rates and turn times covers the dealer side. One Atlanta mobile detailer’s fleet page describes the usual structure: monthly or recurring contracts, volume pricing, service around the client’s operating hours.

Pre-existing damage: the clause that saves the account

Consumer detailers already do this. One published policy says customers must tell the detailer about known issues before work begins and lists what detailing can’t restore: deep scratches, rock chips, oxidation, faded plastics, torn upholstery, burns, rust. Another says concerns must be reported before the detailer leaves. A fleet agreement should go further: timestamped photos of every vehicle before work, kept with the invoice. That’s your paperwork if a customer disputes the job; see our chargeback guide and the battery-drain article for how records settle disputes.

Liability: know what your policy excludes

A car-wash trade publication’s explainer walks through the standard commercial general liability exclusion: property damage to personal property in the insured’s care, custody or control isn’t covered. That’s the customer’s vehicle while you work on it, which is why shops buy garagekeepers coverage. The dealer that wanted vehicles driven to the shop is this exclusion in practice. Your agreement should state whether you ever move the vehicle, and the clause should match your policy. One property-management vendor checklist asks for general liability, auto liability and workers’ compensation where the state requires it, with the client named as additional insured; a dealer or fleet may ask for something similar. Talk to a licensed agent. None of this is insurance or legal advice.

Payment: Net 30 and the late fee you have to write first

Net 30 means payment is due within 30 days, and in most cases the clock starts on the invoice date unless the contract sets another start, such as completion. One reply put it plainly: many businesses won’t cut a check the day you invoice, so be ready for Net 30. The piece you can’t improvise is the late fee. An accounting firm’s guide notes that late-fee clauses must be in the contract before work starts and can’t be added retroactively; it cites 1.5% a month as a common benchmark, with state law sometimes capping the rate. The same guide says deposits are typically 25% to 50% upfront. Have a Form W-9 (the IRS request for your taxpayer identification number) ready; a business may ask for it before paying.

Cancellation and who signs

Two consumer policies we read require 24 hours’ notice and charge a fee for less. For a fleet, write the notice period for a skipped visit and what repeated no-shows do to the schedule. Then get the right signature: someone with authority for the business, with a title, a start date, and how either side ends the agreement. A handshake with a manager fails the day that manager leaves. On a shared lot, our property-manager guide covers what the landlord wants.

Sources

Based on 8 sources · How we price