How to Quote Aircraft Detailing Jobs Without Losing Money | Shiny Jets

How to Quote Aircraft Detailing Jobs Without Losing Money

Underquoting is the number one reason aircraft detailers lose money. Not bad customers. Not slow seasons. Underquoting. I've done it. Every detailer I know has done it. You show up thinking a job is going to take two days and you're still there on day four.

The problem isn't that detailers are bad at math. The problem is that most of us are quoting from memory or gut feel, and aircraft are not cars. The difference in labor between a Citation CJ3 and a Gulfstream G550 is not something you can eyeball accurately on a Tuesday morning.

Why Aircraft Detailing Quotes Are Hard

A full exterior polish on a Citation CJ3 takes around 35 hours. The same job on a Gulfstream G550 takes 95 hours. A Global 7500 polish runs close to 148 hours. That's not a rounding error — that's the difference between a profitable job and working for free.

Ceramic coating is even more dramatic. A King Air 350 full ceramic job runs around 43 hours. A Challenger 350 is 76 hours. A Global 7500 is 185 hours. If you're quoting ceramic on a large cabin jet from memory, you're either wildly overpriced or leaving days of labor unpaid.

And that's before you factor in prep work, decon, brightwork, interior, and the condition of the aircraft when you arrive.

The Old Way: Spreadsheets and Guesswork

Most detailers build their quotes one of three ways:

• From a spreadsheet they built themselves years ago and haven't updated since
• By calling another detailer and asking what they'd charge
• From gut feel based on how the aircraft looked in photos

None of these are reliable. Spreadsheets don't account for every aircraft type. Other detailers have their own pricing problems. Photos never show you the actual condition of the paint.

The Right Way: Aircraft-Specific Labor Hours

The only accurate way to quote aircraft detailing is to start with real labor hours by make and model, then adjust for condition and scope.

Here's how a proper quote for a Gulfstream G4 exterior detail breaks down:

• Exterior wash: 17.5 hours
• Decon wash: 16.8 hours
• One-step polish: 72.1 hours
• Wax application: 25.3 hours
• Brightwork polish: 24.7 hours

Total exterior: 156.4 hours before you touch the interior. At $75 per hour that's an $11,730 job. If you quoted that from gut feel at $8,000 you just worked for $51 an hour before expenses.

How Shiny Jets CRM Automates This

Shiny Jets CRM has a database of 300+ aircraft with real labor hours for every service type — exterior wash, decon, polish, wax, ceramic coating, spray ceramic, brightwork, interior detail, leather, carpet, and windows.

When a customer submits a quote request, they enter their tail number. The FAA registry fills in the make and model. You select the services. The system pulls the labor hours automatically and builds your quote. You set your hourly rate once and every quote calculates correctly from there.

No spreadsheet. No guessing. No calling around.

The Bottom Line

Every underquoted job is money you worked for and didn't get paid. A database of accurate aircraft labor hours is not a luxury — it's the foundation of a profitable detailing business.

Build your first accurate quote free at crm.shinyjets.com — no credit card required.