Invoicing for mobile detailing, on the driveway you are standing on.
The package got them to book. The add ons are where the day becomes profitable, and they only get sold when the customer can see them written down as choices.
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The add ons are where the money is and the conversation is awkward
A booked package is a known number. Then you arrive and the car has swirl marks that need machine correction, an engine bay nobody has touched in four years, and pet hair that will take an hour on its own. Every one of those is genuine extra work and every one has to be sold standing in front of the owner.
Doing that verbally is uncomfortable and it shows in the take. Doing it as a written list of priced options is simply a menu, and customers pick from menus without feeling sold to.
Condition drives time, so record the condition
Two identical cars can be a two hour job and a six hour job. Sap, tar, brake dust bonded on for a year, a boot that carried building materials. If the invoice only says exterior detail, next time you quote that customer you have no record of why it took a day, and they have no record either.
A short condition note on the invoice protects both the price you charged and the price you will quote next year. It also justifies the difference when the customer compares their bill to a friend who paid less for the same package.
What a detailing business gets
Invoice Local works from the phone in your pocket, on a driveway, with wet hands and a hose still running.
What a detailing invoice covers
Domestic driveways, dealer forecourts and fleet yards all use the same builder, because the invoice is written line by line.
On every detailing invoice
Dealer and fleet invoices are processed by an office that never saw the car, so the document must identify it.
- Business name, your logo on Pro, and any insurance reference you add
- A sequential number that keeps takings reconcilable
- The date, and a due date only for trade accounts
- Vehicle make, model and registration
- Package and add ons as separate priced lines
- A tax line only when you charge tax
- Paid status and method, so a driveway payment becomes a receipt
- A clean PDF that can be forwarded to a fleet manager
What detailers search for, and what the invoice should record
On the left, how people find this page. On the right, what protects both this price and the next quote.
How detailers find this
- mobile detailing invoice app
- car valeting invoice template with packages
- how to price detailing add ons on site
- invoice app for a mobile car detailing business
- offline invoice app for a detailing van
- free invoicing app for a car valeting business
What belongs on the document
- Vehicle make, model and registration
- Package name with what it includes
- Add ons priced individually as choices
- Condition on arrival where it drove the hours
- Correction stages, stated as a number
- Coating product and any care instructions given
From final wipe down to receipt sent
Four steps before the machine polisher goes back in the van.
- Add the customer and vehicleRegistration typed once and saved for next time.
- Tap the packageYour saved bronze, silver or gold line.
- Add what the car neededCorrection, engine bay, pet hair, each as its own priced line.
- Take payment and sendMarked paid, PDF sent by WhatsApp before you drive off.
A full detail with the extras the car actually needed
An illustrative receipt. The add ons read as choices the customer made rather than charges that appeared.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Full detail package, exterior and interior | $220.00 |
| Two stage machine correction, moderate swirls | $180.00 |
| Engine bay clean and dress | $45.00 |
| Pet hair removal, rear seats and boot | $40.00 |
| Paid by card on completion | −$485.00 |
| Balance due | $0.00 |
Example only. The figures are illustrative and are not a guide to detailing prices in your area.
A mobile detailing invoice template you can print or fill in
Two pages. The first is the worked example above as a finished document, which for this trade is a receipt, because the money usually changes hands before you leave, so you can see what a clear one looks like. The second is the same sheet blank as an invoice, with the line descriptions this trade actually uses, and the amounts left empty because what you charge is yours.
Questions detailers ask
What does it cost?
Unlimited invoices, quotes and receipts are free forever, with saved customers, saved line items and sending by WhatsApp or email. Pro is $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year and adds five more designs and removes the small watermark.
How do I sell add ons without the awkward conversation?
Show them as a written list of priced options rather than raising each one verbally. A menu is something a customer chooses from, while a spoken suggestion in a driveway feels like being upsold. Same items, same prices, completely different reception.
Should I record the vehicle registration?
Yes, every time. It identifies the job, it makes a repeat quote accurate, and on dealer or fleet work it is usually the only way the invoice can be matched to a vehicle by somebody in an office.
How should ceramic coating be invoiced?
As its own project with preparation, correction, application and cure time visible, rather than as an add on to a wash. It is the highest value work most detailers do and the most likely to be compared against a cheaper quote that skipped the preparation.
Can I bill a dealer monthly?
Yes. Save the dealer as a trade customer and add one line per vehicle with its registration and date. Forecourt work gets processed much faster when each line can be matched to a car.
Does it work with no signal on a driveway?
Yes. Everything is created and stored on the phone. Signal only matters when you send, and anything created offline syncs later if you have signed in.
Which devices does it run on?
Android phones and tablets through Google Play, and any modern browser at app.invoicelocal.com. There is no iPhone app yet, so on an iPhone you use the browser version, which builds and sends the same PDF from the same account.
Other mobile trades paid at the vehicle
If you still build invoices by hand, the free invoice template is a plain starting point. The invoicing guides cover the paperwork questions that come up most, and the comparison pages are there if you are weighing Invoice Local against another app.
Put the add ons on the page and let them choose
Free forever for unlimited invoices, quotes and receipts. Pro is $4.99 a month for the extra designs and no watermark.