RV Detailing Prices: What You Pay Per Foot for Wash and Wax

I pulled my travel trailer out of the barn last March, right after a Kansas winter that alternated dust storms with ice. The front cap was chalky. The roof had grime packed into the gutter seams. I wrote myself a quote on a clipboard: four hours for the wash, seven for wax, and a number that would have made me a laughingstock if I’d handed it to a customer. RV detailing prices are the least understood part of this business, because the job can be a quick foam and rinse or a two-day correction, like the RV wax and oxidation removal work I see quoted all over the map. If you own a coach or a fifth wheel, start by looking up RV wax and oxidation removal pros in Kansas City to see what experienced shops charge, then read on for why your quote came in at $1,200 while your buddy paid $400.

How most shops build an RV detailing price

Most detailers I know, including me, start with a base price per linear foot. I measure the rig bumper to bumper, from the rear cap to the tip of the tongue or ladder, and I don’t count the tow vehicle. Then I add for height: a Class A with a 12-foot roof costs more than a pop-up, because I want to pay my guy for ladder time and I want to pay him more for working at height. After the base, I add condition charges. Oxidation makes the job take three times as long, so I write the compound price per foot.

A good quote is built in layers: wash base, then wax or sealant, then any correction, then roof and awning add-ons. Which is where the per-foot table below comes from.

RV detailing prices per foot, by service

Here’s the table I hand customers at the shop door. These are North American ranges from 2026 price pages and my own clipboard, not promises.

Service	Low per foot	High per foot	Notes
Wash only	$3	$5	Sometimes billed as a “basic wash” with a roof rinse; some premium washes with roof cleaning run up to $10/ft
Wash and wax	$10	$16	Most common band; some West Coast shops charge $20/ft with a sealant
Light oxidation removal (one-step compound/polish)	$15	$15	Expect a two-day turnaround; this is a conservative figure
Moderate to heavy oxidation correction	$30	$70	Full correction on a 40-ft coach frequently hits $2,800; most detailers quote this only after seeing the rig
Ceramic coating (with prep)	$24	$100	$24/ft is a one-year coating; $100/ft gets you a two-year coating with decon and correction included
Roof cleaning (add-on)	$1	$3	About $150 and up as a stand-alone; protectant treatment is extra and not always necessary
Interior deep clean	$17	$17	Per foot for upholstery, floors and cabinets; more for stains

Both ends of that table are “correct” because the work underneath them is different. What decides where your job lands? My insurance bill, how many years I’ve been on a ladder, and whether I’m honest about how long a roof takes when you’re not falling off it.

I found this video that breaks down how to price RV detailing jobs and it lines up with what I’ve seen in the field.

What moves the quote: height, chalk, paint and roof

A Class A motorhome is a whole different job from a travel trailer. I can wash the sides of a 25-foot trailer from a step stool, but a 45-foot coach with a full-body paint job and a fiberglass roof means ladders, harness anchors, and a whole afternoon for the roof alone.

Paint type matters too. Decals and graphics add another line item because I won’t pressure wash them and I won’t run a rotary over them. A slide-out topper with mildew means more time. An EPDM rubber roof needs a non-petroleum cleaner and a soft brush; a TPO roof wants dish soap and a rinse. Fiberglass roofs get treated like the side walls. Most custumers forget the roof untill I tell them the gutters are full of Kansas dirt, and that’s another 40 minutes. That’s also the first thing a mobile guy skips when he’s trying to hit a low number.

Mobile at the campground vs a shop with an RV bay

Two years ago a couple pulled a 38-foot Class A into my bay after a mobile guy quoted $450 for a wash, wax and roof. It was a mess.

Mobile detailers can be great if they have water, power and shade, and if they don’t mind you watching. But we charge for that overhead, and the waitlist in spring can be three weeks. If you’re comparing quotes, read our post on Mobile RV detailing vs a shop bay, honestly: what each does better. Then use the RV wax and oxidation removal detailers nationwide directory to find a shop near you. Ask for proof of garagekeepers insurance, a written line-item quote, and a time estimate. If they can’t tell you how many hours the roof will take, walk away. Or you can learn the hard way what gets skipped when the price is too good.

Why the cheap quote skips decontamination

The cheapest wash and wax Ive seen advertised is $6 a foot.

I use a clay mitt on every wash and wax job, and I charge for it. If a detailer quotes under $10 a foot for wash and wax, ask two questions: “Does that include a clay decontamination step?” and “Does the roof get washed?” Oxidation removal has the same problem. A $15 per foot compound job might be a one-step cleaner wax that hides the chalk for a few weeks. Real correction means multiple machine passes with a compound, then polish, then protection. That’s a $30 to $70 a foot job, and it can take two days in my bay. Before you ever call anyone, read the ten questions I’d want asked of my own shop in our how to pick the best RV detailing company post. The short version: if the price looks too low, something got left out.

Ceramic coating per foot: the game I don’t play

Every spring I get calls from owners who want thier rig ceramic coated, and they want it for $500.

Some shops market a “ceramic wash” or a “coating spray” for $10 a foot. That’s a sealant with ceramic particles in it, and it typically lasts a few months. Read the paper. A true coating is a resin that crosslinks to the clear coat or gelcoat, and it should come with a warranty that requires annual inspections. If the coating fails because the surface wasn’t corrected, the warranty may not cover it. Compound first, then coat, then maintain with a pH-neutral soap. If a detailer offers to coat over visible oxidation, hang up. You’ll have a shiny, chalky, peeling mess by August. And fixing that mess is not a coating job; it’s a correction job.

The two-day correction: what it actually costs

Last May I did a 2006 36-foot fifth wheel with a fiberglass front cap that looked like a whiteboard left in the sun. It took eleven hours, and I was sore for a week.

The $900 guy did it in four hours with a rotary and a wool pad, burned through the edge of a decal, and left compound stains in the gutters. The owner called me after, and I had to fix it for another $400. Real oxidation removal is a per-foot price because it’s a per-foot labor cost. You can find detailers who work by the hour, but I never will. I know exactly how long a section of oxidized gelcoat takes, and I’d rather lose a bid then underquote a job in the Kansas sun. Which is why I came up with a test any owner can run before the first call.

The quote test I’d run on any rig I didn’t own

Here’s what I tell RV owners who call me for a ballpark: don’t ask for a ballpark.

I underquoted a 38-footer my first summer in business because I hadn’t learned the height game. I charged $850 for what should have been $1,400, and I spent two evenings on a ladder cussing at the roof. Since then I measure twice and I don’t cut the price for a friendly smile. This weekend, take a clean white towel to your rig. Rub a quiet spot on the front cap. If the towel comes up white, you need correction, not wax. Then call two detailers, tell them the exact length, the chalk level, and the roof type, and ask for a per-foot written quote. The number that looks higher might be the only one that tells the truth.

Keep reading

• RV Detailing: What a Full Detail Actually Includes
• RV Detailing Insurance: What a Mobile Detailer Needs First