Hot Carpet Extractor or Continue what I am doing?

[jdrop01]

Well basically I have finally came to that fork in the road and wonder which way I should go. I basically do detailing on the side on weekends only due to being in the Military. I do want to do this detailing business on a higher scale someday in the future but till then I will be in the Military until I decide it is time to get out. I basically want to know would it be worth upgrading to a Hot Carpet Extractor when I only do 2-3 vehicles a weekend depending on what the customers wants, if it is just interior I can maybe squeeze in one more client. But I am working on the carpets and seats with only using a Shop Vac, LGBM, PC w/ Aqua Brush and etc. and it takes sooooooo much time going this route. But the pricing on the HCE just seems a little out of reach for me to justify spending $600+ when I only do 2-5 vehicles maybe in 2 weeks time period. I did find this machine by googling MYTEE S - 300 TEMPO SPOTTER :: HOT WATER CARPET EXTRACTORS :: AUTO DETAIL SUPPLY OUTLET and even though it is not a hot water unit it still would do a better at extracting water and cleansing all chemicals out. The price for this unit is more into my budget and with adding hot water to the unit I still feel like it would do 5 times better than my LGBM and Shop Vac. I guess my questions is if I am going to buy a extractor should I go all the way with a hot unit or just continue doing what I am doing now since I have such a low volume of work? Thanks in advance for everyone who replies. Just looking to better myself and my little hobby I have going.

[wagonproject]

I would wait till you could afford a heated one. Really only you can justify if you need one. Think of how long till it will pay for itself...

Aztec Hot Rod is a nice "lower priced" unit.

And thanks for serving our country!

[HappyWax]

I agree, it would be worth saving extra for the heat- To me, if it's not heated, it might as well be a Bissel Green Clean Machine -which, I can vouch for being a terrible long frustrating experience.

I ended up buying a used unit- since it's commercial grade, it is designed to last a long time -so I wasn't worried about it breaking after a few uses -and it saved me a heck of a lot of $$$$$

The Aztec or the Mytee Lite II are great and will help you achieve professional levels.

[jdrop01]

Think of how long till it will pay for itself...

That's what makes me shy away, it would take awhile for me to get my money back. Guess I need to think long and hard about this decision.

[Showroom Shine]

I have The Aztec Hot Rod Hot Spotter. I Love this machine. I too was thinking about the price and the amount of use. But this machine took me to the next level in my business. If it is not heated,don't waste your money!

[RickRack]

I have a Thermax Therminator heated extractor and would not waste your $$ buying one that isn't heated. It really makes a big difference...

[Detailing Technology]

Hot water extracting can be very effective in removing a mass amount of soil from carpet in little time. But I would not buy one that wasnt heated.

I had the Mytee 8070 last year, modified with the 3 stage motor, but sold it. I bought it on impulse and couldnt justify the need for it. I bought the Pro-chem Dry Slurry and spotting kit to get the full effect. While excellent, for 6 square feet of carpet per car, proper spotting and the vapor machine did very similar work. If you are doing Mommy mini-vans all day for $150 - I'd go for the hot water extractor in a heartbeat. The cars I have been getting have greatly benefit from the vapor machine and a shop vac.

The key for me with the vapor machine is white terrycloth towels, I use them to gage the amount of debis I am lifting from the carpets post spotting and vapor treatment.

One thing to note, with a vapor machine, the uses are endless. A $900 extractor is really only used for carpets. And if you are worried about smoke and mold odor remval, the vapor machine works on those also. Or look into an ozone machine if odor removal is your criterior for success.

[RickRack]

Hot water extracting can be very effective in removing a mass amount of soil from carpet in little time. But I would not buy one that wasnt heated.

I had the Mytee 8070 last year, modified with the 3 stage motor, but sold it. I bought it on impulse and couldnt justify the need for it. I bought the Pro-chem Dry Slurry and spotting kit to get the full effect. While excellent, for 6 square feet of carpet per car, proper spotting and the vapor machine did very similar work. If you are doing Mommy mini-vans all day for $150 - I'd go for the hot water extractor in a heartbeat. The cars I have been getting have greatly benefit from the vapor machine and a shop vac.

The key for me with the vapor machine is white terrycloth towels, I use them to gage the amount of debis I am lifting from the carpets post spotting and vapor treatment.

One thing to note, with a vapor machine, the uses are endless. A $900 extractor is really only used for carpets. And if you are worried about smoke and mold odor remval, the vapor machine works on those also. Or look into an ozone machine if odor removal is your criterior for success.

What model vapor machine do you have?

What other sorts of things do you use it for?

I spent over $2,500 on my extractor and it only does carpets

[Detailing Technology]

What model vapor machine do you have?

What other sorts of things do you use it for?

I spent over $2,500 on my extractor and it only does carpets

I now have the Vapor Clean Products TR-5. Its a about $500 US.

I had the Desidero with the built in extractor, but the extractor was weak in my eyes, so I bought and sold he modified Mytee 8070 on Ebay.

USES:
Engines - Removed 15 year old cosmolene on this BMW engine. See the difference in the intake from left ro tight?




For wheels and brake calipers, its unreal chemical free cleaning ability.

Removes wax from emblems.

Sap, tar, and road grime that clay and thinner cant resolve

Headliners, dash, and most of all LEATHER....

[jeteast99]

I now have the Vapor Clean Products TR-5. Its a about $500 US.


USES:
Engines - Removed 15 year old cosmolene on this BMW engine. See the difference in the intake from left ro tight?

What attachment did you use to remove the cosmoline?

[Detailing Technology]

What attachment did you use to remove the cosmoline?

I used the nylon brush head as this surface was flat and textured.

I really didnt need it, but it made the process complete much faster.

Call it the Justin Doria Method....

[JuneBug]

I've read nothing but great reviews on the Aztec, it's what I'd get if I had my VISA paid off and some extra cash. Contact Bob with Danase, he's a super nice guy and I'll bet he'll work out a deal for you if you give him a call.