Mobil detailind vs. Fixed shop

M

mose

New member
I did my first mobil detail this weekend and was surprised by the attention it drew from the neighbors. Everyone in my neighborhood is pretty much numb to what I do anymore. There's always a different car in the shop getting polished....blah blah blah. This client Saturday couldn't be without a car so I detailed it at her house. She would be able to use my truck if she needed to go somewhere.



So when all was said and done I had booked three details by the end of the day with neighbors! I was very stoked about the whole thing and it got me thinking about being more mobil. It's a PITA loading everything in and out of my truck but it's obvisouly worth it if more people are going to see what I do.



The only problem I found was that, with my lights and shop vac plugged in, it kept flipping the breaker at the house. Kind of a pain for me and the client. I will just have to make sure I unplug the lights before vacuuming. There wasn't a problem with the lights and the PC at the same time which was good.



So, can anyone that is mobil maybe give me a couple pointers for making this an easier transition? I have everything I need to do the details except a generator and water source. I am not ready to make that jump yet though. I will use the clients utlities as long as I can and see what happens.



Any thoughts?
 
As you saw, you can definately get more business going mobile.



Get yourself a good roll up toneau cover that locks in place for the back of your truck and a few bed organizers and store it all back there so you don't have to keep reloading and such.



Maybe get a portable hand help high wattage light that will show you swirls and damage and use it instead of the big lights.:bigups



Time to start thinking mobily.



:wavey
 
Use Optimum's No Rinse to wash. Saves you from having to use their water to wash and also having issues with groundwater law compliance.



I know some here are very successful with their fixed locations, but I couldn't imagine not being mobile. You do get a lot of exposure to potentional new clients, plus it gives you a competive advantage if a customer has several cars. If you come by to detail them, the cars don't have to be dropped off one by one at a shop.



Mobile does have some disadvantages though, if you aren't tolerant of temperature extremes, it would be tough not being in a climate controlled shop. There are also some jobs tougher to do on site, like heavy engine degreasing or chassis detailing.
 
Scottwax:



I actually used DP4n1 on the last detail and it made life a lot easier. I did have to use thier water but it was a friend/client so that wasn't a big problem. I did have to use their hose to rinse off the rims after washing them.



I did just have a thought though. When doing engines and spraying the degreaser to clean and then the HD to dress then engine, does anyone worry about getting the HD all over the floor of the garage. Same question with the tires. I know that when I am doing cars at home in my shop/garage there is always some very slippery stuff on the floor when I am done.



What about if you have to remove the rims to clean the insides? I have done this at home but not during a mobile detail. I have a Volvo coming up that I am going to have to take the rims off of and am not sure I want to do this at the customers house and send dirty, greasy water down their driveway into their gutters. Any thoughts?
 
One thought on removing wheels. It is a potential liability if for some reason the wheels are not put back on the car correctly. Do you have a torque wrench for properly torquing the lug nuts? The car can also be damaged by a jack. Just some things to think about. I know my insurance company was very concerned about whether I would be actually working on cars as opposed to just detailing them.
 
Good points on the wheel RnR. Here's how I look at it:



If the customer looks like a good tipper then I will tighten the lug nuts back to where there are supposed to be. If I don't get that "tip" feeling then it's up in the air as to how tight they will be........LOL!!:spit:



I have only had to remove the wheels from two cars so far. I do have a torque wrench and always check the owners manual ( if there isn't one then I check the internet) for torque specs. Pretty much the same drill for jacking points. Most cars still have a rear axle so you can always use the axle housing, like the good old days, but some have some pretty funky stuff back there so you have to be careful!!



Plus, if anything happens to the car I just push it out into the street and say that I don't know how it got there.....:nana:
 
I will keep my fingers crossed and will continue to be as careful as I am now. Thank you for the luck though! Can never have too much of that!!



I did have a battery issue once though. I had done the detail,



http://autopia.org/forum/click-brag/86758-black-04-expedition.html?highlight=expedition



degreased and dressed the engine, got it all nice and clean and (mostly) swirl free and then tried to start it to back it out of the garage. Turned the key and "click click click" dead battery. I ended up replacing for the customer and everything was fine. So I am hoping that I have had my one bad car karma for the year.....at least!
 
Exactly why I do not touch engines either. I have had several batteries die while detailing the interior. A simple jump start was all that was needed though. I have never had a customer get upset because I would not detail their engine or remove their wheels. I simply explain the risks involved, and they are understand completely.
 
brwill2005 said:
Exactly why I do not touch engines either. I have had several batteries die while detailing the interior. A simple jump start was all that was needed though. I have never had a customer get upset because I would not detail their engine or remove their wheels. I simply explain the risks involved, and they are understand completely.
Click to expand...



Same here, except with the batteries. I think in 13 years full time (and going on 11,500 cars now total), I've only had 3 cars not start because of leaving the doors open while cleaning the interior.



I rarely clean engines because of the liability and it is rare I even get asked about engine cleaning. Most people don't work on their own cars anymore so they don't care what the engine looks like. A few want me to wipe down the plastic engine covers and any painted areas though.
 
Unless it was my own personal car, I would never go through the troubles of taking off someone's wheels to detail it. Even if you do, there are many things you have to consider. First of all, not all cars have the same jacking points. You'll also have to have appropriate sized jacks for the car. I tried to jack my car and put them on 6 ton jacks. Long story short, I lifted the car way too high, and the weight of the car made the car slide off the jacking point. So now on the bottom of my car is a hole/indentation of where it slid and landed.



Also, many driveways are slanted. I HATE jacking up my car in my driveway because even though it's not steep, it's still not completely level so it's scary sometimes doing work while the cars are on stands. To work on my brakes, I had to resort to using the street, but even then that's illegal in my town, and I'm sure a lot of towns too. Not only is it illegal, but it's also scary every time someone drives by.



I'm sure you can get their wheels clean enough without having to take it off. Taking wheels off and putting them back on is a huge PITA and takes a lot of time too. With hand tools, that's gotta be at least a 45 min job for all 4 wheels. And then you have to consider all the liability that comes with that.
 
I guess I have always looked at the engine as part of the detail. Maybe I should change my thinking before something bad happens.



I have a flat driveway and a flat garage so I don't have any jacking issues when it comes to removing wheels. I have been working on cars since I was 15 so I am very comfortable around cars mechanically. I know where to jack from, where to put jack stands and to alwasy make sure to chock the wheels to keep it from rolling. Removing the wheels is an "add-on" service so it's probably not going to happen all that often. I also know enough that I only jack the car up enough to give my about a 1/4"-1/2" clearance between the bottom of the tire and the ground. No need AT ALL to jack it up any higher than that....ever.



To each his own. We all do things differently and that's a good thing!
 
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