New Mobile Tech in a Prius

A

A Clarion

New member
Hi,

I`m new to this business and trying to learn all that I can. I have tons of life experience.

I hope to be able to contribute and help when I can. I`m here to learn from the best.

I`m currently mobile using my Prius with a 5000 watt pure sine wave inverter. I know people hate on the Prius, but it`s the best vehicle for my situation.

I will be incorporating a small open trailer to carry some of my gear.

I understand that all the knowledge in the world does not translate until experience is gained. Knowledge and experience equal wisdom. I`m not there yet with this endeavor.

I am being patient, humble and taking my time.

I may ask a lot of questions, but they tend to be well thought out first, not always though, as we are all human.

Always best to load your brain before you shoot your mouth

I wish everyone here the best,

Thanks!

M.
 
Welcome and best of luck to you! You`re in a good place. I started my business out the back of a Chevy Sonic (hatchback) for the most part. It works to get going for sure, youll want more space as you grow. That was 7 years ago, today its a full time business. Hard work pays off!
 
Shane
This is Frank. You have to explain it to me. Why do some detailers wash and wax the car plus do the inside of the car while other detailers wash and wax the car do the inside and also correct the paint. Shane wouldn’t every detailer correct the paint or not.
Since I am new to detailing any info would be great. Thanks
 
Wow 5k watts is a ton of power. Are you running directly off the hybrid pack?
 
Bull6791 said:
Shane
This is Frank. You have to explain it to me. Why do some detailers wash and wax the car plus do the inside of the car while other detailers wash and wax the car do the inside and also correct the paint. Shane wouldn’t every detailer correct the paint or not.
Since I am new to detailing any info would be great. Thanks
Click to expand...

Really comes down to what the customer wants or would be happy with. A lot of detailers just starting out have this idea in their head that they want to do everything they can to a car to make it look it`s best. After awhile you realize you are either doing way more than the customer expects (which isn`t necessarily a bad thing), not making any money because you`re spending so much time doing everything, or you end up charging too much for the service and drive away business.

It takes some time and experience to figure out what your market is and provide services at a price point your potential clients are looking for.
 
Shane
So I their a lot of money to be made in car detailing or not
also do you think it’s better to do paint correction or just wash and wax with the inside detail.
Thanks for your thoughts.
 
Dan said:
Wow 5k watts is a ton of power. Are you running directly off the hybrid pack?
Click to expand...

No, it connects directly to the 12v battery located in the back of the car. The hybrid battery is up front in the engine compartment. If I use the inverter with the Prius not turned on I`m in trouble. The hybrid when on in the ready position stays in battery mode until it it drains to a certain level usually 2-3 bars as displayed on the in dash indicator, then the engine kicks on, charging the hybrid battery > 12v This car has no alternator. I have not changed the 12v battery yet, even after 150k miles. I just replaced all 4 brake rotors with ceramic pads last week for $200 with labor. I could power a home if I needed too. Love my Prius!
 
So I had a gen 2 Prius. That battery is one size larger than a power wheels. At 5000 watts you are going to be pulling over 400 amps. You sure your DC to DC convert is handling that?
 
A Clarion said:
No, it connects directly to the 12v battery located in the back of the car. The hybrid battery is up front in the engine compartment. If I use the inverter with the Prius not turned on I`m in trouble. The hybrid when on in the ready position stays in battery mode until it it drains to a certain level usually 2-3 bars as displayed on the in dash indicator, then the engine kicks on, charging the hybrid battery > 12v This car has no alternator. I have not changed the 12v battery yet, even after 150k miles. I just replaced all 4 brake rotors with ceramic pads last week for $200 with labor. I could power a home if I needed too. Love my Prius!
Click to expand...

First off, Welcome!

If you want information on more `green` detailing options, search for `Narwhal detailing`. I met the owner at Mobile Tech Expo last year, and he has some interesting ideas/products.
 
Dan said:
So I had a gen 2 Prius. That battery is one size larger than a power wheels. At 5000 watts you are going to be pulling over 400 amps. You sure your DC to DC convert is handling that?
Click to expand...

Well, I don`t use that much of it. I`ts rated to 5000 watts. Most I use is 1800 watts at any given time. I could have just got a 4000 watt and been fine with that. The problem with some of these inverters is that each 3 prong plug in outlet only gives you half of the rated power stated. For example: If I got a 3000 watt inverter, I would not be able to use my steamer, because it draws about 1800 watts.
 
Bull6791 said:
Shane
So I their a lot of money to be made in car detailing or not
also do you think it’s better to do paint correction or just wash and wax with the inside detail.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Click to expand...

Do what you enjoy doing.

Typically the most money to be made in detailing is found in volume instead of quality. You tend to trade one for the other. You can knock out 5+ cars/day at $100 each and not do a show car quality job, and this is sustainable mostly because the demand for this type of work is more in demand. Or you can do one paint correction for $1000 every 2-3 days but struggle to have the volume to sustain that daily as the demand is much lower for that type of service.

A lot of this can depend on your market as well. You have to decide what type of detailer you want to be, find our market and build the business. In some rare cases, it is possible to have high quality high volume work, however it isn`t exactly easy to achieve
 
My friend dan is a paint corrector. He had his own detailing business for years. He does not care how long one car takes because he does the job the right way. The most cars he did in one year and still had time for other things was 77 cars.
 
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