Garage Detailing Advice

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eric04h

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Hey everyone.. I had a few questions hopefully you all can help me with.

Last year I dived into Mobile detailing and love detailing for both my personal car and as a side business. I did strictly mobile detailing since I lived in an apartment at the time and had no where to work from home. This year I just bought a house and now have a garage that I can detail in. With that being said, I'm a bit lost on a few aspects.

Interior details: How do you guys dry interiors? When doing mobile jobs I simply left with the car still wet or damp and told them to roll down the windows and let it sit in the sun for a bit and that'll do the trick. Now they have to leave the car with me/pick it up so I can't really have them drive home in a wet car. Whats a quick way to dry out their interior? Typically how long does this take? Do you guys usually put any paper mats to cover their just washed carpets? I've googled them but don't know what they are called and couldn't find any. If you guys could give me some tricks / best practices that'll be great.

Exterior details: I usually spend anywhere from a few hours to the entire day doing a car at someones house. Theres always a hiccup so my time estimate is usually off by an hour or a lot more. When detailing from home, do you just give people a rough estimate and call them once it is ready? If its a job that'll take me most of the day, is it common for people to drop off their cars and pick up the next day? Personally I think that'll be the best scenario so I don't have to rush through the job to meet the time I said I'd be done.

Lastly, Does anyone get more garage details than mobile? I'd like to head in that direction as mobile can get a bit tiring constantly packing and unpacking. However, I'd assume most of the business is on the mobile side.

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help!

-Eric
 
I open the doors and use blower fans to help dry up cloth seats and carpet after using my extractor. It helps if you can park the car in sunlight too. I mostly do mobile details but some customers will leave their car with me if it's a job like a multi-step correction or coating service.
 
Heck no to mobile detailing. My customers bring their cars too me or I don't detail them
 
For the interior that was super dirty,crank up the heat for 30 minutes and throw the mats under the car as the heat from the engine will dry them fairly quick.Use a exhaust hose if you can't pull car out if it's raining.Kinda hard to get customers to leave there car for a day or more at a garage.This is a promblem for me to build a brick and mortar location people need there car and can't be without it for a day to many promblematic excuses so I stay mobile.
 
I actually modified one of the heads from my shop vac which makes it almost as effective as a high quality extractor. I also make it a point to keep the windows (and doors as long as it isn't a tight space) open while I am working. Mist interior jobs are accompanied by the exterior so I knock out the interior first so it can air out as I work on the exterior. Another key here is not to completely saturate everything to the point that it will take forever to dry or is dripping from the bottom of the seats or even worse coming out the drain holes in the underside of the car.
As for dropping the car off at your home, I have 1 customer who insists on this. While it may seem convenient, it's actually not a great scenario. If you are working on the car at your place and something happens (tree falls on it, dog scratches it, child smashes into it with a wagon) you're on the hook even if it isn't something that YOU did. The last thing you want to do is have to file an insurance claim or even worse, pay out of pocket. Add to this the nosey neighbor factor. Either they are fine with you doing the occasional job in the driveway....or they're not and you end up with compliance officers at your house asking why you don't have a waste water collection system, license to operate at your home, various zoning permits.....
 
garyg7133 said:
I actually modified one of the heads from my shop vac which makes it almost as effective as a high quality extractor.
Click to expand...

Would you be kind enough to share this tip? Any pics?
I'm really into vacuuming and what you said sounds intriguing.
 
Currently I am mobile, however next year I am going to buy a house. When I do, I plan on buying a used SUV to be used as a loner. So clients can drop off there cars and leave in my SUV. If they return it like they picked it up great, if it is dirty I will charge them a cleaning fee. I will get garage keepers insurance.

The problem with working out of the house is you need to get along with your neighbors. Running a business from the house can be tricky.
 
Sure. Will post a pic when I am back home. It wasn't hard at all. It's basically just reducing the intake area of the head so that you are increasing the suction.
 
HAving the loaner is going to be tricky insurance wise I would think. Keep us posted how that goes...
 
garyg7133 said:
As for dropping the car off at your home, I have 1 customer who insists on this. While it may seem convenient, it's actually not a great scenario. If you are working on the car at your place and something happens (tree falls on it, dog scratches it, child smashes into it with a wagon) you're on the hook even if it isn't something that YOU did. The last thing you want to do is have to file an insurance claim or even worse, pay out of pocket. Add to this the nosey neighbor factor. Either they are fine with you doing the occasional job in the driveway....or they're not and you end up with compliance officers at your house asking why you don't have a waste water collection system, license to operate at your home, various zoning permits.....
Click to expand...


As soon as I read OP, I was wondering about zoning and insurance. NFW I'd detail a customer's car at my house. It's not zoned commercial. So if anything happened I doubt it would be covered by either my homeowner's or my business insurance. And I doubt many companies would write insurance for a business without proper zoning & permits.
 
I never let a client take delivery of a wet car, period. All interior jobs are required to stay overnight to ensure they are fully dry before delivery. I have 2 air movers I place in the car and they are left on overnight (usually only needs a hour or two).

For full details I give my clients an estimate of when it will be completed based on what they are having done and call/text when I know for sure, usually the day before delivery.
 
garyg7133 said:
HAving the loaner is going to be tricky insurance wise I would think. Keep us posted how that goes...
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You can just insure them under your personal insurance. It's like loaning your car to a friend. My clients love the loaner car. It's more convenient than mobile service because they still will have access to a vehicle to run errands. Plus they don't have to organize a ride to drop their car off. I offer a loaner for free and have them fill up the gas tank when they return.
 
Pretty sure your personal insurance will tell you to gtfo if there's an accident when the vehicle is being used for business of any kind, including as a loaner to customers.
 
BigPoppa said:
Pretty sure your personal insurance will tell you to gtfo if there's an accident when the vehicle is being used for business of any kind, including as a loaner to customers.
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I was just about to say the same thing. Especially when the client tells the cops that their car is at the detailer and he has the insurance....
 
Do interiors first and leave doors and windows open. I use a fan as well. However, I assume you extract and that's why it's wetter. I steam and interiors dry faster due to less water used.
 
garyg7133 said:
Sure. Will post a pic when I am back home. It wasn't hard at all. It's basically just reducing the intake area of the head so that you are increasing the suction.
Click to expand...

Howdy👋🏼 Just a friendly reminder, if you get a chance. Thx.
 
garyg7133 said:
I was just about to say the same thing. Especially when the client tells the cops that their car is at the detailer and he has the insurance....
Click to expand...

Most insurance policies cover rental or loaner cars. Their insurance would provide coverage when they are driving the vehicle.
 
I have to play the mobile game due to zoning. The city I live in says I can't have any customer cars at my house and can only have one immediate family member as an employee. Of course they consider my extra garage at my house as the place of business. My insurance company gave me all I needed for business insurance and even though mobile had to take pictures of my garage because they consider that as my place of business. Overall one crazy system here. My neigbor runs a screen print business in his house and is president of the chamber of commerce and city council so he keeps an eye on me.
 
garyg7133 said:
Sure. Will post a pic when I am back home. It wasn't hard at all. It's basically just reducing the intake area of the head so that you are increasing the suction.
Click to expand...

I was looking forward to checking out the pics...
 
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