HHR Panel for Mobile Detailing unit?

mrclean

mrclean

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hello guys, ive been detailing on the side and using my regular car (04 honda accord) for a while and its been good. with my income tax return soon approaching i want to take it up a notch and get me a mobile unit. first, i wanted a ford transit.. seems very cheap on gas, and very roomy.. the only thing is that its pricey $10k and up..my starting up budget cant cover that. the other option i had thought about was a van. seems what everyone goes for, but im afraid of the gas mileage i can get. even with a v6 econoline. that lead me to my last choice. the hhr panel. i researched it, and it has good reviews, great on mpg..combine it gives you 30mpg :props: my only concern is the space. so i got on craiglist and checked a couple of used ones that are on sale..and i schedule to see one today. i just came back from looking at it.. and im pretty sold on it. i took a measuring tape. and these are the dimension on the cargo area. roughly its 5'-5'' long by 4'-0' wide and 2'-9'' in height. i definetly see myself putting a 50 gallon water tank, generator, vacuum, reel hose, and make a small cabinet to hold the chemicals and towels. i found one for $4400, only down side is that its a rebuilt title..the owner showed me the pics of how it looked before..and it was a rear bumper damage, the main carriage frame didnt get hit or anything. i got down there and looked, he also agreed on going with me to the chevy dealer to do a diagnostic check on the car.. and it checked out ok. here are some pics of the vehicle im tempted on getting.

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it's a 2008, has about 59k miles on it. test drove it and it runs great. my question is to you guys that own mobile units... will this be a good buy for a mobile business? hope to hear from you guys.Feed back please
 
It looks food for amobile unit (especially if you get it wrapped). My only concern is will it hold the weight Of at least a 50 gallon water tank? If not you might needs small trailer to pull behind. Also will it be enough room for all your gear? Other than that looks good. Also don't worry too much about the salvaged tittle, when I found the truck I use for my business it was salvaged also and that thing has been great to me. No one would ever know it was in a wreck.
 
rolop6 said:
It looks food for amobile unit (especially if you get it wrapped). My only concern is will it hold the weight Of at least a 50 gallon water tank? If not you might needs small trailer to pull behind. Also will it be enough room for all your gear? Other than that looks good. Also don't worry too much about the salvaged tittle, when I found the truck I use for my business it was salvaged also and that thing has been great to me. No one would ever know it was in a wreck.
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Thanks for the reply my friend.. i did thought of the weight issue..im definetly beefing up the suspension shocks. What would u guys recommend ? The car has compartments in the cargo bed area..i can definetly use it to store towesl, bottles, my polishers and what not. God willing, ill have it in my driveway tomorrow. My dad lent me the rest of the $ i needed. If i get it tomorrow...im doing a full makeover to it, because the paint and interior has been neglected, ill post pics.
 
I wouldn't get it.
Even an Astro Van couldn't hold everything I needed.
Get a full size van. You'll be happier when you have everything you need
 
well its official guys, i closed the deal. i have the title now. doing a full detail tomorrow on it. ill post pics. would really like for you guys to guide me thru this. i do feel it can work. ive seen low profile 50 gallon tanks, figured i can have it half way full.. im sure i can get more than 4-5 washes with 25 gallons. i can also look into small , compact generators, ive seen a ryobi one on homedepot.. kinda looks like a big pc tower.if everything is arrange correctly.. theres more than enough room to work with in my opinion. i will be selling my honda accord. sad to see it go. but i honestly cant afford paying 2 car insurances. thanks for all the input fellas.
 
a quick search on google images for : "hhr car wash wrap" lead me to this image:

View attachment 25189

thats the regular hhr.. if someone is doing it with a regular one im more than convinced that this lil project of mines can be accomplish.:xyxthumbs:
 
Nice!! Not sure how suspension is on this vehicle but that would be the firstthing I would look at ssince shocks are cheap. I would also keep good track of receipts and expenses for next years tax loss.:xyxthumbs:
 
STPETEDALE said:
Nice!! Not sure how suspension is on this vehicle but that would be the firstthing I would look at ssince shocks are cheap. I would also keep good track of receipts and expenses for next years tax loss.:xyxthumbs:
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i sure will:props: this is what chevrolet lists for suspension for this vehicle.

Suspension
MacPherson strut front suspension
Torsion beam rear suspension
Front independent suspension
Front and rear stabilizer bar

Weights and Capacities
MAXIMUM TOWING CAPACITY** 1000 lbs.
EPA INTERIOR VOLUME 122.6 cu.ft.
GROSS WEIGHT 4173 lbs. CURB WEIGHT 3155 lbs.
CARGO CAPACITY, ALL SEATS IN PLACE 25.2 cu.ft. MAXIMUM CARGO CAPACITY 63.1 cu.ft

any mechanics out there than can translate this for me??
 
mrclean said:
i sure will:props: this is what chevrolet lists for suspension for this vehicle.

Suspension
MacPherson strut front suspension
Torsion beam rear suspension
Front independent suspension
Front and rear stabilizer bar

Weights and Capacities
MAXIMUM TOWING CAPACITY** 1000 lbs.
EPA INTERIOR VOLUME 122.6 cu.ft.
GROSS WEIGHT 4173 lbs.CURB WEIGHT 3155 lbs.
CARGO CAPACITY, ALL SEATS IN PLACE 25.2 cu.ft.MAXIMUM CARGO CAPACITY 63.1 cu.ft

any mechanics out there than can translate this for me??
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I'm not mechanic but the cargo capacity is talking volume rather than weight. So this would be referring to the space it provides.

Also 50 gallons of water is about 420lbs. So if you were to get a trailer to pull you'd still have some weight left for a generator before you hit the 1000 pound limit for towing.

But I don't know if I would pull 1000 pounds regularly it would be real rough on the vehicle.
 
You gotta see if Chevy or anyone else lists the "Payload Capacity" that will tell you what is rated for the inside of the truck...I wouldnt expect much over 500lbs which would negate having 50gal of water in there along with a generator and yourself...let along a vacuum and supplies.
 
dcjredline said:
You gotta see if Chevy or anyone else lists the "Payload Capacity" that will tell you what is rated for the inside of the truck...I wouldnt expect much over 500lbs which would negate having 50gal of water in there along with a generator and yourself...let along a vacuum and supplies.
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http://www.cars.com/chevrolet/hhr/2011/specifications

This is for the 2011 hhr panel. It says Payload of 900 lbs
 
I agree with the others, you've got a very nice mobile unit! :props:

I've been thinking about one of those for the last couple weeks.
 
I have a 50 gallon water tank in my dodge ram and believe me 25 gallons will not get you 4-5 cars. Unless you are doing ONR or some other waterless wash, 25 gallons won't cut it. If you get a really bad car 25 gallons can go quick! I can get 4-5 cars with regular washes if they are not bad from 50 gallons. If you need a small trailer I have looked at the one on the link and it has great reviews. I'm still debating about it for the summer. The generator on the other link would be something I would get if I didn't already have one, HF makes great tools and you can get warranties for almost every product. Plus I've seen it in person and it's not very big, it is a quiet generator which is a plus.

40-1/2" x 48" Small Utility Trailer - 1090 Lb. Cargo Capacity

2500 Peak/2200 Running Watts, 4.7 HP (125cc) Portable Inverter Generator
 
rolop6 said:
I have a 50 gallon water tank in my dodge ram and believe me 25 gallons will not get you 4-5 cars. Unless you are doing ONR or some other waterless wash, 25 gallons won't cut it. If you get a really bad car 25 gallons can go quick! I can get 4-5 cars with regular washes if they are not bad from 50 gallons. If you need a small trailer I have looked at the one on the link and it has great reviews. I'm still debating about it for the summer. The generator on the other link would be something I would get if I didn't already have one, HF makes great tools and you can get warranties for almost every product. Plus I've seen it in person and it's not very big, it is a quiet generator which is a plus.

40-1/2" x 48" Small Utility Trailer - 1090 Lb. Cargo Capacity

2500 Peak/2200 Running Watts, 4.7 HP (125cc) Portable Inverter Generator
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those are the type of generators i was looking at.. this one in particular
Generac iX 800-Watt Gasoline Powered Portable Generator-5791 at The Home Depot

about the tank, mind you that i am starting out, thats why i mentioned the 3-4 cars a day ratio.. thats me having a positive thinking.. and yes, im planning on using rinseless washes as much as i can or in cases where i can.

today i did the whole interior on the hhr .. tried out my new McCulloch steamer too.. im very happy with it. great for someone thats starting out and doesnt have the budget of a $800+ steamer. i was going to take pictures, but it got dark by the time i was done. almost all day cleaning it. i kept looking at the cargo unit, and i mustve drawn like 5-6 imaginary blueprints in my head on how it can be arrange. i also thought about removing the passenger seat, and perhaps using that space aswell. but my dad didnt like that idea. along with you guys, he's going to be helping me with this project too. i sure could use his help, he's a construction foreman and in my opinion one of the best carpenters in miami. tomorrow ill be cleaning the engine. im still debating on doing a full correction work on it. its not that swirled out, its white paint.. so i might just go with a one step. ill keep you guys posted, and again, thanks for the help fellas :dblthumb2:
 
stang_krazy said:
I agree with the others, you've got a very nice mobile unit! :props:

I've been thinking about one of those for the last couple weeks.
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thanks alot man, comments like yours keep me motivated!
 
dcjredline said:
Cool, thatll give him a little room then.

Water - 300ish
You - 250?
Generator - 50
Vacuum - 10
Chemicals - 50
Vehicle gas - 80

Around 700, you should be ok with stock suspension considering you dont fill the water tank or have much other equipment.
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well im about 6'1 and 215.. so that should give me a bit more. lol. your list is very accurate to what i will be carrying. with the addition of mf towels, hose reel, my rupes 21, the mcculloch, a bissell little green extractor and my pc2474xp. more than likely ill be on the safe side with the suspension, but either way when i sell my honda, ill have extra cash to throw down on a suspension upgrade.
 
hbrett29 said:
I'm not mechanic but the cargo capacity is talking volume rather than weight. So this would be referring to the space it provides.

Also 50 gallons of water is about 420lbs. So if you were to get a trailer to pull you'd still have some weight left for a generator before you hit the 1000 pound limit for towing.

But I don't know if I would pull 1000 pounds regularly it would be real rough on the vehicle.
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thanks for helping me out, and yes.. one gallos weights 8.4lbs exactly 420lbs like you mentioned. im really not trying to get a trailer. never liked the idea of a trailer. im hoping that i can arrange everything and weight everything out the correct way so i can do it all out of the hhr
 
is this year HHR panel with or without rear seats? Since the designer of the PT Cruiser designed the HHR: Does the front pass seat fold flat? I was curious if Chevy took the fold flat pass seat idea from the PT Cruiser and added to the HHR? It's a nice addition for hauling.
 
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