How Sweet Would It Be?!

ShineTimeDetail

ShineTimeDetail

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So as some of you know I'm considering starting a mobile lube service in addition to the detailing. I had thought about getting a trailer to drive the car up on with a built in oil pan to drain the oil in. What if you had a trailer that the sides expand and you could pull a car up in and detail it in? During the winter you could kick the heat on- Summer kick the AC on- I mean you pull it in do your job then pull it out! I think that would be one bad mama jama!!:dblthumb2:
 
You won't have much room in a trailer to detail as the they aren't super wide. It could be done but I think it would be a hassle. You could add oil changes. As a consumer it kind of sounds strange to have a oil change and detailing service. If you are great a detailing why would you need to change oil?? It would be convenient for consumers to do a oil service. I am sure many would really like it. I would brand it a different name. And have it a division of your detailing business name. You also need to consider the logistics of disposing of oil. If it is not convenient or you don't have a huge tank to get rid of it every two weeks or month or whatever it could be not worth the hassle. I would just have some oil change ramps, metal drip tray, oil drain pan, etc. I would always change in the street. One drip and customers will freak out. I know there a oil recycling services where they come and pickup the oil which costs money. Most auto parts stores will only allow consumer dumping but if small enough it may work fine.

ramp may not work for sports cars low to ground.

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I think that is a pretty good idea. Just have the customers be sure to give you 24 hr advance notice so that you can be sure to get the correct oil and filters ready the day before. You could have the oil draining while you are working on detailing the car.
 
You can get trailers that the sides pull out to give you more room- Kinda like RV's sides open up. This wouldn't be a cheap set up by any means but it would be sweet!

When it comes to detailing I have busy times and not so busy times. People need their oil changed but they don't need their cars detailed. I would extract the oil rather than draining it because or the risk of it going on the concrete. This thread really wasn't to discuss the oil change but the idea of the trailer.
 
What is your current setup? A van and a trailer?

can you fit all the tools into the van?
 
ShineTimeDetail said:
You can get trailers that the sides pull out to give you more room- Kinda like RV's sides open up. This wouldn't be a cheap set up by any means but it would be sweet!

When it comes to detailing I have busy times and not so busy times. People need their oil changed but they don't need their cars detailed. I would extract the oil rather than draining it because or the risk of it going on the concrete. This thread really wasn't to discuss the oil change but the idea of the trailer.
Click to expand...

I think it's a super sick idea!!!

The trailer would be cool but so expensive I can't imagine anyone other than Meg's, Adams, Autogeek or Mothers having one for show cars at special events.

The lube service sounds real good. Extraction? I can understand your worries about the oil dripping on the ground but there will be possible drips from the oil filter mounting too. I reckon with a extra wide drain pan you wouldn't have any splashes or spilling of used oil in a typical drain situation.
 
That rig would be epic, but super expensive, I'm sure.

As a mechanic, I feel obliged to warn you away from the extraction method. There's no reliable way of telling if you've gotten all of the oil out (other than comparing what you extracted with what the manufacturer recommends you put in, but that's not exactly a sure thing as people tend to overfill and underfill, and recommendations aren't always exact). I'd say somewhere between 85-90% of cars have oil filters located near the bottom of the motor, you have to go down there anyways, might as well just do a conventional drain. I agree with Matt's idea, a wide drain pan would suit your needs. Besides, once you get used to changing oil all the time, you won't make a mess anyways. And if you do make a mess... well, there's always cat litter.

As far as the lube service idea goes (yeah yeah, not what this thread is about :P ) ... I like the idea, I just don't see how feasible it is. Basic tools alone are going to set you back a bit, between varying sockets, torx and hex bits for splash guards/skid plates, wrenches and sockets for varying drain plug sizes, and the re-emergence of cartridges instead of using spin-ons and the sockets and adapters for those. Add on top of that the raw cost for filters and oil, not to mention needing different weights, brands, and types of oil. It will get expensive, quick. I'm sure you've done your research, but a simple oil change isn't what it used to be. If you go for it, though, I wish you luck-- Like I said, I think it's a great idea, if anything, it's an awesome convenience for your customers.

Feel free to PM me with any tech questions, I'm a suspension tech, but I still do my fair share of oil changes.
 
I'd be a little concerned of the weight the trailer would be even empty. The new setup would have to be rather sturdy to support the larger trucks and the vehicle you use to pull that weight would have to be sturdy as well.

Other than that, I think it's a great idea ( putting aside the initial cost as everyone else has brought up ) :-)
 
I'm running a 12 ft enclosed trailer with a Ford E350 extended 7.3 diesel. I already have all the tools needed to do the oil change and I've worked changing oil etc for years. The whole extraction part is for customers piece of mind.
 
I see a few issues that may need to be dealt with.

First, the drain will need to be sealed so no oil would spill. Trying to clean oil is always fun. Also, depending on the size, the sloshing of the liquid may cause travel issues.
Second, the trailer floor and possibly sides, would probably need to be replaced with something waterproof.

One of the guys I race with went to an RV salvage yard and bought a wrecked trailer with a slide in it for $1000. Pulled the slide and all mechanicals and scrapped the rest of the trailer. He then had a company install the slide in his gooseneck trailer and built living quarters. Alot cheaper than buying a new race trailer with a slide, but still in the $3k to $4K range to buy/install the slide.

I like the idea, although expensive. Good luck on what you do.
 
If the oil removal is an issue here in the northeast the used oil could be for the Heater in the trailer. The cost of the oil burning furnace would be the added cost to the trailer. Most garages that do oil changes here have the furnaces as a way to save on utilities in the winter. The trailer oil drain system would need to be a sealed system just to keep it from splashing
all over the place and storage for the furnace.

Detail shops around my location often have oil change options at their shop.

As far as most cars filters and oil would be one of the only issues for hard to find filters and available oil. Changing the oil in the street can be a costly accident waiting to happen. If you spill the oil on the ground and someone complains. You will have hazmat cleanup and the EPA on your case. My neighbor found that out the hard way. Just my 2 cents.

I do like the idea though. By the way you can be a great detailer but in this economy you need to expand what you are doing so you don't become one of the numbers. Again if you could get the system up and working or design the trailer it could be something sold to someone else to develop.
 
Lol this thread was to talk about getting a trailer that I can drive a car up and extend the sides so that I can detail in it not to change oil in.
 
I knew a guy that had a mobile oil change business along with his Auto Glass business. He never got much business from the mobile oil change side but he never had a salesman for it and he was too busy doing sales for the auto glass side. He had a setup in a extended 3500 chevy express van with oil filters, air filters, and wiper blades, air compressor to power the oil supply and evacuation systems and for adjusting tire pressures. and he had 3 bulk storage tanks for 3 different types of oil and if people had request for a specific oil he just brought individual quarts. with his system he drove the car on ramps and drain the oil into a large container with a valve that you hooked a hose to and pumped it into a waste container. it was a pretty slick system but he was not successful with it since he had no time to go out and promote it.

He had a systme like whats featured on this website
Lube N' Go
 
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