Logistic question re mobile detailing

[Kazper]

I am not looking to enter the field, but a few Things have me perplexed. We had a "mobile" detailed come to the house and detail our cars years ago. They hooked up to our water and electricity.

What do you do if neither is available? Applicator pads and waterless washes?

 

[sudsmobile]

They might have hooked up to your water and power, but that's not to say they needed to. We carry spot free water so we don't hook up to customer's water, but we hook to power if there is an outside outlet (probably 90% of the houses we go to have a GFCI plug on the porch). If they don't have one, or it's tripped, we use our generator. If you don't have either, you're not really a professional mobile detailer, you're just a guy washing cars.

 

[Firehouse Mike]

35 gallon tank, 110v ShurFlo pump, Ryobi 1800 / 1.5 Electric PW and Honda EU2000i generator. Always prepared if utilities are not available although I ask during scheduling.

Mike

 

[WindyCity]

I was mobile for quite a few years and I will say that it is so much easier bringing your own stuff. For example I had my water tank and hose reel set up so it was so easy to pull my hose from my trailer compared to trying to hook up to a customers hose or water spigot.

Plus by having a generator you do not run the risk of blowing a customers fuse because of overloading the circuit


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[sudsmobile]

Good point about the ease of use. We did an RV a couple weeks ago and we use the customer's water except for the final rinse. We go to hook up to his spigot and we can't get his hose off, even with pliers. So we hooked to his hose. It leaked like a sieve when we hooked it up and his hose was all kinked permanently. We fought with that setup for 30 minutes.

 

[WindyCity]

Good point about the ease of use. We did an RV a couple weeks ago and we use the customer's water except for the final rinse. We go to hook up to his spigot and we can't get his hose off, even with pliers. So we hooked to his hose. It leaked like a sieve when we hooked it up and his hose was all kinked permanently. We fought with that setup for 30 minutes.

Yeah, before I was fully equipped with my trailer a customer told me that he had a water hose and nozzle available so I thought cool I don’t have to load one up, when I got there he had one of those stupid coil hoses that would slingshot back to the house every time you let go of it. So I spent an hour cussing and swearing every time I let go of it as I was chasing it back to the house....

Plus Something I really hate is when you have to deal with leaky hose and nozzles, And sure enough every single customer has a leaky hose or nozzle and Lord knows you get wet enough when you wash a car already without having to deal with that.

I look at is as an investment to reduce stress and aggravation with the Benefit of looking more professional and the ability to detail anytime and anywhere without having to think about “extra” logistics. It’s a lot easier to book a detail when you don’t have to ask him stupid questions like you have water available


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[mc2hill]

They might have hooked up to your water and power, but that's not to say they needed to...If you don't have either, you're not really a professional mobile detailer, you're just a guy washing cars.

Not sure I agree with this statement. I only detail evenings & weekends, but consider myself a 'professional'. I travel with my cleaning and polishing supplies, but use the customers water and power. With 100's of hours of education (class room based, hands on, and daily reviews of forums like this one) I feel more qualified than 95% of the 'detailers' in my area that have a truck/van/trailer with water & power, but do not understand how to properly clean and maintain the finish of a automobile.

 

[sudsmobile]

I really don't care if people agree with me or not, nor do I care if you hit the dislike button on one of my posts because I'm not 4 years old. You may do professional quality work, but if you're not equipped to show up under any circumstances to do a job, you're not a professional detailer. It's like saying you're a professional musician and then showing up to a gig without an instrument, amp and cabling. You may in fact play like a pro, but you're not showing up to do the job like a pro.

 

[Calendyr]

I really don't care if people agree with me or not, nor do I care if you hit the dislike button on one of my posts because I'm not 4 years old. You may do professional quality work, but if you're not equipped to show up under any circumstances to do a job, you're not a professional detailer. It's like saying you're a professional musician and then showing up to a gig without an instrument, amp and cabling. You may in fact play like a pro, but you're not showing up to do the job like a pro.

In 6 years detailing, never have I come across a situation where power was not available. I carry 200 feet total of extension cords ( 100 feet of 12 gauge and 50 feet of 14 gauge and 50 feet of 16 gauge). As for water, it has happened that it was not avaialbe and I just do a rinseless wash. Anyway this year I have switched to rinseless on most vehicles. I still use the pressure washer for wheels and to do a pre-wash on the bottom half of the vehicle as well as rinse off the chemicals for all the decontamination steps if water is avaiable.

It's good to be prepared for anything, but buying and carrying around a generator when it is never needed is not something I feel I need to do. If someone tells me they have no power where they want me to do the work, I will simply ask them if it can be done somewhere else. Never been a problem. If eventually I do loose a job because of it, it will no even put a dent in the savings I have made not having to buy the generator and the extra gas needed to carry around a heavy piece of equipment.

Same goes for a water tank. I carry around a 5 gallon bucket with a gamma lid full of ONR. I also have about 5 more gallons of distilled water in the truck in case I need to mix chemicals or use pure water for something. Never needed a heavy 100 or 150 gallon tank.

I only do 1 client per day, I don't take wash jobs so in my reality, my equipment is more than adequate. So to come back to your original statement, I would say people who are car washers, and not detailers need water tanks and generators.

 

[Dan Tran]

I consider myself a professional for a few reasons:

1) This is my main paid occupation
2) I am qualified to detail cars
3) I am skilled as a detailer including the art of paint polishing

Note:

I do all this from the trunk of my 2009 Honda Accord + the stipulation I have a water source and a power source provided by my clients.



Dan Tran
Car Detailing in Maine and NH - Paint Polishing and Car Care

 

[Dan Tran]

At the end of the day, we all achieve similar goals—enhancing cars and cleaning them. Whether that be washing cars or polishing paint.


Dan Tran
Car Detailing in Maine and NH - Paint Polishing and Car Care

 

[sudsmobile]

In 6 years detailing, never have I come across a situation where power was not available. I carry 200 feet total of extension cords ( 100 feet of 12 gauge and 50 feet of 14 gauge and 50 feet of 16 gauge). As for water, it has happened that it was not avaialbe and I just do a rinseless wash. Anyway this year I have switched to rinseless on most vehicles. I still use the pressure washer for wheels and to do a pre-wash on the bottom half of the vehicle as well as rinse off the chemicals for all the decontamination steps if water is avaiable.

It's good to be prepared for anything, but buying and carrying around a generator when it is never needed is not something I feel I need to do. If someone tells me they have no power where they want me to do the work, I will simply ask them if it can be done somewhere else. Never been a problem. If eventually I do loose a job because of it, it will no even put a dent in the savings I have made not having to buy the generator and the extra gas needed to carry around a heavy piece of equipment.

Same goes for a water tank. I carry around a 5 gallon bucket with a gamma lid full of ONR. I also have about 5 more gallons of distilled water in the truck in case I need to mix chemicals or use pure water for something. Never needed a heavy 100 or 150 gallon tank.

I only do 1 client per day, I don't take wash jobs so in my reality, my equipment is more than adequate. So to come back to your original statement, I would say people who are car washers, and not detailers need water tanks and generators.

And yet I recall you very recently asking about setting up at the local marina to "wash" cars for some insanely low price. Call me a car washer all you'd like, you're free to check my instagram and website and see the work I turn out. I'm sure I could get water and power at every job if I so choose, I mean I live in SoCal it's basically the land of milk and honey here. I carry spot free water due to the nature of our local water and the year round temps. I have NEVER washed or detailed a car with tap water. But carrying my own water and power allows me to do a job anywhere. And as I've stated before, if you look and act professional it will only help your business. In my opinion, and nothing will ever change my mind on this, showing up as a professional detailer and having to use the customer's power and water or you can't do the job does not look professional. You don't agree, I get it. That's fine, we can disagree on things.

 

[Eldorado2k]

And yet I recall you very recently asking about setting up at the local marina to "wash" cars for some insanely low price. Call me a car washer all you'd like, you're free to check my instagram and website and see the work I turn out. I'm sure I could get water and power at every job if I so choose, I mean I live in SoCal it's basically the land of milk and honey here. I carry spot free water due to the nature of our local water and the year round temps. I have NEVER washed or detailed a car with tap water. But carrying my own water and power allows me to do a job anywhere. And as I've stated before, if you look and act professional it will only help your business. In my opinion, and nothing will ever change my mind on this, showing up as a professional detailer and having to use the customer's power and water or you can't do the job does not look professional. You don't agree, I get it. That's fine, we can disagree on things.

FYI, I don’t have my own water tank or generator...

And I agree with you, someone who shows up with their own water & power supply looks way more professional than someone who doesn’t. That’s just a plain fact.