What are the options if you don't have access to power?

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maverhick

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I'm a newbie in the world of detailing. There seems to be overwhelming support for DA orbiters and there are some brands folks swear by and so on.

But I can't use any that I can plug to a power socket. Thanks to living in an apartment, there is no electric plug that I can use where the cars are parked.

I then read up on 12v car cigarette lighter plug powered polishers and folks kind of hated em. I am posting this query here because there may be other options that I couldn't find during my search or just could dish out some plain advice on how I could do this.

As of now elbow grease seems to be the only option, but I have 2 cars and a bike. I'd really love to use any machinery to get the work done faster.

What are my choices? Did I miss something/anything?
 
Get a generator, get a long extension cord and run electric from the nearest outlet, or they have converters that plug into your 12V outlets in your car and provide a place to plug in a standard outlet but I would be worried 1) about draining the car battery and 2) Damaging the DA because it's not getting the right amount of power
 
There have been some threads lately on power inverters, which will take your 12VDC and convert it to 115VAC. Of course, you could also buy a generator.

Just out of curiosity, are you allowed to do this kind of thing in the apartment complex parking lot?
 
Try doing a search for inverters here on the forum. The cost of the inverter you may need may exceed the need given your situation.
 
I also live in an apartment complex and the only thing I could do was to run a 100' heavy gauge extension cord from the closest out let to my window, run the ext cord all the way down and "temporarily" park my car there and do my detailing...It was very stressful, but I was able to finish the car before anyone could complain about it...Also I did it on Sunday when the building office was closed :D
 
shoeless89 said:
Get a generator, get a long extension cord and run electric from the nearest outlet, or they have converters that plug into your 12V outlets in your car and provide a place to plug in a standard outlet but I would be worried 1) about draining the car battery and 2) Damaging the DA because it's not getting the right amount of power
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I'm not considering a generator because it is going to be a beep to store. There are no usable outlets nearby - else would have simply picked up the longest extension possible.

Since I have 2 cars - what if I could plug the 12v into the second car and keep the car running. Would that stop the battery from draining?


Setec Astronomy said:
There have been some threads lately on power inverters, which will take your 12VDC and convert it to 115VAC. Of course, you could also buy a generator.

Just out of curiosity, are you allowed to do this kind of thing in the apartment complex parking lot?
Click to expand...

I don't think its going to be an issue at the complex. As I mentioned above, a generator will just become a major hassle to store and maintain.


JRivers said:
I also live in an apartment complex and the only thing I could do was to run a 100' heavy gauge extension cord from the closest out let to my window, run the ext cord all the way down and "temporarily" park my car there and do my detailing...It was very stressful, but I was able to finish the car before anyone could complain about it...Also I did it on Sunday when the building office was closed :D
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Hahaha! I can't do that either. There are just no power sockets in the parking area and I don't want to plug into any apartment parking socket - stuff like that makes the housing complex go crazy. Better to be self sufficient to the extent possible.
 
Hampsters on a wheel?

Maybe see about renting space in an underutilized garage. Friends or neighbors may lend a hand. Offer compensation for electric.
 
you could always rent a generator from home depot if you don't want to maintain one
 
maverhick said:
Since I have 2 cars - what if I could plug the 12v into the second car and keep the car running. Would that stop the battery from draining?
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Very often I'm running my DA on and off for hours on end. So maybe if you wanna let your car run for hours.

I think your easiest and cheapest option is to find someone that you know that lives close and just go there
 
maverhick said:
As of now elbow grease seems to be the only option,
Click to expand...


  • Become very good at your hand techniques
  • Only tackle sections of the car at a time so you don't burn out via muscle fatigue
  • After you finish a section to where its perfect and/or meets your expectations, be very careful into the future how you or anyone else or anything else touches the paint

Or borrow a garage from a buddy to plug in a polisher?


:)
 
Anytime I can use a machine I do use a machine. There are situations where you cannot use a machine so the work must be done by hand. I've rubbed a lot of antique and classic cars out by hand, even a few cars with modern basecoat/clearcoat finishes for places a machine can get to...

Here's one of my favorite cars that I've buffed about 50% by hand, 50% by machine, the original lacquer paint was all done by hand, including the parts that look mottled...


1938 Packard Model 1603

Before - Paint was mottled from protective film wrap during shipping

1938Packared001.jpg



After
I used a combination of hand polishing and machine polishing to undo the damage and restore a finish worthy of the car. Parts of the car were antique single stage lacquer and parts of the car were re-sprayed using a basecoat/clearcoat system. The goal was to undo the damage and maximize the clarity and gloss of the single stage antique lacquer paint to match the new basecoat/clearcoat paint for a uniform appearance to the entire car.
1938Packared005_5.jpg


1938Packared008.jpg


1938Packared010.jpg



It's actually kind of relaxing to rub a special interest car out by hand and a very good workout too...


:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
It's actually kind of relaxing to rub a special interest car out by hand and a very good workout too...


:)
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Well said, but since i have 3 vehicles - I am sure i will look for ways to keep it easier as time goes by.

Quite a few folks have mentioned borrowing a garage, I can't do that.
 
what about contacting the maintenance guys for the apartment complex. they might know of a few "hidden" outlets and might let you in on where they are if you give them a little "tip". i know some apartments have a couple hidden outlets its just hard to find them some times..heck you can always go for a "walk" and try to find them.good luck to you in all honesty if you cant find a outlet you might just need to stick to using your hand or find the quietest generator possible(the propane ones make the same amount of noise as gas).maybe you could rent a storage unit? some people rent them out as a workshop away from home and prices aren't too bad..and some of them have power inside!...good luck to you
 
opie_7afe said:
what about contacting the maintenance guys for the apartment complex. they might know of a few "hidden" outlets and might let you in on where they are if you give them a little "tip".
Click to expand...

I'm sure I can find an outlet or two, but it also will show up in the eyes of the other apartment folks and it will simply cause more problems later on. The parking space has tons of security cameras, so I really want to avoid it :D


Thanks for taking the time to write :)
 
If it's a big complex, the maintenance guys might have THEIR OWN garage...this is when a six-pack can go a long way...

DISCLAIMER: I am absolutely no good at that kind of thing, so I understand if you don't like this idea.
 
opie_7afe said:
what about contacting the maintenance guys for the apartment complex.
Click to expand...

Do they have a garage on site? I'll bet they have one somewhere. What if you just asked them to use it one day/weekend and like someone else said, throw a wash and QD in on one or two of their trucks? I've never had a landlord complain when I went ahead and did something that offered them benefit in the end.

+1 on the 6-pack (or two) idea.
 
Look for lighting fixture. Remove the bulb and screw in an adapter
 
Sorry to be bringing back an old thread to life.. In case someone finds this thread with similar dilemma, I just wanted to add another option. If you have an incandescent bulb outlet nearby, you can use this adapter to put in your power code and attach the bulb to it:

Amazon.com: Leviton 1403 Two Outlet Socket Adapter, Black: Home Improvement
or
Amazon.com: Leviton 125 15 Amp, 660 Watt, 125 Volt, 2-Pole, 2-Wire, Socket To Outlet Adapter: Home Improvement

This takes a 2-prong power input. If you have an extension cord with 3 prongs, you will need a 3-prong to 2-prong adapter, which is also fairly cheap.
 
Just an FYI, I have buffed out a whole car using a PC 7424 and a power inverter connected right to the battery with clamps a few times. I've actually compounded, polished, and glazed it using the inverter. What I did was, start the car and let it run every so often to recharge the battery. As long as you get the right inverter, it's not too bad (and a long extension cord). I did it a one of those self serve car wash bays on off hours. I got a Black and Decker inverter from Pep Boys about 6 years back and it works fine. Once it's all hooked up, it's no different than using AC power, it just puts wear and tear on the car because I would idle it after every 2 panels or so. It's a valid option for sure.
 
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