I feel as if though I'm in the same boat.
I've been an auto tech for about 15 years. I've spent countless thousands buying tools to keep up with the changing technology, only for the customer to not understand WHY a shop charges so much for a repair. Brake pads with built in sensors, flash updates on PCM to correct a funky idle, ball joints that require a $400 tool to remove them properly. About the ony thing that hasn't changed over the years is the procedure of taking off the tires. People who don't matain their car until they're about to go out of town for a vacation, and the bill is twice the cost of them going out for a week. The constant "I need it today, even though I dropped it off a 3pm".
I do make good money, sometimes about $1800 every 2 weeks, buy my heart is no longer in "the game". I recently bought a 2003 Acura TL for $300 that needed so many repairs, the customer decided that getting rid of it was the best option he could think of. I spent every night for 3 weeks fixing it, replacing this, repairing that, and finally sold it for $3000.
I bought a mytee lite II, a flex 3401, a crap load of pads, detailing supplies, brushes, towels, compounds...you name it. My wife asked me what the hell I'm doing...my only answer was.....I wanted something to fall back on, as I enjoy detailing a lot more than auto repair.
Now, I've been doing detailing for a few years now, mostly on my car and truck, andfamily and friends. I don't charge anything, but most times, I'll get a 12 PAC of beer or a decent meal out of it. But I do gain experience, and that to me is invaluable. And it's a lot harder for my friends to b--ch about something when they got something for free.
I suppose that if I could make $400-$500 a week doing this, I'd roll my toolboxes right out of the shop. But, as of right now, I don't have a client base. And I don't consider myself a quick detailer. If my friends want a good detail, then they know I'll have their car for most of the day, if not overnight. I'm thorough, precise, and I see places that need to be cleaned that most don't even realize. I see ads on Craigslist for $65 detail specials. And I KNOW they are not doing as good as a job that I could. But then again, I wouldn't do front brakes on a Nissan Sentra formless than $100.