Hello all, in my area there are a few car washes(about 3) and i have all experimented(no G37 was used in this experiment) how well they actually are. 1 is a detailing service, but it is extremely high priced so i never go there(i like detailing my own anyways). The other is a touch less car wash at a gas station, i dont think it even really washes the car at all. The last is a car wash with spin brushes, i refuse to go there because i believe it would make swirl marks/scratches. Im 17 and I've been thinking about making my own mobile detailing services. My neighborhood has almost 1,000+ homes so it is quite large. I am very big on keeping my own cars perfectly spotless, so i was wondering if this would be a good idea or not. I would provide three different wash options(i have yet to develop these options because idk if it is a good idea). All opinions are welcome!


Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

 

There's a lot more to it than you think to do it as a real, legitimate business. Spend a lot of time on detailing forums reading and getting information from real pros who do this for a living.

If you just want to do it as a side hobby, practice and make sure you know what you're doing before you take the chance of doing extensive damage to someone's vehicle. I'm assuming that the "extremely high priced" mobile service that you didn't look into are probably true pros. They know what they are doing and are experienced. They have capital invested in equipment, training, and bring insured and bonded. This is just me personally speaking, but no force on earth could convince me to allow a 17 year old that I don't know to work on my car. I'm not saying it cannot be done or trying to discourage you from your dream if its what you truly want to do. I'm saying to deeply research what you're interested in and make sure you fully understand the undertaking and are completely prepared do to all that's required. Best of luck, I wish you success.

 

This is the kind of input I was searching for, thank you. Now, sorry I didn't specify on this very clearly but none of the places together a car washed were mobile. And the reason being I didn't like the high priced detailing services that's attached to a jiffy lube type place, is because after seeing my dads truck after getting it detailed there, i wasn't very impressed with the results. Lots of swirls. I completely understand where you're coming from, but I've been researching about detailing (autogeek and reading this and other forums) and all that and Ive been setting aside money so I could buy some equipment and supplies i didn't want to buy anything yet so I could make sure it wasn't a poor idea. Yeah man I understand that I could damage somebodies car and that's why I've been researching so I make sure I wouldn't because I would hate to do that, i love cars too much for that to happen I want to make sure I do it right, especially on my own cars too that's why I spend 5 hours working on my own(5 is only one car). I definitely would not want to mess someone's paint up using my pressure washer, I'm already very careful using it on my own. Thanks for the input I appreciate it.

 

I think you need to start with some basics. Maybe ask close neighbors or friends' parents if they want their cars washed and build up from there. After you've established a washing base then maybe start detailing. If you are passionate about something and work hard, you will succeed.

 

Yeah that's what I was thinking just starting off basic

 

Best of luck to you, sounds like you've got the motivation, and youth is on your side (Oh to be 17 again ). You've got plenty of time to work your way into this. Detailing is something I just started researching and damn, it's a whole science unto itself. The more I know, the more I know I don't know, lol.

Every car manufacturer seems to have different paint compounds so one make might have a soft clearcoat, another a clearcoat that can get "gummy" when DA'd, another that is much harder, etc. Then you have older cars that behave completely different than newer ones w/ low VOC requirements.

Quite a few questions you'd have to ask yourself such as:
Am I good about handling complaints (and keep in mind a "picky" or upset car owner may be tough to calm down).

Am I good at selling myself?

Do I have the time to invest so I can grow my business from a hobby to a career?

Is something that I enjoy doing for myself be something I could do for 20, 30, 40, 50+ hrs' a week?

Great replies so far, and starting out basic while you're learning all you can is great advice.

Autopia.org is another great site for detailing info.

 

I'll bet you could do pretty good business just doing wash, maybe hand wax, interior clean ups. Most regular people are thrilled when you wash the car, vacuum the mats, dust interior and "make the tires shiny!"

I wouldn't try to do the full detail business, not yet at least. I've seen materials from the same manufacturers behave differently from car to car. My Monte Carlo had the exact same color/material interior as my truck, but if I wasn't careful what product I used to wipe down the plastic, it would start removing color. I could probably scrub the trucks plastic down with dilute acid and it wouldn't hurt anything. Probably a manufacturing defect, but you don't want to have to deal with that.

 

Yeah haha this is exactly what I was thinking. So I finished washing my car today, and as I began to clay bar it soon to be followed up by a good wax, a woman walking her dog asked me "how much do you charge!?" I think this was a compliment, but I wasn't even finished yet!

 

But thank you for the input much appreciated!

 

The problem with this is that people are cheap. Most are not willing to pay a premium for a mobile detailer to come out to their house and wash their vehicle.

I'd listen to the above and start with the basics first. Build a decent client list and start on your way up.

Colin, I'm the same way as you..I love to detail my own car for hours and upon hours but I'm not sure how I'd feel doing it as work 8+hours a day. Weather plays a huge role as well.

The start up semi costly so you probably won't make any money for a little while unless you have all the equipment you need. Will you be going around in a trailer? Industrial type van, supplying your own water/electricity?