Starting a Mobile Auto Detailing Business

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dsmith41

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Is there anyone here on BITOG that runs a professional detailing business and would be willing to give some tips? I am interested in starting a detailing business of my own but I need to soak up some info first. I’m 27 and have been doing it as a hobby since I began driving but doing it professionally is a whole different ballgame.

Are there any good books or online resources available? I am thinking a target launch for the business would be spring 2014 so I can get my ducks in a row and make sure this is something I really want to tackle. On a side note, my wife and I started a natural soap and body products company a little over a year ago so I’m not a complete stranger to entrepreneurial endeavors. This would start out as a part-time job for me and if it grows into something bigger that would be great and that would be the goal. I am just looking for some info on professional grade products and equipment, and resources on proper professional use of those products, how to establish pricing, different services, etc.

Thanks!
 
I've never done that but have tried several part time businesses with mixed results. First, remember many success stories have been attempt no. 2 or 3, not always the first attempt. Consider printing inexpensive business cards right away, generate TWO new e-mail addresses not used for any other purpose, think about a monthly non contract phone dedicated to business only, look at "Guerilla Marketing" type books, are there any cheap e-books on topics? Don't make this your income source - keep your day job - as long as possible. Consider an on line blog aimed locally. Guerilla marketing could include donating a free "session" to church or PBS fundraiser, etc. Don't strive to be the absolutely cheapest provider. Use professional appearing (not wal-mart) products or anything else that makes you appear professional. Good luck!
 
Autopia

^^^huge resource. Spend some time in their "Click & Brag" to get an idea of what products are popular and being used by pros. I do ALOT of detailing during the summer as a side job. I dont have a website or anything, but i pass out alot of fliers in wealthier neighborhoods. Usually bring in a healthy 2-3 cars per week. I have a decent waiting list cause i go to school and work another year-round job. Check out Optimum No-Rinse. Every mobile detailer ive seen uses it to wash cars.

Check out 3D HD, Optimum, Meguiar's, Pinnacle, Wolfgang, Menzerna, Sonus.

Personally, i have a Porter Cable 7424xp with various Lake Country 5.5in foam pads.
I mostly use HD Cut, HD Polish, HD Poxy, and HD Speed. Various other products are Meg's Wheel Brightener, Meg's M105, Meg's Ultimate Protectant, Meg's Ultimate Quik Wax (for wheels), and various other waxes that ive acquired over the years.

Great Product List
^Scroll through that to see a great list of products used by Mike Phillips.
 
The new professional's secret weapon is Meguiar's D151.

Although you can brag to pros about your 7 step polishing routine. Unless you're doing concours cars you won't be making money and will be wasting time.

Most people, even wealthy clients with expensive cars just want it to shine. A wash, clay, and a polish with D151 and a good DA will positively blow most anyone away, it corrects most swirls and even light scratches. And claying the car lets you impress the clients when you tell them to feel the paint. And on a blind inspection most high end professional detailers can't even tell that it was a one step product when applied properly.

D151 is also incredibly versatile, able to even remove yellowing from car headlights. Plus it leaves a rather decent coat of protection.

When it comes down to it what's gonna get you business is two things. Doing a good job and word of mouth. Doing a good job to 1 car per day won't get you much word of mouth. Doing a good job on 4-5 cars a day and then you'll soon get more business than you can handle. And being able to do 4-5 cars in a day means you have to work quickly but you also can't cut corners. D151 is a miracle product as it gives the results of traditional multi-step polish and wax routines with only a single step.

Inevitabely you'll be working in the sun. Hot panels are bad for polishing they tend to gum up your pads as you keep adding product to fight the evaporation. My secret a sprayer full of distilled water, you can spray it on the section you're about to do to keep it cool and it won't leave water spots.

Then it's on to interiors. You'll need a good vacuum and another good tool is a Bissell Little Green carpet cleaner. That machine coupled with greased lightning pretreatment and a diluted fabric softener rinse will get almost any carpet stain out. Plus every client I've had said they enjoyed the smell their car had of fresh laundry much more than any air "freshener" It was kinda my trademark that people knew me for.

The big thing here is if you want to work quickly and do the best job you need electricity. So unless you can provide it you need to tell your clients up front you're not doing this in a Walmart parking lot or in front of their workplace unless they have access to power.
 
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I did it for about five years part time during the day, as I worked midnight shift. I sent mailers out to affluent neighborhoods and advertised as doing it at their home , at the the time I didn't have the means to have my own water supply. I also figured that people didn't want their car to leave their sight as opposed to dropping it off at a detail place and having the hassle of having to get dropped off and get picked up. As far as tools, I think the biggest thing is making sure you have two good shop-vacs- I had one for dry, and one for wet .....if you can afford a carpet extractor then that would be your best bet but that can wait as time goes on and you see how much business you get. For starting out it is important to let them know that you're going to be using their water supply and electric so, but I think it would be good if you got a nice big powerful power converter (You'll need a big one, because vacuums and buffers draw a lot of power) as some people don't have electricity that will reach their driveway unless the garage door is open. In time several of my customers would have me do their vehicles at their house while they weren't home, and they had no problem with me using their water and leaving their car unlocked, but they certainly weren't going to leave their garage door open for me. Another thing I think you would need is one of those portable shelters because putting wax on in the blazing sun is no fun. Several waxes can be applied In the sun, but you don't want to have a heat stroke while doing it. I also had a nice-looking workshirt embroidered up with the company name, although I was not bonded and insured ....you may want to look into that. I actually did Pretty well for myself considering I was working full-time at night as well ....there were times where I had so much business I did have to turn people away because for a thorough detail it really takes about four hours unless the car is already in great shape. I got a lot of business that was through word-of-mouth, people that were just so happy with the job that I did for the money I was charging, which at the time was $125. You'll probably find that a lot of people don't understand what a full detail is, so you should make sure you explain that on your mailers and nowadays you'd be better off getting a nice looking website. I think another thing that would help you, is if you can get in good with someone else who does mobile Paintless Dent removal, And have him refer you...(and vice-versa). You'd be surprised at how many people are interested in getting a dent removed after you do a great job detailing their car . Better yet you may want to look into learning Paintless Dent removal because I have a kid that does mine and in the few years that I've known him he has really expanded and has a nice office and some local area athletes even use him. Good luck and PM me with any other questions.
 
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Originally Posted By: montero1
I actually did Pretty well for myself considering I was working full-time at night as well ....there were times where I had so much business I did have to turn people away because for a thorough detail it really takes about four hours unless the car is already in great shape. I got a lot of business that was through word-of-mouth, people that were just so happy with the job that I did for the money I was charging, which at the time was $125


A couple years ago this was me. I worked midnights and detailed cars during the day. I didnt sleep. Currently i charge $200 for a 2-step paint correction and full interior recondition.

Hope all this info is helping. If you want, i can PM you my flier and a breakdown of all the prodcuts i use. Would that help?
 
Do a huge amount of research. First..... products off the shelf will break you in very short order. Why would you pay retail? Once you are a licensed business you need to deal with a local wholesale supplier in quantity and large sizes. You can spend $30 per car in supplies or $3.00 and get the same results. Which do you think would actually be profitable? If you're doing a mobile wash 'n wax those folks aren't going to care about products or longevity. When you graduate to the Ferrari crowd then you need to up your game big time in skills, machines, and products. Do good work but aim for the masses not the picky individual when starting out.
 
Listen to him, he knows what he is talking about. There are few professional detailers on this forum who are extremely highly rated and he is one of top ones.
 
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