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Detailing at apartments..

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  • #1

    Detailing at apartments..

    For those of you who detail your own cars (or detail clients' cars) living in apartments, how do you hand wash and/or use a DA/rotary?

    For some of you mobile detailers, I'm sure yall have generators and such for power, what about the rest of you guys?

    We're selling our house and moving to an apartment for a few months before moving to Cali this summer, so I was wondering whether or not I should order my DA sometime now, or wait till after I get to Cali. I guess I could do ONR washes for the time being without a hose..

    Any other thoughts/suggestions?

    Thanks.
    2011 Infiniti G37S 6MT
    Black Obsidian
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Detailing at apartments..

    ONR for the washes, although some apartment complexes offer a common area for car washing.

    For polishing with a DA, and if you have a carport, it may have an electrical outlet. Check with management.

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    • #3
      Re: Detailing at apartments..

      Well, if your car is in good shape, you can work by hand for detailing.

      The water flow would just be needed for washing.
      2017 Subaru WRX Premium - WR Blue

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      • #4
        Re: Detailing at apartments..

        Working by hand is no good, I have TONS of swirls and it'll be my first full paint correction attempt since I got the car last year! If nuthin else, I may just have to hold off on buying the DA till later on, no big I guess...I was just hoping to get it within a month or two.. *sigh*
        2011 Infiniti G37S 6MT
        Black Obsidian

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        • #5
          Re: Detailing at apartments..

          Buy some #105 and have fun on a panel or two by hand......
          2017 Subaru WRX Premium - WR Blue

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          • #6
            Re: Detailing at apartments..

            There are a lot of apartment complexes that have a car care center. Also look into getting a garage. Most have a garage door opener. You can plug in a cube adapter, replug in the openner, and run a extension cord from the cube tap. You have electricity. Good luck to you.
            quality creates its own demand

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            • #7
              Re: Detailing at apartments..

              A REALLY long extension cord?
              There's no reason to become alarmed, and we hope you'll enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?

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              • #8
                Re: Detailing at apartments..

                When i was living in a apartement i used to rent a space in a do-it-yourself garage or borrow a friend's garage. Their are some battery powered DA but usually they run out of power quite fast but when in need... I guess you could pick one up for cheap and run it 'till it dies. Here in Canada they go for about $40.00 so I'm sure you can get it for cheaper in Texas and if you can buy some extra batteries.

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                • #9
                  Re: Detailing at apartments..

                  I use ONR to wash my cars here in the complex and I have a 100 foot extension cord I plug in and then toss over the balcony to the parking lot when I need to run a vacuum etc.

                  The biggst thing I have to worry about is not hitting a neighbor's car with the cord when I toss it over and making sure my neighbor below isn't on her porch when I roll it up so the cord won't hit her.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Detailing at apartments..

                    Originally posted by William_F View Post
                    I use ONR to wash my cars here in the complex and I have a 100 foot extension cord I plug in and then toss over the balcony to the parking lot when I need to run a vacuum etc.

                    The biggst thing I have to worry about is not hitting a neighbor's car with the cord when I toss it over and making sure my neighbor below isn't on her porch when I roll it up so the cord won't hit her.
                    Long extention cords are great but make sure it's the right gauge for your power tool or else you will run the risk of burning the motor.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Detailing at apartments..

                      Thanks for the comments! I'll see what I have to work with once we move.
                      2011 Infiniti G37S 6MT
                      Black Obsidian

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                      • #12
                        Re: Detailing at apartments..

                        I live in a flat (sorry, appartment, you'll have to forgive my Scottishness...) and wroking outside on my car, which is parked in the street is very difficult... constantly fighting against dirt landing on panels is one thing, and in Scotland we have a general saying: "if you can't see the hills, its raining; if you can see the hills, its about to rain!" - the weather has a habbit of ruining your day!

                        As part of my business I require any detail I do is either carried out at one of my units, or that the owner has a suitable double garage in which to work - this is how I personally work, as I prefer the easier consistency one can achieve working indoors when machining. Further, in the UK (I am not sure about the USA), it is illegal when washing cars as a buisness to have run off going down storm drains which instantly makes washing a car in the street / on driveways illegal in the majority of cases. Optimum No Rinse is your friend here as you can easily capture the tiny amount of run off, and a steam cleaner is our other tool for wheels and arches to avoid run-off problems. But it is something to be aware of also, certainly over here.
                        "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: Its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness; .... "

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