Announcement

**MaxImage** · Jul 21, 2006, 02:59 AM

Carlos, welcome to the more serious side of detailing. Many of the "professional" detailers--by this I mean, anyone receiving a [compensatory] income from rendering detailing services--have different styles, different clientele, and thus as you have found out, different types of mechanical equipment.

Since you are still detailing for fun and for free, have you ventured out to do others' cars?

Assuming that you have, you can gauge your clientele this way. For example, if many of those around you are just going to be simple "wash and wax" or "wash, clay and wax" jobs, then not many "machines" are needed. But if you are going to be doing a fair to good amount paint defect removals, then you should invest in a G100 and/or a rotary buffer.

A vacuum is almost a necessity, but again, what is the distribution of the clientele you will be doing? Most detailers invest in wet/dry vacs. They are durable, efficient, versatile and for the most part, cheap.

Secondly, the upfront costs of detailing can be expensive. You should ask yourself, "Are you willing to invest in a few machines at a time?"

You said that, "[You]'d like to know what [you] should be getting from now to stock [your] toolbox and when [you] feel the time has come, [you] [w]on't have to rush to get a lot of stuff [and in turn,] spending a lot of money." The answer to this statement comes below:

If the answer to the above question in bold is yes, then just make sure you will be either (1) doing enough jobs, or (2) charging enough for your services to recoup your costs and earn money for yourself.

Also, invest in machines that you would be using the most.

BTW, I do have a cold-hot pressure washer, I don't like the idea of carrying that huge thing in my truck but do you think I can use it to do things like engine cleaning; for tough jobs; you know what I mean.

Some people use pressure washers, some don't. It appears as if you will be a mobile outfit, thus find out if your customers are willing to let you use their (residential) water supply to wash their car. That way, you can have more space in your truck, and in the long run, save on gas.

Many detailers do not do engine detailing due to its liabilities.

As a disclaimer, there are also water reclaimation laws in some areas. Contact your state or county authorities for information on the applications of such laws.

I'm thinking about ridgid vac, leaf blower ( need some input about that), lighting fixtures, generator, and stuff like that...

Most of the items you have listed, save for the vacuum, which we have previously discussed, are really only necessary in certain situations. How often would you be using these items? Would it justify the cost of obtaining them and using them only a handful of times? Lighting fixtures are helpful if working in dimly lit situations, at night, or if a fair amount of sunlight is unavaliable, but to a trained eye (which will come with time), most defects can be seen without the use of a lighting aid. If a lighting aid is what you desire, think about investing in a handheld xenon unit. It's much more compact, cheaper and probably easier to setup and use.

As for the leaf blower...What would it be used for? To remove the water from the car that much faster? If so, in my personal experiences, I live in a year-around warm climate where water dries fairly quickly, but have never had the need to use such a machine. Think of it this way: Imagine you wanted to take a trip from Miami, FL to Orlando, FL. A round-trip plane ticket costs 90 dollars. The flight time is 1.0-1.5 hours, but the time from when you leave the house to the time you arrive at your hotel is 4.5 hours (0.5 hours to drive to the airport, 1 hour arrival ahead of departure, 1.5 hour flying time, and the 0.5 hours to drive to the hotel [not including the time it took you to retrieve checked luggage, if applicable]) Whereas, if you were to drive from your house, directly to your destination, it would take nearly the same amount of time and be less of a hassle, and maybe 90 dollars worth of gas for your trek.

Similarly with the leaf blower. You can use your own breath to blow out the water from cracks and crevices, and in the time it takes you to start the machine, walk around the car with the machine and wipe the excess water away, you could have more than likely dried the water by hand. Then again, everyone works at different speeds and has different drying patterns. So this is all relative to the system that you devise.

Another thing to consider would be a canopy if garage space/shade at your clients' locations is unavaliable.

Another question you might ask yourself is, "how much equipment are you willing to transport?"

The best piece of advice would be to improvise wherever possible. This cuts down on your costs and improves the rate of the return you get for your services. And like Mike says, "Find a system that works for YOU and use it often." Consider these two situations:

A person that actually benefits from Machine A to do better work versus another that uses Machine A because everyone else has it, but could do an equally good job in its absence.

Determine which one you are via trial and error. Different detailers around the country perform and/or offer different services and thus have a different arsenal of "required" machines/tools. A person in Florida or Hawaii may have an abundance of water spot remover, whereas someone in Maine may have none. Do note that this is not saying that water spots do not occur in Maine, it's just that the liklihood of them getting bad enough to carry another product/machine is not justified.

I hope that this can guide you in the right direction. For a lack of emotion on these forums, in no way am I trying to attack you, nor say that your reasoning is not correct. The response is simply there to invoke thought and raise questions--if you have not done so already--concening the potential machines that you want to invest your already hard-earned money into. Many of the professional detailers on this forum have found their niche and their methodolgy via years of experience in trying new products, devising new "tricks of the trade," and amongst other things, feedback from others. It is a big jump going from weekend detailer to having this as (possibly) your sole source of income, so it may take some time to figure out what is best. Best wishes.

**puntadigital** · Jul 21, 2006, 05:28 PM

Max, excellent and very helpful answer.
Just wanted to thank you, for share your experience and use some of your time in me.

thanks again , you just gave a few things to think about

see ya
Carlos

**Jimmy Buffit** · Jul 23, 2006, 05:21 PM

I come at this from a very different angle, as a shop owner accustomed to doing very complete details.

I don't know how we'd work without our pressure washer. Wheel wells, wheels, and tires. That is literally about 8 minutes for us, I hate to think how long to do the same work manually...

Floor mats. We pressure wash first, then we extract. I'd be embarassed to do it any other way.

That's just my view.

Jim

**kboxer** · Jul 26, 2006, 03:56 PM

I do as a second income and sacrafice some of the luxurioes we had in the shop I worked at. I had my rotary and all chemicals. I shampoo by hand for now, but still pressure wash floor mats and use compressed air in the hard spots, but will be investing in an air compressor, at least a small one. Forced air is a must in my eyes for the interior. The shampoo machine is nice, but I get by. I just bought a pc 7424 this week. The nice thing is that you can build your client base while you work your full time job. I have a job with a pension after 20 yrs and benefits for life. So in 18 years detailing will be my full time gig.

Remember benefits, pension, all that when you decide to go solo. You can still make a sweet paycheck at your leisure. But I know I dont always feel like detailing at the end of the day, so I save for my days off.

**puntadigital** · Jul 26, 2006, 05:47 PM

Thank you guys for your input.
Kboxer: then do you think is better to start with what you have right now, I mean, get a few essential things, but not inject cash in the business right away, right ?

That has been my problem every time I want to start something on my own, because I firmly believe the way you look in front of a customer or potential customer is your best marketing investment, so looking professional, and delivering excellent result will gain you a customer for a long time and lots of referals. But when you're about to get rolling is because you want to move on, that meaning quit your actual job or whatever you're doing and take the risk, and having a family to take care of, risks sometimes is something you can't afford.

I'm gonna try this, take my time, have a lot of patience and make a nice but real business plan and see what happens.

thanks again for your comments.
Carlos

**kboxer** · Jul 26, 2006, 06:43 PM

I do just fine but my regular job is for a local city and where I make the bucks. I pick customers cars up for them and return product is what they see. I figure Rome wasnt built a day. I am using a small garage with all the essentials I need. I have worked in pro shops and it is all about what you put into it. From what it sounds like you have you can do just fine. I agree with kid etc. they come first. Have to make sure they are taken care of.

Just the overhead on a big shop is a lot to think about too. But life is all about risks. So I wish you well and remeber to cover every angle. Depending on where you live etc. Where I live May - October or so are hot months for this stuff and more car wash in winter hence the winters we get here in PA.

I wish it could be a full time gig but the day will come. Remember to plan for the worst and do on paper over and over. I was close to doing a rim shop/detail shop and the numbers were tough to jive.

Good luck with everything bro. Hope this helped.

**puntadigital** · Jul 26, 2006, 10:06 PM

sma to you man and thanks for the advice

Announcement

shop list

shop list

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment