Customers demand quality service from their mobile car wash operator. No matter how many cars you are required to wash, you are expected to do a good job on each vehicle. The mobile car wash business also has to keep productivity in mind. The higher the number of vehicles washed, the more you earn every day.

Gone are the days when washing cars by hand was the norm. Today, with many high end mobile car wash machines on the market, the buyer has many choices. Most car detailing businesses choose equipment keeping in mind a variety of factors.

Portability
If you are going to carry business to your clients’ doorstep, portability is the most important criteria. Ordinary pressure washers are heavy and need a lot of space. This makes them unsuitable for transportation over long distances, particularly if you are going to be carrying these machines in small trailers.

There are machines designed for use by portable car wash businesses. These machines are portable, given that they can be easily fitted on a trailer or truck for easy transport.

Pressure Level
Common wisdom suggests that the higher the pressure level, the more effective a pressure washer is. This is not strictly true. While pressure levels play a major role in determining the effectiveness of a machine, factors such as temperature, flow rates, and even the type of machine parts are important.

Another fact to keep in mind is that very high pressure levels can damage the car. Usually, most dealers will recommend mobile car wash equipment with pressure levels of 1500 psi or less. Car wash equipment should also have the right accessories to be able to handle such high pressure levels. For example, the hose should be strong, dual layered pressure hoses to resist wear and tear.

Instead of high pressure levels, detailers rely on high wet steam temperatures up to 250°F to melt and blast away the toughest automotive dirt and grime.

Parts Design
For car detailing, use machines with sturdy parts. Check if the machine housing is corrosion proof. Stainless steel parts are more durable than other metals. Many machines have parts designed to offer additional levels of comfortable use. For example, a machine that shuts down if it has been idling for a few seconds, saves electricity and reduces machine wear and tear.

Carpet Cleaning
While car exteriors are cleaned with pressure washers, interiors are made dirt free with carpet cleaners. Car upholstery should be cleaned either with cold water or hot water, if the carpets and seats are very dirty. There are various models of portable carpet cleaners sold through the industry’s’ top dealers. When buying portable carpet cleaners, check if the machines are:

* Low flow – for quick drying times.
* High temperature – for faster removal of stains.
* High pressure – to quickly breakup stubborn residues.

Carpet cleaning machines with heating devices can use hot as well as cold water. This helps save electricity when you don’t need the additional cleaning power of hot water for washing carpets. It also allows for use of cold water on heat sensitive materials as needed.

Portable carpet cleaners that are low flow use minimal water. This is advantageous on many fronts. Carpets dry more quickly, often in as little as two hours and they stay cleaner for longer duration. Faster drying times also eliminate any risk of mold or mildew growth.

There are many ways to build a profitable auto detailing business, but the basics always involve top quality car wash equipment.

There are many vehicles on the road and many of the owners do not have the time or inclination to clean their cars. People are going to buy cars, and use the cars. When the cars are being used, they are going to get dirty and hence the cars would require regular services.

Starting a car Detailing Business is very easy and any one can start it, be it student, salesman, mechanic, or anyone from even different fields of profession, but remember one thing that this is a labor intensive job. You can go ahead only if you are sure you are capable of performing the labor intensive jobs. Also remember that as this job deals with the dirt and grime and hence, you will get dirty, when doing the job. Hence, you should be prepared for all these. It would be beneficial if you gain some experience before starting a car detailing business of your own. Working with someone is always beneficial as you learn new things and also the inside job. You also learn how to charge the customers for each of the work you do. You should also be aware of how to do the exterior detailing, the interior detailing and the engine detailing. You should also know in details as to what should be done in each of the procedures and the products.

You should also have knowledge about the products and which products are good for which type of paints, which will give you good results and which will adversely affect the car parts. You also have to decide as to which type of car detailing business, you would like to start, whether mobile auto detailing, express detailing or the full-fledged auto detailing. The factors, which would help you in this is your investment capacity, your aptitude, and also whether you have an independent place or not.

The Mobile Auto Detailing business is the one, which requires least investment. In this type you require a truck to fit in the necessary equipments. In Mobile Auto Detailing Business you have to go to the customer’s place to do the auto detailing.

In the Express Auto Detailing business, you can join with any of the car dealerships, the hotels, the car wash, car shows, RV dealerships, car leasing companies, auto repair shops, gas stations, etc.

In the Auto detailing business, you will have to investment the maximum plus you need a proper centrally located place, which is easily accessible. The advantage being that you can cater to multiple customers. After establishing yourself, you can always specialize yourself into doing certain types of detailing, which would help you to create a specific customer base.

Not long ago, a gentleman from Virginia had contacted me as he wanted to start a mobile oil change business and operate it out of the back of his pickup truck. He was currently a contract hauler and truck driver, and he knew enough about preventative maintenance, and servicing truck fleets, that he thought he would make a go of it. He wanted my honest assessment on whether I thought this was feasible. Indeed I do, but let me explain.

You see, before retirement, I ran a franchising company which offered mobile oil change units, and we offered them in many states. As we were developing this business model, and I must say the concept was more or less an accident because we were in the fleet vehicle washing business, but we also realized through requests from fleet customers that they also needed oil change services. My theory in business is that if a customer wants something, and you can provide that service or product and still make money, you ought to consider it, so we did.

We originally set up our units in the back of vans, and on flatbed trucks. Later, we set up some units on trailers, but really it is not the platform that matters as much as the layout and design of the equipment for maximum efficiency. You see when you are changing the oil in fleets of vehicles the money is in the time, not necessarily in the price per unit or job. Yes, there are costs with regards to filters, oil, wiper blades and such things, but the biggest cost is labor, therefore you have to maximize your production just as you would in an assembly-line.

So to answer the gentleman’s question; “can I run a one-man mobile oil change business from my pickup truck?” The answer is absolutely yes, if you do it right. You see, a pickup truck is a small platform, there is not necessarily a lot of space even in a long-bed pickup truck. If the equipment is clustered properly, and the fresh oil tanks, and the reclaim oil tanks are put at a low center of gravity, then it is possible to get everything into the back of the pickup truck and make it work; including the filling hoses, an E-Vac system, air compressor, and storage boxes for filters and such.

It is just a matter of layout, and the will to get it done – I suppose after that the only difficult remaining item is getting the customers to sign up for the service. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.