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.

Would it make sense to buy an old automatic tunnel carwash in 2012? What if you were to convert it into an all-hand wash? Well, I would say that might be a very decent strategy, especially if you could buy a carwash now with the prices are low, and the real estate cheap. There are of course other benefits we should discuss if this is something you are thinking about.

There are three points I’d like to make in this article, three things that I’d like you to think on, and why I believe this might be a wise decision; you see, for 27-years before retirement I was in the car wash business, and after retirement I traveled to every single city in the United States by motor coach. The carwashes that were the busiest were always the carwashes which washed all the cars by hand. Now then for the three topics I’d like to discuss;

1.-Hiring Labor
2.-Recycling the Steel
3.-Have Long Lines of Cars

Right now, it might be very easy to convince a city to give you the permits to open a carwash, especially if you are to buy a used carwash that looks blighted, and you’re going to hire lots of people. After all, it’s all about our unemployment numbers right now. And hand carwashes need lots of labor because they don’t have the benefits of the robotic tunnel equipment to wash the cars automatically. You will be an instant hero in your city, and the planning commission ought to approve your permits for the retrofit, upgrade, and your new business on a fast track.

Next, you can pull out all the old equipment and recycle the steel. The money that you get from recycling the Steel can help with a new paint job, signage, and making the facility back in ship shape, with everything looking pretty. This will attract customers, and if you put in new landscaping the city will be extremely happy that you came to town and retrofitted that old location. They might even offer you an award and resolution for your entrepreneurship.

Finally, customers love to hand carwashes, and many are fearful of the automatic equipment which they believe might scratch their car. In fact some of the old equipment actually does, although the latest new robotic carwash systems are not so bad, it’s just that old stigma still seems to apply in the consumer’s mind. Because your clientele will love the hand wash, you will always have long lines, and good cash flow. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Car wash equipment that uses hot or very hot water for cleaning is more versatile than machines that use just cold water. Pressure washers that heat water to as much as 330°F enhance the productivity of the car wash process in many ways:

* Removing Grease: Car parts tend to get very grimy and greasy due to the constant fumes and burning of fuel in the engine. Engine maintenance without appropriate tools such as high-quality car wash equipment is very difficult. High temperature pressure washers dissolve and wash away grease, burned fuels, and grime.

* Removing Snow and Frost: There is no faster way to melt snow, ice, and frost from cars than using car wash equipment that generates very high temperatures.

* Interior and Exterior Cleaning: Car washing equipment cleans inner and outer surfaces of cars as long as you use the right machines. Pressure washers are used for cleaning the outer surfaces, while a portable steam cleaner maybe used for cleaning dashboards, steering wheels, dashboard compartments, and so on.

Heat dissolves grease, organic matter, chewing gum, and similar substances faster than other methods. Using car detailing equipment that utilizes steam or heated water speeds up the cleaning process. Cold water hardens grease and dirt unless copious amounts of very harsh detergents are used.

Exterior Detailing

Removing dirt from tires, doors, windows, and engines without damaging the surface requires the use of top-quality car wash equipment specifically designed for such tasks. A pressure washer should be powerful enough to remove dirt and gentle enough not to harm the surface below. Auto detailing pressure washers have pressure levels of 750 psi to 1500 psi to clean cars completely without denting or stripping the paint. Some of these car detailing machines are designed to be low flow, using a fraction of the water used by conventional auto detailing products.

If you run a mobile car wash business, you should purchase a machine that can be fitted on a trailer and transported to work sites. Fixed-location businesses can use either a stationary or mobile car wash machines. A stationary unit equipped with two operator trigger guns increases efficiency.

Interior Detailing

A portable steam cleaner is used for cleaning hard surfaces inside the vehicle, including floors and dashboards. Note that steam cleaners have a limited capacity when it comes to cleaning large or multiple carpets and upholstery. You will need a carpet cleaning machine for that.

A portable steam cleaner should be equipped with a variety of brushes for easier handling of the cleaning process. An example of this may be that a nylon brush is best for cleaning the dashboard. Many mobile car wash steam cleaners have a HEPA filter to remove pollen, dust, pet hair, dust mites, and other allergens from the surface, while an anti-bacterial mechanism helps remove most germs from the surface.

Car detailing machines, if chosen with care, offer good service and last for a long period of time. In addition, these machines help businesses increase their output while cutting down on nonproductive tasks.