Mobile Detailing, just better for business or a necessity?

[brentech]

Question for all professional detailers. What reason do you offer or only provide mobile detailing? Is the cost of operating your business on wheels cheaper than renting/owning a building and therefore it simply makes monetary sense?

Customers won't come to your static location? Just a better service to go to the customer?
Anyone that only operates at their own location?


I want to find work detailing, but most jobs that I find available around me are predominately mobile. I can go into why that's important to me later, but I'd like to find out answers to the above as maybe that will put things into focus for me.

[Bates Detailing]

We are mobile for these reasons :

1) That is how I have done it for many years before B & B - Used to it and maybe felt like the norm before starting B & B

2) All my clients now, they mainly deal with us because we are mobile - otherwise would have never got a call from them or would have seen them : Semis, Buses, offices we service, etc.

3) Shop start up costs aren't cheap at all - Being mobile, yes you have gas, wear and tear on your work vehicles but only if you have jobs. You still have rent, electric, water, higher insurance, etc. to pay even if you shop has no jobs.

We will have a shop soon enough - only I want to make sure we have at least a years worth of bill money set aside for it..... With that said though, our mobile units will still be out there everyday for sure. Being mobile is somewhat of an inconvenience for the detailer but a huge convenience for the client.

[Flannigan]

I have come to offer mobil detailing as of late because I would be stupid to pass up that business. There are a lot of car owners out there that having a detailer come to them is the most important aspect of the job. I would much rather deal with the pain in the a$$ of doing a mobil job than miss out on a good job all together.

That said, 90% of the work I do it at my own house, but I do mobile every so often. I think any savvy business owner would be misisng out if they didn't at least explor the posibilities of doing mobile jobs. Also I would like to add I only do correction mobile, it isn't worth my time to drive all around for a simple wash and wax. Just my .02

[Mike Phillips]

Generally speaking because there are exceptions, but generally speaking once you have a fixed location you become a production detail shop because you need a certain number of cars to go through the shop each month to pay for the overhead. It's a numbers game.

You still will have your show car work but you'll take any daily driver that comes to your door just to pay the monthly.

That's not a negative thing, just the math.


Most of the best detailers I've known in my life are mobile, not fixed location. Again, not to say that some of the best don't have shops but they figure out real fast that by being mobile you leave more money in your pocket and thus you can afford to turn down cars you don't want to work on and focus more on the cars you do want to work on.

[brentech]

Okay, so it sounds like it's just a smart business move.

Was just curious because I want to get working again. Most the companies out there are either only mobile or seem to highly advertise their mobile services to where I'd think they didn't have a shop if they didn't mention, "visit us at our new location".

Even though I'm usually fine, it's hard to be really comfortable with working mobile for me due to health reasons. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (as fun as it sounds) isn't something you want to act up when you're on the road or at some random location. It's only going to scare a potential employer off by mentioning it upfront, but life's much less complicated when you can be at one spot and don't have to be looking for an exit strategy everywhere you go.
It's not even to say I'd definitely have a problem since I'm on really good medication now. It's just a slight concern because I know what life was like 3 years ago when I last worked.

Guess I should give this company a call and see what they have available.

[Rolling_Pwns]

I'm starting to think mobile detailing would be the best way for me to start.

I've always thought of detailing as being a fixed location business, with everything you need in easy reach, i.e., running water, electrical plug-ins, etc.

I've never really given any thought to the logistics and methods in doing mobile detailing.

Anyone have any recommendations as to where I can learn "how it's done", so to speak?

[bigez]

I guess if you could work out of your own garage that would be the ideal situation. No overhead, and all the convenience of being in a fixed location.

[shoeless89]

I've only ever been mobile for a handful of different reasons.

1. I don't do this as my full time job so I wouldn't have time to operate a shop
2. When I first started trying to detail, the biggest question I got asked was where they have to come. And when I told them I would come to them it was obvious that my services are much more appealing to the customer that way
3. I'm in my last year of college and still live with my parents WOOT WOOT lol so I didn't want to start bringing a bunch of random people to their house

[brentech]

I actually just found a company nearby and scheduled a little meet/interview (they were fast to respond to my email). Said they could use a novice/trainee so if I go in and it works out, it should be a wonderful start to a new career.

I'm pumped

[Mike Phillips]

I guess if you could work out of your own garage that would be the ideal situation.

No overhead, and all the convenience of being in a fixed location.

I agree. A very good way to go if you can swing it.