"Weather is one of the biggest challenges to the mobile industry," says Gina Budhai, president of the National Association for Professional Detailing & Reconditioning (NAPDR) and managing partner of Carpool Detail LLC in Richmond, Va. "People are not likely to schedule a mobile car wash or detailing if it's raining or snowing."
Mobile technicians facing cold temperatures and snow in the winter often try to arrange to wash and detail cars in indoor garages of large businesses or corporate accounts. Others, like Mike McGhee, owner of MAD (Mobile Auto Detailers) Doctor in Strongsville, Ohio, won't let cold weather stop him from making a living if the customer is willing.
"We were washing display tractor trailers in 15-degree weather in January at the I-X Center in Cleveland," McGhee says. "They drove them to the exhibit hall and needed them to be cleaned up so they could go on display at the show. I brought in my 500-gallon auxiliary tank truck because we weren't allowed to use their water."
There's nothing better for his mobile washing business than a couple of 45- or 50-degree days in the dead of winter. "We manage to stay busy all year because we get enough breaks in the winter when people want their cars washed," McGhee says. Then the weather turns cold, the salt trucks return and the cycle starts over.
Greg Sweet, treasurer of NAPDR and president of Classic Appreciation in Rochester, Mich., said the popularity of leasing vehicles has hurt the detailing industry.
"People who lease cars don't really care about them," Sweet says. "Those who own their own cars have detailing done more often. But some people who lease cars and get scratches or dents in them might have them detailed before they turn them in so they don't get hit with any charges."
Consumer confusion also complicates matters. Many car wash facilities used to offer express detailing for about $29.
"They charged $29 and cleaned the carpets," Sweet says. "They did not do a very good job and it hurt the definition of detailing. Consumers got the idea they could have detailing done for $29. To detail a car professionally it takes seven to eight hours of work."
McGhee tries to counter that confusion by publicizing the different levels of wash and detailing he offers and their costs on his Web site. He offers a wide range of mobile services from a $25 wash to a $210 detailing job. Additional services are explained and priced on his Web site.Even if detailers communicate all their services and fees, detailing work is not consistent across the county.
"There is a lack of education on service providers and some of them use processes and techniques that can damage auto finishes," Budhai says. "Consumers learn to expect a diminished level of service."
The wholesale used car market used to drive the detailing industry, according to Sweet.
"The prices were set by those who were doing it the cheapest," Sweet says. "There were too many at the bottom fighting to detail an entire car for $100. Often times they were providing a substandard job for substandard pay. That gives people the wrong impression and the industry a bad name."
There's also a large segment of consumers who don't know what detailing is and don't understand the benefits of reconditioning, Budhai said.
"Many times the consumer's solution has been to sell the car," says Budhai, who has two detailing locations and seven car washes in Richmond. "Consumers often aren't aware that you can give a car a facelift. They can fix up their car and make it look new again. The savings is phenomenal compared to a down payment and monthly payments on a new car."
These detailing customers also benefit because they won't have to pay increased insurance rates on a new car, or suffer the depreciation loss on a new car.
"One of the biggest challenges is making consumers aware of all the services and benefits," she says. "Some costs of a new car are hidden, such as the depreciation expense and increased insurance."
Being viewed as a professional, legitimate businessman can be an uphill struggle for a business that operates out of a vehicle.
"How you portray yourself through your personal appearance, your vehicles and your invoicing all create a company image," says Paul J. Daly, co-owner of Image Auto LLC, an auto reconditioning service in Syracuse, N.Y. "A guy who operates out of an old pickup truck might do phenomenal work, but he won't be treated the same way as a professional-looking business."
Daly should know because he started his wheel reconditioning business out of a rusty old Astro van five years ago. He now has a fixed location, seven mobile vehicles and a staff of nine that does wheel conditioning, interior cleaning and maintenance, accessories, windshield repair and headlight restoration.
"The timeliness of payables is affected by how you look," he says. "You need to have professional invoices that you send out regularly to be viewed and treated as a legitimate business rather than a traveling journeyman."
The cost of entry into mobile washing and interior reconditioning is relatively low, which can make it an attractive business to enter.
"So many reconditioning guys out there come and go, so the competition is high and the profit is low," says Scott Heseltine, owner of the Mobile Appearance Reconditioning Service (MARS) franchise in Asheville, N.C. "They are driving down the prices by offering lowball quotes. Dealers often try them, get unsatisfactory work and then try another lowball guy."
Heseltine, whose primary business is bumper repair and detailing, battles that price-driven focus by concentrating on retail rather than wholesale customers.
"I'm taking time to develop a clientele base, but I'm able to charge retail instead of wholesale prices," he says. "I do fewer vehicles and make more money. As I increase my volume I will increase my profit."
He builds his retail business by marketing, advertising and word-of-mouth.
"I created brochures and hit the bricks to talk to other businesses," he says. "I participate in local home shows that draw large crowds. Everybody there has at least one car. I got a very good response the first time I did it."
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