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What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-01-2005, 02:25 PM

I am starting to turn my s 10 truck into a mobil detailing unit and was wondering what equuipment do you guys recommend????? I will most likely be doin delearships during the week and do higher end vehicles during the weekend. So i want it to be very professional.
   
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Re: What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-01-2005, 03:12 PM

Here's some of the main things you will need. A tank 100 gallon or more, A decent pressure washer not the 109 dollar personal use ones.A generator. A powerful wet/dry vac the more h.p the better. A high speed buffer, A Steamer/shampoo machine. Those there are the basics for a professional detailer. Others on here will tell you what else you also need

On a side note you may not be able to fit all of this plus everythign else you will need in the back of a s10. maybe you should also look into a trailer
   
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Re: What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-01-2005, 07:50 PM

There's plenty of threads away on the subject without me adding to them . If you do a search you'll find enough reading to keep you busy for hours .
Good luck


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Re: What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-02-2005, 07:09 PM

I take a very diffrent aproach to mobil. I don't do it much, but I do it for good clients. I do everything warterless, and make sure there is a power outlet near buy or use my ac outlets I've added to my car. I keep two optima yellow tops in the trunk for power and ahve never run out even donig two cars. I use poor boys S&W. 5 gal palls are the only way to go! Everything else pretty much as normal, clay polish protect. The tools are all the same shop vac, pc, milwaukee rotary, etc.... I think it's much easier and less overhead. I figured hey, I do it on my own car, why not. I barely ever use water anymore.


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Re: What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-05-2005, 02:24 AM

Save yourself some space by wiring a decent power inverter into your truck instead of packing a generator. Dump your stock battery for an Optima.

I use one and it works great! It is compact and it doesn't make a loud racket like many generators do.

SC~
   
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Re: What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-05-2005, 01:48 PM

I'm also putting together all the stuff i need to run a mobil unit. I purchased a 2000 watt inverter and hooked it up to my car but i ran into some problems with that. Im not sure about your particular truck but with my wrangler my inverter just couldnt give me enough juice to run some of my heavy duty peices of equipment ex. steam cleaner(at all),shop vac for a long period of time. It may require you to get a more heavy duty alternator but in my case i wasnt able to. I ended up getting a nice generator from harbor freight for a pretty good price.
   
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Re: What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-07-2005, 12:40 AM

I ended up getting a nice generator from harbor freight for a pretty good price.[/QUOTE]


Some members have said that their generator noise attracts potential customers to walk up and talk to them about detailing.

As far as the inverter not powering up some tools for long is that you have to check how much amperage it draws. My extractor draws 16 amps and I'm told it can go as high as 32 amps with all the switches on. Thats alot of power!

What kind of generator did you get from harbor frieght? Do you like it ?


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Re: What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-07-2005, 01:48 PM

Slightly OT. . .
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawaiianelement
My extractor draws 16 amps and I'm told it can go as high as 32 amps with all the switches on. Thats alot of power!
. . . you have a heated 8070 don't you? Thanks.


-Andrew.
   
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Re: What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-07-2005, 10:22 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by AMDin93103
Slightly OT. . .
. . . you have a heated 8070 don't you? Thanks.

You guys are going to laugh at me ! I don't know what model # extractor I have..


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Re: What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-08-2005, 12:26 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawaiianelement
You guys are going to laugh at me ! I don't know what model # extractor I have..
I've seen pictures and I am pretty sure it's a Mytee. Is it heated or no? No laughs. . .


-Andrew.
   
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Re: What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-08-2005, 11:59 AM

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=90236

Thats the generator i bought.....I am going to attempt to attach a different muffler on it as well so as to dampen the noise a little....
   
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Re: What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-16-2005, 06:08 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by bbr4d3r
Im not sure about your particular truck but with my wrangler my inverter just couldnt give me enough juice to run some of my heavy duty peices of equipment ex. steam cleaner(at all),shop vac for a long period of time. It may require you to get a more heavy duty alternator but in my case i wasnt able to. I ended up getting a nice generator from harbor freight for a pretty good price.
Your alternator has nothing to do with it. Alternators charge your trucks battery. They do not power the tools...the inverter does that. The power inverter you chose was not robust enough or was incompatible with the tools you use.

If anyone is going to use a power inverter instead of a generator, they have to make sure they buy a pure sine wave inverter and not a modified wave inverter (like you see on the shelves of the local auto parts store). AC motors and heating elements don't always work well when being powered by modified wave inverters. Pure sine current is similar to normal AC current...modified wave current is not.

SC
   
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Re: What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-16-2005, 08:05 PM

Wrong...the alternator has to be able to power the battery which powers the inveter so in fact the alternator is under loads stress when you turn on a tool
   
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Re: What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-16-2005, 08:45 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Secret Chimp
Your alternator has nothing to do with it. Alternators charge your trucks battery. They do not power the tools...the inverter does that. The power inverter you chose was not robust enough or was incompatible with the tools you use.
SC

   
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Re: What equipment do mobil detailers reccomend???? - 05-16-2005, 09:09 PM

The alternator doesn't help when my car isn't on while I'm working :nono


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