No power source???

**breakneckvtec** · 03-24-2003, 11:37 AM

I was thinking how convienent it would be to go under the lights at a do it yourself wash bay at night and do my full detail. I am going to try to rid myself of swirls. I will be using my PC with some FI II and a yellow CMA pad. That will be followed by SMR and a yellow pad if I need some extra cut and then down to a white pad for final polishing. The question is do any of you guys know a place where these bays have a power source that could support a PC? I asked the guy the last time I was there and he reluctantly said no. I find it hard to believe, I need to check it out today, maybe at the Vacuums?

**Jngrbrdman** · 03-24-2003, 11:53 AM

I had a car wash that I used to use that let me do whatever I wanted. I brought him 6 or 7 cars a week and we used to talk detailing while I worked. He let me use my PC and bucket wash and everything there. He was cool. I doubt he would have been as cool if I wasn`t bringing in as many cars. 6 or 7 really isn`t that many anyway. You could probably ask around at different places. As long as you aren`t trying to do it durring a peak business time then they would probably be more likely to play ball. Just let them know what you are trying to do and ask if they would mind if you did it later at night when you wouldn`t interupt business at all.

One thing I did before I had this deal with the other guy was look for wash bays that were out of order. I would pull the car into that one and do the job there. Who is going to complain? Its not like I`m blocking business or anything.

It worked out pretty well. Finding power is a task though. I brought along an extention cord or two because sometimes it was a ways to go for power.

**chris0626** · 03-24-2003, 12:05 PM

Do you really think the lights at those bays are better than you would (or could) have at home? The bays around here use fluorescent lights and are not very bright for the kind of detailing we do.

Have you thought about buying portable halogen worklights so you could work at home with your very own power source and, of course, your very own refreshments readily available? (I`m assuming that, like me, you don`t have a BradB-style garage available.

) And the other night when I was out on the street til near midnight, with an incandescent worklight in one hand and MF in the other, I vowed that I am going to buy portable halogens for myself. I found these two threads especially helpful about brand names as well as warnings regarding their use.

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...threadid=18614

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...&threadid=8406

Just my $.02

**Jngrbrdman** · 03-24-2003, 12:08 PM

The problem being that not everybody has a garage they can work out of. For a few years I was in an apartment with no outdoor power or cover for lights or anything like that. If you live in a complex like that then you pretty much have to figure out another way to get things done.

**breakneckvtec** · 03-24-2003, 02:28 PM

I just notice I see them best in that light, maybe its my eyes. So you say ask around uh Jngr. I guess I will do that. Where would you run the cords to, to get power?

**Jngrbrdman** · 03-24-2003, 02:35 PM

The place I had the deal with would let me run it from inside the office around the corner. The other one I used had an external outlet on the front of the building. You just have to look for an outlet.

**huggybear** · 03-24-2003, 11:01 PM

i had a friend go this route http://shop2.outpost.com/product/2561141

and has been very happy with it. Except i think he used a 1700 watt that had to be hard wired onto the battery. He lives in apartments so all he does now is drive up to the wash place washes the car, starts it up, plugs his PC in and buffs long into the night. I think a cop stopped by once and was like "what in gods name are you doing?" he was like "feeding the need."

i will be doing the same thing but am doing my research on inverters first.