Start Your Own Auto Cleaning & Detailing Business

This low cost business startup happened by accident. Back in my high school days my girlfriend was trying to sell her car - a beige Volkswagen Beetle. She didn't expect to get much. The paint was faded and the fenders and such were slightly different shades. The interior fabric had rather unusual faded spots from being parked in the sun. Though I didn't think it was much hope, I offered to shine it up the best I could and try to do something about the faded fabric. The first thing to do was try to get some kind of shine on the exterior. I grabbed my best cleaner wax (cleaner wax chemically removes oxidation) put some on a rag and started rubbing. I flipped the rag over to buff the wax to a shine. I looked at where I had just buffed and about fell over in shock. The paint was not beige, it was bright yellow!

The paint had oxidized so badly from neglect that it looked beige, and nobody knew the difference except for the original owner. Well, I polished that whole car to a bright yellow shine. A little spray-on fabric dye took care of the faded seats. The car looked so good afterwards that her father and I convinced her to raise her asking price 300%. She did and sold it the very first day it was in the newspaper. From that day I realized the profit potential in auto detailing.

People are busy, and it seems that their cars are low on the list of priorities. Getting the average car owner to pay for auto detailing isn't always easy. I mostly looked for cars that had signs in the window. I learned to easily spot vehicles that could benefit from my attention and contacting the owner was easy because their number is on the sign. When I showed before and after photos of the VW and told them it got 3 times the original price, they didn't mind spending a little to increase their chances of making much more on the sale. I even did a couple on contingency. If they didn't think they could ask at least $500 more for their car after I was finished they owed me nothing. I got paid for every one.

Automotive paints have come a long way over the years, so exterior auto detailing isn't quite as dramatic as my beige-to-yellow VW. Today's automotive finishes are polyurethane which doesn't oxidize and is very durable. Nevertheless, auto detailing can still be a very profitable business. Exterior finishes still need to be cleaned and protected with a good quality wax to prevent etching from acid rain, and interiors are high-tech with buttons and gadgets galore, which makes cleaning difficult if you don't have the proper tools. Fortunately, today's car owners have even less free time on their hands and are more willing to pay a fair price to keep their car in good shape. This may be partly due to the fact that so many people actually lease their car rather than own. The fees can be quite costly at the lease end if their cars are not well maintained.

If you are one who takes extremely good care of your own vehicles, this is an easy business to start. You can start this business for less than $100. You'll need a good set of brushes. You can usually find a complete set of detailing brushes at any good auto supply store for around $25. You also want a good car wash solution, wheel cleaner, and pure wax for the finish coat. I have found that canned air and a small computer vacuum from the computer store are great tools for cleaning parts of the interior. Get a good tote box to carry it all in.

Do a good job and charge a fair price and you will get plenty of repeat business, plus word of mouth advertising. If you market to car sellers you will often find that they want you to do their new car on a regular schedule. The best way to price is check out others in your area. See what they offer and for how much, then do a little more for a little less so that you are providing the best value for the money..

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