Maintenance washes, why?

What is a maintenance wash? A maintenance wash is where a detailer and you decide on an appropriate level and frequency of wash. This can be anywhere from once a week to once a quarter. The more often you do this the cost is lower because less work is needed to obtain the same level of clean. A mobile detailer (me) comes to you and performs the work all while your at work and you get to walk out to a brand new looking vehicle again inside and out.

Why? This would obviously be for people that care alot about the appearance of their vehicle. If you can go an entire winter without washing your car this is probably not for you. And there's nothing wrong with that, just two different thought processes.

The biggest positive is that alot of detailers will try to tell you that your car is an 'investment' in order for you to feel better about your vehicle. Well im here to tell you, your vehicle is not an investment. If you really believe it is then your investing your money the wrong way. A vehicle is a depreciating asset and one of the fastest depreciating ones you will ever own. The reason why this is important is because according to a 2012 report from kbb.com people own a brand new car for an average of almost 6 years and used vehicles for an average of around 4 years.
http://www.kbb.com/car-news/all-the-latest/average-length-of-us-vehicle-ownership-hit-an-all_time-high/2000007854/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/investopedia/2011/02/11/buying-a-car-the-worst-investment/#1ace710d2060
So why is that piece of information important? Well if you have a depreciating asset and you go to sell it and it doesnt look as good as it possibly can be then your going to lose even more money. Regular maintenance washes by a detailer will help you keep your car clean, keep a good layer of protection of sealant on it (read previous post 'Wax. Its dead.) or even better a coating and be sure that when you do decide to trade it in or sell that it takes minimal work to get it looking as best as possibly can and you get the most money for your vehicle.

This is just simply a system to try and eliminate one less hassle in your life. You have your job, home, kids and other extracurricular activities that you need to worry about. Having a clean car shouldn't be one of them.

Wax. Its dead.

  What?? Isn't wax just wax? I am happy to report as a detailer constantly studying and learning about new techniques and products that wax is officially had it's time and it is over with. You had a good run wax! You have been around for a LONG time but wax is now being taken over with specifically two new technologies. And I will explain them here.

This is what you guys usually think of when you think of wax. And really theres nothing wrong with this kind of wax except its out-dated. In South Dakota weather a typical paste wax (NOT a hybrid, more on that later) will last around 3 months if your lucky and keep on top of washing the vehicle. 

The newer alternative to this is a spray 'wax'. Which looks just like this one here. These spray wax's are much faster to apply and because most of the ones produced today are not actually wax in the form that most of you are aware of may give you just as much life as a paste wax. 

What most of you receive now when I detail your vehicle is what is called a sealant. Sealant are much better for a variety of different reasons.

• They hold up to extremes better. Hot, cold, doesn't matter. 
• They last longer. Most of the time you see 3-6 months of protection out of a sealant. 
• They dont attract dust like carnuba wax does! This is a big one. Sealants are neutral whereas carnuba paste wax actually ATTRACTS dust slightly.

Sealants come in spray form also like this one. Looks familiar huh! Yes you can buy decent detailing supplies at Wal-Mart. They are far from the best but for the average person they would do just fine.

When customers get my Gold package detail I use this which is a liquid sealant. This is a very high grade sealant that will last a solid 6 months if taken care of. It also offers a fantastic shine. The only reason I use this over a spray one is simple. I already have the buffer out and I can insure a great even coverage over the whole vehicle. 

Now for the newest and greatest form of paint protection in liquid form....COATINGS. Coatings can be tricky to apply and are expensive. You have to have good lighting and a perfectly prepped surface to apply them on. This is why they work great for new cars or ones that have been maintained VERY well. Even on brand new cars it is always recommended for at least a light polishing step. Life expectancy on a coating is anywhere from 2-5 years. And you can coat paint, trim, rims and glass. 

www.adamhubersdetailing.com   

Mobile detailing Limitations and Advantages

  Mobile detailing. What is it and WHY do it. Here in South Dakota I don't know of anyone else doing mobile detailing. Why? Probably because in the winter time its pretty difficult to do. I'm limited to people that are gracious enough to let me work in their garages or in the case above, underground parking. But here's the amazing part about doing mobile detailing, I get to come to YOU. Making having a clean car one less thing that turns into a hassle for you. It also gives me a chance to get to know my customer, get to be personable with them. And I love meeting people.

So here's some pro's as I see it

• I come to you, currently i'm limited to garage's. But this summer I have plans in the works to be fully mobile. Meaning that I can do details in parking lots while your at work. Would that not be amazingly convenient for people? 
• Flexible- I can go anywhere from Sioux Falls to Vermillion. And further as long as anyone is willing to pay mileage. 
• I can get 'nearly' the same results as a detailing shop. I'll go over the 'nearly' in the limitations or cons later ;)

And now for the con's or limitations

• I can fit a limited number of people in per day, maybe three on a good day. This is due to having to drive to location. 
• The 'nearly' involves my limits in what equipment I can buy. I may write an article on that at some point but for right now the difference in what I can do and a store front can do is pretty small. 
• Weather. This is a huge one for me. If its raining I will need shelter (washing a car when its raining doesnt work really well) if its to cold out it works really well for the customer because you guys get the best paint protection possible...ICE! 

  All of these things can be worked around and I will be continuously working towards that but as a guy just starting out I obviously cant get everything figured out right away. Luckily I have some amazing and understanding customers.

Website: www.adamhubersdetailing.com

What is this about?

Confession

   I dont blog. I dont understand what it is or how to do it. It essentially seems like posting little informational tidbits for people so that's what I intend to do. I know how to string together sentences and make paragraphs and I am pretty decent at telling a story. So that's what I intend to do with this. 

   The whole intention of this thing is for once a month to bring you guys information about my job and how I am serving you. Detailing has alot of different things going on with it. I know alot of you think its just a simple car wash, vacuum and window cleaning service and for the most part what we do everyday could fit into those categories. 

   What makes it different to me is, the connection. You get a real person who is driven and passionate about not only his business but people as well. I appreciate everyone of my customers.

  So if you follow along on this you might learn something, you might get an insight into what being a mobile detailer is like, heck you might even watch from the very Genesis a business grow into something bigger than one person. Or everything could come crashing down in fiery flames haha.

Website: www.adamhubersdetailing.com