Tips for the mobile detailer!

Great post. Excellent ideas :wink:

I to am a PB/ whole wheat addict. I like the whole stink factor you live by. I assume asking the owner if you could nuke some leftover fish is a no-no :doh:

During the warm months, during the wash cycle I wear rubber sandals. During the winter months I wear rubber boots with heavy insulated socks. I also keep a pair of loafers in my car at all times I wear while completing the job. I also keep an extra pair or two of socks. Nothing more distracting then wet feet.....Well, maybe the smell of leftover nuked fish :biggrin:

I also keep a zip-lock bag of fig newtons to snack on and drink only water or gatorade as needed :2 cents:
 
Great tips David, especially the food part. Bringing small meals like P&J sandwiches really helps keep your energy up.
I also carry a small men's bag with cotton balls, a bottle of witch hazel and other minor essentials (mouthwash, floss, toothbrush) to clean up after a job, especially those hot summer months. Speaking with clients after a long detail makes these things important, if you know what I mean.
As for attire, you're right on the money.....looking professional (Dickies & nice work boots) is just as important as leaving a beautifully detailed automobile.
 
Great post Dave.
Where were you when I did the mobile job on the Porsche 911. I had no hose nozel, and had to use my thumb over the hose end. Oh well.
Thanks for posting this.:notworthy:
 
I have a few tips I'd like to add,

1) Make sure all your bottles are FULL!
2) Use a checklist. I forget at least one thing every time I head out, usually a memory card for my camera, once I managed to forget my buffer! It's better to spend a few minutes making sure you have everything rather than being shorthand during a detail.

I'm looking forward to the day I can stop being mobile...
 
If I get up at 4:30am or 5:00am and grab a Mcgriddle at McDonalds I wont have to eat lunch. Then start the mobile job at 6:00am and finish at 6:00pm and be home to have dinner.

This is what I plan on doing tomorrow. Got a Dodge SRT-10 Viper Truck to wash tomorrow as well as a Suburban that went off roading.
 
Tuck91 said:
If I get up at 4:30am or 5:00am and grab a Mcgriddle at McDonalds I wont have to eat lunch. Then start the mobile job at 6:00am and finish at 6:00pm and be home to have dinner.

This is what I plan on doing tomorrow. Got a Dodge SRT-10 Viper Truck to wash tomorrow as well as a Suburban that went off roading.
Click to expand...

Make sure that you post it up here Nick.
Time is a runnin' out for the Kahunna!!
 
Tuck91 said:
If I get up at 4:30am or 5:00am and grab a Mcgriddle at McDonalds I wont have to eat lunch. Then start the mobile job at 6:00am and finish at 6:00pm and be home to have dinner.

This is what I plan on doing tomorrow. Got a Dodge SRT-10 Viper Truck to wash tomorrow as well as a Suburban that went off roading.
Click to expand...

I would be hungry by 10:30. McGriddles don't fill me up :Snowman:

drdetail said:
awesome post. i dont have a clue on how hard mobile would be. seems kind of annoying
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Working mobile in the wrong atmosphere can = major suckness. I remember once doing a mobile job and the customers driveway was on a hill. The whole day I was fighting for balance. I felt like I was at the fair in 1 of those goofy houses that tilt. That was my worse expierence :Santa Smiley:
 
Very well done Dave! I'm gonna look into those pants for sure. I usually wear shorts (the nice summer heat in CA), but my right knee has no hair on a 2"x2" spot and is rough as hell after years of this. Time for a change.

Great list. I 2nd this for a sticky!!!
 
Dave, where does Bob get those pants from? Somewhere local (since we're both bay area) would be awesome. Want to pick some up tomorrow if possible.

*edit: nevermind, I found some online. But any input on which boots you like and pros/cons?
 
Great tips Sweet dreams!

I would like to add that during the summer its not such a good idea to restrict your water /salt intake . Its very easy to get dehydrated working outdoors in the sun. And that can even possibly turn into heatstroke .
For this reason I even carry salt with me during the summer months .

Yeah sure its going to make you pee more :D but just be creative and you will think of ways to not bother your customers for their bathroom use like I have .:)

For pants I really like the zip offs ! You can wear pants in the cold morning and when it gets hot just zip the bottoms off and you have shorts .

I like mens board shorts for summer because you can get them wet and they dry really fast.
 
For the most part I do the same things, the eating is a tad different. I don't eat LOL. I know its bad for you but I don't know what it is. I can work on a car for 9 hours and not eat anything all day not even breakfast before I get to work. I don't get hungry so I don't think about it. In the winter I don't get thirsty or hungry so I can work all day with out anything to drink or eat. Well, I have a drink when I have my smoke breaks but thats it. I need to look into those pants but when its 100+ here in the summer that may not work. Shorts and shoes are black chuck taylors, and my shirts are polos in dark colors.

Nice list
 
Mobilejay said:
For the most part I do the same things, the eating is a tad different. I don't eat LOL. I know its bad for you but I don't know what it is. I can work on a car for 9 hours and not eat anything all day not even breakfast before I get to work. I don't get hungry so I don't think about it. In the winter I don't get thirsty or hungry so I can work all day with out anything to drink or eat. Well, I have a drink when I have my smoke breaks but thats it. I need to look into those pants but when its 100+ here in the summer that may not work. Shorts and shoes are black chuck taylors, and my shirts are polos in dark colors.

Nice list
Click to expand...

I dont eat all day either ! I drink iced green tea for energy.
I just want to get the job done as soon as possible. The customers usually feel the same way too. Even though I always tell them its an all day proccess lots of times they forget and have things scheduled and forget to mention it till the last minute and need their vehicle!
 
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