OCDetails Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 I've got a couple cars to detail tomorrow, so today was laundry day and prep for the jobs. It is just an X5 and an M5 and I detailed them last fall, so I sort of knew what to prepare for. However, if anyone has ever wondered what I take with me when I go out on a job (and I have no idea why anyone would wonder) I figured I'd tell ya anyway. foaming degreaser wheel/tire cleaner rainX car wash soap 5 gallon wash bucket with grit guard hose with sprayer wash mitt wheel brush bug/sap/tar remover clay clay lube bottle (for soapy water) 2 waffle weave towels (in case I drop one or something) california water blade (for the windows) Porter Cable 7424 Flex XC3401 2 extention cords 2 blue edge pads 1 yellow edge pad 2 white edge pads danase swirl abolisher 1 danase swirl abolisher 2 danase paint sealant (for the X5) 4 Star Ultimate Paint Protection (for the M5) 10 silk edged microfiber towels (for buffing) 15 microfiber towels (windows, engine, wheels, etc) shop sized box of shop towels 5 HP shop vac 2 cans of invisible glass (in case the lid breaks or one turns out to be a low pressure dud) 2 cans of Tuff Stuff (same reasons as above) Meguiar's Quik Wheel Detailer Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer 4 Star Vinyl & Rubber Protectant 4 Star Leather Conditioner Danase Leather RX Meguiar's Odor Eliminator Carpet Brush Interior brushes and wedges Slick Stixxx engine detailing rods CD2 Engine Detailer Poorboy's Bold N Bright (cleans wax stained trim like a charm) Eagle One Never Dull 4 Star White Lightning (all purpose degreaser) 4 Star spray wax (for the painted surfaces under the hood) Meguiar's ScratchX box of nitrile gloves foam applicator (for leather conditioner) wedge mitt for wheel detailing masking tape for embems and trim tire shine applicator brush dual 500 watt halogen lamps on a tripod (in the backseat) And I think that is just about it. All of that fits in the trunk of my Corolla. My wife needs the Pilot tomorrow, so I'm trunking it. Before I bought the Legacy or the Corolla (or any vehicle for that matter) I always load up my buckets and the things that take up the space in the trunk for a test fit. If all this won't fit in the trunk, then that vehicle just won't work for me. The way I compile everything is by starting out with an empty bucket and then filling it as I mentally detail the car. In all the years I've been doing this I can count on one hand how many times I've gotten to the job and realized that I forgot something. As long as you have the process pretty much down in your mind, then it becomes easy to fill a bucket with the supplies you need. Just as an extra sort of useless info piece... Here are the shelves with my towels and pads. Do you think I've got enough yet? lol http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/towels/DSC06783.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/towels/DSC06781.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/towels/DSC06780.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/towels/DSC06782.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/towels/DSC06784.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/towels/DSC06786.jpg I don't know why I wrote all that. I just figured I'd share. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJMC Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 It's good info...! Now I know what to buy :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icrackedcorn Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 thank you obedience to church and state is subjugation to the unjust authority of men Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
062.5iwagon Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 Much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubLGTaru Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 Nice Red Wings hat!! Oh and that's a lot of towels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 Sterilite totes! Well done sir... (my fiance' is their industrial designer and she's trained me to be keenly aware of their product) It's nice getting all the totes/buckets I need for free! Looks like my microfibers/products/pads collection has a long way to go before it matches yours. How do you keep track of it all? Also, what do you use to clean the pads/microfibers? The Crimson Dynamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPLGT Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 I like the model cars, too! What is the one on the far right tail facing us? Rehab is for quitters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener2 Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 i've got more towles than you... but no pads My Mods List (Updated 8/22/17) 2005 Outback FMT Running on Electrons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYtoVT Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 thanks for sharing. valuable info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted July 20, 2008 Author Share Posted July 20, 2008 I like the model cars, too! What is the one on the far right tail facing us? It's a mustang cobra. I used to build models in the winter back before I did graphic design to fill my time. I was getting pretty darn good at it too. I need to build another one... _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPLGT Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 Awesome! Rehab is for quitters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6spdMAX Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/towels/DSC06786.jpg I don't know why I wrote all that. I just figured I'd share. Getting cramped back there buddy, I think you need a GT Wagon! Here's my rig 90% loaded up, like my trunk mat? http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f290/cashonly/temp/P2060306.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 lol Yeah, well most of the time I'm in the Pilot, so room isn't an issue. This was an oddball situation where I had to take the 'rolla. It isn't my vehicle of choice to show up on a job with. The wagon would be a great solution though. You've got a nice setup there. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6spdMAX Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 lol Yeah, well most of the time I'm in the Pilot, so room isn't an issue. This was an oddball situation where I had to take the 'rolla. It isn't my vehicle of choice to show up on a job with. The wagon would be a great solution though. You've got a nice setup there. Bet the Pilot is perfect for mobile detailing, but the gas is getting to me in my truck- I go out and give quotes on the bike instead. Everytime I think about getting rid of the QX4 for a Forester XT I'm reminded how much a pain it would be to transport the rest of my setup. http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f290/cashonly/temp/P2060307.gif You've got me beat in pads and microfibers tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 The Pilot actually gets pretty good gas milage. We averaged 28 mpg on a road trip out to California last year in it. I figure I charge enough to cover the gas anyway. At $60 an hour it is easy to cover the couple gallons it might have taken me to do the job. My prices went up from $40/hr to $60/hr about a year and a half ago in response to the rising gas and product costs. It seems like everything got more expensive this year. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniStiGuy Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 do you use the customers water or bring your own most of the time? OEM HID's Rx330 Retro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted July 25, 2008 Author Share Posted July 25, 2008 I always use my customer's water and power. This isn't a full time gig for me, so I haven't taken the expense of a trailer and all that fun stuff. Utah just isn't the place that this kind of business would be successful. That is why I really really wish I could move back to Dallas where the detailing season is basically ten months long instead of six months like it is here. My business license doesn't technically let me operate the business out of my own garage, but I'll admit that I do a few cars there every year. 80% of my jobs are on site at the customers' home. Two or three cars are at their places of business and maybe a dozen or so are done at my house. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
executor485 Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Nice list... That helps a lot. Couple of questions though. 1) I didnt see Blue Bell ice cream on the list. 2) Are you ever coming back to dallas to live? 3) Did you ever post the picture of the shelf of disgraced products? If I pass you on the right, I'm flipping you off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradlgt21 Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 How long does a typical detail job last? I know I have sat in my driveway and detailed by car all day before but then again I don't have power buffers or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniStiGuy Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 When I do a car it takes me roughly 6 hours to do wash/clay/polish/interior/sealing OEM HID's Rx330 Retro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyguy Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 just wanted to let you know, you have a towel on the right side of the 2nd shelf with red trim/border that isn't grouped with the others... i have ocd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfxdave99 Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 Okay dumb question.. Why do you have both the XC 3401 and the 7424? If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough. - Mario Andretti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euclid Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 Okay dumb question.. Why do you have both the XC 3401 and the 7424? backup, in case one breaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted July 29, 2008 Author Share Posted July 29, 2008 ^^ Yeah, pretty much. I've only had the FLEX since this spring and it hasn't been thoroughly 'field tested' yet. I take the 7424 with me just in case something goes wrong with the FLEX. I'm sure when I get more comfortable and confident with it that I'll just take one machine with me from then on out. I haven't ever had to switch to the PC since I got the Edge 2000 adapter on the FLEX, but you never know... _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfxdave99 Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 So for somebody who doesn't plan on doing it professionally the 7424 is plenty good still then? If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough. - Mario Andretti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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