· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Mobile Detailing
Mobile detailing saves you the drive and hands you a few small jobs at your end. Sorting them out before we arrive is what lets the appointment finish when it was meant to, whether it’s a wash and wax or a full interior and exterior detail.
How much space does a mobile detailer need?
We need room to open every door all the way and to walk around the car with a hose and a cord, which usually takes more than one parking space. A covered spot helps, and in a Middle Tennessee summer it helps a lot: the NOAA climate normals for Nashville’s airport put the average high at 87.7°F in June, 90.9°F in July and 90.4°F in August.
Heat and sun matter because of how the products behave. Symplex’s technical sheet for its Silex Shield 10H coating tells installers not to apply it in direct sunlight or on a hot surface, and to apply it in closed areas. 3M’s data sheet for Perfect-It EX AC rubbing compound has the polisher work a two-foot square in several passes before the compound starts to dry. Drying is the limit on that step, the one that does most of the work in paint correction, so we’d rather polish in the shade.
A garage is the easy answer for shade, with one catch that comes up in the next section.
Water and power
Some detailers bring a water tank and a generator, and some would rather use your spigot and an outdoor outlet. Ask on the booking call which you’re getting, so nobody is hunting for a hose bib once the car is wet.
Polishing runs on power, since 3M’s directions call for an air or electric polisher. If a generator comes along, the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s generator safety alert says to use it outside only, at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents, and never in a garage, even with the door open. With the car in the garage for shade, the generator stays out on the driveway and a long outdoor cord runs in.
The rinse water has to go somewhere too. The EPA’s fact sheet on vehicle maintenance and washing lists sending wash water onto grass or gravel among its tips for keeping it out of storm drains, and we go through what that means on a Davidson County driveway in our post on where mobile car wash water goes.
- Room to open every door and walk around the car
- Shade, or a garage, particularly in summer
- Confirm whether they need your water and power
- Any generator outside, 20 feet or more from doors, windows and vents
- Remove personal items before they arrive
- Ask how long your package takes and keep the car free for all of it
What should you take out of the car before a detail?
Take out personal belongings, child seats and anything in the trunk. Time spent working around your things is time on the bill, and there are a few things we’d rather not handle at all.
Child seats we ask you to remove yourself. Whoever fitted the seat knows how it was installed, and that’s the right person to put it back once the interior is dry.
Allow the time
A maintenance wash is a much shorter visit than a full detail with paint correction, and correction on a tired finish is the part that runs long. Booking a big job against a short window means something gets left out.
Ask how long your package takes and plan to be without the car for all of it. A coating adds time after we pack up, too: Symplex tells installers to keep Silex Shield 10H away from water for 24 hours while it cures, so ask what your product needs before you plan a wash or a drive in the rain. Our ceramic coating page covers how we apply one, and the quote form is the place to tell us what the car needs.
Sources
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, Nashville International Airport monthly maximum temperature — Normal highs of 87.7°F in June, 90.9°F in July and 90.4°F in August
- Symplex, Silex Shield 10H Ceramic Coating Ultra technical specifications — Do not apply in direct sunlight or on a hot surface; apply in closed areas; avoid water for 24 hours while curing (this product)
- 3M, Perfect-It EX AC Rubbing Compound technical data (June 2018) — Air or electric polisher; work a 2 x 2 foot area in several passes before the compound starts to dry
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Portable Generator Hazards safety alert (2017) — Generators outside only, at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents, never in a garage
- U.S. EPA, Stormwater Best Management Practice: Vehicle Maintenance and Washing (EPA-832-F-21-032F, February 2023) — Direct wash water to pervious areas such as grass or gravel, away from storm drains
FAQ
What a Mobile Detailer Needs From You — questions
Do mobile detailers need my water and power?
It varies. Some detailers bring a water tank and a generator, and others ask to use your spigot and an outdoor outlet, so ask when booking. If a generator comes, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says to run it outside only, at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents, and never in a garage.
Can they work in my driveway in summer?
Yes, though shade makes a real difference. Nashville’s normal high is above 90°F in July and August, and coating makers such as Symplex tell installers to keep their product out of direct sunlight and off hot surfaces. A garage or carport works well for the car, as long as any generator stays outside.
How long does a full detail take?
It depends on the car and the package. A maintenance wash is far shorter than a full detail with paint correction, and correcting a neglected finish takes the longest. Ask how long your specific package takes, plan to be without the car for all of it, and if it is getting a ceramic coating, ask how long the coating has to stay dry afterwards.
What is mobile detailing?
Mobile detailing is a detail done where the car already sits, at your house or office, so you skip the drive. The detailer either brings a water tank and generator or uses your spigot and an outdoor outlet. In return you provide the space, some shade and a car emptied of belongings.