Starting a Car Detailing Business in 2021? Here Are the Top Equipment and Supplies You’ll Need

Starting a car detailing business is somewhat different from starting a car wash business. Car detailing involves more than just washing and drying cars. It also includes offering other services to refurbish and repair the vehicle’s cosmetic appearance. The easiest way to think of car detailing is a deep cleaning of the entire vehicle inside and out.

There are all different types of car detailing business models you could consider for your new business venture. You could open a physical location with a single car wash bay and reception area. Since car detailing is a long process, customers typically drop their vehicles off at a scheduled time and pick them up later in the day.

You could also run a mobile car detailing business where you go to your customers’ homes or business locations and detail their vehicles. You could even run the business out of your home and have customers drop off vehicles at your house. Just check with local city ordinances and HOA rules to verify you can run a service business in your neighborhood.

What Does Car Detailing Involve?

Car detailing requires you to perform a wide range of services for your customers. Typical services normally include:

• Vacuuming the interior.
• Vacuuming the trunk.
• Hand washing and drying.
• Waxing the vehicle.
• Buffing out any scratches.
• Applying touch-up paint to bigger chips and areas that cannot be buffed.
• Removing tar, tree sap, bird droppings, and other types of things that can be hard to remove with normal washing.
• Cleaning the tires and wheels, including the lug nuts and inside the rims to remove brake dust.
• Polishing the wheels and applying tire foam to make the tires shine.
• Removing stains from seats, floor mats, etc.
• Carpet and upholstery shampooing.
• Cleaning the windows inside and out.
• Cleaning the dash, doors, molding, interior roof, etc.
• Cleaning leather seats and trim.
• Replacing windshield wiper blades.

As you can see, car detailing requires taking your time to ensure each area of the vehicle has been cleaned. Some car detailers also offer other value-added services such as paintless dent repair, cloudy headlight restoration, windshield chip repair, window tinting, leather upholstery repair, and engine detailing.

Equipment Needed to Start a Car Detailing Business

You will need specific equipment when starting a car detailing business. The type of equipment you need will depend on your car detailing business model and could include the following equipment:

• Shop-Vac – You’ll need a wet/dry vacuum that can suck up both liquids and dry dirt and debris.
• Buffers – You will need at least a dual-action and rotary buffer for buffing and polishing vehicles. You can find electric models, but the ones that run with a compressor tend to perform better.
• Air Compressor – You may need an air compressor for your buffers. An air compressor is also necessary if you have a mobile detailing business where you use an air compressor-type wash system.
• Wash System – Your wash system will consist of clean and used water tanks, a heating element to heat the water, hoses, and a pressure wand like you would find at a car wash. If you have a physical location, you will need drain lines installed in the wash bay.
• Pressure Washer – If you don’t use an air compressor-type wash system, then you will need a pressure washer with different types of wash tips.
• Carpet and Upholstery Shampooer – There are different sizes and models you could use. If you want to go all out, invest in an extractor since it can also do steam cleaning to get out difficult stains quickly and easily.

If you plan on operating a mobile car detailing business, you will also need a reliable vehicle that has plenty of space to house your mobile business like a cargo or utility van.

Supplies Needed to Start a Car Detailing Business

Aside from having the right car detailing equipment, there are all sorts of supplies needed to start a car detailing business as well:

• Microfiber Towels for Cars – Microfiber towels for cars are great for soaking up water, polishing, detailing, and protecting the car’s finish from scratches. Wash these in your washing machine in hot water and by themselves to clean them and reuse them.
• Car Wash Mitts/Sponges – You want to have plenty of these items to wash vehicles. You should use a new car wash mitt or sponge for each vehicle you detail. You can reuse them by washing them in your washing machine.
• Wheel and Tire Cleaner – This supply helps remove brake dust, dirt, and debris. It can be applied pre-wash, so it has time to break down difficult stuck-on dirt and debris.
• Car Leather Cleaner – You will want to clean leather seats and trim before conditioning them.
• Car Leather Conditioner – Leather conditioning is the second step in cleaning and detailing leather seats and trim.
• Car Wax – There are all sorts of car waxes you may need, from ones you put on and buff off to others that you simply spray and wipe off with a microfiber towel.
• Tire Foam – Tire foam is a must-have as it makes the tire look shiny and clean.
• Interior Cleaner – You will want this supply to clean the dash, doors, air vents, and other areas inside the vehicle.
• Upholstery Cleaner – You will need an upholstery cleaner to touch up the upholstery and remove light stains.
• Carpet and Upholstery Shampoo – You will need this supply to use your shampooer or extractor.
• Window Cleaner – You’ll need window cleaners to remove smudges and smears from the windows.
• Vinyl and Plastic Cleaner/Protectant – You will want this supply to help protect vinyl and plastic from UV rays and fading, as well as clean it.
• Brushes – You will need different sizes of brushes for interior and exterior detailing, such as a small brush for dusting air vents and another brush for cleaning around the lug nuts on the wheels.
• Car Wash Soap – You’ll need a gentle soap that will not damage the finish of your customers’ vehicles.
• Wash Buckets – If you don’t have a car wash bay or wash system, you can go old school and use wash buckets. You will need at least two—one for soapy water and one with clean water for in-between rinsing of car wash mitts and sponges to remove excess dirt and debris.
• Tar and Bug Remover – This is another essential supply you will want to have to make getting tar and bugs off much easier.
• Buffing Compounds – Removing scratches requires having the right buffing compounds.
• Detailing Clay – This is another item that can be used to help remove impurities from the vehicle’s finish which washing, waxing, and buffing won’t remove.
• Chrome Polish – You will want to make sure any chrome trim and wheels on your customers’ vehicles are nice and shiny.
• Odor Neutralizers – This supply helps get rid of unpleasant odors from inside the vehicle. There are different types so you may want a selection depending on the type of odors you need to remove.
• Air Fresheners – Finish your car detailing by leaving an air freshener inside your customers’ vehicles in their preferred scent.

Please keep in mind, this list of supplies may not include everything you need based on the detailing services you offer. It should, however, give you a good idea of what supplies are needed to start a car detailing business.

You may also want to resell car vending supplies to your car detailing customers so they can keep their cars looking great in between detailing services to boost your earnings.

For wholesale car detailing supplies, including microfiber towels for cars, car wash mitts, wheel and tire cleaner, car leather cleaner, and more, please feel free to browse and shop online at Superior Car Wash Supply or give us a call at 800-554-9274 for further assistance today!