Mobile car detailing – Is it worth it?

How does mobile car detailing compare with general car detailing? Can car detailing be done by mobile car valets?

Technically, a highly skilled mobile detailer could restore your paint. However, we just don’t see it as the best option when compared to detailing within a workshop due to a number of factors. Firstly, bad weather can prevail at any given moment in the UK which could mean the job has to be abandoned as rainy weather can be highly disruptive to machine polishing. Some argue a gazebo setup would surely protect against this problem but that would depend on the direction of rain and wind.

Car detailing gazebo’s, working outside

Even if a gazebo does provide some protection from light rain or wind, dust is another known issue. Dust and dirt can be noticeable but is sometimes microscopic and can cause havoc at almost any stage when detailing a car. For example, when decontaminating a car using clay, if dirt or dust appears on the surface it can be rubbed into the paint without realising, causing further contamination and swirls. Another example is when using a machine polisher or buffer, if dirt has landed on the surface and the machine polishing pad is then worked into that area, further defects and swirls can occur resulting in a defective finish.

Car detailing lighting 

Lighting can also be problematic with outdoor detailing as the lighting arrangements cannot be controlled and is dependent on the sunlight. Some days can be dull, especially during the winter. This could affect visibility and cause failure in identifying defects on the paint as they may not be as visible compared to when working in a brightly lit car detailing unit. In contrast, sunlight improves visibility, but direct sunlight can cause the paint to heat up which makes polishing risky as the clear coat is likely to reduce at a much faster rate.

Working inside a car detailing workshop unit will ensure protection from rain and bad weather. The workshop will also mean a dust free environment so there is less risk of worsening the quality of your paintwork because of dirt or dust landing on the surface. Another bonus of working in a car detailing workshop is the ability to control the lighting arrangements which will mean the overall quality and efficiency of service is improved.

To conclude, working outdoors on a car can provide a high-quality finish for smaller and less-timely jobs such as 1 step finishing polish, but for lengthy jobs such as full corrections or enhancement it could prove to be difficult, tiring and unpredictable as some jobs may need to be rearranged.