Is Mobile Auto Detailing Better Than Shop Detailing?
That’s the question we’re going to try to answer here.
At Diamond Detail, we’ve been both a mobile auto detail company and an in-shop detailing company simultaneously for several years, so we feel like we are well-positioned to answer this question.
Mobile auto detailing has a few key benefits that just can’t be matched with in-shop detailing. That being said, in-shop detailing has some key benefits that just can’t be matched with mobile auto detailing. We want to take a little bit of time to discuss the pros and cons of both. This way, you can make the decision on which is best for you and your needs.
The Perks of Mobile Auto Detailing
Convenience:
Mobile auto detailing offers an extreme level of convenience. You don’t need to drive your car to a shop and leave it there, or wait until the job’s done. You can simply schedule the job and make sure your car is available at your home or work long enough for the detailer to do their work.
This convenience factor is the primary benefit of mobile detailing.
There are a couple of other lesser-known benefits to mobile detailing:
Personal Connection:
When the detailer comes to you and does the work, it gives you a chance to speak with the person who will actually be performing the work on your car, and possibly get a higher level of care than you might get at another place.
Vehicle Stays With You:
If you don’t want to leave your car somewhere, this option keeps your car within your sight during the time it takes to get the work completed.
Additionally:
Frequently, mobile detailers are newer to business because they haven’t yet invested in a shop. Therefore, being newer in business and not having the overhead of a shop, there’s a chance they could be less expensive than taking your vehicle to a shop.
The Downsides of Mobile Auto Detailing
Working at Your Home:
This can involve someone running hoses through your bushes or on your lawn and traipsing around your property. They might also use acids or heavy cleaners on your driveway or walkways. There’s a need to use your water and your electrical power for high-draw items like pressure washers, air compressors, buffers, and shampooers.
Uncontrolled Environment:
When you’re doing mobile detailing, you’re not in a controlled environment. So when you are polishing a vehicle, it’s extremely easy to get pollen or dust into the pad of your vehicle and cause holograms and swirling. By the time you’ve cleaned your way around the car to prepare it to polish, there’s already dust and pollen likely on the surfaces of the vehicle, and this is almost unavoidable.
The Advantages of In-Shop Detailing
Now, in-shop detailing, while it does carry the inconveniences of having to drop your vehicle off and pick it up, it offers some positive sides as well:
Controlled Environment:
You’re able to have better lighting that allows you to see more clearly and perform a better job. There’s no wind, dirt, or pollen blowing onto the surfaces. With a controlled environment, once you’ve cleaned a surface, it stays clean and you’re not introducing issues into the paint.
Equipment:
The best shampooers, steamers, vacuums, air compressors, and pressure washing systems all add up to more space than can fit in a van. So mobile detailing units typically have slightly lower-grade equipment or just less of it. Having the vehicle in the shop allows you to have the best-of-the-best tools, equipment, and products on hand so that you can do the best job.
Trust:
It takes years, lots of money, and lots of tears to create a reputable, high-quality detail shop that is sustainable. Someone can open a mobile auto detailing company today and be operational tomorrow. When it comes to standing behind our work and making sure that we always do what is best for the customer in every situation, that’s how we do business. Since we opened in 2013, treating our customers the way we would like to be treated is how we’ve stayed in business.
Our Hybrid Approach
Since at Diamond Detail, we’ve been a mobile detailer and an in-shop detailer for many years, we have done our best to try and bring all the benefits of mobile detailing and all the benefits of in-shop detailing into one solution for our clients.
This includes:
- The highest quality work, performed in our amazing indoor shop
- Personalized service and interaction with our knowledgeable and professional detail crew
- After-hours key drop-off boxes, which allow you to drop your keys securely off at our location at any time and day that works for you.
- Indoor, secure overnight storage
- Pay by text and phone
- Text and video approval process so you can see the quality work before you pay
- After-hours key retrieval boxes so you can grab your keys and drive away when it’s convenient for you.
When you still need an easier method, we have yet another option for people located close to us. We will pick up your vehicle, bring it to our shop, detail it completely, and bring it back to you when it’s finished.
Our Conclusion
It’s our personal opinion that if you care about a high-quality end result on your car, in-shop auto detailing is the best solution.
If you’re looking for the lowest effort, easiest way to get your car cleaned, then mobile detailing might be the right option for you.
If you’d like to have your car professionally detailed, give us a call or stop by the shop, and we’d love to help you out.
