Some people’s cars are like a teenager’s room, carpeted with six months of newspapers and fast-food wrappers and possessed of an exotic but nonspecific odor. Other people like to maintain their cars in better-than-factory-fresh condition. The auto detailer uses hoses, sponges, vacuum cleaners, toothbrushes, toothpicks, and magnifying glasses to pick up every crumb, polish every surface, and renew every cosmetic feature of a car.
Your job as the auto detailer is to run a beauty salon, not a plastic surgeon’s operating room. An auto detailer’s job description does not include removing dents or significant interior or exterior work; clients should be referred to an auto body shop or an automotive paint shop for that sort of preparatory work before the vehicle is brought in for detailing. Do you go to the car, or does it come to you? You’ll need the same equipment either way, but if you travel to the job, you’ll need a vehicle—perhaps a truck or van—to carry supplies. (Your vehicle should become an example of your work; it should sparkle like a showroom demonstrator.) If the cars come to you, your setup and cleanup will be easier, but you may bear some liability for the vehicle while it is on your property. Record existing damage to the car and the odometer reading on the contract, and have the client initial that section to protect you against certain claims.
Inform other people by posting flyers in auto supply stores. Place ads in auto club and collector newsletters. Ask friends and relatives for referrals.