Where Do You Detail Your Car?

[Blackdevil77]

I have been washing and detailing my own car for several years now. It is a ton of work and I have been combating the elements when detailing for years and I'm getting tired of having to deal with "nature" as I detail. It's enough work as it is without having to fight the sunlight, pollen etc. I have a garage but it's packed with crap and there's no room for a car. Even if there was, the garage itself is too small to be able to maneuver around the car to get the work done. My whole driveway get's blasted with the blistering sunlight all day long except for the top of the driveway which is under 2 trees. When I'm under those 2 trees, my car get's covered in leaves, pedals and pollen in a matter of minutes while I'm trying to clean the car, which is quite frustrating.

 

So my question is for those of you that have similar conditions to mine to work with. What are you doing to deal with these challenges when detailing your car? I have extremely close neighbors also, so setting up a bunch of lights and detailing after sunset isn't an option. 

[The Guz]

What about one of those easy up pop up tents to give you some shade. 

[Blackdevil77]

What about one of those easy up pop up tents to give you some shade. 

 

Do those really block out enough sun to keep the surfaces "cool to the touch" like recommended? If so, I'm all for it as long as it doesn't cost thousands. 

[Numbr3t]

I've thought about putting one of those retractable awnings on the front of my garage but I'm not sure how the neighborhood association would like that.

[Chris@Adams]

I detail in my garage.....the only things that are in my garage are car related items.

Mario you really need to get back in your garage, get rid of the "junk" and get the cars back in.

I hope you don't take this wrong......

[CMDChase]

I was 56 years old when I bought my first house with a garage. That's when I started taking detailing seriously. I finally decided on Adams after some contemplation and comparison . Now that's all I use and use it only on my garage. Well worth the wait.

[LFairbanks]

Have you ever thought about picking up a shed and moving some of your stuff from the garage there?  You can by some pre made at a decent price at Home Depot or the like.  Or you could build your own, probably cheaper and larger in size.  Doesn't have to be fancy.  Not sure how tall your ceiling is in the garage, but you could also build some shelving suspended from the ceiling and probably clean up a lot of it.  If you need explanation on this I will be happy to further explain and provide a pic.  They are pretty stout and will hold a lot of weight.  And just consist of some 2x4's, 3/4 inch particle board and some miscellaneous hardware.

Edited May 16, 2014 by LFairbanks

[Gen9Rolla]

I don't have a garage to use at all so all of my detailing happens outside on my driveway. I've thought about getting a pop up tent but I just make do with the shade from my one tree, and then the house in the afternoon

[The Guz]

I'm not sure about the pop up tent.  I do my work in the garage.  I have seen some mobile detailers use the pop up tent on other forums. 

[blcksilv08]

I've thought about getting a pop up tent as well. My full size pickup wont fit in the garage at home, and with the driveway being in the sun over half the day that's just not feasible with a black truck.  Luckily for now I use my bay at the shop I work in.

[Ricky Bobby]

I have been washing and detailing my own car for several years now. It is a ton of work and I have been combating the elements when detailing for years and I'm getting tired of having to deal with "nature" as I detail. It's enough work as it is without having to fight the sunlight, pollen etc. I have a garage but it's packed with crap and there's no room for a car. Even if there was, the garage itself is too small to be able to maneuver around the car to get the work done. My whole driveway get's blasted with the blistering sunlight all day long except for the top of the driveway which is under 2 trees. When I'm under those 2 trees, my car get's covered in leaves, pedals and pollen in a matter of minutes while I'm trying to clean the car, which is quite frustrating.

 

So my question is for those of you that have similar conditions to mine to work with. What are you doing to deal with these challenges when detailing your car? I have extremely close neighbors also, so setting up a bunch of lights and detailing after sunset isn't an option. 

 

 

Looks like you need to find a home for all the crap, trust me even if the space is tight you'll appreciate it when you can at least dry your car out of the sun.

 

Clean out the garage and use it, I get a kick out of people's homes I see with garages piled high full of stuff (how often does that "stuff" ever get used anyway) and 2 cars in the driveway, makes no sense to me.

 

When my wife and I were shopping for a house, our realtor asked me what my must-haves were.  I told him 2 car garage, that is it, I would not settle for less, because I needed a space to do car cleaning out of the sun, to park our cars in, and to have my motorcycle stored indoors.  We don't have a huge 2 car garage by any means, and with a few shelving units the space gets tight, but it fits my X5, my wifes Rav4 and my Triumph all comfortably.

 

 

Just my .02, but I would start cleaning out the garage so you can use it for what it was intended for.

[mc2hill]

A pop-up type canopy should work for you.  There are some that have side panels that could help keep it shady when the sun is not overhead.  A 10' x 15' or 10' x 20' should work for detailing.  

[Blackdevil77]

I detail in my garage.....the only things that are in my garage are car related items.

Mario you really need to get back in your garage, get rid of the "junk" and get the cars back in.

I hope you don't take this wrong......

 

The garage will be emptied out by the fall. That garage is gonna be my Shelby's home for the winter. 

 

Have you ever thought about picking up a shed and moving some of your stuff from the garage there?  You can by some pre made at a decent price at Home Depot or the like.  Or you could build your own, probably cheaper and larger in size.  Doesn't have to be fancy.  Not sure how tall your ceiling is in the garage, but you could also build some shelving suspended from the ceiling and probably clean up a lot of it.  If you need explanation on this I will be happy to further explain and provide a pic.  They are pretty stout and will hold a lot of weight.  And just consist of some 2x4's, 3/4 inch particle board and some miscellaneous hardware.

 

Yes, that is in the plans. The ceilings are high and is already full of useless crap lol. I'll be getting a shed within the next few months. 

 

 

 

Looks like you need to find a home for all the crap, trust me even if the space is tight you'll appreciate it when you can at least dry your car out of the sun.

 

Clean out the garage and use it, I get a kick out of people's homes I see with garages piled high full of stuff (how often does that "stuff" ever get used anyway) and 2 cars in the driveway, makes no sense to me.

 

When my wife and I were shopping for a house, our realtor asked me what my must-haves were.  I told him 2 car garage, that is it, I would not settle for less, because I needed a space to do car cleaning out of the sun, to park our cars in, and to have my motorcycle stored indoors.  We don't have a huge 2 car garage by any means, and with a few shelving units the space gets tight, but it fits my X5, my wifes Rav4 and my Triumph all comfortably.

 

 

Just my .02, but I would start cleaning out the garage so you can use it for what it was intended for.

 

I will be cleaning out the garage, but even with the garage empty, it's a very tight space to work it. It's a single car garage and when one car is in there, you have to side step with your back against the wall to get on the sides of the car. There hasn't been a car in there for years.

[Chewy]

I use my garage.  When we were looking for homes, I told the wife I wanted no less than a three car garage.  I pull one or two cars out and pull one in at an angle and I can wash and detail the car in the garage.  Last spring, I put in a "mini-split" which means I have AC and heat out there now.  LOVE IT!  It'd be 20º outside and my garage would be 70º this past winter.  Sure was nice.