{
  "slug": "detailing-mobile-vs-fixed",
  "title": "Mobile vs. Fixed-Location Detailing Cost Calculator",
  "heading": "Mobile vs. Fixed-Location Detailing Comparison",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/detailing-mobile-vs-fixed",
  "summary": "Compare true per-job economics of a mobile van versus a fixed bay detailing setup.",
  "description": "Detailers debate mobile versus fixed-location setups on lifestyle grounds, but the cost structure is genuinely different and deserves real math. Mobile eliminates rent but adds drive time, water/power generation cost, and vehicle wear per job; fixed location adds rent and utilities but removes drive time and lets you do more jobs per day with tighter scheduling. This calculator compares net profit per job and per day between the two models given your specific cost inputs, so the decision is based on your actual market density and rent costs rather than a generic 'mobile is more profitable' or 'fixed is more scalable' assumption that may not hold in your specific area.",
  "formula": "Fixed Net = Price − Product Cost − Labor − (Daily Rent+Utilities ÷ Jobs per Day). Mobile Net = Price − Product Cost − Labor − Drive/Vehicle Cost − Water/Power Cost.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=detailing-mobile-vs-fixed",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "price",
      "label": "Job price",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 200,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "productLabor",
      "label": "Product + labor cost per job",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 65,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "fixedDailyOverhead",
      "label": "Fixed-location daily rent+utilities",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 140,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "fixedJobsDay",
      "label": "Fixed-location jobs per day",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 5,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "mobileDriveCost",
      "label": "Mobile drive/vehicle cost per job",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 18,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "mobileWaterPower",
      "label": "Mobile water/power/generator cost per job",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "mobileJobsDay",
      "label": "Mobile jobs per day",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "fixedDailyProfit",
      "label": "Fixed-location daily profit",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "mobileDailyProfit",
      "label": "Mobile daily profit",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "fixedNet",
      "label": "Fixed-location profit per job",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "mobileNet",
      "label": "Mobile profit per job",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Job price: 200 $",
      "Product + labor cost per job: 65 $",
      "Fixed-location daily rent+utilities: 140 $",
      "Fixed-location jobs per day: 5",
      "Mobile drive/vehicle cost per job: 18 $",
      "Mobile water/power/generator cost per job: 6 $",
      "Mobile jobs per day: 3"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Fixed-location daily profit: $535",
      "Mobile daily profit: $333",
      "Fixed-location profit per job: $107.00",
      "Mobile profit per job: $111.00"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter job price ($).",
      "Enter product + labor cost per job ($).",
      "Enter fixed-location daily rent+utilities ($).",
      "Enter fixed-location jobs per day.",
      "Enter mobile drive/vehicle cost per job ($).",
      "Enter mobile water/power/generator cost per job ($).",
      "Enter mobile jobs per day.",
      "Read your fixed-location daily profit on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "price": 120,
        "productLabor": 40,
        "fixedDailyOverhead": 85,
        "fixedJobsDay": 3,
        "mobileDriveCost": 11,
        "mobileWaterPower": 4,
        "mobileJobsDay": 2
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "price": 200,
        "productLabor": 65,
        "fixedDailyOverhead": 140,
        "fixedJobsDay": 5,
        "mobileDriveCost": 18,
        "mobileWaterPower": 6,
        "mobileJobsDay": 3
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "price": 320,
        "productLabor": 105,
        "fixedDailyOverhead": 225,
        "fixedJobsDay": 8,
        "mobileDriveCost": 29,
        "mobileWaterPower": 10,
        "mobileJobsDay": 5
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Which model usually wins in a dense urban market?",
      "a": "Fixed location, because you can pack more jobs per day without drive time and rent gets spread across higher volume. Mobile tends to win in suburban or rural markets where customers value convenience and will pay a premium that offsets the extra drive time built into fewer daily jobs."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does mobile really have lower overhead?",
      "a": "Lower fixed overhead, yes, but variable cost per job (fuel, generator, water tank refills, extra vehicle maintenance) is real and often underestimated by new mobile operators who only budget for the van payment and forget daily operating costs."
    },
    {
      "q": "Can a hybrid model work?",
      "a": "Yes — many successful detailers run a fixed bay for complex/ceramic work booked further out, and mobile for quick maintenance washes in a tight service radius, capturing the higher jobs-per-day of fixed location for premium work and the convenience premium of mobile for routine work."
    },
    {
      "q": "What's the biggest hidden cost people miss in this comparison?",
      "a": "Water and power access for mobile (needing a generator, water tank, or customer hookup permission) and, for fixed location, the buildout cost of drainage and water reclamation systems that many municipalities require for a detailing bay, which isn't a small cost to skip."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/mobile-mechanic-route-economics",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/detailing-package-margin"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Mobile vs. Fixed-Location Detailing Cost Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/detailing-mobile-vs-fixed)"
}