How do they make money in the auto business?
When you are a motorist, it may seem to you that everyone is trying to make money on you. When you're an entrepreneur, you realize that's the way it is. The car business has a lot of opportunities. Despite the crisis of the car market, people continue to drive cars, decorate them, make them more comfortable and reliable.

We have selected 10 services for motorists that you can earn in 2023. These are mobile services (washing, snow removal), design and tuning (from stickers to interior upholstery) and service (alarms, custom-made trailers).

We did not include in the list such obvious options as a car service, tire service or parts store. These are profitable businesses, but they require specialized knowledge. You need to be well versed in the structure of the car, even if you plan to hire staff, reserving the role of the leader. If this is still your option, we have articlehow to open an auto shop.

This article collects ideas where professional knowledge and skills are either not required, or they can be quickly acquired.

What is not yet in this article:

"Out-of-the-box solutions". Whichever idea you choose, it will take some time to delve into the subtleties, study the demand, and think over promotion. If something is not clear, look for the answer in our articles for beginner businessmen. For example, we recently told, How to write a business plan and find Target audience.
Ready-made business plans. Investments and profits depend on the city and your starting conditions. It's one thing when you have your own garage and toolbox, it's another when you're starting from scratch. Prices for rent and advertising also differ - one will be promoted by word of mouth, the other will have to invest hundreds of thousands to be noticed.
One thing is certain: any idea requires investment. 

Washing and cleaning of snow
Mobile car wash is a business idea that came to the mind of every student. The bottom line: to offer services before the client arrives at the car wash: in a traffic jam, in the parking lot, at a gas station.

Children with buckets and rags are long gone. Modern sinks are ready-made technological solutions that look good and wash effectively.

Dry wash - an aerosol is sprayed on the machine, which dissolves dust and soot. Dirt is removed with a microfiber cloth. The composition of the detergent includes silicone, after washing the dirt sticks less.

The method is suitable for light and medium pollution. After adventures in the swamp, it will not wash off, but after slushy streets - quite.

A pressure washer removes any dirt but requires a lot of water. You will need a point where you can refuel. They can be a café, a shop, a car service, a gas station.

Plus: you will appreciate the benefits of mutual marketing by advertising each other. Minus: the high-pressure cleaner weighs from 20 kg, while the dry wash kit will fit in a regular backpack.

Your competitors are stationary car washes. In large cities, people are used to going there after work - at the same time drink coffee in a vending machine and buy groceries at the nearest store. Mobile coffee wash will not offer, but it will help out when the day is scheduled by the minute.

To compete successfully, simulate situations where a mobile car wash is useful. For example, you will wash the car while the owner is in the office or store, waiting for the child from the sections. Advertise wherever people wait a long time: in dentistry, at the checkout in a store, at a gas station. While they are wasting time in line, you will wash their cars to a shine.

Snow removal is a seasonal service with unstable demand. Bet on cities with long, snowy winters. Cons: the work is physically difficult, the car will have to be dug out more often than cleaned with a brush; The peak of demand is in the morning, before work. Plus: demand exceeds supply.

About car washes as a business we have Separate article. We compared investments in mobile and stationary car washes and considered different options: build a business from scratch, buy a ready-made one or become part of a franchise.

Investments: from 7 thousand dollars.

Gasoline delivery
Fuel supply is relevant when your customer:

got into a traffic jam with a half-empty tank;
did not reach the gas station on the highway;
I got up on the track, but it's not a fact that because of an empty tank - maybe the car broke down.
Delivery to the highway is long and expensive if you do not work at a local gas station. Helping customers with a potentially broken machine requires specialized knowledge and tools. The easiest way to help out those who are stuck in traffic or have not calculated the city route.

An almost unreached segment of the market is home delivery of gasoline. Your customers are those who did not have the strength to stop by the gas station after work, and residents of villages where the only gas station is constantly closed for fuel or lunch.

Your competitors are on-site car services and technical assistance. In big cities, these are large network companies with branches in different areas. They not only deliver fuel, but also help with minor repairs, evacuate, open jammed locks and offer other services.

Bet on mobility. Use a bicycle or electric scooter instead of a car that will get stuck in the same traffic jam as your customer. Offer "cozy" services - bring coffee, a snack.

Investments: from 1.5 thousand dollars.

Rim design
Tuning is a popular service for cars. Someone sorts through the entire machines, turning them into a miracle of technical thought, but you can limit yourself to accessories. For example, make beautiful rims and hubcaps.

To start you will need:

a set of tools: a brush with an iron pile and a grinder;
auto chemicals: primer, solvent, paint, varnish.
At first, you can apply paint from a cylinder, buy a spray gun later. You can even work in the garage - if you don't have your own, look for rent. In addition to wheels, you can paint bumpers, grilles, spoilers.

Your competitors are car services with paint shops and advanced technologies.

Bet on exclusivity, individual approach. Develop standard options that will look spectacular on the move and in the parking lot - often customers choose them.

Investments: from 5 thousand dollars.

Car stickers
If you associate stickers on cars with stereotyped pictures and low-grade humor, it's time to reconsider this opinion. They can decorate the car no worse than airbrushing, while they will be cheaper, and it is much easier to remove them.

What can be on the stickers:

sports and any other paraphernalia;
funny inscriptions;
geometric patterns;
Pictures;
advertisement.
You will need a large-format printer and self-adhesive film, as well as a room where you will keep the equipment. Home typography is a great option. Over time, you can rent a garage and paste over the whole car - read more about it.

By the way, we wrote in detail, How to open a printing house- take a look, it will come in handy if you want to cover not only motorists.

Your competitors are printing houses with powerful and expensive equipment and equally powerful advertising.

Large printing houses often have a minimum circulation threshold, below which they are not interested in the order. Emphasize that you are ready to work with piece goods and offer an author's solution.

Investments: from 5 thousand dollars.

Pasting with foil
Film is an alternative to painting and airbrushing. Restores the appearance, is used for branding cars. In addition, a thin vinyl layer protects the body from minor scratches.

Pasting with a film is similar to the installation of a stretch ceiling. First, it is heated with a building hair dryer to become more elastic. The heated film fits the car like a second coat of paint.

In addition to the film and hair dryer, you will need tools for removing the skin, sharp knives, masking tape. The room is bright, warm, dust-free.

Your competitors are full-service car services. Pasting with film, like airbrushing, hides body defects, so it is convenient for customers to combine decoration with body repair.

Use author's solutions and rare colors that are unprofitable for large services.

Investments: from 10 thousand dollars.

All ideas from the collection are suitable for the self-employed. Self-employment has many advantages: Easy to arrange, no need to keep records. But there are also limitations: you can't sell Some products, Hire assistants and earn more than 100k a year.

Aerography
Drawing on cars is still in fashion. An airbrushed car stands out from others, is harder to steal and can be sold at a higher price.

You don't have to be an artist to start a business. You can work on stencils or use ready-made drawings on film. But if you have a bright airbrush artist in mind or you draw yourself, you will be able to earn more.

You will need an airbrush and a compressor for it, a respirator and gloves, paints, thinners, varnish. The room is spacious, heated and clean: dust is detrimental to a freshly painted car. It is better to work together: one takes orders and does simple work (for example, draws a drawing on stencils), the second draws sketches from scratch and full-fledged paintings.

Your competitors are full-service car services. Airbrushing is often used to hide defects, so it is advantageous to combine drawing with body repair.

Your main trump card is a good artist. Large car services are rarely looking for a cool specialist, it is easier for them to convince the client to take a ready-made drawing or stencil. If you have an artist on staff, your drawings will become unique, author's, piece - and this is exactly what clients want.

Investments: from 15 thousand dollars.

Interior reupholstery (auto studio)
Those who have tried to tinker or pull furniture can make good money on tuning salons. This is not only sewing covers, but also reupholstering the floor and ceiling, trimming the dashboard, installing armrests, cup holders - in general, everything for a cozy and beautiful interior.

The service is needed for those who want to customize the car, repair it after an accident or prepare it for sale. The range of orders is wide: from the replacement of covers to the author's reconstruction of the cabin.

It is better to work together: one changes the elements of the cabin, the second sews covers. This is a good idea for a family business. Part of the work can be outsourced: for example, instruct a small workshop to sew covers and deal only with plastic and upholstery.

The room should be spacious enough to accommodate both the machine and the workshop. A large insulated garage is a great option.

Your competitors are large car dealerships, which at the same time offer full maintenance and repair.

To compete with car dealerships, emphasize your professionalism. People choose your competitors primarily because they are sure that nothing will be broken there. Reassure them that you also know where the airbag is and how not to damage the appliances when replacing the panel.

Custom-made caravans
Car owners are divided into those who buy ready-made trailers and who stubbornly make them with their own hands. Your customers are in the middle. They need a unique model, but they are not ready to spend time and effort in the garage.

Trailers are ordered to solve two problems:

get a unique product with a bright and recognizable design;
to transport cargo with maximum convenience.
In the first case, you will have to experiment with shapes and materials. In the second, it is necessary to come up with engineering solutions so that everything fits and is convenient to load and unload.

The main advantage of this auto business is a small starting area. You can start in a small garage, and do some work at home: metal décor, painting individual parts.

Over time, it is better to rent a spacious garage or a former car service. So you can work on several orders at the same time. And also to delimit the zones of welding, painting, carpentry.

Minimum set of tools: welding machine, grinder, drill, brushes and chemicals for painting (primer, paints, varnish).

Your competitors are ready-made trailer stores. Their key advantage is easy registration with the traffic police.

It is possible to register a homemade trailer only with the help of expertise. We wrote about this in detail In here. If you master this quest, you will get a significant advantage over both large services and self-taught competitors. A sincere author's approach and impeccable technical documentation are a win-win combination for small businesses.

Investments: from 5 thousand dollars.

Installation of alarms
The alarm installation business is not a new idea, but the market is still not saturated. Purely security systems are no longer relevant, but drivers are willing to pay for additional functions: remote engine start, oil heating. You can't install such systems yourself, you need to contact a specialist.

To start, you will need a warm garage for 1-2 cars and a set of power tools: a multimeter, a soldering iron, a spectrum analyzer. You can not do without a standard set of tools: screwdrivers, drills, screwdrivers.

Your competitors are full-service garages and dealerships.

It is more convenient for owners of new cars to install a security system immediately from the seller. Bet on customers whose "signals" are already outdated. You will also be approached by buyers of new cars who will not be satisfied with the offers of sellers, but there will be fewer of them.

In advertising, focus on the fact that alarms are becoming obsolete. Remind potential customers that they do not spare money for audio systems and tuning, but do not update the "signal" for years. Play on the agenda: the car market is in crisis, it is difficult to buy a new car, but you can protect the existing one to the maximum.

Cargo car wash
We opened the list with a mobile car wash, and we will close it with a stationary cargo wash. A clean body is a service that will never lose its relevance.

The main thing in this business is the right place and a bright sign. Bet on spontaneous decisions: "oh, a new car wash, I'll stop by." Offer additional services: coffee, snacks, showers.

Cooperate with cafes, gas stations, motels. Let them come to you as a recreation area: eat, warm up, and at the same time wash the truck.

The most difficult thing when opening a car wash is to coordinate the project, bring communications, ensure the drainage of dirty water, asphalt the site. Then everything is simple: buy ready-made boxes with delivery and installation.

Your competitors are other truck washes.

It is necessary not to fight with competitors in car washing, but to coexist peacefully. It happens like this: you have invested in design, come up with additional services and brew the most delicious coffee, but customers still do not go. You change the barista and the sign, but the problem is not in them: you just need to make a left turn at a long traffic light, and to competitors - the right.

In order for the car wash to generate income, you need the simplest and most convenient check-in. For trucks, this is especially important. A passenger car can stand at a traffic light, and a heavy truck will have to turn from the second lane, maneuver to enter the car wash, then leave - again with a left turn ...

A convenient place is your main trump card. Then there are unique services. The design remains in an honorable third place.