LED Lighting in Detail Shops – It Might Save Money But Cost on Quality

Well, I guess you know that our energy prices are going up, up, and away. And I have no doubt that you changed most of your light bulbs in your home to the more energy efficient light bulbs. Still, there are LED lights which are even more energy efficient, and many businesses are going to those. There’s only one problem with that if you happen to be in the auto detailing business, or have an auto detailing shop. I’d like to discuss this with you if you have a few moments, because it is a real concern.

As you know with the auto detailing industry you have to do a perfect job on every car. And that requires adequate lighting. It requires real lighting. It’s almost impossible to tell if you did a perfect job on someone’s windows unless you are looking at the window or through the window with actual sunlight. The types of lights that you have or use matter very much. I can tell you this, having been in the franchising business, and having franchised detail shops prior to my retirement; those detail shops which had fluorescent lights, because we didn’t have LED lights back then for these type of industrial applications, had the most complaints.

Customers got their cars back and they noticed a film on the rubber, plastic, rims, windows, or clear coat. It was something that the master detailer or detailing technician did not see. And it wasn’t their fault. In fact, the lighting was all wrong, and they could not see the flaws in their own work. Even though our teams used the best possible products in the auto detailing industry, they still made mistakes due to improper lighting. Now then, fluorescent lights and LED lights are quite different. Neither of those choices are as good as UV lights, and in some cases LED lights may be better than fluorescent, but nothing beats natural sunlight.

One thing I always looked for when our franchises went looking for locations, was for industrial buildings which had skylights because it let in natural light, not only did this save on energy, but it also allowed for better detailing quality. Of course there are days when there is overcast, or when you are working late into the night doing wholesale detailing for a car dealership, an auto auction, or you just can’t finish all the work before dark, because it’s daylight savings time.

What’s the solution you ask? Well it’s important to get the right temperature (note: temperature is a visual lighting term), and there are specific LED lights, and lenses which can help you with this. Before you put in LED lights in your auto detailing shop to save energy, make sure you get with someone that really knows lighting, and all the applications. Make sure they have a good understanding about the science of lighting; because it does matter. Trust me on this. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.