Sam : Spray wax products lack durability to the point where I wonder if it is ethical to use one and bill it as a " wax job ". Sprays also have zero cleaning ability. Auto Magic sells Seal-It, a polymer sealant that is supposed to contain a lot of solvent to remove any remaining road tar as you wax. Polymers are more resistant to commercial car wash soaps so this product may be good fby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Rob; Consider This- You can do a free exterior or car wash for the manager to demonstrate your service and build good will. Then hand the guy some broshures and ask him to display them for others. That way, when people ask how good you are, he'll be able to recommend you. This is all more impressive that promises of discounts. Discounts may be interpreted as meaningless since you cby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Flamingoroad : Another good cleaner wax is Mother's original. Fine polishing can take all day by hand. You can buy a Porter Cable 7424 from Lowes for less than re-labeled PCs elsewhere. I did see the 7424 at a reasonable price on a detailing supply site ( may have been Autogeek ). Many think a polymer sealant is better for a daily driver and sealants resist car wash soaps better. Douby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
First of all, make sure you are differentiating between swirl marks and cobweb scratches. The only way to remove cobwebs is to remove paint to below the level of the micro-scratches. That is not normally a good idea on a daily driver because someday you may run out of paint to remove. Swirls can be caused by dirt on a pad scratching the surface or by a dry pad and dried compound scratchingby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Terrific Detail : I think this issue was raised in the past so the site search feature may be useful. I have no real knowlege here but suggest you make sure your tank is adequately vented so you don't create a vacuum as the water goes out. Perhaps try it with the fill cap removed. Just my speculation, though. Doug " If you let everyone know your business, pretty soon you won'tby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Rob : Uh one more thing : If you use discounts, make them simple. Customers don't want to fuss with your " not good with other offers/dirty cars extra/weekdays only/no Hummers complications. Don't use percentages like : 20% OFF ! Customers can't always compute the discount and a percent is not real money to them. The effective way is : $25 off any Full or Premium detailby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Rob : I'd like to add that owners of small publications may be willing to trade advertising for having their own cars detailed. You have to ask. As to what rich folks want : I'd say they want the best job for the lowest price in many cases. The key is to sell them on your insurance, punctuality, quality of work, use of professional-quality or boutique products, knowlege, honesty aby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Rob : Here's an angle ! Consider an ad in a car or truck trader publication offering : " Dealers detail their used cars so they sell for much MUCH more. Now you can have your car put in the same sparkling condition and the service will probably PAY FOR ITSELF. We come to you with a complete shop on wheels. Then we completely clean and deodorize the car's surfaces. After thatby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Bud : Some years ago, 33 shops of one major lube franchise were ordered to stop showing people contaminated fluids and falsely claiming the fluid had been suctioned from the customers' cars. All of those franchises were under the same ownership. I took a Chrysler Cordoba to a Lube shop one freezing day because I didn't feel like changing my oil myself. Big mistake. They stripped oby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Gentlemen : I may not be qualified to weigh in on this one but I have a lot of life behind me so here goes : If you sense something bad about a person, tune into it. Don't screen out your intuition. If a prospective employee comes across as a con artist or seems to look at you as a mark or an inferior, pay attention to the warning. Acquaint any new employee with the facts about how much moby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Bud : I hope my absence from quick lube places doesn't count against me too much in your estimation. Anyway, I was speaking of a possible image problem from working with dirty oil and later, pristine upholstery. I never intended to impugn the cleanliness or appearance of the lube technicians. I should add that the quick lube business appears founded on hiring kids to do the work of mecby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Sam : I'd like to add that that guy's procedure sounds like a big waste of time. If you are preparing used cars for sale, the quick way is to wash the whole car at once, degrease and remove bugs and tar in the wash bay. Clay if necessary. Dress exterior vinyl. Apply a one-step cleaner wax and work it in until you have the shine you want. Only if the finish needs it, should you spenby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Bud : Actually, I've already sent Consumer Reports a long letter about shortcomings in their test . They wrote me an answer, promising to forward my comments to the appropriate departments for use in future tests. That was "all she wrote'. Doug " If a boss says he wants no "yes men ", his employees will answer in unison, " Neither do we ! ".by Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Consumer Reports recently did a big wax test but I have serious problems with it. Among those, is the " apples and oranges " comparison of Griot's Best of Show Wax ( a pure wax ) with one-step products. Curiously, the Griot's Best Of Show earned a " good " rating for cleaning ability in spite of the fact it contains no cleaning ingredients ! Doug Delmont "by Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Bud : I indicated my complaint about tha car's price ( or value ) was all in fun when I said fun and games time was over. Can you provide information on how I can order a case of the $10,000 car wax ? Doug Delmontby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Bud : The Guru Report on Wax impressed me. To some extent, it was scientific. Above all, it was independent. Many of the Guru findings were confirmed in my own tests ( I agree that Mother's California Gold is good, for instance ). As I recall, your test was done with samples sent in by independent detailers. Under such conditions, how could you insure the freshness, purity and even autby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Brian : Same problem. I couldn't get the link to work. If possible, could you email me the list too? Dougby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
VV : Another speed tool is a long-handled bug scrubber for RV windshields that I found at Wal-Mart. In any case, get the bugs off the windshield during the wash phase so your window-cleaning step later on is a breeze. Doug Delmont " You can't run with the big dogs if you act like a puppy and you can't swim with the big fish if you splash like a guppy ".by Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
VV: I cannot give you a definitive reply but only opinions. I believe it is impossible to do a great job in less than 3.5 hours. A wholesale or low quality job can be done in 2 hours by some guys. Many pros take 6 or so hours to do a detail right. You can speed things up by putting together an Interior Kit in a bucket or carry-all that can be taken with you into the car so you have everythby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
You should wash the car first, of course. People have gotten away with buffing first if thier compound was coarser than the dirt. Washing cools the surfaces and removes dirt that would otherwise cause swirl marks. The guy you write about is simply doing things wrong and not being caught but I'll bet his cars have a lot of swirls on them. Doug Delmont " A professional is one wby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
You can remove rust with Naval Jelly of products that chemically remove the rust and leave a protective coating. Awesome all purpose cleaner applied full strength and left to dwell can remove rust too. The problem is keeping the rust from coming back. That can mean painting with Rustoleum or coating with petroleum jelly. Gun care products such as Birchwood Casey Sheath may work. Doug Delmontby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
A guy pays 650K for a car ? Yes, definitely a sucker but... I've read that P.T. Barnum never really said the words he's most remembered for. O.K. fun time's over. Back to work. Doug Delmont " Most men are self-made but only the successful ones admit it. "by Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Ecodetail : Carnauba wax provides a thicker layer of protection than do sealants. A good sealant will outlast the Carnauba wax, however, and is more resistant to commercial car wash detergents. Many enthusiasts apply a sealant and top it with a wax to get the pop of the sealant and the depth of the wax. The most durable Carnauba wax I have tested is Malm's Liquid. It is only suitable foby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Clay is useful for removing solidly bonded contaminants such as paint overspray. There is a risk of dragging dirt against the glass with the clay and causing scratches. For that reason, I would not use clay for general glass cleaning. If you simply need to deep clean the windshield, you can use any of several mildly abrasive substances : corn starch in water, Griot's Garage glass polisby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Gentlemen: It may be worth pondering whether an oil change business is compatible with detailing. To me, it conjures up the image of a guy in oil-stained coveralls crawling all over my upholstery. That may be a strong pschological obstacle for the customer to overcome. One quick lube place I know offers a full detail for only 125 dollars and they have had very few takers. Doug Delmontby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Bud : I didn't make that very clear . Sorry. What I meant was that clay lubricant containing wax would have less wax in it ( presumably ) than, say, a spray wax product. I would imagine the lubricant product could only provide a minimal wax coating. If you intend to polish and wax after claying, I wonder what good the wax in the clay lubricant would do. As a side note : Griot'sby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
I assume that that Escalade is garaged ( with the rate they are stolen, it would probably be gone by now if it weren't ) so what we have here is a garaged car washed once a week that does fine without wax. What does that tell us ? Wax helps shield the paint from the sun somewhat like sunblock. It keeps contaminates from adhering to the paint as solidly as they would without wax. It may pby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
Hydration packs such as the military's heavied-up Camelback model allow you to work while drinking through the unit's hose. In any case, drink before you feel thirst as thirst is a late sign you need water. To cool off, run cool water over your wrists, fingertips, and face. New microfiber shirts and undershorts are better at wicking away moisture than cotton but may be less comfrtablby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
New car paints have a short cure time. The owner's manual may specify it. Check the date of manufacture listed on the door jamb. If the car was shipped from overseas, that alone tells you the paint had time to cure and is ready for wax. If the surface has bonded contaminants, clay it. Then use a one-step product or a mild polish followed by a pure wax. Almost any finish can benefit frby Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts
I would wonder if the wax residue would contaminate my clay and whether the wax would hold up if it starts out diluted with lubricant. These concerns may be unfounded but this is my initial reaction to the idea. Doug Delmont " A pessimist is someone who has lent money to an optimist."by Doug Delmont - Auto Detailing: Secrets of the Experts