Toyota Reconditioning Videos

Gentlemen : I borrowed two of Toyota's Certified Used Car detailing instruction videos from a dealer. They are useful but not revolutionary. Among the techniques covered : 1) If a stain remains after you've pre-spotted, brushed and toweled it, repeat the procedure until it comes out. If your towel no longer picks up anything, chances are the stain cannot be removed.
2) Do not dress the spare tire because dressing will make it slippery and hard to hold onto. 3) Spray chemicals onto towels and not directly onto surfaces. 4) You can apply wax with a large random orbital buffer ( I could see how this could save time ). Toyota recommends wiping the wax by hand with a towel after it dries. Carnauba wax is used.
Doug
" The modern American sees work as the curse of the masses."-Mark Rutland-

I am very famaliar with the five part series since I work for Toyota, of coarse these techniques are obviously the basics. We have recently added 3M Protection Film installation,complete VIP Package,Etching,and are probably going to add spray on bedliner, and PDR. We have taken a business that was only producing about $25,000 a month to $50,000 a month just by doing in-house. There is actually a checklist that each detailer must fill out at the completion of each job, it is then inspected by the Detail Manager, then used car Manager, then placed on the lot for sale. I only know of a few that actually incorporate this process into their dealerships.

Detailing, An Art In Motion!

Stephen,
I did not mean to imply anything negative about the videos or the certification program. I was trying to satisfy the curiosity raised when the videos were mentioned before. I didn't want to send everyone out in quest of these videos by lavishing too much praise. My opinion of the videos is not an opinion on the certification program itself. To clarify, I consider the videos good but won't tell anyone to spend his money on them on my recommendation. I hope nothing I've said has irked you or others.
Doug
" Mincing your words makes them easier to eat later. "

Doug:

You seem to be a sensitive fellow, my comments were strictly based on experience. No flaming here! Have a nice day for God's sake.

Detailing, An Art In Motion!

The Toyota Detail Certification Videos were done almost 10 years ago by Auto Magic and do more to promote the use of their chemicals than teach the proper methods of detailing.

With all due respect, I did some training sessions for Toyota Certified here in the Northwest and had to "File 13" the videos because, in my opinion, they were not worth much.

We did our own generic training and the Manager in the NW was more pleased with our approach to training than what was developed years ago by Auto Magic.

Regards
Bud Abraham

Gentlemen : I returned the videos to the Toyota dealer detailng shop. I was looking forward to discussing them with the employees but found that the manager was not there and the employees I spoke with had not bothered to watch the videos.
Bud, I'm surprised at your low opinion of the videos as I didn't think they pushed AutoMagic too much and I use some of the techniques myself. Of course, I haven't seen your videos and if they are superior as you say, I may buy them in the future. For now, I must economize lest I be reduced to grabbing old cans of Turtle Wax out of the trunks of junked cars.

Stephen- Glad to see I did not offend. Thanks.
Doug
" They say a fool and his money are soon parted but nowadays it is happening to everybody."

The Toyota videos were a general lesson in "how to do certain things" using Auto Magic chemicals. They were ok as far as they went but were seriously lacking in substance.

For most of the professional detailers on this forum they would be far too basic, and for detailers supposedly going thru a Certified Program they were seriously lacking.

As for my DVD Technical series they were developed to provide knowledge. That is, if you want your hands to do something you have to get the knowledge into your brain so it can tell you hands what to do.

In other words we speak of the philosphy of detailing, that is, what are you trying to do?

Then, how do you go about doing it. For example, teaching one to be a diagnostician.

You cannot diagnose if you do not have the knowledge. You must approach every detail job as follows:

a. What am I working on? Paint; leather; engine; wheels, etc. So you must know the nature of the what you are working on and what you can and cannot do to it.

b. What is the problem? You have to be able to identify the problem before you can correct it.

c. Then you must know your tools so you can choose the right tools for the job.

d. Then the right chemicals that will correct the problem without harming the material you are working on.

e. Finally the right supplies you will need to help you correct the problem.

You can only approach detailing in this way if you have the knowledge. The Toyota Tapes do not give any knowledge they simply say, when cleaning the engine use Auto Magic's Number 12, or whatever. Same with other areas of the vehicle.

Our approach is different. If I give you the knowledge of the materials the problems; knowledge about the tools, chemical and supplies and then show you some step by step procedures you can learn to detail on your own.

Of course, once the knowledge is in your head then "hands on" is much more effective. Nothing takes the place of good hands on instruction.

Even the best pianist; basketball player; golfer, even Tiger Woods, gets hands on training from a tutor.

Regards
Bud Abraham

I would like to add a little more to what Bud has already mentioned, that these tapes are as said very basic in content. The Dealership cannot pass on what they do not have which is NO real honest-to-God detailing knowledge. The video's were designed to do two (2) things; link Toyota's quality standards with Auto Magic's products, You watch the video's and you not only get some very basic how-to suggestions but your products issue is solved to. WOW I'M SOLD! Banana Magic here I come!

My whole point for commenting on this topic anyway was to show that at least they are making an attempt to structure there detailing process. Most shops I see are just plain dumps, the same people take out the garbage everyday while the others make the mess! Live entertainment.

Detailing, An Art In Motion!

Steve,

Very well stated.

I and you, know the gentleman who produced the tapes, he did them, based upon his relationship with Toyota, and their honest need to provide some sort of direction to the dealers "detailers".

In 1999, we did the same for Ford, and it was broadcast on the FordStar network, to all North American dealerships, 5 times.

I have converted that broadcast, which was sent to me on VHS tape to DVD.

It is not sent out to everyone,only some distributors,etc, and has to do with "new vehicle cosmetic predelivery", not "reconditioning".

However, one thing was missing.

Would the "dealers" require as much of the following of the processes, etc of the lowest paid, employee's who were viewed as just a step above "dirt", with no committment by the dealership management?

No, because Ford and Toyota's field people thought that if they had washed/cleaned/waxed a car or two in their drive way, they knew all their was to know.


The dealers will sort of, try to make things be followed when it comes to the other "technicans" in their dealerships, such as engine,drive train, electronics, etc, but in their eyes---these other's are just "lot boys" and have no respect from the management.

Steve Okum did the best he could do, even though he was some how renumirated by AutoWax, at least it was a start.

I worked for years, with Ford, we had the top people in to our PrepExcellence, and I am talking VP's,etc, yet it came down to money.

Ford killed the budget, and it was most likely killed by some "graduate that could operate a laptop, and say the right things, rather than have a clue about what it really takes."

They attended the classes, they "bought in", but yet when they went back, even asked us, which we did, to "license" the PrepExcellence School to them, they never carried it forward, and yet is was to be all "Ford MotorCraft products",not our brand, not AutoWax's AutoMagic, nor any other brand.

AutoWax, IE Auto Magic did manage to get the "remarketing group" of Ford to approve, endorse, their products and processes for the "auction" part of the Ford business.

However, this endorsement was "NEVER" endorsed or approved by the real Ford Motor Co., which these sort of things is controlled by Ford Customer Service Division, IE- FCDS.

This, after a few years, cost a lot of people their jobs.

It was SO bad, that people with 20 years with Ford, were cut, due to some "under the table" action,etc.

To this day, the Remarketing Group has a taint on it as far as the rest of Ford goes.

I work with Toyota University, the "bodyshop/collison" repair part of Toyota.

It's tough, because of this, anything they put their "thumb print" on, is going to be looked at very hard, as it is regarding "buyer safety", etc,

In other words, if one thing they train/teach, at their two University Training Centers, may create the opportunity for a lawsuit, resulting in what they teach/train, the #### hits the fan.


As of a couple of weeks ago, I-CAR, has taken to training with not only our ""Prep Excellence"-"licensed to them," as the base of their "Detailing Course", but, due to being informed by Ford, and the other vehicle companies they control to use only the ValuGard Rust Inhibitor and Undercoating products in their courses, but all are also very close to doing the same, with some of the other ValuGard products, for other repair concerns.

Now ,this may not set well with some detailers, some other chemical distributors, but it is a fact, and the mentioned companies have made these decisions based upon the documente, testing, valid chemical component information and by their own testing labs, proving out the information.

I wonder,often,how so many companies selling chemicals, can tell any customer, with a striaght face that they are good or anything else, when they don't have one, let alone two or more vehicle producers that will even talk to them at corporate level, let alone, approve anything they sell.

It is a "litigation" happy world out there, yet, due in a large part to the internet, people just "assume" that because a company has nice packaging, good forums, or advertising, they are as good as it gets.

I ranted on way too long,but anyone who wishes, can read, take time and understand what I posted here.

Ketch