Speaking to my local Pontiac Car Club

[refreshauto]

So i was recently contacted by my local Pontiac Car Club. Since i joined my local chamber of commerce a fellow chamber member located me. They belong to the local Pontiac Car Club. They want me to come out and show them how to properly maintain their cars. I don't know if any of you are member of your local chamber, but i have gotten some good business out of it.

Below are some of the cars that belong to some of the members.

 

[281]

Some very sweet rides! Thanks for sharing...

 

[Capn Blackie]

Great idea and some great looking cars.

I always love the blue/white versions of Firebirds and Trans Ams.

 

[Tato]

Awesome cars, you should definitively lend your hand to those guys because they preserve great rides, and a great ride deserves a great detailer.

Thanks for sharing, looking forward to see the results.

Kind Regards.

 

[refreshauto]

Some very sweet rides! Thanks for sharing...

Great idea and some great looking cars.

I always love the blue/white versions of Firebirds and Trans Ams.

Awesome cars, you should definitively lend your hand to those guys because they preserve great rides, and a great ride deserves a great detailer.

Thanks for sharing, looking forward to see the results.

Kind Regards.

Thank you all, i am a huge fan of old Pontiac's and Camaro's. The Firebird, Camaro and GTO have always been some of my favorite cars

 

[refreshauto]

so today i was asked to speak at our local Pontiac Car Club. i can honestly say that they were blown away with the detailing world. most of them did not know how much the technology changed and were so used the old way of doing things. it blew there mind when i showed them the nanoskin and how it worked. i landed a few jobs on some nice classic cars. one is a 1967 Le mans all original, cant wait to work on that one.

1 of the other guys said he had given up on detailers cause he called a detailer that he found on craigslist. said that the guys showed up, pulled out a rotary with a wool pad and went to town on his brand new BMW. i have to go and fix that one now. the guys didnt even wash the car, just started buffing. told me he didnt know guys like me existed.

even the car salesman told me that the detailers at his dealership didnt do no where near anything i was doing

 

[Sicoupe]

^ that's awesome Vargas, looks like you are on the right track

 

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Outstanding Vargas! That is very cool! Lots of very nice Pontiac's in the club.

Hope to see a Show 'N Shine on the BMW.

 

[DBAILEY]

That's cool. I've just struck up a friendship with someone in a Camaro club here in the Triangle area. They just won 'Show Class Winner' at the Super Chevy Show at the Rockingham Dragway this past weekend. It was a metallic royal blue 2010 Camaro with the dual white stripes down the hood and trunk. I've already done his '69 Camaro (painted to match the 2010) and it looks like he may be sending a lot of other members my way. He is a judge at many of the Chevy shows in the Carolinas.

I didn't even do that much to the 2010. Just used AF Tripple with green Uber pad and then topped that with a layer of WG Fuzion. The owner did not leave me much time to work on it so could not do any correction.

The '69 got a full 2 step using FG400 and then Meg 205. This car was poorly finished when it was repainted. It had a lot of marring for a show car.

The folks at the car show that knew him and his 2010 were like 'Wow!' and I was thinking that's nothing. An AIO is like the bare minimum that I do. Owner did not realize that he had that chameleon paint where the metallic flake changes color as the angle of light changes. He plans on giving it back to me to have a complete correction done. That '69 is the oldest classic car I've worked on.

 

[HUMP DIESEL]

Great idea and it looks like you had a great presentation set up there. Good for you.

HUMP

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

so today i was asked to speak at our local Pontiac Car Club.

Congratulations!

i can honestly say that they were blown away with the detailing world. most of them did not know how much the technology changed and were so used the old way of doing things.

Demographically most the guys in that own cool cars are older and don't get on the Internet, at least don't hang out on forums like ours so new products, new technology just passes them by...

Last night at our local car show I took all the polishers we carry, everything, Rupes, Cyclo, Flex, etc and not a single guy that stopped by our booth recognized the names or the tools or the "type" of tools, i.e. rotary vs DA versus Forced Rotation DA, etc.

It's understandable, the "net" wasn't around when they did most of their learning so it's passed them by... so pretty much any of our hardcore members, and especially any of our hardcore members that have also attended a formal detailing class like the classes we hold here, (Vargas attended my class in May of this year), easily know more than the majority in any local car club. Easily.

I explain this here,

Detailers that hang out on discussion forums know more than detailers that don't...

it blew there mind when i showed them the Nanoskin and how it worked. i landed a few jobs on some nice classic cars. one is a 1967 Le mans all original, cant wait to work on that one.

Congratulations again Vargas.

In my life, what I've found is the hardest customer to get is the guy that owns a cool car and the reason why is because if he doesn't know you he doesn't trust you to touch his baby.


To earn his trust you need either

1. A warm welcome by someone he does trust.

2. An opportunity to demonstrate you actually know what you're talking about and can walk the walk.

By putting on this clinic you have accomplished number #2 above. You've earned some trust with your local hardcore car guys and after you buff out just a few of these guy's cars they are going to show and tell their friends and you're going to get more work. That's word-of-mouth advertising and it's the strongest form of advertising in the world because it's based on you having integrity and doing exceptional work.

1 of the other guys said he had given up on detailers cause he called a detailer that he found on Craigslist. said that the guys showed up, pulled out a rotary with a wool pad and went to town on his brand new BMW. i have to go and fix that one now. the guys didn't even wash the car, just started buffing. told me he didn't know guys like me existed.

That's the definition of a Hack Detailer. And it's also a detailer that doesn't hang out on a forum like this one unlike you.

even the car salesman told me that the detailers at his dealership didn't do no where near anything i was doing

Most detailers that don't hang out on a forum like this or attend at a minimum some type of educational class don't know squat and end up doing more harm than good when they "touch" a car. I explain why here,

The story of 3 H's - Horrendous, Horror Story and Hack Detailers...



I'm impressed with your success Vargas and if others want to copy your success they need to copy what you do....



Here's three powerful examples of investing in yourself.


1. You could have stayed home but instead you did what it takes and invested some money on time and travel, even bringing your family to be a part of this project just a few weeks ago where you were one of a few few people in America to use a brand new product that is going to be launched in America in the near future.


Pictures: 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery - Secret Project

Vargas in sandwiched between Chris and Earl the Plumber in the below picture, 6th person from the left.

2. Before the above project you did what it takes and invested some money on time and travel, even bringing your family to be a part of this project

Autogeek's Pro Detail Team in Kentucky!

That's Vargas, the second guy in from the left....

Had a chance to hang out with Dennis Gage and you'll be on his TV show next year...

Helped us buff out a car LIVE at a car show for "My Classic Car".

Here's Vargas working on the top of the front fender....

3. Attended Autogeek's Detailing Boot Camp Class
In May of this year you did what it takes and invested some time and money into yourself to attend our detailing boot camp class....

Pictures: Detailing Classes at Autogeek - May 2014

Vargas is the 4th guy from the left standing behind this 1939 Chevy that started out white with oxidation and is now gleaming liquid red.

Here's Vargas machine sanding a 1963 Impala SS using a Griot's 3" Mini Polisher as a 3" Sander.

All of the above are credentials you've earned by investing in yourself and now they are paying off....

Besides all your hard work one of the things that I really appreciate in you is how you always conduct yourself in a professional manner in both the real world and in the forum world. That's what separates a true professional from all the rest.

And next you're taking a class with Renny Doyle...


Way to lead by example Vargas, your wife must be very proud of you... I know I am... and anyone that lets you work on your car is in qualified hands.


Keep up the good work and always be a perpetual student....


:dblthumb2:

 

[HUMP DIESEL]

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

HUMP

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Demographically most the guys in that own cool cars are older and don't get on the Internet, at least don't hang out on forums like ours so new products, new technology just passes them by...

It's understandable, the "net" wasn't around when they did most of their learning so it's passed them by... so pretty much any of our hardcore members, and especially any of our hardcore members that have also attended a formal detailing class like the classes we hold here, (Vargas attended my class in May of this year), easily know more than the majority in any local car club. Easily.

I explain this here,

Detailers that hang out on discussion forums know more than detailers that don't...

I continue to marvel at how the internet has changed things. I was involved in a few hobbies before the internet, one of which was easy to learn about, because there were magazines, trade shows, clubs, etc.; detailing was not. There were no detailing magazines, no detailing trade shows, no detailing clubs, no detailing books, etc.

So it's time to thank you again, Mike, for your pivotal and continuing role in making the internet the place to congregate and learn about detailing.

always be a perpetual student....

Another great piece of advice, to always keep an open mind and keep learning.

 

[ResQRy]

Very inspiring! Congratulations Vargas!

 

[refreshauto]

^ that's awesome Vargas, looks like you are on the right track

Thank you very much

Outstanding Vargas! That is very cool! Lots of very nice Pontiac's in the club.

Hope to see a Show 'N Shine on the BMW.

they do have some nice cars, while i was there an original Judge was brought in by on of the members. going to see that BMW this weekend and see how bad it really is, but from what the owner was saying, the guy really trashed it. so hopefully i can bring some life back to it without causing any more damage

That's cool. I've just struck up a friendship with someone in a Camaro club here in the Triangle area. They just won 'Show Class Winner' at the Super Chevy Show at the Rockingham Dragway this past weekend. It was a metallic royal blue 2010 Camaro with the dual white stripes down the hood and trunk. I've already done his '69 Camaro (painted to match the 2010) and it looks like he may be sending a lot of other members my way. He is a judge at many of the Chevy shows in the Carolinas.

I didn't even do that much to the 2010. Just used AF Tripple with green Uber pad and then topped that with a layer of WG Fuzion. The owner did not leave me much time to work on it so could not do any correction.

The '69 got a full 2 step using FG400 and then Meg 205. This car was poorly finished when it was repainted. It had a lot of marring for a show car.

The folks at the car show that knew him and his 2010 were like 'Wow!' and I was thinking that's nothing. An AIO is like the bare minimum that I do. Owner did not realize that he had that chameleon paint where the metallic flake changes color as the angle of light changes. He plans on giving it back to me to have a complete correction done. That '69 is the oldest classic car I've worked on.

there are a lot of nice cars here in the triangle. i tried to work with the camaro and corvette clubs of Raleigh but neither were interested in me coming out and speaking with them. that is good that you were able to find somebody in that group

trying to compete with the craigslist detailers is hard when the guy up the road from you is charging $20 to detail a car inside and out and they wonder why our prices are so much higher.

Great idea and it looks like you had a great presentation set up there. Good for you.

HUMP

thank you, joining the chamber gave me access to over 700 small business owners, the chambers mailing list and use of there bulk postage stamp if i were to ever want to mail flyers out. its just another avenue to bring awareness to what we do. there is only 1 other detailer in the chamber, but all he does i wash cars. does not use a machine at all

I continue to marvel at how the internet has changed things. I was involved in a few hobbies before the internet, one of which was easy to learn about, because there were magazines, trade shows, clubs, etc.; detailing was not. There were no detailing magazines, no detailing trade shows, no detailing clubs, no detailing books, etc.

So it's time to thank you again, Mike, for your pivotal and continuing role in making the internet the place to congregate and learn about detailing.



Another great piece of advice, to always keep an open mind and keep learning.

i do have to thank Mike for all his great advice and allowing me to be a part of these few projects. i was opened to a whole new world by going to his boot camp. i now have the confidence to go out and work on any time of car no matter the condition or the paint type. if you have no been to his boot camp i highly recommend going, there is nothing like it. Mike and Nick make take the time to talk to you, answer any questions you have. they are always quick to reply to any questions you have.

 

[damaged442]

This is awesome! What a great opportunity! Congrats!

Out of all the pics, I gotta say I love that 77 Can Am. That is a pretty rare beast! Would love to pick one up someday.

 

[refreshauto]

Congratulations!





Demographically most the guys in that own cool cars are older and don't get on the Internet, at least don't hang out on forums like ours so new products, new technology just passes them by...

Last night at our local car show I took all the polishers we carry, everything, Rupes, Cyclo, Flex, etc and not a single guy that stopped by our booth recognized the names or the tools or the "type" of tools, i.e. rotary vs DA versus Forced Rotation DA, etc.

It's understandable, the "net" wasn't around when they did most of their learning so it's passed them by... so pretty much any of our hardcore members, and especially any of our hardcore members that have also attended a formal detailing class like the classes we hold here, (Vargas attended my class in May of this year), easily know more than the majority in any local car club. Easily.

I explain this here,

Detailers that hang out on discussion forums know more than detailers that don't...







Congratulations again Vargas.

In my life, what I've found is the hardest customer to get is the guy that owns a cool car and the reason why is because if he doesn't know you he doesn't trust you to touch his baby.


To earn his trust you need either

1. A warm welcome by someone he does trust.

2. An opportunity to demonstrate you actually know what you're talking about and can walk the walk.

By putting on this clinic you have accomplished number #2 above. You've earned some trust with your local hardcore car guys and after you buff out just a few of these guy's cars they are going to show and tell their friends and you're going to get more work. That's word-of-mouth advertising and it's the strongest form of advertising in the world because it's based on you having integrity and doing exceptional work.





That's the definition of a Hack Detailer. And it's also a detailer that doesn't hang out on a forum like this one unlike you.





Most detailers that don't hang out on a forum like this or attend at a minimum some type of educational class don't know squat and end up doing more harm than good when they "touch" a car. I explain why here,

The story of 3 H's - Horrendous, Horror Story and Hack Detailers...



I'm impressed with your success Vargas and if others want to copy your success they need to copy what you do....



Here's three powerful examples of investing in yourself.


1. You could have stayed home but instead you did what it takes and invested some money on time and travel, even bringing your family to be a part of this project just a few weeks ago where you were one of a few few people in America to use a brand new product that is going to be launched in America in the near future.


Pictures: 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery - Secret Project

Vargas in sandwiched between Chris and Earl the Plumber in the below picture, 6th person from the left.

2. Before the above project you did what it takes and invested some money on time and travel, even bringing your family to be a part of this project

Autogeek's Pro Detail Team in Kentucky!

That's Vargas, the second guy in from the left....

Had a chance to hang out with Dennis Gage and you'll be on his TV show next year...

Helped us buff out a car LIVE at a car show for "My Classic Car".

Here's Vargas working on the top of the front fender....

3. Attended Autogeek's Detailing Boot Camp Class
In May of this year you did what it takes and invested some time and money into yourself to attend our detailing boot camp class....

Pictures: Detailing Classes at Autogeek - May 2014

Vargas is the 4th guy from the left standing behind this 1939 Chevy that started out white with oxidation and is now gleaming liquid red.

Here's Vargas machine sanding a 1963 Impala SS using a Griot's 3" Mini Polisher as a 3" Sander.

All of the above are credentials you've earned by investing in yourself and now they are paying off....

Besides all your hard work one of the things that I really appreciate in you is how you always conduct yourself in a professional manner in both the real world and in the forum world. That's what separates a true professional from all the rest.

And next you're taking a class with Renny Doyle...


Way to lead by example Vargas, your wife must be very proud of you... I know I am... and anyone that lets you work on your car is in qualified hands.


Keep up the good work and always be a perpetual student....


:dblthumb2:

Thank you Mike for all your kind words, my wife is definitely proud of what i am doing. i am a huge advocate of training, i still to this job go to school every semester and learn of all the new technology that is coming out. i cant stress enough that continuing your education whether it be going to school, certifications, trade schools will keep you head of the game and keep you in high demand.

joining the chamber is not something most of us think of, but since joining i have been given access to over 700 small business owners just like myself. this is how i made this connection.

this event was not about going out and trying to land new cars to work on, it was about teaching these guys how to maintain the classic vehicle they own. not a single one of them ever thought about using a waterless car wash on their car, they didn't think about the fact that washing it with water they were introducing another way to harm the car.

i was only given a half hour to speak with them, but after showing them the many different products, techniques and tips on how to do things the proper way, it turned into a 3 hour tech session. i think it was a great success and maybe found a few new friends as well.

 

[refreshauto]

Very inspiring! Congratulations Vargas!

thank you very much

This is awesome! What a great opportunity! Congrats!

Out of all the pics, I gotta say I love that 77 Can Am. That is a pretty rare beast! Would love to pick one up someday.

they have a couple of rare cars in the group, that Can Am is a rare one for sure.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

this event was not about going out and trying to land new cars to work on, it was about teaching these guys how to maintain the classic vehicle they own.

That's how I operate. Focus on education and business will be a natural outcome.

not a single one of them ever thought about using a waterless car wash on their car, they didn't think about the fact that washing it with water they were introducing another way to harm the car.

Perfect. Never introduce water to classics as it can cause or accelerate rust. Especially cars that are frame-off restorations since the issue has already been addressed. Rust is one of the most costly and time consuming problems to correct when restoring or hotrodding an older car.

Just to note, last year on "My Classic Car", this was an educational topic we shared with Dennis's veiwers....

How to use a waterless wash to clean classics and muscle cars
[video=youtube_share;tB5amrxXV9Q&hd=1"]How to use a waterless wash[/video]​

i was only given a half hour to speak with them, but after showing them the many different products, techniques and tips on how to do things the proper way, it turned into a 3 hour tech session.

It's obvious you had their attention and that's because

A: You earned their trust.
B: You taught a topic of high interest to this crowd.

i think it was a great success and maybe found a few new friends as well.

That's more rewarding than anything.... I'm happy to say that all the guys I get to know via the car world are also frineds... and that includes you.

It will be exciting watching your success into the future my firend....


Like my good friend, mentor and former manager at Meguiar's Mike Pennington would always tell me...

"Always take the high road"

It's advice that has served me well...

That and my life philosophy that I learned from Zig Ziglar....

"You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want"



:dblthumb2:

:dblthumb2:

 

[dabirdz]

congrats on the connection and thank you for sharing some classics. It looks like you have educated them properly, and corrected some trust issues caused by uneducated "detailers"