Coating WITHOUT Correction??

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98LowRanger

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I have a customer who ordered a brand new Jaguar. She picked it up fresh off the truck and told the dealership not to wash it. The drive home are the only miles on it, but it did get in the rain. She wants it coated, but doesn't feel that it needs any paint correction. It sounds like mainly a cost issue as she is generally pretty picky with her vehicles finish. I know as well as you guys do that 95% of even brand new cars could benefit from at least a light one stage paint correction. I have also never heard of applying a paint coating WITHOUT correcting the paint first. Has anyone ever done this? Is it OK to do? Does the correction process have anything to do with prepping the paint for the coating?

She is bringing the car tomorrow morning so anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
 
Well my new car that I got end of April I also told the dealer not to touch it.

I brought it home, washed it, clay bar, Carpro Trix and looked for swirl marks but only found 1 or 2 small areas that needed to be corrected. So I did those small areas and put Cquartz UK on the car. It looks find and I see no issues with it. If the paint is in good condition, however if you notice anything then you should point it out to the customer and say, Hey you want it done properly then I need to do some paint correction if not it wont look good.
 
Just do what she says and get paid.You know her expectations at least clay it.
 
I'd point out any issues before hand, but if a customer wanted a coating without polish....its their car. I had a customer that wanted her new car sealed without polishing (since she knew she would allow the dealer to run it through their wash). I did it and collected my pay.
 
I won't coat a car unless it is as close to perfect as it can be. You need to explain to the client that a coating will magnify defects not hide them. It is my opinion that coating a car just to get paid is the sign of a true hack detailer! If you have any reputation in this business you need to protect it. Your name will be on that car,and the last thing you need is to have people look at the car and say who did that!
 
So many pros frown upon coating a car without polishing. My outlook is...if it is an OTC coating like CQuartz Classic or Optimum Gloss Coat....go for it. Just apply 2 coats. Set proper expectations such as you cannot guarantee longevity without proper preparation. Do the job, collect, and go.
 
Surface preparation is the most important to doing a coating. If it's part of your work ethic and business model to make sure the surface is fully decontaminated and prepared, and the customer doesn't want it, then walk away. Wash/Decontaminate/Evaluate/Prep/Protect -> 5 essential steps. Once you start getting nickle and dimed, it's going to cost you in the long rung.
Doing work on concession (after the fact) is never fun, nor profitable.

Honestly, I would tell her, proper surface preparation is what is key to the coating bonding to the surface and thus longevity.
 
98LowRanger said:
I have a customer who ordered a brand new Jaguar. She picked it up fresh off the truck and told the dealership not to wash it. The drive home are the only miles on it, but it did get in the rain. She wants it coated, but doesn't feel that it needs any paint correction. It sounds like mainly a cost issue as she is generally pretty picky with her vehicles finish. I know as well as you guys do that 95% of even brand new cars could benefit from at least a light one stage paint correction. I have also never heard of applying a paint coating WITHOUT correcting the paint first. Has anyone ever done this? Is it OK to do? Does the correction process have anything to do with prepping the paint for the coating?

She is bringing the car tomorrow morning so anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
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Always give the customer exactly what they ask for.

If you try to upsell her it may backfire.

However it does always make me laugh that people will spend big money on a car and be so stingy when it comes to maintaning it.

Just coat it and be done with it.
 
Mike lambert said:
I won't coat a car unless it is as close to perfect as it can be. You need to explain to the client that a coating will magnify defects not hide them. It is my opinion that coating a car just to get paid is the sign of a true hack detailer! If you have any reputation in this business you need to protect it. Your name will be on that car,and the last thing you need is to have people look at the car and say who did that!
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I totally disagree with your statement.

99.9% of the average population will look at the car after hes; done with it and go wow that looks awesome and ask who did it.

The average car owner doesn't walk around with a swirl light finder in their pocket not do they care about swirls nor do they want to be educated about them. They just want their vehicle to look clean and shiny. We are the 1% ters.
 
98LowRanger said:
I have a customer who ordered a brand new Jaguar. It sounds like mainly a cost issue as she is generally pretty picky with her vehicles finish.
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People like here are funny. Reminds me of a guy busting the chops of a Tire Sales rep about the prices of summer tires for his Vette. Really? Sometimes people make me LOL.

I've coat two new vehicles with less than a week of miles on them. They required little to no correction for swirls, but I do still charge for a quick light polish and a full wash/decontamination as the paint is still in need of all that. Perhaps not a correction but a cleaning and prep for sure. They both turned out flawless.

That said, I do think that most any new car could benefit from a refined polish but perhaps that's just me. Never did a 50/50 to confirm it but that's my gut.
 
custmsprty said:
Always give the customer exactly what they ask for.

If you try to upsell her it may backfire.

However it does always make me laugh that people will spend big money on a car and be so stingy when it comes to maintaning it.

Just coat it and be done with it.
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Agree,money or no money.Deosnt make you a hack.
 
custmsprty said:
I totally disagree with your statement.

99.9% of the average population will look at the car after hes; done with it and go wow that looks awesome and ask who did it.

The average car owner doesn't walk around with a swirl light finder in their pocket not do they care about swirls nor do they want to be educated about them. They just want their vehicle to look clean and shiny. We are the 1% ters.
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^^ Agree. I do a number of what I call option 1 for my services. Basically it's a Wash, Decontamination, Nano/Clay, and sealing up with Collinite 845 or 476. Depending on the car and exact condition I have gone so far as to buff the hood, tops of the fenders and doors and deck lid. Just a quick hit to shine it up and make the more visible horizontal to near horizontal surfaces look great. Usually no more thn 20-25 minutes. People love it and in fact I've just bumped my price up $20 to help cover the costs of doing this little added extra.
 
Interesting how things change even on AG. I can't believe that people are suggesting to not only not polish the paint prior to coating it but to just clay it AND coat it. I am sorry but that is indeed hack detailing. While the OP didn't give details about the car, like color or condition, at the minimum do a 1 step polish after claying the vehicle - being that the car is new both steps should be fairly quick to do. Btw OP, what coating are you applying and what are your prices? Are you under cutting the pro Detailers? No coating job should be inexpensive so what you charge should include proper polishing and all the needed steps. And why would you let the customer tell you what is and isn't needed prior to applying the coating? Do you ever tell the dentist what to do? Or would you (just give the customer what she wants) guys let someone change the oil in your car without replacing the filter?
 
I too wont clay without a polish of some sort after. I dont get tons of people asking for a coating yet but I still think that I should polish first at MINIMUM before the coat.

FWIW I dont do this for a living and dont need to eat from the income.
 
It's your name on it. I cater to the 1%. If you cater to the other 99, then "take her money" and do half a job. This is why guys like you exist,and guys like me exist. We all make the world go round.
 
If you say give the customer what they want, then the scratch they want gone you remove and the clear fails, who is responsible? I turn down coatings all the time, not because of money issues, but because my name is on it. If you don't prep the car right and the customer is unhappy they tell a lot more people about it then if they were happy!
 
"Pigeonholing"

•A long time ago, I came to terms
that people will call themselves what
they want to call themselves.

-They don't need any help
from me in doing so.


Bob
 
So a chef shouldn't make a dish if the customer asks for no onion? After all, his name is on it and if the customer doesn't like it because of the missing ingredients they'll tell everyone.....

Bear in mind that the car being discussed isn't a several year old swirled out wreck.
 
Octopiston said:
So a chef shouldn't make a dish if the customer asks for no onion? After all, his name is on it and if the customer doesn't like it because of the missing ingredients they'll tell everyone.....

Bear in mind that the car being discussed isn't a several year old swirled out wreck.
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Apples and oranges. Even a new car will benefit from a 1 step polish in the gloss department. And as I mentioned above, a coating job should be priced accordingly. The OP needs to red up on the business side of detailing. Topic is similar to: what to charge for claying.
 
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