Detailing in an apartment

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Pratik05

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Hello,

I own a white 2011 Civic which I have for two years now. It was pre owned so it already had few scratches swirl marks from the time I bought it. Over the time I owned it, I have tried hand polishing it out, waxing it but the results have never been good. I wanted to get a polisher but the problem is, I live in an apartment and there's no power outlets for me to use.

I have now decided I need to invest in a polisher, and I am thinking of buying either a Ryobi cordless polisher, or an actual corded polisher that I might use using cord extenders powered from my apartment (I have to park about a hundred feet away from my apartment).

Which one would be better for my case? Or is there any other solution?

(P.S. I am an amateur im detailing, and any advice helps!)

Thanks
 
Welcome sir. I admire that you want to try and correct your paint. Here is my suggestion:

Post up a new thread with your location asking if any local AutoGeek guys would help you with correcting your paint at their house and hang out.

or

Seek a professional whom can perform a correction and then you maintain from there. The money you save on buying a polisher, pads, chemicals etc would pretty much pay for this service. And since you live in an apartment, you won't have the stuff sitting around after.
 
It's a challenge to be sure for a detailer to live in an apartment complex. My friends place has a car wash area with power outlets as some do and some don't.

Here's a major issue, if you run a 100' foot extension cord and a tenant trips and falls on it, bud you're in for a world of litigation from them and the apartment complex owner. You pretty much would be 100% liable.
 
Some great advice already, I totally agree with what has been said. If you are dead set on getting the stuff and doing it yourself, ask a family member or friend to use there driveway, or garage! That's what I would do. If anything sweeten the deal with an offer to help clean up there ride, buy them dinner, or drinks are on you the next night out.
 
Hammer77 said:
Some great advice already, I totally agree with what has been said. If you are dead set on getting the stuff and doing it yourself, ask a family member or friend to use there driveway, or garage! That's what I would do. If anything sweeten the deal with an offer to help clean up there ride, buy them dinner, or drinks are on you the next night out.
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:dblthumb2:
 
Grab a tent and go rent a campsite with electricity for the night and do it there. Then relax and enjoy the evening while admiring your results:buffing::buffing::buffing:
 
sharpcanoe said:
Grab a tent and go rent a campsite with electricity for the night and do it there. Then relax and enjoy the evening while admiring your results:buffing::buffing::buffing:
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Really?

So I'm at the campsite next door and I have to listen to a power machine running for 5-6 + hours while I was trying to relax with my family on my camping vacation?

That wouldn't last long. :doh:
 
CarolinasFinestDetailing said:
Welcome sir. I admire that you want to try and correct your paint. Here is my suggestion:

Post up a new thread with your location asking if any local AutoGeek guys would help you with correcting your paint at their house and hang out.

or

Seek a professional whom can perform a correction and then you maintain from there. The money you save on buying a polisher, pads, chemicals etc would pretty much pay for this service. And since you live in an apartment, you won't have the stuff sitting around after.
Click to expand...


Thank you sir for the tip. I thought about using my friends' houses, but didn't press too much on that. I also talked to a local detailer about getting it done there- he said it would cost $300 for them to compound and polish it to get the swirl marks out. My car is white, and I live in Texas. Good deal?
 
custmsprty said:
It's a challenge to be sure for a detailer to live in an apartment complex. My friends place has a car wash area with power outlets as some do and some don't.

Here's a major issue, if you run a 100' foot extension cord and a tenant trips and falls on it, bud you're in for a world of litigation from them and the apartment complex owner. You pretty much would be 100% liable.
Click to expand...


I don't know of any car wash places with power outlets in my area unfortunately. And the issue you brought up is legitimate, and I had thought about it too- just forgot about the litigation part! So no extenders then.

Thank you for the heads up!
 
Pratik05 said:
Thank you sir for the tip. I thought about using my friends' houses, but didn't press too much on that. I also talked to a local detailer about getting it done there- he said it would cost $300 for them to compound and polish it to get the swirl marks out. My car is white, and I live in Texas. Good deal?
Click to expand...

Hi Pratik - I can't speak to the going rate in TX, but both of these are good options. Certainly going the route of DIY is going to take some start up funds. If you opt to go with the local detailer, you could still delve into the world of detailing by investing into car wash products/techniques and interior detailing products. These two topics could keep you quite busy and are quite rewarding and fun unto themselves.
 
Pratik05 said:
I don't know of any car wash places with power outlets in my area unfortunately. And the issue you brought up is legitimate, and I had thought about it too- just forgot about the litigation part! So no extenders then.

Thank you for the heads up!
Click to expand...

Yeah it stinks unfortunately.

To clarify what I said, my friend has a nice Audi A-6, not that that matters, but his complex has a covered and open car wash area with pay vacuum and free power outlets. The apartment complex around the corner from my house has power outlets at their car wash station. Maybe you could approach the property management of your apartment complex to install a power station at the car wash area. It wouldn't cost them much to make their tenants happy.
 
custmsprty said:
Yeah it stinks unfortunately.

To clarify what I said, my friend has a nice Audi A-6, not that that matters, but his complex has a covered and open car wash area with pay vacuum and free power outlets. The apartment complex around the corner from my house has power outlets at their car wash station. Maybe you could approach the property management of your apartment complex to install a power station at the car wash area. It wouldn't cost them much to make their tenants happy.
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Actually, my apartment doesn't even have car wash areas. I usually go to coin-operated car washes and hand wash my car!
 
Pratik05 said:
Actually, my apartment doesn't even have car wash areas. I usually go to coin-operated car washes and hand wash my car!
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Bummer!

So crash a complex that does and act like you live there for the day Im the MAN
 
Pratik05 said:
Thank you sir for the tip. I thought about using my friends' houses, but didn't press too much on that. I also talked to a local detailer about getting it done there- he said it would cost $300 for them to compound and polish it to get the swirl marks out. My car is white, and I live in Texas. Good deal?
Click to expand...

300$ is very unexpensive to have a correction done. One thing you might need to know is that deep scratches won't come out with a 2 step correction like that (Compound+Polishing). You have to have a 3 step correction to take those out (sanding them first). So if you decide to go that route, make sure to talk about it with the detailer so you are both on the same page of what can and cannot be done on your car (dépends on your paint thickness and how deep the scratches are).

But again, 300$ is not expensive.
 
You could get a power inverter for the car. Just depends on how much you really want to spend to do it yourself at the apartment.
 
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