Do I Have The Necessary Equipment To Start Detailing As A Side Gig?

[Mantilgh]

Orange 88 works awesome on engines, and I also use it on salt stains on carpets! Spray let it soak, scrub, dab with towel! For salt get as much out as you can dry first. It helps alot

Yep, great degreaser at the stronger dilution. Good for removing oil stains from floor mats that people pick up from parking lots. Does well on coffee stains. Works well on wheels too.

 

[PandaSauce]

Picked up a gallon of Sonax, ONR, and Barebones.

Gonna pick up Solution Finish, Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel, and more pads after my next job.

I also want a stronger degreaser and some glass polish and tar remover.

 

[Joe@NextLevelDetail]

I like the PB's wheel sealant. But you can also use any sealant like upp, exp etc..

You can buy 5 gallons of zep orange degreaser at home depot, for 46 or the purple degreaser for 36 5 gallons. At different dilution ratios you can make up to 36 gallons of light duty and 16 gallons of heavy duty.

And the stuff is so strong it can eat away at paint on a tractor I seen it on you tube I think that was straight tho.

I use it for wheels tires and wheel wells works great

 

[Eldorado2k]

I actually prefer cleaning windows with ONR at quick detail dilution ratio (8 Oz per gallon)

Ok 1st of all, how come nobody strongly advised Megs D114 over this? 8oz. per gallon dilution?? Wow I never knew that till now.. How is this a better suggestion than D114@1:128? Just sayin...

IMO you don't need 6 of every pad. Heck, I have like 5-6 foam polishing pads and I haven't used 3 of them in quite a while [3 of them are White LC Flat Pads] They're great pads, I just seem to reach for the Megs since they're newer.

Same with foam cutting pads. You can honestly survive on 2-3 in the beginning... Instead of 6 foam cutting pads, have 3 foam cutting pads and 3 microfiber cutting pads and you'll be good for a while...

You have waay too many interior protectants..
You have zero leather cleaner conditioner?
If you're looking for a cost efficient Wheel & Tire Cleaner I suggest Megs D143. 1 gallon of it dilutes to 3 gallons of product. I paid less than $14 for the gallon last week!

Get some Megs Wheel Brightener for those near impossible wheels you'll run into because you're sure to run into them, and I don't see anything on your list that stands out at being able to handle them so far.

DP AIO Headlight Restoration Polish and you'll be able to say "yes I can clean up your hazy yellow headlights"

Stoners Trim Shine or Megs D4510

Master Blaster Sidekick, because once you have a blower you'll wonder how you ever detailed without it...

 

[Eldorado2k]

Spray wax? Every good detailer should have some availiable. Megs D156.

Magic Erasers.

Hold off on the glass polish for now...

Do you have great wheel brush yet? Great doesn't mean expensive, Tampico spoke brush is a good 1 to start.

 

[tony58]

Don't forget General liability and garage keepers insurance...l.Remember its a sue happy world...

 

[PandaSauce]

Ok 1st of all, how come nobody strongly advised Megs D114 over this? 8oz. per gallon dilution?? Wow I never knew that till now.. How is this a better suggestion than D114@1:128? Just sayin...

IMO you don't need 6 of every pad. Heck, I have like 5-6 foam polishing pads and I haven't used 3 of them in quite a while [3 of them are White LC Flat Pads] They're great pads, I just seem to reach for the Megs since they're newer.

Same with foam cutting pads. You can honestly survive on 2-3 in the beginning... Instead of 6 foam cutting pads, have 3 foam cutting pads and 3 microfiber cutting pads and you'll be good for a while...

You have waay too many interior protectants..
You have zero leather cleaner conditioner?
If you're looking for a cost efficient Wheel & Tire Cleaner I suggest Megs D143. 1 gallon of it dilutes to 3 gallons of product. I paid less than $14 for the gallon last week!

Get some Megs Wheel Brightener for those near impossible wheels you'll run into because you're sure to run into them, and I don't see anything on your list that stands out at being able to handle them so far.

DP AIO Headlight Restoration Polish and you'll be able to say "yes I can clean up your hazy yellow headlights"

Stoners Trim Shine or Megs D4510

Master Blaster Sidekick, because once you have a blower you'll wonder how you ever detailed without it...

A few more pads are on the list. Why do people suggest so many? Just curious.

Any recommendations on leather conditioner? I thought HD Protect was supposed to be good for that. I remember liking Lexol.

I already ordered Sonax but will be looking at something more cost effective.

I'll look at the DP Headlight Polish. Everything I've tried before only lasts like 6 months.

Spray wax? Every good detailer should have some availiable. Megs D156.

Magic Erasers.

Hold off on the glass polish for now...

Do you have great wheel brush yet? Great doesn't mean expensive, Tampico spoke brush is a good 1 to start.

I have CG P40 for spray wax and I use it diluted for clay lube. I'm down to 1 magic eraser so I'll be getting more.

I have a tire brush and wheel brush but I want a bigger wheel brush for big open type wheels.

Don't forget General liability and garage keepers insurance...l.Remember its a sue happy world...

That'll come in time. I wish I could afford it now but I can't.

 

[Eldorado2k]

A few more pads are on the list. Why do people suggest so many? Just curious.

I don't know why they'd suggest more pads than I've survived on so far... I mean it's not like you're going to be polishing 3 cars per day in the beginning... I don't care who you are, you're not that good a salesman nor will you have that kind of energy to be needing 6 of every pad as a starter kit. If anything, buy more wash mitts and drying towels if you don't already have em. That's the real advice.



Any recommendations on leather conditioner? I thought HD Protect was supposed to be good for that. I remember liking Lexol.

I've never tried HD Protect.

I have tried Lexol and I dislike everything about it. Smells bad, applies worse, doesn't clean actual dirty leather.

I use Megs D180 Leather Cleaner & Conditioner as my "leather conditioner" 1 gallon/$32 bucks. Lotion consistency, smells amazing. Is it the best stuff according to what people say? No. But I don't have any complaints because I don't depend on it to do any actual "cleaning"... I only expect it to do 1 thing and that's condition leather [give it a great appearance and leave it smelling amazing] and it does that well.



I already ordered Sonax but will be looking at something more cost effective.

Sonax? Doesn't that come in like a 20oz. expensive bottle? Ouch... Do you know how much Brown Royal you could buy for that price and have something that blows it away?



I'll look at the DP Headlight Polish. Everything I've tried before only lasts like 6 months.

The "lasting" part has nothing to do with what you use to clean/restore the headlights... Look into the coating/protecting step to fit your needs.









I have CG P40 for spray wax and I use it diluted for clay lube. I'm down to 1 magic eraser so I'll be getting more.

How cost effective is the Chemical Guys Spray Wax? If it's considerably more than $32 bucks per gallon I recommend switching to Megs D156. If the cost is similar and you're happy with its performace than cool.



I have a tire brush and wheel brush but I want a bigger wheel brush for big open type wheels.

TBO my wheel face brush comes from the 99 cent store. From what I've heard other people say it's pretty much equivalent to the Mothers Wheel Brush.. All I know is it works. I have 2, one for the wheels and another for the tires. They simply work.

 

[heckhole]

Few things here:

People are recommending a wide assortment of pads & stock of pads for a reason: to properly polish a vehicle, you need several pads of every color (cutting/polishing capability).

You need some experience with your PC long before you touch a paying customers car. Some people have the hand of god with machines and their learning curve is minimal, but your first dark vehicle will be a huge success or failure, followed up by the next dark vehicle throwing you for a gigantic loop and it will make you question your very existence on this planet. I have years and years of experience and occasionally I am left scratching my head watching time fly on the clock as I am losing profits trying to sort out a finicky paint.

In a perfect world for a uniform cut & polish, it's ideal to have a fresh pad for each panel of the car. On my production details, I will often get through a car with 2-3 pads of each phase (example, 3 orange, 3 white & not including a wax/glaze pad). On my high end details to give consistent results I will use a fresh pad for each panel, I don't like to stop and clean/dry pads.

I would practice a bit on your personal vehicles, maybe find some trusting family members too and get some experience on their vehicles. Doing cleaning details is fine and great, but once you get into the world of correction you are entering a whole new ball game.

 

[cardaddy]

Few things here:

People are recommending a wide assortment of pads & stock of pads for a reason: to properly polish a vehicle, you need several pads of every color (cutting/polishing capability).

You need some experience with your PC long before you touch a paying customers car. Some people have the hand of god with machines and their learning curve is minimal, but your first dark vehicle will be a huge success or failure, followed up by the next dark vehicle throwing you for a gigantic loop and it will make you question your very existence on this planet. I have years and years of experience and occasionally I am left scratching my head watching time fly on the clock as I am losing profits trying to sort out a finicky paint.

In a perfect world for a uniform cut & polish, it's ideal to have a fresh pad for each panel of the car. On my production details, I will often get through a car with 2-3 pads of each phase (example, 3 orange, 3 white & not including a wax/glaze pad). On my high end details to give consistent results I will use a fresh pad for each panel, I don't like to stop and clean/dry pads.

I would practice a bit on your personal vehicles, maybe find some trusting family members too and get some experience on their vehicles. Doing cleaning details is fine and great, but once you get into the world of correction you are entering a whole new ball game.

There has been a lot of advice... but THIS...

PREACH, BROTHER... PREACH
:applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause:

I simply can - not - EVER say it loud, or strong enough... DO - NOT - EVER - EVER - EVER take a buffer to a paying customers vehicles(s) until you've polished every one you own several times, as well as any of your other family members, to various degrees, JUST to get a handle on what, where, when, HOW to obtain the best results with different paint systems, (and colors).

Why have half a dozen cutting pads?
Because you need to run them clean, and NOT run them hot.
Try buffing an entire vehicle with a single pad and likely before you get the hood finished the pad will be at 50% ability from where it started. You'll overheat your pads, overheat your backing plate, and very likely damage BOTH. Not to mention the damage to the (paying) customers vehicles.

You can get away with 3~4 polishing pads, but DO NOT skimp on cutting pads.

You can also get away with compounding an entire vehicle with 2~3 Meguiar's Microfiber Correction Pads (which is a lot less than with foam). BUT.... (and this is CRITICAL) you ABSOLUTELY MUST USE AIR TO CLEAN MICROFIBER PADS!!!!! You'll need to clean the pad after each section pass. That'll require an air compressor, and a air nozzle. Blow from the outside in, inside out. Then reverse the spinning direction, inside out, outside in. Do this 2~3 times, which takes but a minute at best. This'll not only clean the pad(s) but cool them as well.

Buckets, get lots and lots of buckets, (as well as grit guards)! NEVER use your soap or rinse bucket for a wheel bucket. Never use your trash bucket, or your microfiber bucket, for anything BUT those uses.

Brushes, get brushes. Get the Wheel Woolies, (at least the two biggest ones). Get the two Daytona brushes. Get the Mothers 3 piece brush set. And also... get at least one 1" boars hair brush for cleaning tight areas in wheels (it's plastic) and another one for the exterior, (either plastic or wood... plastic one takes water easier). Wouldn't hurt to have another one (wood) for the interior.

Meguiar's has EVERYTHING you need for chemicals by the gallon. Forget ONR, it's just not cost effective. Instead... D114 which can do windows, rinseless (at up to 256:1) and even mixed as a panel wipe (by using a 192:1 to 256:1 dilution and using an online calculator for adding alcohol up to 30% for making a GREAT panel wipe!

Meguiar's Hyperwash is an AMAZING shampoo that can provide TONS of suds, (even more when used with a foam cannon). Also... Duragloss 901 (902 in the gallon size) is a great shampoo, slick as well. CG makes a few, but the only ones I use are Mr. Pink and Honeydew, period.

Meguiar's Non-Acid Wheel Cleaner as well as Wheel Brightener are a must. (Make SURE to get an acid rated sprayer for the Wheel Brightener or after your first use... it'll be useless next time you pick it up.)

Meguiar's D120 Glass cleaner... works great, doesn't streak, PLUS you can add alcohol to it.

Get an All Purpose Cleaner you like, then mix it at AT LEAST 2 different dilutions (if not three). Meguiar's is great, Duragloss is as well.

Meguiar's Hyper Dressing... don't even THINK of leaving the house without it! This is another one that you can dilute 2~3 different ways to tailor your shine for different areas.

Someone mentioned a degreaser. Meguiar's has one for only $16.99 that is great.

You'll need a spray wax, Meguiar's D156 Synthetic X-press Spray Wax is a great product. Many swear by it, I keep it handy for sure. Full disclosure.... I've become seriously, I mean SERIOUSLY spoiled by Duragloss Aquawax instead. I keep both... but more often than not I'll use Aquawax. Think I've bought it 3:1 over 156 these last couple years. It smells great, looks great, and is SUPER slick! :dblthumb2:

Speaking of Duragloss... You'll LOVE Fast Clean & Shine for a QD spray.
Better yet... mix FC&S 75/25 (or 3:1) with Aquawax for one OUTSTANDING QD, (or after wash) wipe down spray. :dblthumb2:

Just can't say enough good things about both Aquawax and Fast Clean & Shine.

If you're planning on doing any production type detailing/buffing, and want a proven, well respected, excellent performing AIO... Meguiar's D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream will both correct as well as leave a synthetic wax/sealant afterwards. Do that, then hit it with a quick spray of 156 or Aquawax (951, or 952 in the gallon size) and you'll have 6 weeks of protection easy. :xyxthumbs:

Now of course with all these gallons of chemicals, and mixing them to different dilutions for various uses, you need at a MINIMUM... something like 2 dozen spray bottles. (Remember the acid rated sprayer for the wheel brightener.) You can pick up Meguiar's pre-labeled spray bottles for many of their products here at Autogeek. For the money... you WILL NOT find a better bottle, better sprayer, at a better price. For the products that don't have pre-printed labels, they have generic ones that you can print with a magic marker on the label and it'll not rub off.

I know you mentioned you have "lots" of microfiber towels. Hopefully that means you have at least 3~4 dozen dual-nap (long on one side, short on the other) towels like the Gold Plush Jr's. My favorite place (in San Diego) is running 15% off right now, and theirs are the same thing. If you're doing it as a 'side' business. Just go ahead and buy a case of 180. You'll never regret it, and once you are buying wholesale... the price drops down to around a buck a towel!!!! :dblthumb2: (My last ones were 91¢ each plus FedEx shipping, which sadly added 22¢ each to them, but still... $1.13 delivered to my door and I'm not complaining. That was however over a year ago, and they've gone up a bit, but I'm thinking you can still find them around $1.25 plus shipping.) Can't mention the name of the seller here 'openly'... but literally everybody knows who it is.

I'd also get at least a couple dozen of Ian's 530 GSM towels as they are the best ones of that type construction in the 500~600 GSM range I've seen. They are very durable, extremely soft, can do rinseless washes, compound and polish removal, LSP wipes.... and can also work as drying towels. rops:

Anything less than the 365's however are NOT paint quality towels. The "gold" towels (from that membership store with "cost" in it's name) that come 36 to a pack are nice for interiors, wheels, tail pipes and such, and are cheap enough to just throw them away at what... under $14 a package???? They are not in any way a competing product to even the cheapest towels that you'd find here at Autogeek, but they are a great tool to have in your arsenal.

 

[rlmccarty2000]

Yes Meguiars gallons! You can't go wrong. Sometime AG runs a bogo on Meg's gallons, that is when to stock up.