Hack vs. Good

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Mirror Detailing

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I see people use the phrase Hack Detailer vs. Good/Exp Detailer. My question is what do people consider a hack Detailer? I see most time it assoicated with holograms. Which is done via a rotary. Would a hack job basically be the full use of a rotary from start to finish, doing compounding, polishing, but then no step for hologram/track removal?

Also side question, had this happen to me the other day, was buffing a black car, did my final hologram removal step with 3m Ultrafine, with the LC Gray pad with a rotary on 1200 rpms. It would remove some holograms, then also add some as well? Finally had to switch up to the Red LC Pad at 1600rpms and do each section twice to get all the holograms gone, any idea on how this was happening?
 
I've seen a hack job at the local carwash/detail shop in my area. I stopped there to use the vacuum. Looked over to see the worker sqeezing the bottle of polish all over the side of the car. Then passed over it with a rotary w/a wool pad, missing half the area. This was their paint restoration.
 
Mirror Detailing said:
I see people use the phrase Hack Detailer vs. Good/Exp Detailer. My question is what do people consider a hack Detailer? I see most time it assoicated with holograms. Which is done via a rotary. Would a hack job basically be the full use of a rotary from start to finish, doing compounding, polishing, but then no step for hologram/track removal?

Also side question, had this happen to me the other day, was buffing a black car, did my final hologram removal step with 3m Ultrafine, with the LC Gray pad with a rotary on 1200 rpms. It would remove some holograms, then also add some as well? Finally had to switch up to the Red LC Pad at 1600rpms and do each section twice to get all the holograms gone, any idea on how this was happening?
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Leaving holograms, product residue and basically not doing the little things to really bring the detail to a higher type level. I would say not doing the detailed end of detailing would make you a hack.

A couple things, the gray pad does have a slight cut, you were working on a vehicle with soft paint, or you happened to not see the ones you might have induced from the more aggressive polishing prior to your final polishing.
 
loudog2 said:
I've seen a hack job at the local carwash/detail shop in my area. I stopped there to use the vacuum. Looked over to see the worker sqeezing the bottle of polish all over the side of the car. Then passed over it with a rotary w/a wool pad, missing half the area. This was their paint restoration.
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and you just stood there and watched in dismay, I would have had to say something. :bat:
 
loudog2 said:
I've seen a hack job at the local carwash/detail shop in my area. I stopped there to use the vacuum. Looked over to see the worker sqeezing the bottle of polish all over the side of the car. Then passed over it with a rotary w/a wool pad, missing half the area. This was their paint restoration.
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2011wahoo said:
and you just stood there and watched in dismay, I would have had to say something. :bat:
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Yea - like to the owner - "Here's my card, I'll fix your paint after he gets through, call me." :D

DLB
 
2011wahoo said:
and you just stood there and watched in dismay, I would have had to say something. :bat:
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I was just baffled when I saw that. Just goes to show that a cheaper job is not better. Actually that place charges $160 for a one-step polish and wax. One-step being a rotary w/a wool pad and probally a compound. Not the best way to leave LSP ready finish.
 
IMO, a hack detailer is a detailer that doesn't know what they're doing. Their ignorance is what results in a poor finish. Poor technique, wrong machine, wrong pad selection, wrong chemical used, etc. This can all be chalked up to inexperience and ignorance, no matter how long they have been doing it "professionally."

Colin
 
and the hack generally knows everything there is about detailing right? My point is there's a difference between a hack and a complete novice.

Like a hack charging 10k to detail a lambo and vanishing when the customer claims damage..LOL
 
you guys and this thread are cracking me up. I would have definitely had to say something to the owner of the car wash/detail place and the owner of the vehicle.

That is just crazy horrible.
 
The owner probably trained the guy . I'm in & out of car dealerships all day long with my job & I detail on side & weekend . I'm just blown away with what I see the people do from washing with brush that i would'nt use to clean my boots off with or them having just 4 or 5 pads total to choose from . I lost count on my total but I can fill 25g rubbermaid tub plus 9 more in my flex bag. I have given up tring to help these just look @me like I do this for a living who the hell are you . I just close my eyes just hope its all just a David Blain Illusion. Here's today nightmare Hack in bay is takes bucket of water dumps in to front pass floor scrubs everythig he can get this rat brush proceed to wet vac up water . when he turns on the vac it blowes dust & crap all over the hack in bay 2 Maroon Lexus that he using a 1 step on does he wipe it off no ,he looks at hack 1give him the finger and goes right over . Two minute later the senario was repeated with soap suds blowing out the exhaust cause they did'nt have the filter on it. but here's the kicker they have a full size Thermac Extrator in the corner and it works they used it on floor mats I just does no good :nomore:
 
sounds like a bunch of people applying for any job they can get.. being told "this is what you do, just get it done quick" ..... sad..... and the funny thing is a lot of people who think they know what detailing is will laugh when they see a price of 300 dollars for a 2 step paint correction technique with a quality sealant used, interior cleaning with extraction, and engine detail....

i mentioned a price of around 300 on a local forum, and someone spoke up laughing that they would get me a REAL detail for less than 100.... after asking where they worked, it turned out it was for a nationwide in and out detail business.... last time i used one of those for a quick carwash, they used all kinds of dirty wash pads to pre wash and dried the car with already used cotton towels all the way to a dry surface. cant imagine what they use for buffing lol
 
lol, whats the most funny is no one was yet to notice the second question in the first post!
 
ASPHALT ROCKET said:
Look again, I answered it in my first post.
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Dam lol, I even read it and forgot to quote it. The gray LC pad, is suppose to have no cut and be a finishing pad recommend for hologram removal. I mean the fact was I was actually changing the direction of the holograms with it. Meaning it was not adding them or removing them. Once I switched up to the red lc pad, which is crazy, it started removing them. The paint could not have been soft, the truck was to old, and not resentally painted so....
 
IMO, there is no set pad that has to be used to finish down properly. I have used Meg's 105 via wool, then Menzerna 203 via orange and finished down excellent. With multiple wipe downs and 2 hours outside in 85degree weather it was still near perfect. The only reason I opted to use Menzerna 85rd was simply to take the gloss to another level on the paint. Then again they are times I have used 105 and never got any holograms. Sometimes you can't avoid them, but sometimes you can. I do believe 85% of it is technique.
 
Mirror Detailing said:
The paint could not have been soft, the truck was to old, and not resentally painted so....
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How soft or hard a paint is does not have anything to do with the age of the paint. Honda and Infinity paint are generally very soft whether they are a month old or years old. Corvette paint is hard the day you buy it. So how recently painted the car was is not a factor, what is a factor is the type of paint the car maker uses.
 
As far as what makes someone a hack in my opinion is when a detailer uses 4 ply wool and a rocks-in-a-bottle compound which leaves holograms and buffer trails all over and instead of going down to lighter pads and polishes to correct the holograms and buffer trails, applies a heavy filler glaze to hid the holograms and buffer trails.

There is one exception to using filling glazes that is exceptable. If a customers car has clear that is has been corrected numerous times to where the clear is too thin to continue correcting, then using a filling glaze is about your only choice and the detailer will need to communicate this to the customer.
 
ASPHALT ROCKET said:
Leaving holograms, product residue and basically not doing the little things to really bring the detail to a higher type level. I would say not doing the detailed end of detailing would make you a hack.

A couple things, the gray pad does have a slight cut, you were working on a vehicle with soft paint, or you happened to not see the ones you might have induced from the more aggressive polishing prior to your final polishing.
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On top of what Dana said, 3M Ultrafina IMO should not be used with the intent to remove swirls. It's a jewelling polish and 99% of the swirls should have already been gone before using it. It's very possible you simply hadn't finished it down enough before moving to the UF. :)


As far as what I consider a hack....anyone who takes a customers money and works on their car recklessly with no care about what harm there work or products may be doing to the vehicle.
 
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