How to use a one-step cleaner/wax to maximize profits

DaC said:
I'm having a hard time learning this lesson, anyway... already got some D151 here with me, and now I guess it's just meet my work to my client....
I can say some people won't consider giving their cars to me because they think I'm trying to sell the same job the guy on the corner does for 1/4 of the price.
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To prove this to myself, here's what I did. I did one car with AIO approach and topped with CG Butter Wax as agreed by customer. Customer picked it up and said "Looks great! Thanks a million!" Did another car with same agreement with another customer. This time I secretly went all out with multi-stage polish and topped it with CG Black Light and Supernatural. The car was almost flawless. Customer picked it up and said "Gee that looks nice! Thanks!" Neither customer looked closely at the finishes.

Let those who have ears hear me:

99.5% of people cannot see the difference so they will not pay for the difference!
 
I have had that happen. :doh:
I have done a couple recently...for women....and they were more interested in having a clean inside...so I spent most of my time on the interior. They were thrilled.

Its a hard lesson to learn....but working on it. :xyxthumbs:
 
Mike Burke said:
I have had that happen. :doh:
I have done a couple recently...for women....and they were more interested in having a clean inside...so I spent most of my time on the interior. They were thrilled.

Its a hard lesson to learn....but working on it. :xyxthumbs:
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OMG! Women will pick apart an interior detail like a PBMA judge. The lug nuts might be loose, but by God you could do a kidney transplant inside it. My wife uses Supernatural on the wood trim in her Lexus. I lost a finger about a month ago for getting a fingerprint on the steering wheel. Noted.
 
TundraPower said:
OMG! Women will pick apart an interior detail like a PBMA judge. The lug nuts might be loose, but by God you could do a kidney transplant inside it. My wife uses Supernatural on the wood trim in her Lexus. I lost a finger about a month ago for getting a fingerprint on the steering wheel. Noted.
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That's funny
 
since when was the interior NOT part of detailing a car!?!

Understand that the main point of AGO is waxes, sealants, cleaners, and buffers/polishers for exterior paint but that doesn't mean that's the end of detailing!
 
2012 said:
I can't imagine the wax of this actually lasting very long?
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AIO products are not designed to "last". Their designed to quickly polish & protect in 1 step. Hence their nature "All In One". Clean the paint, polish & protect it.

Great article, will def add to my favorites list :)
 
CM8 6MT said:
AIO products are not designed to "last". Their designed to quickly polish & protect in 1 step. Hence their nature "All In One". Clean the paint, polish & protect it.

Great article, will def add to my favorites list :)
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+1
You can always add a wax or sealant for added protection.
 
RLucky82 said:
since when was the interior NOT part of detailing a car!?!
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When the customer doesn't want it nor wants to pay for it or the car doesn't really need it.

A lot of SIV's I've worked on in my life have clean interiors, it's the paint that gets wiped out.

Like this hotrod we worked on recently...


1936 Ford Roadster - Show Car Makeover


We did machine wax the painted dash however...



Tim polished the paint on the dash so I machine waxed it...

Mike_Stowe_1936_Ford_054.jpg


Mike_Stowe_1936_Ford_055.jpg


Mike_Stowe_1936_Ford_056.jpg



And if you click the link above you'll see I documented how wiped-out the paint was on this classic hotrod.


:)
 
Mike, what type of correction did you see with one stepping on this job? I always have a problem when doing details with giving too much correction or not enough. I'm sure I could get by with using Meguiar's Cleaner Wax in the maroon bottle with a LCC Tangerine pad and none of the clients would notice the difference. But I always think there will be that one client who does, and make me wish I did a little bit more. What would be a safe % of correction for clients on one steps, do you think?
 
What are some good one step cleaner/ wax for these types of jobs? and that would also be safe for most paints?
 
ziggo99 said:
Mike, what type of correction did you see with one stepping on this job? I always have a problem when doing details with giving too much correction or not enough. I'm sure I could get by with using Meguiar's Cleaner Wax in the maroon bottle with a LCC Tangerine pad and none of the clients would notice the difference. But I always think there will be that one client who does, and make me wish I did a little bit more. What would be a safe % of correction for clients on one steps, do you think?
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I advertise my AIO (express detail) as "light paint correction." I don't promise it will remove swirl marks (but it will for light swirls).

Most people are just looking for the SHINE! They can't even see the swirl marks or it just doesn't bother them (or they just think that's how all car paint looks). Ether way, my plan is simple: under promise, over deliver. If the customer is actually asking about getting rid of swirls and scratches we talk about higher level packages with more intensive polishing included.
 
What is the correct pad/speed to use when using an AIO? Also how do you just lay it on like regular wax or work it in like a polish?
 
phillycobra said:
What is the correct pad/speed to use when using an AIO? Also how do you just lay it on like regular wax or work it in like a polish?
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Higher speed + more aggressive pad gives more correction like a polish. Lower speed + less aggressive pad acts more like a normal wax.

Sent from my LG-VM701 using AG Online
 
phillycobra said:
What is the correct pad/speed to use when using an AIO? Also how do you just lay it on like regular wax or work it in like a polish?
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That would depend on what the paint needed as referenced in the post above about pad and speed.
 
Nicholas@Autowerx said:
Most people are just looking for the SHINE! They can't even see the swirl marks or it just doesn't bother them (or they just think that's how all car paint looks). Ether way, my plan is simple: under promise, over deliver. If the customer is actually asking about getting rid of swirls and scratches we talk about higher level packages with more intensive polishing included.
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That's a good plan and approach... reminds me of this...

The difference between a swirl and squirrel


In most cases, just making the paint clean, shiny and brighter is exactly what a customer is looking for...


:dblthumb2:
 
phillycobra said:
What is the correct pad/speed to use when using an AIO? Also how do you just lay it on like regular wax or work it in like a polish?
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What pad and speed depends on a couple of things but in most cases if you're only going to do one-step, or one machine applied product to the paint step, then you want to use a soft polishing pad so your chances of finishing out nice are as best as possible.

As for speed, that depends on the tool and the condition of the paint.

Another HUGE factor when using a one-step to NEGLECTED paint is to use the product heavy or wet. By the words heavy or wet I mean use plenty and even lots of product. Certainly don't under-use product as you want a lot of LIQUID chemical cleaners on the surface going to work for you and also lubricating the surface as you buff.

The talk about applying a THIN coat of wax only applies to "finishing waxes" or "finishing sealants"

  • What type of tool are you using?
  • What are you working on?

Good questions by the way...


:xyxthumbs:
 
Every so often I am back to reading this thread and the attached links. There's always a way to get better and be more efficient. Completely nailed it on machine cleaning the windows. saves time and it looks great .Let's face it, it's going to annoy the customer if they get in their nice shiny car and they end up looing through water spots. Great info.
 
This is excellent advise! One step is my top selling package, a big part of my customer base are daily driven vehicles. Every client is blown away with the results and is usually above their expectations, and all from just a onestep polish. A happy customer is money in the bank and keeps me in business!
 
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