New guy

DazzleFX

DazzleFX

New member
Joined
Aug 3, 2013
Messages
138
Reaction score
0
Hi Everyone,
Keith here and I have been lurking on this site for a few days. I am a novice at detailing however my coworker likes how I take care of my bmw so much she wanted me to make hers look the same. That comes after I have been getting on her case for neglecting her 2002:)

So with some great advice from autogeek and this forum plus watching tons of videos I tackled the job this weekend. I had her car for two days.View attachment 20427
View attachment 20428
View attachment 20429
View attachment 20430
View attachment 20431
View attachment 20432View attachment 20433

Boy I sure did have a filthy car. I have never had to clean one so caked in dirt before.

Day1- Saturday picked up the car. It was rainy in the DC area all day so all I was able to squeeze in was an engine wash, a vacuum and Folex spot clean on the carpet, a wipe down of the interior surfaces with warm slightly soapy water and a quick wash. I used Mother Wheel Cleaner on the wheels on this day.

Day2- Great weather all day! I started out with Sonax on the wheels to break down the caked in brake dust and iron particles. Sonax worked but only so much as these wheels were the dirtiest ever! I then have it a second pass with IronX and that broke it down better plus some brushing it cleaned them well. Next was a dawn wash followed by an IronX spray.
View attachment 20434

After a good rinse and dry I used Griots Garage speed shine and clay kit then it was time to polish. This was the not so fun part because I did it all by hand. I used Meguairs Ultimate Compound and did the polish by hand(never again). I hated it...waxing on and off sucked and this compound was hard to buff. I had planned to follow with Ultimate Polish but skipped that step. Still had some scratches and swirl marks so I was not so impressed. I am thinking a DA polisher would do better than my karate kid moves..lol Went on to KlasseAIO then Klasse High Gloss Sealant. Went on to clean the interior. I finished off with a final detailer spray and buff with the Speed Shine. It took all day & I am exhausted. Good first time experience though and I made $250 for the whole job.

My prep...I need to learn to do this better as I had to clean out wax in crevices inbetween panels.
View attachment 20435

Final Pics...sun was going down and these are iPhone pics.
View attachment 20436
View attachment 20437View attachment 20438
View attachment 20439
View attachment 20440
View attachment 20441View attachment 20442

Basically I have a lot to learn. I need a polisher and I am thinking Porter Cable with Lake Country pads. I need a good compound and polish combo that's not too hard to buff out but still great results. I'm thinking Menzerna Instant Polish & Final Polish Combo, HD Advanced Cut or something from the Optimum line. I like the Optimum hyper polish spray video. Any suggestions for a newbie would be much appreciated. I returned the keys to her boyfriend and he was amazed(even though I am so so about the result). He asked if I can do his CLK320 next:) I need to pick my weapons fast!
 
My 04 530i. I will be practicing on her as soon as I get my DA polisher. I want to do it once and do it well. A few weeks ago I did a dawn wash then Klasse AIO and Sealant. I would like to try the finish of with a wax like Souveran method to see of I can get the deeper shine. So many products and opinions to choose from..lol. I gotta find my own. I'm thinking the Klasse combo plus one or two alternative combos to tackle different cars and colors.

View attachment 20448
 
Welcome to the Forum!
Good work on those wheels, they were a mess.
 
Nice save...

Here's the before and after of your wheels only this is how pictures look when they are inserted instead of attached. Can't really do that with Tapatalk I understand but it's a lot more powerful to show off your work with pictures like this...


udp_pictures_01.jpg


udp_pictures_02.jpg



:)
 
Thank you Mike!! I will insert instead of attach next time.

I need help setting up a basic product selection for someone just starting out like me. I have the Klasse AIO & Sealant and thats all I have been using on my cars for years. Like I said in a post earlier, I want to add Souveran as a final step after the Klasse. Now that I am getting into detailing I want to get to know what products are good all around for different types of cars for a newbie. I have thought of having either the Megs 105/205 combo, Menzerna Intro Kit(Intense Polish & Final Polish), HD Advance Cut and/or the Optimum Hyper Polish. And, for another AIO alternative Blackfire Total Polish/Wet Diamond Combo. Basically reasoning that its good to start out with two AIO choices and two polish combo choices. Does this make sense until I get more skill and money to try other stuff out there? There are so many choices out there it seems overwhelming. I have already been getting requests for basic car wash and interior cleaning and dressing. Everyone at work is thrilled at the job done on the BMW this past weekend. I will be setting up a ONR kit, Metro 12V vacuum cleaner, enough microfiber and other neccessary cleaning products for this. I'd like to take it a careful step at a time and take time to master this business. I am so excited! Just last week I got the idea to start this on the side after my coworker begged me to detail her car. Just a few days before I had contacted SpeedFreak Detailing wanting to get a pro to detail my BMW not knowing I would be getting into it later that week. Also wondering if I should go for the Griots Garage Orbital instead of the Porter Cable. Sorry in advance if these questions are common. I do plan on spending lots of time scouring threads on this forum to learn more. Maybe I will take a class too.



Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Nice save...

Here's the before and after of your wheels only this is how pictures look when they are inserted instead of attached. Can't really do that with Tapatalk I understand but it's a lot more powerful to show off your work with pictures like this...


udp_pictures_01.jpg


udp_pictures_02.jpg



:)
Click to expand...
 
Thanks so much Bro! :thankyousign: I really appreciate that. I'm kind of a perfectionist and I've been beating myself up a bit for not getting as good a polishing as I wanted. Never again by hand! :nomore:It was a valuable learning experience which will help me greatly moving forward. I was crash reading posts and watching youtube videos for hours only two days before picking up the car. Plus, I had already ordered some products from Amazon intending to use on my car and the rest I got from Walmart so i was ready. I only figured out how much work is involved and how much I should really charge after seeing how long it takes and seeing what the pros charge.... :D

I will always be greatful for the opportunity. It seemed divinely appointed so thank God! Now I just need to set myself up without going too crazy about product and just perfect my techniques while charging accordingly.

hernandez.art13 said:
Whatever you charged IMO it was not enough you did an amazing job!
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top