New to Detailing

[flb18r]

hello forum, im new to detailing. I just love taking care of my cars, so I decide to do it as a hobby and side jobs ( when im good ) here is the list of stuff I just brought.


Qty Product Code - Product Name Price
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1 MK-8500 - Makita 9227C Circular Polisher 8.5 inch Pad 269.99
4 BTL-32OZW-200W - White 32 oz. Bottle with Screw Cap 14.64
1 MF-530-3 - 3 QTY Supreme Buff Microfiber Towel 19.99
1 COBRA-2400G - Cobra Gold Plush Microfiber Combo 34.99
1 COBRA-921 - Cobra Total Microfiber Tool Kit 49.99
1 PIN-75Q - Pinnacle Quart Foamaster Foam Gun Free w/Bon 59.99
1 M-UNIGRIT-6 - Meguiars Unigrit Sand Papers 6 Pack Kit 10.99
1 G-81-207 - Fire Hose Nozzle 19.99
1 WG-DISC - Clay Disc for the Polishin Pal (Disc Only) 9.99
1 SPUR-89-104 - Duo-spur Wool & Foam Pad Cleaning Tool 14.99

and also grid gruads for my buckets.


im a mechanic and my detailing shop will be providing me some compound, polish, and sealant to pratice with. I also have access to a lot of panels from my body shop.

my 1st task is to remove light swirls on this 09 audi a5 door. I will post pictures soon. I know the paint is pretty new too and any tips will be great. should I wet sand or compond? or jus polish to see if the swirls goes away? I also have clay, should I waste my clay or do it to have a smooth surface to work with.

 

[loudog2]

Welcome!!

 

[teamerickson]

Nice avatar!

 

[flb18r]

 

[flb18r]

1 WG-DISC - Clay Disc for the Polishin Pal (Disc Only) 9.99?????? why the hell I order this? I don't even have the polishing pal. hmmmm I guess I need the Wolfgang Polishin’ Pal Combo FREE BONUS for $30. but meanwhile my budget is at the max. so i will wait another month to get other things I may need. I will also post pictures of the products I brought to give everyone some clues what im working with. words with pictures is better than just words.

 

[flb18r]

Nice avatar!

thanks

 

[flb18r]

by the way I never have experiecne with maching polishing or any kind of polishing before( hand). I never even wax a car. I like the average person who cleans their car regularly. chicks love clean cars. I have done a lot of reading and now i will put my knowledge to use. my stuff will arrive next monday, please stay tune. any tips or correction will be great.

 

[LincolnZephyr2006]

Not many people who haven't machine polished go right to a rotary, and I see that you did. All I have to say is be EXTREMELY cautious on edges and what not.... and PRACTICE first on scrap. Rotaries can either be your best friend if you are experienced, but also can be your enemy if you have no clue what you are doing. Keep it moving at all times (not so fast where you won't get any correction done), but at a steady speed. Remember, especially with a rotary, TAPE is your best friend also. Just do your homework first and go on YouTube or this site and research on how to work a rotary.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

by the way I never have experience with machine polishing or any kind of polishing before( hand). I never even wax a car.

Wow!

Going from never having waxed a car to a rotary buffer!

In my honest opinion you would be much better off starting out with a dual action polisher like the PC 7424XP or the Griot's Garage Random Orbital Polisher.

Here's why,

If you're detailing daily drivers then there's no reason to be trying to put a show car finish on these types of cars. Besides the fact that it's not what your customer needs, they usually don't want to pay for it as you should be charging $300.00+ for just the paint polishing.

So if you're not creating show car finishes and you're working on daily drivers you want to keep it simple and fast so it will be PROFITABLE.

Wash
Clay
Cleaner/Wax using a DA style polisher
Wheels and Tires
Glass
Interior

The paint care steps are kept to the basics to do a good job. Washing is a must no matter what you do, claying insures a smooth surface that will restore gloss and enable the wax to bond to the paint so it will last as long as possible and using a cleaner/wax will clean, polish and seal the paint in one step. This step along will take you 4-6 hours and you need to make a profit.

Using a rotary buffer means doing at least one compounding or polishing step and then waxing, this is the normal minimum. Some detailers use the rotary and do only one step using a cleaner/wax but in all honesty this is going to leave the paint filled with swirls and you'll be what's called a Hack Detailer.

What kind of detailing are you planning on doing?

• Production?
• Show Car?

You usually can't do show car quality work until you have some years under your belt doing production work to become proficient with the pads, products tools and procedures.

???????

 

[flb18r]

thanks for the input guys, I know im skipping steps into this the field. I know about the rotary polisher is for PROs and DA is for beginners. what I want to achieve is show car detail and also production detail. I figure I have access to a lot of panels from the my bodyshop and free supplies from my detailing shop, I have nothing to loose. im very excited. I will post everything I do on here, on which product I used, how I use the polisher and the time I spend. I know I will be making mistakes but thats ok its not on anybody's car. and I see many nice people here on autogeek, so if you have something to share, I willing to take advices. I wish i can join Mike's classes!!!!!

 

[flb18r]

I will pratice everynight, I will dedicate myself to this art, I want to be the best. so first I will do panels after panels. then I will do friends cars, cause they all chip in $40 bucks ( total of $200) into my purchesses ( 1st detail free only for friends who chipped in). then I will go to supermarkets and put print out flyers on thier windshield. and have my friends recommend people to me.

 

[PAR Detailing]

I have started my own personal detail business and while flyers are good they are not as successful as you might imagine. Word of mouth is the best form of advertisement. I wish you all the best and take it slow in the beginning and you will get it down.
Peace,
Jon

 

[Chatelaine]

^

True, word of mouth is the make it or break it for detailers just starting out.

But definitely focus on the internet for advertising instead of flyers. It has works wonders for me.

As for all the hate towards starting with a rotary. Don't worry about it. Just be patient and practice like you said. I started on a rotary as well. After I bought my first car I ran to the store and bought the whole detailing section including a junky rotary and bonnet pads. That was 9 years ago. I've never burnt through paint or wrecked anything. The key is patience and being able to learn. Just recently I started doing heavy corrective work, but only after I started my own business, then I noticed buffer trails which I'd never seen or heard of before. I came on here and was introduced to DA polishers. Now I heavy correct with my Makita and finish polish and wax with the DA.

I wish you all the best in your endeavours. Find the system and products that work best for you and stick with them! Learn them, grow with them, and you'll accomplish great things. Personally I'm using the Menzerna and Pinnacle lines and couldn't be happier.

Good luck! And remember to charge what you're WORTH.

 

[fubar]

WOW!! that's awesome u really stepping up to the plate with a rotary buffer cool man keep us inform.:dblthumb2:

 

[flb18r]

WOW!! that's awesome u really stepping up to the plate with a rotary buffer cool man keep us inform.:dblthumb2:

I figure I will step up to a rotary one day anyways, why waste my time with the DA. and I have panels to pratice with so I have nothing to lose. and free supplies from my detailing shop ( I know my dealer use crappy stuff, but i can't complain, its free)
im here to get advice and help the unforturnate newbies here that don't have it like I do. :buffing:

 

[flb18r]

^

True, word of mouth is the make it or break it for detailers just starting out.

But definitely focus on the internet for advertising instead of flyers. It has works wonders for me.

As for all the hate towards starting with a rotary. Don't worry about it. Just be patient and practice like you said. I started on a rotary as well. After I bought my first car I ran to the store and bought the whole detailing section including a junky rotary and bonnet pads. That was 9 years ago. I've never burnt through paint or wrecked anything. The key is patience and being able to learn. Just recently I started doing heavy corrective work, but only after I started my own business, then I noticed buffer trails which I'd never seen or heard of before. I came on here and was introduced to DA polishers. Now I heavy correct with my Makita and finish polish and wax with the DA.

I wish you all the best in your endeavours. Find the system and products that work best for you and stick with them! Learn them, grow with them, and you'll accomplish great things. Personally I'm using the Menzerna and Pinnacle lines and couldn't be happier.

Good luck! And remember to charge what you're WORTH.

thanks for your input.

about polishing and wax with a DA.


you can do the same with a rotary with LSP pad? at slow speed? by the way I have 3 8.5 in foam pads. 1 compound wool pad and 1 polish wool pad. the most aggressive pad i have is the orange foam pad with little cutting power. or the compound wool pad is more aggressive? either way I will see myself.


about Menzerna and Pinnacle lines.

I heard a lot of good things about them, Like I said my dealer is giving me some free supplies to start with. something I never heard of, I forgot the brand they use, but I know theres a lot of better stuff out there. but Im not going to waste my money on expensive products to start with. so down the road when im good I will pick some good stuff up.

 

[flb18r]

I have started my own personal detail business and while flyers are good they are not as successful as you might imagine. Word of mouth is the best form of advertisement. I wish you all the best and take it slow in the beginning and you will get it down.
Peace,
Jon

thanks for your input



I dont think advertisement is a problem anymore thanks to you. you have a point, I need to put the word out there. so thats exactly what I will do, Do the best job and have my name out.

 

[flb18r]

All I have to say is be EXTREMELY cautious on edges and what not.....

thanks for your input



so what should I do when I coming near the edges? for example on the hood, some common hood have edges on the middle. I can't really pratice on edges since I have no access to a whole car.

 

[ASPHALT ROCKET]

I would disagree about skipping steps and going straight to a rotary. Many people including myself learned on a rotary. As long as you use common sense and pay attention everything will be fine. It always baffles me when people get on a forum and say a da is for a beginner and a rotary will burn paint. It is not the tools fault it is the person operating the tool that burns paint. I would not use a rotary to apply your lsp even at a lower speed. Good luck on your detailing with a rotary and if you need any help when you get it just ask and we will guide you through it.

 

[flb18r]

this is what I have at home so far. most of the stuff i never use cause they are not mine, but some are mine. if you guys see something good here, let me know

this is what i been using to wash my towels and mircofibers. big mistake i have done is wash them together....but luckily I didn't machine dry.

the buffer is not mine and the glass cleaner suck

a few passes by hand with the turtle heavy duty compound on a piece of the back bumper of a 2010 audi q5 brillant black.