Pictures: Autogeek’s Roadshow Class with PRAXIS Detailing in Auburn, Indiana

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Mike Phillips

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Pictures: Autogeek’s Roadshow Class with PRAXIS Detailing in Auburn, Indiana

Another amazing class! 10 cars detailed in 2 days! No chairs- no sitting! Just people learning by doing!


First the people!



Mike

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Roger

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Eric

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Josh

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Armando

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Dan

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TJ

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Mike

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Jennifer

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Ronnie

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David

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Jackson

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Luis

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Jamie

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Justin

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Our host and owner of PRAXIS Detailing

Mike Liebing

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Thank you everyone for working hard and also being so careful when working on all these exceptional cars!


:)
 
More....

Next the cars. I'll share what tools, products, pads and STYLE of car detailing were used for each set of 2 cars.



Detailing Technique Taught

Show Car Detailing or Multiple Step Detailing

This is using a dedicated compound followed by a dedicated polish followed by a dedicated sealing process, either wax, sealant or ceramic coating.



Cars #1 & 2 - Saturday Mid-Morning Session

Tools - Products - Pads

8mm Free Spinning Random Orbital Polishers - Griot's 6" ROP
Pinnacle Compound
Pinnacle Polish
Pinnacle Liquid Souveran Carnauba Wax
Buff & Shine 6" Uro-Tec Foam Pad System


1969 Mustang Boss 429 - Numbers Matching Car

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1964 GTO - 389 Big Block, Tri Power 4-Speed Numbers Matching

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Cars #3 & #4 - Saturday Afternoon Session

Detailing Technique Taught

Show Car Detailing or Multiple Step Detailing

This is using a dedicated compound followed by a dedicated polish followed by a dedicated sealing process, either wax, sealant or ceramic coating.


Tools - Products - Pads

RUPES Paint Polishing System
Free Spinning Tools = BigFoot 21, 15, Duetto, Mini, Nano in long and short neck options
Gear-driven Tools = Mille and Nano in Rotary Mode
RUPES Compounds & Polishes
RUPES Buffing Pads

Chemically stripped using BLACKFIRE Paint Prep
Ceramic Coated using BLACKFIRE Pro Ceramic Coating



2005 Ford T-Bird Convertible

Canvas convertible top cleaned and protected using RaggTopp

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2006 Chevy Monte Carlo SS

This is One of One - It's the only Dale Earnhardt Custom Edition ever made[/B]

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Cars #5 & #6 - Late Saturday Afternoon Session

Detailing Technique Taught

Show Car Detailing or Multiple Step Detailing

This is using a dedicated compound followed by a dedicated polish followed by a dedicated sealing process, either wax, sealant or ceramic coating.


Tools - Products - Pads

Griot's BOSS Paint Polishing System
BOSS 15mm and 21mm long stroke free spinning orbital polishers
Griot's BOSS Creams
Griot's BOSS Pads


1939 Lincoln Zephyr Convertible

Fully Restore with a Basecoat/Clearcoat paint system

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1966 Lincoln Continental Convertible

Fully restored with a basecoat/clearcoat paint system. Vinyl Convertible Top cleaned and protected using 303

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Cars #7 & #8 - Sunday Morning Session

Detailing Technique Taught

Show Car Detailing or Multiple Step Detailing

This is using a dedicated compound followed by a dedicated polish followed by a dedicated sealing process, either wax, sealant or ceramic coating.


Tools - Products - Pads

FLEX 3401 8mm Gear-driven Orbital Polisher
FLEX XFE7-15 15mm Free Spinning Random Orbital Polisher

Compound = SONAX CutMax
Polish = SONAX EX-04 06

Pads = Lake Country 6.5" Force Hybrid

Paint was chemically stripped using BLACKFIRE Paint Prep
Corvette was sealed using GYEON One Ceramic Coating
Lexus was sealed using CarPro UK Edition 3.0



2009 Corvette Coupe with the LS3 engine

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2014 LEXUS GS 350

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Cars #9 & #10 - Sunday Afternoon Session

Detailing Technique Taught

Production Detailing also called One Step Detailing or Daily Driver Detailing

Unlike show car detailing where you break-up the paint polishing process into dedicated steps and use dedicated products and pads for each step, with production detailing you use a ONE STEP CLEANER WAX also called an AIO or All-in-One.

A cleaner/wax or AIO will do three things in one step.

  1. Compound
  2. Polish
  3. Seal the paint


When your choice of product uses high quality abrasive technology you can get show car results with a LOT less work and time. The thing to remember though, because a one-step cleaner/wax contains a wax or sealant, you cannot follow this with a ceramic coating because you cannot trust that you can chemically remove the wax or sealant with a panel wipe or solvent. If you want to apply a ceramic paint coating you need to stick with conventional compounds and polishes that can be chemically stripped after use.



Tools - Products - Pads

Free-For-All

When I teach my car detailing classes, as you can see by the information shared above, my class gets to use multiple different tools, pads and products. THEN when we get to Production Detailing, because by now they have used all the major brands and types of tool, for this session I let them choose and use any of the tools. It's their chance to re-visit a tool or spend more time with a tool they are interested in. Heck, if someone wants they can re-use all the tools. I call this,


Free-for-all


And it's your chance to really dial-in to the tool you think you like but want to make sure before you start investing in not only tools but the pads and products that go with them. Make sense? This is my personal style of teaching car detailing classes. I understand there are a LOT of tool choices on the market.

When you attend a RUPES class or Meguiar's Class, or a FLEX class you typically only get to use ONE BRAND of tool. Thus you cannot compare and make up your own mind as to which tool is best or in other words, which tool is best for YOU.

Because we sell all the major and popular brands and types of tools I have this luxury that you won't find at other detailing classes.



Product

BLACKFIRE One Step

This is technically a one-step cleaner/sealant and not a cleaner/wax because it uses a synthetic sealant for protection instead of a traditional wax base ingredient for the protection aspect.


Pads

Foam polishing and foam cutting pads are shown for doing one-step production detailing. If a person chooses to use a RUPES polisher for this session then they use RUPES pads. If a person chooses a FLEX tool then they use Lake Country pads. If a person chooses a Griot's BOSS polisher then they use Griot's BOSS pads. And if a person chooses the Griot's 6" Random Orbital Polisher, (an 8mm free spinning random orbital polisher similar to the Porter Cable 7424), then they use Buff & Shine pads.



1940 Buick Businessman's Coupe

This is the very rare model with Dual Front Spare Tire Sidemounts and Fender Skirts

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2008 Dodge Avenger

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That's 10 cars detailed in 2 days with TONS of tips and techniques NOT listed anywhere the I share from experience I've gained from decades of detailing cars and teaching car detailing as a hobby and a business.



:)
 
Always like seeing the people that attend.

Hey Mike....... What's with the yellow (looks to be) Bronco with the halved tires??
 
Pictures: Autogeek’s Roadshow Class with PRAXIS Detailing



Mike

I'd Had a Great Time and took in a Lot of info.

Meet a Lot Great People and made friends in the Process. Vast amount of Info was Shared, and a Great learning Experience.

Thank You so much for Your Time and to the Host Mike Liebing as well.

The Equipment Used was Great and Learn how To used Each One .

The Cars were of a vast varieties, and Learn how to make One, 100% Better then when we started , with Great People as a Team to make them look Great.


Thank You to the Team and to Both Mike's

Roger Clark


:dblthumb2:
 
Welcome to AGO, Roger!

Always love seeing a new member, and the fact that you learned first-hand from Mike gives you a leg up. :)
 
This class was awesome!

Always on my feet actually doing something productive. If you learn by doing I highly recommend this class.

A lot of information over 2 days was learned and the opportunity to try many different tools before deciding what I wanna buy.


:dblthumb2:
 
Mike

I'd Had a Great Time and took in a Lot of info.

Meet a Lot Great People and made friends in the Process. Vast amount of Info was Shared, and a Great learning Experience.

Thank You so much for Your Time and to the Host Mike Liebing as well.

The Equipment Used was Great and Learn how To used Each One .

The Cars were of a vast varieties, and Learn how to make One, 100% Better then when we started , with Great People as a Team to make them look Great.


Thank You to the Team and to Both Mike's

Roger Clark


:dblthumb2:



Hi Roger, thank you for attending the class and also sharing your feedback about the class here on the forum.

I would also like to say thank you for being such a help at the class. I always have a "go-getter" in every class and you fit this description - so thank you.

AND - thank you for all the time, money and work it took to bring TWO cars to this class for everyone to work on. The Camaro was incredible and I believe you how have the skills, knowledge and confidence to tackle it yourself. and the Monte Carlo - will the class did a GREAT job on it and now it's ready to cruise and show-off!

Thank you again Roger, it was a genuine pleasure working with you and getting to know you.


:)
 
Mike,

Thank you for the amazing class! I am still sore from muscle groups I have not felt in years! Your approach to hands-on instruction is how I learn best and you are a great hands-on teacher.

I know you love "The Beast", but I thought it was too powerful for me.

You put together an excellent curriculum and a great team to learn with. Some of us walked in there with little experience and all of us walked away ready to detail our own cars.

In my opinion, this class should be a requirement for pro detailers so they know how to properly detail a car and speak with customers.


Thank you Praxis Detailing for hosting and providing some amazing & expensive cars for us to detail.

Regards,
David Gutierrez
Research and Development Lab Manager
303® Products
 
Mike;

Thanks for making the trip to Auburn IN and taking time out from your life to enrich others; especially on the weekend.

You covered a lot of topics, products, machines and how to be successful while running a detailing business. Real world challenges and results.

We worked on barn finds to $400,000 collector cars in this class, not many people get that opportunity.

Hope to be on the tour next year again!

Thanks

Mike Liebing


:)
 
Hi Mike,

Thank you, for sharing so much knowledge. Your classes were as fun as they were educational.

Everyone loves the hands on approach vs sitting in classroom seats!

This detailing course offered a multitude of products and tools to physically test out, as well as the proper techniques in using them. All instructed by Mike Phillips!

The wet sanding tutorial and experience was my favorite. I also really enjoyed the Ceramic Coating.

I would recommend this course to anyone wanting to learn techniques, tips, products, and tools to keep their vehicles looking great.

Thank You Again!


Jamie


:)
 
Always like seeing the people that attend.

Hey Mike....... What's with the yellow (looks to be) Bronco with the halved tires??

I'm not sure? I meant to ask Mike but was so busy - didn't get to it.



That Lincoln Zephyr came out really nice ! :wow:


Agree. One of my favorite cars for this class and also LARGE and a tick on the complicated side to machine polish due to some of the curved areas. Happy to say the class did an awesome job!



This class was awesome!

Always on my feet actually doing something productive. If you learn by doing I highly recommend this class.

A lot of information over 2 days was learned and the opportunity to try many different tools before deciding what I wanna buy.


:dblthumb2:


Hi Armando,

Thank you so much for attending and for sharing your thoughts about the class.


:dblthumb2:



Mike,

Thank you for the amazing class! I am still sore from muscle groups I have not felt in years! Your approach to hands-on instruction is how I learn best and you are a great hands-on teacher.

I know you love "The Beast", but I thought it was too powerful for me. You put together an excellent curriculum and a great team to learn with. Some of us walked in there with little experience and all of us walked away ready to detail our own cars.

In my opinion, this class should be a requirement for pro detailers so they know how to properly detail a car and speak with customers.


Thank you Praxis Detailing for hosting and providing some amazing & expensive cars for us to detail.

Regards,
David Gutierrez
Research and Development Lab Manager
303® Products


Wow! Thanks David.

It was a genuine pleasure to have you in the class. I always love having "real" chemists in the class and I'm sure the rest of the class appreciates it too.

Best of all - the 303 products we used worked exactly as advertised and that is GREAT!

Thanks for working so hard in the class too.... heck I do this all the time and I'm sore!


:)



Mike; thanks for making the trip to Auburn IN and taking time out from your life to enrich others; especially on the weekend. You covered a lot of topics, products, machines and how to be successful while running a detailing business. Real world challenges and results.

We worked on barn finds to $400,000 collector cars in this class, not many people get that opportunity.

Hope to be on the tour next year again!

Thanks

Mike


Thanks Mike.

And thank you for opening the doors to your shop and accommodating all our needs. Due to all the tools we showcase, we draw a LOT of POWER and hook, nook and crook, we found the power to keep everyone buffing!

Also - the cars were AMAZING! Thank you for working with the owner of the museum and vouching for our reliability to enable us to work on so many cool cars. It was a treat for the class and a treat for myself too.


:xyxthumbs:
 
Just to note to those that attended this class,

For me, like many of you, a day off of work is a day behind work. So I was off 5 days including travel and the class itself and now I'm 5 days behind in work.

As soon as I can, I plan to get the pictures from this class into this thread.

So please do check back later this week and even next week.


:Picture: :Picture: :Picture: :Picture: :Picture:
 
Pictures from the Auburn, Indiana Roadshow Car Detailing Class


From this point forward, I will share pictures, in order they were taken, from this class. This shows the order of the topics we cover and thus the order of the tools, products and techniques shared in a normal 2-day class.


First - I take pride in starting a class on time. There is a TON of work that goes into a REAL hands-on car detailing class that no one sees. It starts back at Autogeek's headquarters and culminates at the location where if everything goes right, the class starts on Saturday morning and starts on time.

This includes the efforts by a lot of other people have done their part, including all my co-workers here at Autogeek our host, his staff and students who show up the day before class and then myself, un-packing the pallet of totes and setting all the tools, pads, products and supplies out on tables for use. THEN after all this takes place, early Saturday morning someone has to get the donuts and do any final prep work and then.... the class starts!


Now this is what ON TIME looks like. Today will be 6:30am to 6:30pm with about 15 to 20 minutes for a lunch break and that's all the break time there will be. And the reason for this is due to the ENOURMOUS volume of tools and topics you get to learn and gets hands-on time with at our classes. There's simply no way to get through everything with an 8 hour class or even 10 hour class the first day. And certainly no way to get through everything if you're sitting in a chair looking at a screen with a power point presentation.

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The first thing I do is the basics, introduce myself, introduce our host, point out where the donuts are and also point out where the restrooms are.

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I ask our host, in this class it's Mike Liebing, owner of PRAXIS Detailing, to share his story, how he started out and how he got to where he's at plus anything else he would like to share.

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NEXT - as a group, we walk through all the tools and supplies and I share the order in which we'll be working through the tools and various products. I also do things like explain all the different microfiber towels and when and why you will be using one towel over the other. Same thing for the buffing pads. Both these things are important because while we ship a LOT of stuff, we still have to be attentive as we work through all the tools and techniques that the proper commodity products are used in a responsible manner so we don't run out of anything.


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Extreme Prep Washing

I don't really like using the word extreme to describe washing a car but in our classes it's SO MUCH MORE than simply washing a car. Most people can wash car, that's not what we're teaching, we're teaching dozens of areas on multiple cars and the correct way to address each area and the correct tools and products to use.

For Saturday - we obtained 3 cars we'll be using in the class to use for extreme prep washing techniques.


Canvas Convertible Tops
I do my best to get a cloth top convertible to each class so I can showcase RaggTopp products and tools and the correct way to carefully wash, clean and dry a cloth top.

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This car belongs to the owner of KRUSE Museum and the top is due for a thorough cleaning and re-application of a product that will restore water-proofing, UV protection as well as actually make the top LOOK GOOD again. :)

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Vinyl Restoration
I also try to have a car at each class that has a vinyl convertible top or just a vinyl top or even vinyl tonneau cover so I can showcase 303 Protectant products for properly and correctly washing, cleaning and then protecting vinyl tops. This 1960s era Lincoln Continental has a vinyl top and it was dirty, dull and lifeless looking. This class is going to fix that. Also - the entire paint job on this car was filled with HOLOGRAMS.

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EXTREME show car makeover
This 1940 Buick is part of a car collection that has been stored for 25+ years. The entire collection will be auctioned off. Mike Liebing obtained permission from the owner to allow our class to bring this car back to life.

From storage for so many years, all the cars in this barn-find collection were extremely dirty and while I don't normally wash classics with running water this car was so dirty, especially in the wheel-wells for the front side mounted spare tires, plus just dirty and contaminated overall, I chose to wash this car to showcase multiple tools and products for getting a really dirty car clean before machine polishing.

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Lead by example

I never ask my class to do anything I would not personally do. As I told the class,

I wash a LOT of cars an that includes getting on my butt to thoroughly wash wheels and tires. This also gives me the opportunity to show the correct technique to use the following tools to really get wheels and tires clean,

  • Speed Master Wheel Brush
  • Wheel Woolies Wheel Brushes
  • SONAX Wheel Cleaner
  • Tuff Shine Tire Cleaner
  • Mighty Mini to machine scrub tires
  • FLEX Cordless PE14 Rotary Buffer to machine scrub tires


So here's me, doing what I do best - clean someone else's dirty wheels and tires. :)

After demonstrating all the different tools and products of course I turn the class loose to knock out the rest of the wheels and tires. This is a hands-on class for THEIR hands. :)

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Wheels and tires first and then start at the top and work your way down

I always teach people to knock out the wheels and tires first so you don't have water drying on body panels and also so you don't have to waste time repeating steps. Anyone that's attended any of my classes, read my books, watched Autogeek YouTube videos or read any of my articles or replies to questions on the Autogeek forum, (this thing your on right now), knows the reasoning behind this practice.


Washing a cloth top

Before starting we go over the dos and don't for washing a cloth top and then use RaggTopp Fabric and Vinyl Cleaner to clean the cloth top.

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After spraying the cloth top down with the RaggTopp cleaner, the class then uses the RaggTopp and Haartz Convertible top brushes to safely scrub the cloth fibers that make-up the top.

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RaggTopp Fabric/Vinyl Cleaner: Endorsed by the world's largest manufacturer of convertible tops. car top care, auto convertible top cleaner, ragg



After thoroughly rinsing, the blotting technique is shared and the reason WHY to use the blotting technique and then the class uses Guzzler HD drying chamois to safely dry the water off and out of the top via capillary action.

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Next car....

Back to wheels and tires first

This car has full cover hubcaps and whitewall tires, so we go over tools, products and techniques for these types of wheels and tires.

NOTE: Class - as you read this - remember what we learned about breaking off rubber valve stems and how to avoid this issue. :)


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Properly cleaning a vinyl top

303 Multi-Surface Cleaner is a personal favorite cleaner of mine. I shared the story about my vibrant white tennis shoes and how I stained them before driving to work at Barrett-Jackson this year for Detail Fest and how after trying 2 to 3 other name brand cleaners, that didn't work, I used the 303 Multi-Surface Cleaner and it absolutely removed the orange color from the tongue of my brand new tennis shoes.

In the same way, it SUPRE cleans this dirty, extremely neglected vinyl top.

303 Patio Furniture Cleaner, Multi-Surface Cleaner

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When was the last time you washed a 1940 Buick?


After the Lincoln Continental we tackled the barn-find 1940 Buick with the very rare dual front side mounts and fender skirts. Cool.

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For this the class again had a chance to use a lot of different tool and products.

  • Speed Master Wheel Brush
  • Wheel Woolies Wheel Brushes
  • SONAX Wheel Cleaner
  • Tuff Shine Tire Cleaner
  • Mighty Mini to machine scrub tires
  • FLEX Cordless PE14 Rotary Buffer to machine scrub tires


Here's Mike using both SONAX and Tuff Shine to spray down the wheels and tires....

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The rest of the class is spraying down the entire exterior with the SONAX Fallout Remover

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Here's Mike, (I think we had 4 Mikes in the class including myself and our host Mike Liebing), using the FLEX Cordless PE14 to machine scrub these very old and oxidized tires.

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We had the privilege of having Chris Metcalf from FLEX on hand to help out and answer any questions about FLEX tools!

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If you want to get your tires clean and I mean REALLY CLEAN - you simply cannot beat machine cleaning.

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Here's the link to just one of my articles on machine cleaning tires....

How to machine scrub tires using the Cordless FLEX PE14





Chemical Decontamination

Most people think of an Iron Remover when talking about chemical decontamination and iron removers are chemical decontaminants. I show SONAX Fallout Remover, it's more of a wide-spectrum chemical fallout remover PLUS it will remove iron contamination.


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Here's Ronnie, who flew all the way out from California to take this class, using the Mighty Mini with a Cyclo Aqua brush attached to machine scrub the tires and even the hubcap.


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Mighty Mini Cordless Polisher


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Here's Justin spraying down the 1940 Buick....

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Yep - that's exactly what it looks like - barn find bird poop being dissolved off the car - if you look carefully you can see portions of it must contain iron and portions of it are turning red.

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Foam Gun Washing

While I live the foam cannon because it creates thicker foam that clings and dwells longer, when I have 15 to 25 people in a class I don't like the trip hazard and clumsiness of having a Pressure Washer in the wash bay, thus I tend to show the foam gun instead.

Foam gun - use with a garden hose

Foam Cannon - use with a pressure washer


Plus from a marketing point of view, more people own a garden hose than own a pressure washer. Get the type that you want here,

Foam Guns

Foam Cannons


Also note the Microfiber Chenille Wash Mitts - my favorite for Prep Washing

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On Autogeek.com


RaggTopp Fabric/Vinyl Cleaner

RaggTopp Premium Convertible Top Brush

303 Multi-Surface Cleaner 16 oz

303 Multi-Surface Cleaner 32 oz

Heavy-Duty DA Carpet Brush – Long Bristles

Heavy-Duty DA Carpet Brush – Short Bristles

Wheel Woolies Boar’s Hair Wheel Brush

TUF SHINE Tire Cleaner 22 ounce

SONAX Wheel Cleaner Full Effect

FLEX PE-150 Cordless Rotary Polisher

Mighty Mini Cordless Polisher

2 Pack Cyclo Polisher Grey Ultra Soft Upholstery Brush

Cobra Guzzler HD Waffle Weave Drying Towel - 16 x 24 inches

3 Pack The Supreme Guzzler Waffle Weave Towels - 20 x 40 inches

Autogeek Half Gallon Foam Gun




Not shown but used extensively in the class

Nanoskin Towels

Nanoskin Wash Mitts

Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt 4-Pack



:)
 
More....


After washing three cars, which is usually more work than fun in the context of a car detailing class, it was time to move onto the FUN part and that's the art of polishing paint.

Show Car vs Production Detailing


I teach two styles of paint correction, show car and production detailing. This pretty much covers it all. Here's the coolest thing about our classes that you NEVER see pictures of for any other detailing class. And that's not only ALL the pictures you see and will see in this thread...

BUT LOOK AT THE FIRST TWO CARS this class is going to TRAIN on!


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The above cars are perfect examples of pure muscle car. A 1969 Mustang Boss 429 and the first year for the Pontiac GTO and in this case a numbers matching, all original 389 Big Block Car with a 4-speed!


Let that sink in... these are the FIRST two cars this class will be training on....


Nowhere else does this happen. Nowhere else when you sign-up for some class do you get to work on the real deal. You do the work. You certainly don't sit in a chair listen to someone talk and look at a power point presentation. Nothing wrong with this style of teaching.... just not my style.




:)
 
More....


8mm Free Spinning Random Orbital Polishers

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On Autogeek.com

Griot's Garage 6" ROP - Standard cord

Griots Garage 6 Inch Heavy Duty Random Orbital Polisher - HD Cord - 25' Heavy Duty Cord already pre-wired





Building on a foundation

I start all my car detailing classes with simple, 8mm free spinning random orbital polishers. The current tool I showcase is the Griot's 6" Random Orbital Polisher. This is basically a version of the ORIGINAL tool for the 8mm free spinning random orbital polishers and that is the Porter Cable 7424 and 7336 units. We sell both polishers here at Autogeek but the fact is - the Griot's version of the Porter Cable polisher simply has a TON more usable power.

The BIG PICTURE being, I have people attend my classes from all walks of life from being brand new to detailing and machine polishing to being seasoned professionals. No matter what their background I start them out with what I consider to be the easiest tool to learn how to use and master and that's 2 things. Even Pros learn tips and techniques when I go over 8mm free spinning random orbital polishers.




Getting started at a Roadshow Class

We have anywhere from 15 to 25 people on our car detailing classes. We usually run 20 to 26 people in our boat detailing classes. This is why I have lots of cars and they are always LARGE cars. EVERYONE has plenty of "car" to work on. I be assured, the entire time I walk around an interact with everyone so everyone gets LOTS of one-on-one time with the Instructor while they are on their feet working on cars.

I point this out because I see uninformed people make ignorant comments about class size and lack of one-on-one time with yours truly. That's just not true or accurate and the thousands of people that have attended my classes are my witnesses. Besides that, if you attend a class where all you do is sit in a chair and then watch the instructor do a demo on a hood - how valuable is one-on-one time anyways? You're not doing any hands-on and that's where my classes are the BEST.


Two Teams
I divide the class into two teams to tackle two cars. If I have a smaller class then one team and if I have a larger class then I get 3 cars for each tool set and divide the class into 3 teams. No matter what - you get 100% hands-on time and hand-on training on real cars.

As the pictures you see below will show - you don't sit in a chair.


First lets take a look at the team working on the Mustang.


The Mustang looks good under the ceiling lights....

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But let's take a look at how she really looks using my handy dandy SCANGRIP Sunmatch II Swirl Finder Light.

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BEFORE - No swirl finder light

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After - with the light - now you can see the swirls.

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No swirl finder light but you can see some swirls from the overhead light....

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BOOM! Swirl City!

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Step 1: Waterless Wash

The class used the Pinnacle Waterless Wash with Carnauba to clean and remove any dust off the car before we started.
(no pictures)



Step 2: Mechanical Decontamination

Next up the class is using Nanoskin Towels with Pinnacle Clay Lube to remove any above surface bonded contaminants like overspray paint.


Jennifer decontaminating paint.

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Michael decontaminating paint.

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Justin decontaminating paint.

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TEAMWORK!

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Step 3: Machine Compounding

For the first two cars, the class is using Griot's 6" Random Orbital Polishers with Pinnacle Advanced Compound and Buff & Shine Uro-Tech Burgundy Foam Cutting Pads.

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Step 4: Machine Polishing

For the polishing step, the team switches over to Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish with the Buff & Shine 6" Uro-Tec white foam polishing pads.


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Power on the go!

Chris Metcalf from FLEX brought along this nifty device called,

EGO Nexus Power Station

Tech Specs

◾3000W Peak 2000Watt Continuous
◾3 120V A/C Outlets
◾4 USB Ports
◾Bright LED Display Shows Run Time
◾Robust Steel Handles
◾Battery Powered Alternative to Gas Generators
◾Quiet Clean Power for Indoor and Outdoor Use
◾4 Port Battery Charger (when plugged in)
◾Weather-Resistant Construction


This product is built and owned by the parent company to FLEX

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Step 5: Machine Waxing

For the Mustang the team is going to use the Pinnacle Liquid Souveran Carnauba Wax.

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FLEX Cordless Tools

Because everyone is excited to test out the FLEX CORDLESS tool, they are using the FLEX XCE15 free spinning, long stroke 15mm random orbital polisher or as it's known by it's nickname,

The Finisher!

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Read my write-up on the FLEX Cordless Finisher here,

NEW Cordless FLEX Tools at Autogeek Rotary and Orbital Polishers



Here's Luis, Armando, Justin and Jackson all machine waxing the 1969 Mustang Boss 429

When is the last time you machine waxed a 1969 Mustang Boss 429 Mustang?
Have you ever seen a detailing class documented showing this?

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Step 6: Wax Removal

In this first picture you see Mike inspecting his Forrest Green Edgeless Towel before using it to remove the dried Pinnacle Souveran Carnauba Wax.

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Here's my article on the topic of inspecting your towels.

How, why & when to inspect your microfiber towels when detailing cars





On the left in the back is Justin, at the back of the car is Jennifer

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Teamwork!

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Final Results!

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Wow!

Nice work everyone. Thank you for doing top notch pro quality work to such an iconic American Muscle Car!



:)
 
Hi Mike,

Thank you, for sharing so much knowledge. Your classes were as fun as they were educational.

Everyone loves the hands on approach vs sitting in classroom seats! This detailing course offered a multitude of products and tools to physically test out, as well as the proper techniques in using them. All instructed by Mike Phillips!

The wet sanding tutorial and experience was my favorite. I also really enjoyed the Ceramic Coating.

I would recommend this course to anyone wanting to learn techniques, tips, products, and tools to keep their vehicles looking great.

Thank You Again!


Thank you so much Jamie for the feedback and for not only attending yourself but for also bringing your son Justin!


:dblthumb2:
 
I just got back home from the Auburn, IN auto detailing class.

What a class and what I learned will make my job easier in my detailing business. The class is hands on and Mike is hands on the entire class.

We worked on six cars the first day from washing to finish seal. I was exhausted but it was so worth it.

We got to experience different buffers, pads, towels products and techniques.

The second day we continued detailing and got more experience on show car detailing along with engine and interior cleaning.

Incredible class and worth every penny. I can’t wait to attend the boat detailing class In February.

Thanks Mike for everything.

:)


-Joshua L.M Fitzgerald
 
Mike,

Thanks for the Auburn/Praxis class. I learned a lot of new information and reviewed information from your videos. The class was awesome.

As an educator, this class was 100% engagement 100% of the time! I really liked using a variety of machines, equipment and tons and tons of products.

I wish I had taken this class 10 years earlier. I probably would have purchased some different equipment. I appreciated being coached by Mike on using the equipment. Furthermore, there was no pressure to buy a particular product and Mike shared that one must pick the products for the project and what we like to use.

Very valuable information.

Excellent class. I dreamed of attending the classes in Florida and this one was 30 minutes from my house.

:)
 
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