There is a lot to learn along the way as far as detailing products are concerned. I personally had tried a bunch of consumer line products first, then I worked with Poorboy's World Products for a few years and tried to learn as much about using Meg's 105 while using the Poorboy's stuff. I read tons of articles by Mike Phillips, went to the Poorboy's World Detailing Weekends to learn as much as I could. Eventually with lots of practice and gained experience I went the the Poorboy's Detailing Weekends and found myself teaching a lot of the newcomers that showed up there.
Finally I started studying Kevin Brown's writings and practicing the tips I found there about using Meg's 105 and Meg's D-151. Once I got through the learning curve of M-105, I have no desire to use anything else. It cuts fast and finishes well, can be had locally from a lot of different suppliers, and finishes pretty clean without a bunch of glaze like fillers.
The results you end up getting will be directly proportional to the effort, thought and practice you put in to what you are doing. Keep testing different products, keep inspecting the true condition of the paint before going to wax or sealant, keep an open mind and don't fear going outside of the box on certain things and you'll find what works best for you in the end.
A lot of folks use IPA or other final inspection types of solvents to reveal the true condition of the paint after doing the correction work. After you get a good feel for a product, certain paint densities and more importantly, you're process of working with your chosen products you'll pretty much know what is happening between the pad and the paint, and you'll know when to stop the machine and go with your chosen LSP. It still doesn't hurt to check your results though.
I think it comes down to how much the customer wants to pay, dictating how much effort and expertise you will want to put into a job. I have different products/processes for different levels of correction and they are all directly related to the amount of money the customer wants to spend, after I have given them my suggestions and informed them of the shortcomings of the cheaper services. So I have a place for a glaze type of compound/polish (for me it's Mothers Machine Glaze using foam pads) MMG can't be beat for the quick turnaround of wholesale work, and using foam pads ensures that unsightly wool pad holograms don't reveal themselves after a few washes. Then I have my customers who want and don't mind paying for the true paint corrections. These cars get the higher priced products and processes.
I hope this helps you out some. Don't get discouraged when someone gives you a hard time on these forums. If I hadn't grown thick skin to the nonsense of some of the people who chose to just offer negativity instead of trying to contribute something, I surely wouldn't have gotten this far. Keep your head up. :dblthumb2:
