remarks from neighbors 2

Just as I was finishing up with a coat of wax after a full paint correction a group of middle school kids walked by and said "nice car dude." I like to tell myself that if they would have seen it before the paint correction they wouldn't have said anything at all, but luckily they saw this:
drivers-2.jpg



and not this:
driverdoor-1.jpg


needless to say the previous owners didn't care too much about the exterior. Stupid soft Subaru paint :mad:
 
for those who would like to see the original idea of this thread, check it out over at Autopia and type in " Remarks from neighbors " in the search...
 
in a sense when we are working on our or someone else's car, it makes people look or feel lazy (that their car looks bad). more than half the time when i'm washing my car, i have a few neighbors that start working on their lawns or do something productive outside...
 
Most of the people on my street take the car to the auto car wash and run it through..:eek: They think I have lost my mind, hand washing the car in 40 degree weather..:xyxthumbs:
 
I haven't gotten so many comments, but I've definitely gotten weird looks haha.

During the winter, I do ONR in the garage. At the end of my wash, I open the garage door for more light to check for streaking or any missed spots. Anyone who happens to be walking by always gawks at me.

Using the leaf blower gets weird looks too lol. I don't mind it too much anymore, I'm doing what I love :D

Also BigAl, you shouldn't post that. It was edited our of your original post for a reason :P
 
I just recently moved into my new home and had a detail lined up about two weekends ago. During the detail two of my new neighbors came by to see me work on a very distressed 1994 Buick Century. Both gave me compliments on my work. One came over the next morning while I was tidying up the garage waiting on the client to arrive to see the end product. He said the car looked brand new (very far from the truth unfortunately) and the other ended up asking me about the difference between sealants and waxes. It was really neat they showed interest. I'm hoping they'll want to use my service sometime! Come to think of it I need to post that detail but the pictures came out junky :(
 
rott3np3anut said:
Also BigAl, you shouldn't post that. It was edited our of your original post for a reason :P
Click to expand...

not a clickable link anymore... :xyxthumbs:

as far as the leaf blower, my neighbors are use to it. think about it, if you were working on their car and doing all these things that you do to your's or your customers, they wouldn't be complaining or saying anything negative would they?...
 
My Lesbian nieghbors,who are really cool people, gave me a gold watch once,I guess they misunderstood when I said "I wanted to watch"
 
After a long day detailing my car for the first time this past summer, I was about finished and a neighbor came jogging by my driveway. She had the audacity to say "hey its only a car!" :mad:
 
I get the usual and often annoying "Ill pull mine up next", Ill have to use the sure I could use some extra cash thing. Ill just have to work out my pricing.
I get comments how nice they look.
And a few times Ive gotten the old, your still out here. After they had been gone all day and come home and Im still out there. Good stuff!
 
I get the 'mine's next' bit all the time too, especially when it's cold. So I just say with a smile, "Bring it on over, for $50!" And when I bring out the electric blower to dry I just get weird looks...
 
During the winter months I often use the coin op wash. I take all of my own supplies; including my 3 buckets/lids already filled with my own wash/rinse solutions, wash media, etc. I was recently politely asked not to come back again by the owner. He explained to me that I am taking to much time in the wash bay, not using his chemicals, and costing him money because I just use his system to pre-rinse and rinse. I am taking way to much time in between the rinses, time that others could be spending more money than I in the wash bay...Oh well...
 
Dark Horse, do what I sometimes do: go in the early AM . No one there to bug you and the owner is probably at home in his jammies...

As to the OP:
I will ONR our vehicles in the driveway if the sun is out in the winter. I love the looks the neighbors give me as they drive by.:eek:
I have picked up three cash paying details from other neighbors that were impressed by my work and offered up intelligent questions instead of idiotic remarks. I'm not a professional, but do this as a hobby. The $$$ go to my detailing aresnal/mod fund.:xyxthumbs:
 
DARK HORSE said:
During the winter months I often use the coin op wash. I take all of my own supplies; including my 3 buckets/lids already filled with my own wash/rinse solutions, wash media, etc. I was recently politely asked not to come back again by the owner. He explained to me that I am taking to much time in the wash bay, not using his chemicals, and costing him money because I just use his system to pre-rinse and rinse. I am taking way to much time in between the rinses, time that others could be spending more money than I in the wash bay...Oh well...
Click to expand...

Sounds like that guy isn't seeing the whole picture. By having you there during what I'm sure is a slow period, would actually increase his profits. If someone passes by and see's you cleaning your car, they will be more apt, to stop and do theirs. Especially the female clients he may have. They always feel more secure if there is someone else on the premises while wand washing there car

If you practice this during peak periods, then of course that isn't the right thing to do.

At least your not leaving him with 1500lb's of mud like all the hunters do

Tell'um to put all this in his pipe and smoke on it next time you see him
 
I usually get the "mine's next" remarks from neighbors, and I always reply "How much do you wanna pay?". :D

A couple of weeks ago, I was outside washing my car when my neighbor had his friend over. He was drunk and said to me "I'll give you 2 dollars to wash my whole truck. 2 dollars" the way he emphasized "2 dollars" pissed me off. So I said, "Keep your two damn dollars" and went about my day. He's a stuck up old man, so his comment didn't surprise me.

My other, nicer neighbors admire my work. Especially when I spend an entire day in the garage with the buffer. :props:
 
Like everyone else, I get "Me next?" or "You're gonna buff the paint right off."

My personal favorite was doing a friends car, starting at 9am and finishing around 6pm. The neighbors came out around 10:30 to rake and all day I heard "It's December, you're still doing that?" And when they went in at 3, "My god, you are still out here, unbelievable."

Gotta love it though. Nothing better than best looking car on the street! And in my case it is the oldest! Go figure.
 
The infamous "You missed a spot" or the"Am I next?"

One day my next door neighbor asked if I get paid to do this. I looked at his and said.. "yep, you want your truck done next?" He smiled and walked indoors.
 
I get "I'm next?" all the time -

I answer "You're fourth in line; maybe in three days."

Regards,
GEWB
 
just tell 'em I got room for a quick wash, your next but need 50.00 upfront.
 
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