Veteran detailers please read!

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akj

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FIRST OFF ITS A BIT LONG BUT PLEASE READ ALL THIS

Hi every one. I want to start off by saying what a privilage it is to be a member of this forum. i have been reading through threads here for weeks now. all great stuff.

I am just getting into car detailing. I have an extra shop, and all the tools and some of the product, I got from my father who washes his truck regilously.

but the more i read on here the more i start to think i dont have the right products, i read letters like APC and OPC and have no idea what they mean. i want to buy the products that will last me a long time, instead of buying from auto zone, which is more for the personal at home washer.
and i will be doing this for a job in a shop in town.

I know this has been beat to death but i feel i will learn more being part of the conversation.
so can you guys help me? i will make a list of things i need help with. if you can tell me what you like to use and why and what you suggest to me. keep in mind i know i will have to spend money but would like to keep initial start up as low as possible.

1. Wash/shampoo
2. Degreeser. how do i know its safe on the car?
3. wheel and/or tire cleaner.
4. interior plastic & vinyl cleaner. just to clean not shine.
5. windows? towels, cleaner, how do you not streak
6. tire dressing
7. interior dressing, what is safe how do i know?
8. cloths. so many brands & types of each kind what is best for what job?

this is where i really start to get confused....

9. compounds, polishes, swirl removers, wax, sealant, how do i know if i want a polish with a light cut to remove minor defects, how do i know what to get, autozone products dont offer much info. and after i put on my polish and get the swirls out what is the next step? what is a good product to use.

O AND NOT TO FORGET THE MOST CONFUSING..

10. bonnets and pads.. i am so confused here, there are so many of them, how do i know what pad to get, again autozone pads really only say what they are made of, nothing at all about PPI or even if its for cutting or finishing. all they have is foam, wool, and TC. I havent read much about the TC bonnets what are they for.

11. I know TC towells are standard but you can buy a pack of 6 any where from $1 to $20 and i am sure there is a difference. so how do i know what TC to get for what part of the job.

i understand that you want to try to get the finish you want with the least agressive pad and compound, but that is hard to do, when you dont know based on what you are looking at which one is more or less agressive.

VERY SORRY FOR THE LENGTH OF THIS, I JUST WANTED TO GET ALL MY CONCERNS ON ONE POST.

i hope you guys can help me, I am so eager to start, but i want to learn as much as possible first.
 
Hi akj...and...:welcome:...to AGO!!

In order to allow everyone a better avenue to address your concerns...

Would you be so kind to create a couple of dedicated thread-starters?

I know it would assist me.
Thanks.

:)

Bob
 
Welcome to the club of "we've all been there"

To make it simplest for you.... if it is in Autogeek's store, it is AWESOME and safe and you have enough info on the retail page to get you started.

A few quick lessons I taught my son (14 years old) was

1) Crap begets Crap.
2) If you buy cheap you pay for it in the end
3) You use WAY LESS of the high quality product, so "overpriced" I think not
4) Never overbuy because all those products have a usable shelf life.
5) When in doubt research and research, and then ask questions to confirm. Worst thing for you is to ask question without having some background knowledge. The answer would create even more questions. Read and read and read.....

As it was pointed out, if you do have a lot of questions, use a separate thread for each subject. This helps us help you :)
 
Sure i will do what ever i can to help any one out. but what is a thread starter?
 
akj said:
Sure i will do what ever i can to help any one out. but what is a thread starter?
Click to expand...

A thread starter is a specific subject you are interested, about which you start a thread..... which is posted in the specific forum subcategory it should go into.

If you read something on the forum you will see that the subject matter was placed in a certain forum. If you have a very similar question, find the specific forum and start you thread there (ie thread starter).

I believe Mike set up a How-to on how to start a thread. He also talks about how to name it and where to put it etc... One of the prevailing point though is create the thread on one subject, because it gets confusing fast when someone post on one subject and another comes behind talking about another part of the question etc.....
 
My suggestion, start with one line of products such as Blackfire. Grab a few lake country pad to put on your DA and then start to experiment and get a process down on your own cars. Then you can add more product, pads and walk down the path to different product lines. You'll soon find the ones you like and like to work with.
 
thanks for the info guys.. what confuses me the most i think, is in the magizines i have and on the websites i read about products that specificaly say what they do what they have in them, example. 3m compounds... they tell you exactly what its used for. like like cutting compound.. ect. but you go to autozone and you see a bottle of "jim bob's brand" (example) polish and/or wax, sealant, ect. and it only says on the label wax, polish, sealant, or some times compound. or it may even say a combo of them, like polish/wax, or wax/sealant, or compound wax..
and the pads there are the same way. i've read the wool pad are real agressive but at autozone for example the wool pad will just say 100% wool "great for bringing your car to show room shine" or they will have a bunch of different yellow foam pads. but none from the packaging seem different in any way than others..

same with MF towels. one 6 pack will be $5.99 and another 6 pack same size will be $11.99
any insite on this guys?

again sorry for such long post. i am just like that when learning something new. i have to know all that i can. and yea some times i put to much thought into it.. but this is DETAILING...
 
akj said:
thanks for the info guys.. what confuses me the most i think, is in the magizines i have and on the websites i read about products that specificaly say what they do what they have in them, example. 3m compounds... they tell you exactly what its used for. like like cutting compound.. ect. but you go to autozone and you see a bottle of "jim bob's brand" (example) polish and/or wax, sealant, ect. and it only says on the label wax, polish, sealant, or some times compound. or it may even say a combo of them, like polish/wax, or wax/sealant, or compound wax..
and the pads there are the same way. i've read the wool pad are real agressive but at autozone for example the wool pad will just say 100% wool "great for bringing your car to show room shine" or they will have a bunch of different yellow foam pads. but none from the packaging seem different in any way than others..

same with MF towels. one 6 pack will be $5.99 and another 6 pack same size will be $11.99
any insite on this guys?

again sorry for such long post. i am just like that when learning something new. i have to know all that i can. and yea some times i put to much thought into it.. but this is DETAILING...
Click to expand...

I think I am understanding your particular situation. In car detailing there is:

1) What is Ok
2) What is acceptable
3) What is good
4) What is better
5) What is best
6) What is supreme

To make my comment as short and to the point as I can I will say that the average product (found at the big box store) will give you decent results, but won't satisfy if you are looking for absolute perfection. It does not mean that you can't but it will be a lot harder and ultimately your quest will cost you time and money.

If you are the weekend warrior and don't mind going over your work 3 and 4 times to get what professional products would give you in 1 pass, then stick with the readily available big box products. They are in large part made by the same manufacturer. If you do this for a living or have a side business or don't want to spend oodles of time on your project then you will want the good stuff.

The prosumer and professional products are designed with the latest and greatest technology and is meant for the educated consumer who knows what they want and who is looking in saving time and money (because time is money). They do then to give more details on the products because you are dealing with a clientele that demands it. The consumer products have the mildest and easiest to handle but the professional you have a RANGE of products from mild to aggressive, to closed cell to open cells, to one property compared to another, so you will have to have more details.

Don't forget, the big box stuff is meant for the average Joe with a little gumption to get it done. As soon as average Joe gets educated, then he will find the specialty stores in town or join a group like AG.
 
thanks for all the welcome post..
and thank you for the info Dr. Pain.. that makes sense. the chain stores would be meant for the average joe we as what i am looking for is something a bit more detailed, and exact. where they say they are a 3 in one wax or wash or whatever.
i am not just washing my car and just wanting it to be clean, i am cleaning other peoples cars in my new business in hope of over acheaving what they expected.
 
Hello akj and Welcome to Autogeek Online!

Autogeek Online is "the" place to learn some of the finest ways to detail your car. There is a wealth of knowledge here for the beginner to the most advanced. A simple question is all that's needed to initiate helpful responses from members here and also Autogeek Professional Staff.

Everyone starts off as a beginner but with some reading, questions, and trial, error, and practice you'll be amazed how much you'll be able to do. After reading and understanding some of the basics, the more hands on, the quicker you'll build your knowledge and gain experience.

There are hundreds of brand name products available and most do a decent job. These products can become very expensive but that doesn't mean they have to. Manufacturers like Meguiar's and 3M have been around for 100 years and in fact, not long ago 3M bought Meguiar's....

Some great reading by none other than Mike Phillips

To simplify the compounding and polishing, two over the counter products by Meguiar's do a great job at removing minor scratches, swirls, and like defects leaving the finish looking like glass.

Meguiar's Ultimate Compound

Meguiar's Ultimate Polish

If you'd like some product suggestions that perform, take a look at these. I will guarantee they will not disappoint...

Wash - Duragloss #901
Clay - Meguiar's
Compound - Menzerna FG-400
Polish - Menzerna PF-2500
Finishing Polish - Menzerna SF-4000
Sealant - CarPro Reload
Wax - Collinite 845
Spray Wax - Optimum Car Wax
Tire Cleaner - Meguiar's Super Degreaser
Wheel Cleaner - Sonax Full Effect
Tire Treatment - CarPro PERL
Wheel Protectant - Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0
Trim Protectant - CarPro DLux
All Purpose Cleaner - Optimum Power Clean
Glass Cleaner - Meguiar's Glass Cleaner
Glass Treatment - Aquapel
Interior Protectant - Meguiar's M40

Foam Pads

Yellow Cutting Foam - Use this pad to apply compounds or polishes to remove severe oxidation, swirls, and scratches. It is the most aggressive and should only be used on oxidized and older finishes. Always follow this pad with an orange or white pad and a fine polish to refine the paint until it is smooth.

Orange Light Cutting Foam - Firm, high density foam for scratch and defect removal. Use this pad with polishes and swirl removers. It’s an all-around pad that will work on most light to moderate imperfections.

White Polishing Foam - Less dense foam formula for the application of waxes, micro-fine polishes and sealants. This pad has very light cutting power so it’s perfect for pre-wax cleaners.

Gray Finishing Foam Pad - Composition is firm enough to withstand added pressure during final finishing to remove buffer swirls. It has no cut and will apply thin, even coats of waxes, sealants, and glazes.

Blue Finessing Foam – Pad has soft composition for applying glaze, finishing polish, sealants, and liquid waxes. Flat pad provides full contact with paint surface to minimize the pressure applied by the user.[FONT=&quot]

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akj, welcome to AGO.
I am glad to see you on here asking questions to get started detailing properly with proper products.
But, I think a good starter thread for you would be a little background and your detailing intentions.
You said you have an extra shop and tools, and you want to detail customers' vehicles and exceed their expectations, so what is your line of work? It sounds like you have a little ways to go before detailing as a business and exceeding expectations. One of the first lessons you need to learn is that production detailing, even retail detailing, is not the same as show car detailing. The products that work best for most people with clients not expecting/knowledgeable of true detailing are the all-in-one/ multipurpose products. You need to realize that if you are doing anything for money/as a business you can't give services away and you have to settle for just meeting the client's expectations in most cases. It's OK to surpass customers' expectations but, not at the cost of losing money on a job. Hope this all comes across the right way and helps you evaluate what youbare trying to achieve with your business and detailing.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using AG Online
 
thank you both for that very helpful info..

and yes you are right i should start a thread about me and my background.
but i'll say a few words on that here to.

right now I run a small truck brokerage company, things are slowing down alot and the detail shop behind my office came up at a really unpassable deal, all tools included.. seriously an UNBELIEVABLE deal! i couldnt not take it.

i have had a good bit, not a lot in real detail like i read most of you do but i have had a good bit of experience in cleaning, washing, buffing, and waxing cars.
I worked at an auto body shop for a few years a little bit ago. I mostly preped cars for paint, then buffed and touched up after paint.
my father and uncle have been HUGE car detail entheuist for their whole life. and i remember learning how to use a rotary buffer long long before i could drive.
I am a veteran of the US Army discharged after breaking my back, which left me with the desk job i have now.

I have always enjoyed getting my car and my friends car's to as near perfect looking as i could. my dad taught me alot about detailing, but over the years with advancement in products, things have changed alot from when he used to do it.

my shop is the only one in town that offers auto detailing. if you dont count the oil change place that runs it through the car wash.. haha. and there are many people here who are family friends who are in ways like my dad when it comes to their car.

we are friends with 2 out of 4 car dealerships here in town. so my goal is to get into some kinda deal with them where i will be detailing their cars they have for sale, along with normal customers.
i dont expect to get rich by no means, but since i dont need to be at my trucking company having workers there that do all the work, i just thought since this shop was such a steal i could do what i enjoy doing and make some money on the side. as much as possible any way.

but like you said i wont give services away. my services wont be cheap but they will be worth the money.
i dont know or have much experience with foam pads so before i even start doing much business i will be buying an old car hood and doing LOTS AND LOTS of practice.
i wont do anything unless it is my 100% best. and to get the best you have to pay for the best right...
 
I know you want to start making money, but make sure that you are good enough to not make mistakes and good enough to do good work before you start charging people. If you screw up before you're ready that could hurt your reputation.

You should go to the ag bootcamp. You would learn from the best in the shortest amount of time possible.

Mike Phillips' Detailing Boot Camp - May 4th & 5th, 2013

Being a pro detailer is a lot harder than what most regular people think. It's hard enough to do my car and my girlfriends car every week. I give a lot of credit to those who are good enough to make a living out of it. It's a lot of hard work that requires a lot of skill and knowledge. Good luck. I know I couldn't do it for a job. It's far too physically demanding to do it all day, every day.
 
Thanks. I realize there is a lot to learn I've got a few old car parts I practice on every day.
I won't start doing anything on customers cars until I know I'm as good as I can be at it.
Thanks for the info.

Sent from my SCH-L710 using AG Online
 
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