What got you into detailing?

First of all let's start out by saying that when I started detailing cars most of you weren't even in the back of anyones mind. I hav been detailing cars since I was 14 years old and am now 59. I used to use the Original Simoniz in a can and Blue Coral which was a 2 step process. I'm sure some of you know what I'm talking about. you see I am an only child any all anything I've ever owned had to be perfect. I had no one around to break or scratch my original Matchbox cars from Lesney. I next stepped it up to a couple of other waxes. One was called Dynaglaze and the other Astroshield. I think they were the same formula but in different cans. I wish I could find some of it today. It's been a progression from there.
 
Always kept a clean car, never knew what I was really doing until I bought a black vehicle, then out of necessity I got in to detailing.

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When i bought my first car. My dad made me buy one that had a blown engine and needed a rebuild. We got it running great, and after doing all that work it meant a lot of me, so i had to keep it clean. And from there my passion for cars grew, and so did my love for perfect paint. Oh and having OCD helps! lol
 
I started becoming OCD with my vehicle when I was 20 working at a dealership, not with their cars but with mine. I would stay after work and detail mine 3-4 times a week, I only wish I knew then what I know now about how to truly DETAIL a car:) I have learned more now since I have joined AGO than I have my whole life!:) thanks to you all!
 
I was rear-ended in a somewhat rare BMW and got a bunch of money for it. Bought it back, made a bunch more money parting it out and selling the parts online.
Still liked the body style so I found a $250 similar car and went to work on it. Once it was running, I wanted to make it look pretty and had all this money in my Paypal so I asked my good friend Google and his friend YouTube how to restore my paint which eventually led me here.
I've spent way too much on stuff and have more LSP, trim/tire shine, pads, and all sorts of other products than I'll use in a lifetime, haha.
I started a little detail on the weekend business with my little brother and I still spend my cut on this stuff, haha.
I only own 15 y/o+ cars but they're a lot nicer than other newer ones in the neighborhood.
 
I'd have to say my Dad's boat. Dad taught all of us kids how to water ski at an early age, like 5 or 6.

After I learned how to water ski I always looked forward to Memorial Day Weekend as this kicked off the family camping adventures and part of staring the camping adventures for each summer as I grew up was the tradition of getting the boat out of storage and getting it ready for the lakes.

As the oldest boy in the family, I took charge of "detailing the boat" and getting her ship shape and ready to go.

I'd say the above is what led me to detailing...



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All started when I moved into a place with a garage and thought how much money I could save by washing my own car. That didn't turn out too well.
 
Mine started as a kid in BMX. We would keep our bikes detailed for parades/demos, and from there it just evolved. Skateboards, atvs, bikes, cars, boats, even rc trucks....always detailed.
 
When I was really young I got a lockem up key car as an Easter present. It was a trans am, and came with a packet of Turtle Wax to put on the little toy car. I liked the idea of the finish being protected. After that, my Dad showed me how to use Turtle Wax on a car.

After that it was to care for my cymbals, which then transferred to cars in 1996.
 
Also, I've been in the car wash industry since about the same time, aside from the ten years I spent teaching drums.
 
I have always been a neat freak. From the time I learned how to clean my own room I've always made my room look as if I was in boot camp. I got my first truck when I was 16, and learned a little from taking care of it myself. After doing that I realized "Damn I'm pretty good at this" and shortly after I got a job at a local car wash. While all the other guys there did 'rush' jobs, I took my time and made sure everything was spotless. After doing that for about 2 years I got a job doing mobile detailing. Which I learned a lot more about car care, but still had some improvements to make. I then found Detail-city.com and that's when the floodgates of detailing knowledge infiltrated my brain. I now own my own Mobile Detailing Company
 
It all started when I decided to buy a new car instead of leasing, which I had done for the last five or so cars.

I have always been into cars, but just didn't care about my leased cars since I'd have to wave bye in a few years.

Now that I'm a contractor and living farther away from my parents and my daughter, I'm driving more than 12,000 miles a year, so I decided it was time to buy.

This car, a 2013 Honda Accord Touring, is the first car I had given a damn about in a long time. It is also my first black car. It also has (had) extreme orange peel. So, yeah...
 
I grew up loving cars as my father is a car guy and I wanted to be just like him. He taught me how to wash a car and take care of them (although that was the old days of washing cars).

I always kept my cars clean and washed them but never really knew the detailing aspect of it and thought all cars had swirl marks.

The moment that really changed everything for me was when one of my managers at the time came up out of the blue and asked me where I take my car to get professionally detailed. I played it off and just told him I do it myself to which he was amazed, but inside I was bursting with pride.

From that day on I started putting more effort into detailing, and I started researching more and trying different things. Eventually I came to AutoGeek and learned a whole lot more. Now every wash or polish I do I use as an opportunity to learn from and get even better than before.
 
My story is a bit weird ;)

At work I have to wash the car before every shift. So I went to youtube to see if there was any tricks I could learn to do a good job and speed up the process.

Once there, I started watching videos that lead to professionnal detailer videos such as Larry from Ammo, Autogeek, Miracle détails and so on. Once I started watching those I was hooked.

I am very compulsive in everything I do, detailing fits me perfectly. Only thing I will have to worry about is not take longer than it is Worth to do the job ;)
 
i have always liked waxing my cars since my 1st. Before you really know anything about detaiing waxing was the best thing to do a car. In 2005 I went to school for auto body repair. The course was for 2 yrs and probably 1 and 1/2 they had a 1 week class of detailing.

My instructor, Dan Moore, who now runs the Richard Petty Education Center showed me how to use a rotary buffer and explained how compounds and polishes worked, the real old school way when you couldnt skip steps, man i was hooked. I was supposed to be fixing dents and im bringing all the classmates cars in shining them up. Instructor told me i would never make it in the auto body repair business because im too meticulous.

No doubt about i made the right choice cuz i love this detailing life.
 
Ever since I could drive I was keeping my vehicles clean. My ways sure have changed but my OCD hasn't. :D

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