What got you into detailing?

TH3M B0N3Z

TH3M B0N3Z

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I know this has been asked many times... but what got you into detailing?

When I had my 2007 Mazda3, I always washed it once a week, never paid too much attention to using clay and waxing regularly, used a single bucket and one mitt, you get the idea. I cared for my car, but not too well, lol. I always noticed swirls and such, but not very many. If I were able to look back and see the difference NOW, I'd probably freak, but I'd like to think my paint was never trashed and washed with bricks.

It wasn't until about the middle of 2012 when I started getting obsessive over caring for my car. By 2012, my car had visited the body shop 3 times for 2 accidents and 1 road debris mishap on the road. It sounds weird, but maybe I suffered a little and felt sad for my car, lol. I'm kinda a weirdo in a way. My mind often f*cks with me.

Anyway, so I felt like I got closer to my car after all the accidents and I somehow stumbled upon AG, guys like Junkman, Larry from AMMONYC, etc. and I started getting into buffing and figuring out which buffer I should get, attempting and completing my first full paint correction (10 hours), and I just became so obsessed with it. My weekly car washes are no longer 30 to 45 minutes, I take at least one hour, most likely a lot longer. I practically find myself claying the paint once a month and rewaxing, lol. I just like to keep the paint so damn protected, lol.

I'm really rambling now.

So what got you into detailing?
 
My first car was a hand-me-down 1992 Honda Accord, there was already clear coat failure and oxidation over the entire roof panel (I didn't know what it was called at the time, I just referred to it as FUBAR) and the A/C was busted. Needless to say, being 16 and working as a lifeguard, I didn't care for the vehicle at all. 18 months later, it finally kicks the bucket and I get a 2001 Altima, I told myself "I'll keep this up". It got the biweekly "make you want to gouge your eyes out with a rusty spoon as a detailer" uneducated wash and interior wasn't trashed 24/7.

Then I got t-boned in 2011 and upgraded to a 2007 Mazda 6i, still wasn't well versed on car care when I purchased it, but the following few weeks I found out about AGO from mazda6club.com and here I am, realizing my car that I love and neurotically car for was resprayed by some piss-poor shop that didn't even remove the door guards and I'm pretty sure just taped over the fog openings and radiator cover on the front bumper. >.<

So I can't obtain the perfection I desire and see here regularly, but it's as good of a place as any to start.
 
All started back on 2008 I had a dark grey 04 Dodge Ram 1500. My wonderful sister decided to take it for a spin to a friends house. While leaving she side swiped a telephone pole and the entire passenger side had to be redone at the body shop.

This is when I realized that one side look great. New, smooth, shiny, and defect free while the rest of the truck was bumpy rough and swirled out. I began my adventure on MOL reading and reading and reading all of the articles that Mike Phillips did. After much research I went ahead and detail the rest of that truck with the consumers line steps 1,2, and 3 along with the clay all done by hand.

DSC08499.jpg


Here is a picture of that truck. Once I learned all that well I learned how to keep the paint looking it's best all the time and my obsession just kept on growing.

Only 4 months later my sister was in an accident and ended up totaling that truck. She was OK but not so much the truck.
 
I'd rather invest the time to learn than to work and pay someone and not learn anything
 
The love of cars:)
OCD :)
When you do something you love its not work.
 
Became a car enthusiast at age 16 when I got my first car.

Became a detailing enthusiast at age 18 because I love my car.

Wanting to do better with my life at age 20 lead me down this path.
 
Pureshine said:
The love of cars:)
OCD :)
When you do something you love its not work.
Click to expand...

Very true! I enjoy going to work every day, hell I look forward to the week ahead on Sundays, the saying goes love what you do and you will never work a day in your life.(I think that's how it goes)

Back on topic...I always maintained my cars and enjoyed it, but never really the right technique, we were all there once in our lives, until browsing YouTube I came across a video Mike Phillips did and clicked the link to autogeek.net and it was on.

I own an auto repair shop and its me, my wife and my mechanic we all work well together and make it all work, recently I added detailing to my business and so far its been great I have actually made money off my detail customers doing repairs and vise versa.
 
Salvation!

I detail to relax........the only problem is I don't do it enough. But things are changing!
 
Always loved cars. Restored a black 67 chevelle a while back and got hooked on keeping the paint swirl free. This eventually led to my full blown detailing disease. Here is the chevelle a few months ago at a show.
casperpic1_zpsa439ccdd.jpg
 
A botched detailing by someone else and getting a new car started it all.
 
This sight was recommended to me by a guy on my Ram forum,when I decided to "wash" my own new vehicle. THEN, all you guys got me hooked on detailing and now I'm addicted. Must get mmmore products.:buffing::buffing::buffing::buffing:
 
About a week after buying my first new car, it was time for a wash. I brought it to self-serve wash, and said to myself, "I have no idea what I'm doing." But, I kept on doing it for a few weeks. I eventually found a drive through automatic wash that seemed to do a good job. One of the workers there recommended sealing or waxing the car. Once I got home, I found AutoGeek :)
 
I started when I was 12 yrs old. I am 54 now. I would clean & wax my Dads car. The neighbor saw what I did and as me to do his for $5. At 12 that was big bucks. My younger brother play with tonka trucks and i would wax them so his looked better than the other kids. My Dad would just laugh and told me later in life that he knew I would always take great care of any car that i owned no matter how beat up it was. So here I am at 54 and my wife knows I have an addiction with detailing.


Tom
 
It started when I was young watching dad . Then as a teen neighborhood cars. When I hit 18 I worked at a rental car lot that offerd detailing and cleaned rental cars . That's when I did my first detailing . I rember a 90 model ford pu . It was oxidized so I brought it back . Then on to the swirl o matic car wash seen . Be came their full time detailer after some yrs . Left that job went to car dealerships ford . Then on to another lot high end cars . Was there for about a yr . Was going to become detail shop manger but received an offer at a new swirl o matic in town . They offered more money and a manger postion. So I went that way , stayed there for about a year then left because of differences. So I was back to the old wash that I had worked at off an on for years as a full time detailer. The business got slow and they started cutting hours . So I left and went to a printing shop. . Hated it . I found myself sometime missing the detailing life style . So I went in with a friend about a year later on a mobile detailing gig. He bailed after a month in . I stayed with it tho and in may ill hit my one year mark . Idk but something calls me to this kind of work . I tell friends and family that I feel like most of the time its not even work . It like second nature . But like they say if you do something you love you'll never work a day in your life .

Sent from my SPH-L710 using AG Online
 
That sucker ^. And now I love detailing. Not just the camaro but any car I get to clean.
I really appreciate proper detailing now.
 
Yes proper is the word . Working for car washes and dealerships taught me nothing but the wronge way . Learned on my own through sites like this the correct methods for supreme results. I love what i do and people love being educated on proper washing of their vehicles. I don't think you can ever stop learning in this field . As paint and clears coats change and new products are always being introduced . This is an ongoing learning experience . And with teachers like mike , and the staff , and all you other autogeeks. This trade and hobby will never get old or die out .

Sent from my SPH-L710 using AG Online
 
I've been washing cars since I was big enough to reach the hood and stood on a stool to reach the top. I got into "detailing" when I bought a corvette. Really got into detailing when I went to the first AutoGeek class and met Mike and Nick. Been hooked since.
 
First picked up a buffer in 1975 working at a bodyshop while in high school, this is when I first started painting also. Back then most spot & panel repairs were done in lacquer that required compounding to match the rest of the car. Just sling rooster tails of compound with a rotary, wipe, 3M pink polish then out the door!

After high school I started painting cars full time. It wasn't long before I was doing custom lacquer jobs on show cars. This brought my detailing skills to a much higher level, wet sanding the gallons (yes gallons lol) of clear flat then rotary buffing to a deep mirror finish. Of course every inch of a show car has to be it's cleanest as possible inside and out... I've never been a production detailer... much respect for those that do this day in and day out :xyxthumbs:
 
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