Why do you detail?

Because a flawless finish bounces radar and laser off it's finish for 11% farther.

Or so I have been told:xyxthumbs:
 
It started out as a stress reliever for me. Then I got into the technical aspects of cleaning and polishing the various materials on different vehicles. What I enjoy most is taking several products that are suppose to do the same thing and compare them side by side in a controlled environment on the same surfaces. It doesn't get any better than that and since I retired I have plenty of time to experiment. Of course the end results are I drive some really cleaned and polished vehicles.
 
My first vehicle was a Bronco II, that still needs a lot of work....but through changing out parts and fixing the broken stuff, I've been big on making every part aesthetically pleasing and easy on the eyes. I’ve been big on sanding and painting and cleaning and so on ever since. Then I started the same on my s10.

I guess it’s just another bad habit I’ve picked up.
 
Couple reasons, along with most everyone else, its a great stress reliever. Plus it gets me out of the house instead of just sitting around and watching TV just waiting for the time to go by so I can go to bed.
I also think learning how to detail has helped me emotionally as well. My son passed away 3 days before his 4th birthday. It was critical that I find something to help ease the time and pain that was going on. Detailing has become a way for me to escape and go to my "happy place."
 
jonn127 said:
I also think learning how to detail has helped me emotionally as well. My son passed away 3 days before his 4th birthday. It was critical that I find something to help ease the time and pain that was going on. Detailing has become a way for me to escape and go to my "happy place."
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Sorry to hear this... I really feel your pain. Reading this should help everyone to remember what's really important in life and that's family and friends.


:)
 
1. I love a clean car. I want my car to look like it just rolled off the showroom floor at all times.

2. It is therapeutic. When I wash/detail my car it is a time that I get to think about a lot of things. Helps with stress. Before detailing I used to just drive around on back roads. But now that the price of gas has gone up so high and I have a lot more responsibilities (kids), I don't have the freedom to do that as often.

3. It has turned in to a nice hobby with a lot of benefits.
 
2. It is therapeutic. When I wash/detail my car it is a time that I get to think about a lot of things. Helps with stress. Before detailing I used to just drive around on back roads. But now that the price of gas has gone up so high and I have a lot more responsibilities (kids), I don't have the freedom to do that as often.
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+1

I really enjoy taking a Friday night and spending it out in the garage detailing. My wife doesnt understand but it really helps me re-energize after a hectic week. If I dont detail on a Friday night it seems like my weekends are crappy.
 
ryanbabz71 said:
+1

I really enjoy taking a Friday night and spending it out in the garage detailing. My wife doesnt understand but it really helps me re-energize after a hectic week. If I dont detail on a Friday night it seems like my weekends are crappy.
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I don't have a garage so my time detailing is limited. WHEN I have a garage, I know I will be able to detail a lot more since I have a lot of free time later at night. I can see myself going out to the garage on a Friday night and working on my car. Or every night for that matter.

I REALLY look forward to having a garage for this very reason.

I always say If I ever get to build my dream/retirement home, It will have at least a 2 car garage, it must have a drain in it, a lift would be nice but not required.
 
i have a garage, but i also have three kids under 6. My wife feels the garage is just another large closet....So with all the kids toys and bikes and storage of clothes and Hurricane supplies well my garage is no longer able to fit a car unless of coarse it is a hotwheels maybe!!!
 
Detailing is just the last step in my hobby. as i rebuild old cars for people that dont have the skills to take one apart an make it look better than new.
I am always looking for that next best thing to put that big grin on peoples face when they see what the finished product looks like.
I am building a 57 pickup for a man that had four heart attacks, he came out last week an helped water sand his paint, and when he left after seeing parts of it buffed out you could see that he was feeling better when he left.
Jonathan
 
First to Jonn127 so sorry to hear about your loss, family and friends most important things in life.

Onto the the original topic. I do it like all others as a stress relief. I am self employed in the IT field and economically it's been tough the last 5 years, couple that with a divorce about 8 years ago after 21 years of marriage and I needed something constructive to do (was collecting traffic tickets on my motorcycles for a bit hence the constructive need).
I always kept the cars clean and nice but have taken things to another level and have a hobby that helps me, my family and my friends as I only do those cars and only for the cost of materials(that pays for my collection of supplies and equipment).
My significant other has a hard time understanding the 6 hour wash as she calls it but I explain it to her as she gets to go to the day spa and I get to take the car(s) to my day spa. That she totally understands. Tomorrow I am doing my daughters car, correction and Opti Coat she gets a massage/manicure and shopping and we both go boating at sunset and enjoy some adult beverages. Full of win.
 
I realized this week that I am tired of depending on other people who don't do what they are supposed to do. When detailing, it is all me. If I don't do it right, I have no one to blame but me. I'm in my own world.
 
I got into a bad accident last October and my Pilot was destroyed. I had to get a car for transportation fast, so I ended up buying a 2008 Civic that has a dark exterior and a beige cloth interior, the combination that shows swirls, dirt, and other defects the most. I stumbled across AG because I wanted to find the best way to keep my car clean and swirl-free, and it opened a new world for me.
 
2 things got me started, a dirty/dinged up BMW and an infomercial.

The car - never had a fun car with potential to look 100% better with some attention until this summer. In buying the car, I quickly found out that all mechanical and cosmetic improvements would have to be performed by ME... since I can't afford the thieves at the local dealership. I had no real experience in detailing or mechanical issues until now.

The infomercial - needed a place to start, so I decided the headlights would be first (they were BAD). The Lens Brite infomercial came on one night and I said to myself, I wonder if that really works.... no I actually said, no way that stuff works, but maybe it works a little, so I researched it. I was right, reviews said it didn't work, but also directed me to kits that do work and YouTube vids showing restoration techniques. One Meg's headlight kit later, and I had the bug. That opened the door to what else was possible in the DIY improvement/detailing world.

And now 5-6 DIY's later, and here I am doing my first paint correction with my first rotary.
 
got started detailing when I was 16 to clean up my first car. 4 yrs later was doing for a job cause I loved what I was doing. At the age 25 found out I was gonna be a daddy so detailing became a part time gig and off to factory work I went. 5 yrs ago GE decided that they could make the product cheaper in mexico and china,they closed our plant. one divorce later,broke as a joke crawled into a dealership with my pride tucked away.Now I work 2 detailing jobs most days I make more than I did in the factory world,and I walk away from work with a smile on my face.
 
I was addicted to herion and I'm an alcoholic. When I got sober and got a car I started keeping the interior really clean. Just makes me feel better driving around in a clean car. Then I though I should start taking care of the exterior more so I started learning everything I could. I learned I had been causing more damage then good. Then I got hooked. I realized when I detail its almost like meditation for me. Everything else going on the my life just goes away and all I'm thinking about is the goal at hand, make whatever car I'm working on as perfect as possible. Detailing has become my passion :)
 
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