Ask the Detailer

Haha surprisingly my vehicle OCD does not affect the Mini. It's 16 years old and honestly needs an entire respray. I just coated it because I had just enough leftover to do a tiny car and so I could accurately judge how OP works on a daily driven car. My truck is only driven once, maybe twice, a week for short distances. Otherwise it sits!

 

A lot of people think that’s the case, and it’s not like the manufacturers or a lot installers make a huge effort to inform them otherwise. It tends to be in the fine print. I’ve also seen absolute disinformation given by installers. Some absolutely advertise them as a magic potion that will keep your paint clean and last years without anything else. I’ve even seen people think it protects against rock chips.

I’ve played around with coatings, but I’ve never gone all in with them. My point of view is that if you follow the maintenance requirements of most coatings, you’re pretty much doing the same work as you would just using a sealant like Powerlock, Griots 3-1, etc. If you’re going to be doing that anyway, I don’t see the point of the cost and effort of a coating.

I’m not against coatings. They do work. They are great products if you maintain them properly. I just don’t feel that (for me at least) there is enough added benefit for the time and money. Not to say that detailers are ripping people off. It’s expensive because it’s labor intensive.

 

Same here.

It’s definitely not for people who want to experiment with products like I do.

 

The biggest portion of that cost is in the paint correction, right? Maybe sell the customer more on the correction and the coating as the gravy.
Ultimately no matter what you do, a lot of these customers are just going to wipe it all out with drive through machine washes. Pretty much everyone who’s vehicles I’ve done outside of my immediate family have done that to me.

 

Yeah thats the unfortunate part about coatings no one really talks about like @War Machine said. There's A LOT of bullshitting and wool-over-the-eyes promises that are not realistic. A lot of the pro manufacturers "test" their product in ideal perfect conditions. Not feasible and no one I know can effectively wash and seal their vehicle once a week for 7 years straight.

 

Yeah the bulk of it comes from correction then the different coatings are tiered in cost based on what they are and how long they are projected to last.

 

Regardless, I don't have a personal affiliation with any of these companies and never plan to. So I'll test them out on my dime and let you know my thoughts. I can quit detailing tomorrow and all would be fine hah, this is just fun for me and it's a bonus to get paid to do it.

 

The correction is definitely worth the expense as long as someone at least attempts to not wreck it immediately. I think if you pushed that, showed examples of your work (which is outstanding), and were completely honest about coating expectations, you’d be successful. That way, you’re maintaining your integrity and still getting the work. You could also offer 3-6 month follow ups where you do a full detail at normal price, but add a maintenance layer / topper for free.

Of course, I’m just an amateur enthusiast who’s never made a dime on detailing so I may be way off the mark. I’m definitely not someone to give you advice on your business. Just looking at it from the perspective of a customer, and what may sell me on the package.

 

I agree with this.

I really think all coatings should be sold with maintenance packages included. Two birds one stone.

 

Always down for good advice! I'm basically of the mindset of giving people the real world info and they make the decisions. I think my problem is I'm too blunt with how I word the coating expectations. I'm a no bullshit kind of guy in my personal life and it bleeds through recklessly into my business lol (i also have a mouth on me, can thank working in an urban environment for the past 9 years). Need to work on that...a way of letting them know what it is without being so brutal about jt.

As I slowly transition away from the mom and pop details and more into the high end work, I'm going to start implementing follow ups along those lines you suggested. I feel I could lock in higher end clientele with long term relationships by offering coatings with follow ups and topper idea. Maybe even at a lower cost. We regularly maintain (every 3 months or so) that Accord that was coated with IGL and my THOROUGH wash procedure takes 30 minutes tops because the coating has done so well and he has done an excellent job of caring for it in between. So a slightly discounted maintenance wash cost for a coated car that has a severely discounted working time (typical sedan exteriors take roughly 2 hours) because it is coated would sit well with me.

 

I can definitely see that. It’s so much easier to wash something with a coating or good sealant on it. I always forget how good I have it until I do someone else’s car with no protection at all.
You do awesome work. You’ll do great no matter what level the client is.

 

For a light polish, whatever their version of a soft light foam polishing pad and Griot's version of polish (not familiar with them). Not familiar with a GG6, but for reference my G9 has 6 settings and I run my polishing stage at 4 for the first few passes and back it down to 3 for the last two. Pressure for polishing should be barely any. You want the pad, machine, and polish doing the work, not you forcing it the machine into the paint. You won't damage anything with a DA (just keep moving) but pressure generates heat which burns paint (rotary issues, DA do not have this problem per se). Slow movements (1" every second) going left to right, up and down cross hatch. Have each pass overlap the last about halfway. It's slow, but will get you the best results. Low and slow always does.

 

Ok, this guy is kind of goofy, but he’s really knowledgeable. His videos are what I recommend to most people who ask me about polishing. He’s pretty entertaining also.

It’s been a while since I looked for links to his stuff, and it looks like he’s combined all of his videos about polishing into one, which is over 2 hours long. Good info in the whole series, but if you want to jump ahead to the polishing part, it’s a little over an hour in.

https://youtu.be/9JTxGf2Lvp4

 

Anyone? I see this going bad in the wrong hands.

https://www.reddit.com/r/powerwashingporn/comments/q61fpa/cleaning_a_car_with_high_pressure_dry_ice/

 

Looked into it a few months ago when i found out it was a thing. Seems awesome....however the cheapest machine is $10k upfront and that isn't including overhead and storage of dry ice. I wanted to get into it as I could see it exploding in certain areas but too rich for my wallet lol.

 

Ouch... f that. I'll stick to my chemicals and elbow grease. For 10k my truck could look a lot better then what this mean is capable of.

 

Why does everything seem to spot/stain the cloth seats?? This has been driving me nuts. What is recommended in removing spots and stains?

 

My OEM wheels are ceramic coated. My CarPro ECH20 rinseless wash works great on the paint and works fairly well on the wheels.

Would it be a bad to used a dedicated PH balanced wheel cleaner? Will I damage the coating?

 

Is it hard to remove brake dust with your regular washing soap? Try ONR 3:1. ONR is very safe and super versatile. Most "safe" wheel cleaners have some sort of caustic element to them that make them effective.

 

It’s fairly effective…I was hoping for something a little stronger but don’t wanna mess the coating up.

 

Try ONR 3:1 and lightly agitate with a Speedmaster or soft bristle brush. Personally I would err on the side of caution and use the least invasive as possible since wheel cleaners can be pretty harsh even if they're considered "safe." I've got my wheels coated. I'll guinea pig it for ya next wash and let you know. I've got loads of coatings in the closet I can just toss on if it destroys it lol.

 

Because they're cheaply made. Only way to completely remove them is an extractor or a shop vac. Any liquid that is left behind and not removed from the cloth will leave a "stain." It's not a real stain in the sense that it will come out, it's just residual from the liquid evaporating and what's in the liquid being left behind. Happens on my Mini's cloth seats. Spill a water bottle and let it dry and it'll look stained. Need to soak as much of it up as possible.

 

I have been interested in trying ONR for a while now. I heard it’s easier to use (less swirl marks) than CarPro ECH20 but doesn’t have the same shine.

Thanks!

 

ONR is a great product and very versatile. I highly recommend it.

I’ve gotten streaking from Ech20, but not swirl marks. If you get swirl marks using a rinseless wash it’s probably because the paint was too dirty to use one on.
The other part is correct. ONR is easier to use, but doesn’t leave gloss behind like Ech20. No gloss enhancers in ONR is exactly why it’s easier to use. Shine Supply Eco-Shine is a good middle ground between the two.

 

Streaking is the word I was looking for yesterday…LOL. Swirls aren’t accurate.

I actually ordered some regular ONR (wax less) late last night based off my curiosity and the recommendation. I will post up my results and thanks for further confirmation.

 

Hard water spots - what’s the easiest way to get them out? I work nights and my sprinklers do a number on the paint when it’s parked during the day. (Almost impossible to park where it won’t get hit.). Regular washing will not remove it.

 

Dedicated waterspot remover. CarPro spotless is decent. If that doesn't work, wheel acid will most likely get the majority. If it's sat in sun and baked, more than likely need polished.

 

Quick question, what can I use to get my step boards back to that new look? Especially in the grooves even after spray washing with high pressure hose still low dirty. Thanks in advance

 

Solution Finish. Others will suggest Cerakote. Haven't used it but from what I see that looks like a great option too.