shane@detailedreflections

@Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin check out the McCollouch MC1385 as an entry level steamer. It’s the same one we started with and was sold to a member here. It works really well for the money and can be gotten for under $200. It may even be cheaper with the holidays. The steamer we use is a Vapor Chief 135. It gives us the ability to fill while it’s hot (which is limited functionality if you plan correctly). But it also lets us mix chemical in the line and dispense (we’ve used rinseless and steam before). Most commonly we keep APC in it. The steamer we use also has a much higher pressure. The downside is that the steamer we use costs about ten times the McCollouch unit. Next time we have it out (Sunday we have a nasty interior so it’ll be in use with the extractor and a ton of other chencials) I’ll take some images of how we use it on the interior.

They do offer some different sizes (although not the sizes you’re specifically looking for) through the Pro-Line. If you’re a business and apply, you should be able to get approved for it. I know I had to provide a copy of my business license as part of the process. But that unlocks some different quantities of product. I haven’t seen anything in there yet that are products limited to businesses on those accounts except for the pro grade coating which I’m not even sure if it’s out yet (they require training and all that). Being up front...we don’t plan to bring in their professional coating as the expense of certification doesn’t fill any gaps in our existing lineup. That’s not to say it’s not a great professional coating, but it would be redundant in our lifespans and we would be getting it “just to get it” and spending money needlessly without expanding our offerings. Maybe one day if they waive the training process being we are certified with other coatings, we would. But for a business, check out their wholesale program.

Believe it or not...clean up was quick and easy. We are very organized in our shop with cabinets and all that. So we were able to sweep it out with a push room and scoop it to toss it in the garbage. And then we just took the blower and blew the rest outside and we were ready for the next job. Took us longer to do the laundry. One of these days when our space is empty, I’ll show how we have things organized. I’ve always been hesitant to show the images because they include a lot of non Adams products.

@RayS you make some important observations in the difference between male owned and female owned vehicles. The first thing to recognize is that sometimes the discoloration is just that. It’s discolored and can’t be fixed without dyes and that’s a whole different creature we don’t play with. So we actually attack them the same way, regardless. You can use an APC and a stiffer bristle brush to help loosen and mobilize the byproducts left behind. The APC is a degreaser so it’s good at breaking up the oils. Generally speaking a normal interior detailer sometimes isn’t strong enough for those oils since they tend to be older and caked on. You’re going to need a variety of brushes (start least aggressive to most). And a lot of towels. It takes time. That sticky feel you mention, the APC should take care of it. Keep a bottle mixed at a little higher concentration for the tough stuff. Don’t use it all the time. But sometimes you just need...more. We’ve even used the APC we use straight on a towel to scrub stubborn spots. Not often, but we do.

You know for sure that you got them off by letting it sit outside for a while to look? Or just by rolling it outside and looking to see and putting it back in? Unfortunately it needs to be left for a bit to truly tell if they’re gone. Water spots can come quickly depending on your water. Deposits in the water are typically what form the spots. Is it possibly your car was near a sprinkler anywhere? Those can be pretty brutal to car finishes as well. Did you use any different products? Different mixtures? There’s a ton of variables that can come into play here.

I know this is bit older of a post. If you search my history you’ll find that I have been very candid in my experience with going from hobbyist to business. The problem with the information you seek is that it varies by your own service. You need to evaluate your process and what you need to make on individual jobs and as a company. The answer most likely is that it takes significantly more money than you’ll anticipate to do it successfully. Also a business owner, you may find yourself making hard decisions about what products to use for a multitude of reasons. The answer does not exist within a single product line or supplier. Sometimes you owe it to your business and yourself to look at other avenues. Are you aiming to be a detailer? Or a car wash? They’re two different services. What clients are you trying to attract? I will say that product sales aren’t where you make money as a detailer. You’ll make a few dollars, but the general profit margin isn’t always worth the return, particularly as it applies to stocking products and having them sit. If you’d like more information you’re welcome to ask me in private message, reply here or even start a new thread on the topic with your questions and I’m happy to answer. Just tag me so I see it please.

I think my point was missed a bit. The consumer, prosumer, professional comment had nothing to do with application. Application is an entirely different creature and discussion. My point was in terms of backing up durability claims with warranties and more about being up front about what products are being used. There are a lot of people offering ceramic coatings, but they don’t disclose which ones they are using. In our experience with ceramic coatings there is a difference between working with the different tiers of coatings. It’s simply something to think about having worked with many clients, different coatings and having done many ceramic coating installations.

So...with water spots sometimes you can polish them off and it’ll look amazing. But when you put the vehicle in the sun they come back. You should heat cycle to make sure they’re gone. They may not have been truly gone before ceramic coating. Or with your water spots it could be something with your water. Water spots are usually formed by contamination in the water or hard water. What’s your water situation like? I’m guessing if they rubbed off you have something going on with your water supply.

Offering coatings to your clients isn’t a bad idea at all. But be forthcoming in the differences between consumer grade, prosumer and true professional grade coatings. There are definitely differences.

In my post on furry interiors, it got me thinking of doing more in depth write ups and images on certain processes and how we tackle them. With that, what topics would you guys like to see covered in how we do things and I’ll expose our process? One suggestion was...pet hair. But what other topics? The world is your oyster as far as topics go. We cover a lot. I can’t promise a timeline for each subject as it depends on when we get a vehicle that fits that need. I know next weekend we have another nasty interior coming. If I know in advance, I’ll set up photo/video and work it all out to put a detailed post together for various topics.

The longer the better. With the sealant work the whole car.

The money isn’t the end of the world to do it if people find it beneficial. I guess the bigger question is what do people want to see how we do things? And keep in mind we do use some equipment that may not be readily in everyone’s space. I’ll make a separate post on topics people want the how-to and more detail on so I can keep it in mind as we work?

A while back there was a blue metal polishing pad as I recall.

Paint sealant is pretty flexible in temperature and time. Apply to the entire car. Then remove the entire car in the same order. You want it to bond and giving it time as you do the car gives it times to do so. If applying by machine, use a no cut pad and low speed with light pressure.

The Porsche went home in the rain, but here’s a walk around showing the vinyl work we had done for them. They’re a good client. So next time we see them and it’s nice, I’ll shoot it all finished. Also, is there more interest in posts like this and how we really execute our process? They’re photo heavy posts and take us time to shoot and do. I’ll do them if they’re beneficial/interesting. IMG_3819.MOV

Believe it or not, we managed to pull that interior off in about six hours or so. A couple hours of dog hair removal and then our standard process.

Thank you! The smell was pretty bad. I don’t know how some people do it. I really don’t. Sometimes it’s about having the right equipment and process. We consistently change the way we do things to make things happen. It can be satisfying seeing progress in a vehicle like this. Take a guess at how many hours we put into it and then I’ll give you the answer? Thank you. That’s tall praise!

So we had a client with a Jeep call and say she had some pet hair she wanted us to deal with. She sent some photos, and we agreed on the price. When she dropped it off, the photos weren’t representative of what we thought but we took it on anyway. Since we took it on, it was time to get to work. We started by vacuuming and using a pet brush and pet stone to pull the loose hair up. Then we took our cyclo with carpet brushes to it to pull up and mobilize the deep stuck hair in the fibers. The cyclo was my first polisher and it’s relegated to this purpose in life these days. We are up to nine polishers in the shop...cyclo, dewalt rotary with an auto triz on it, Rupes rotary, two 15’s, a 21, mini and two nano’s. Sorry for the poor video. I didn’t set up the gimbal and all to make it a quality production. But the carpet brushes on the polisher is a great way to pull hair out. You just have to blow the hair it grabs out often to keep it. (Video at end for some reason?) Once we got the hair up, it was business as usual to steam, extract, scrub and dress. The end result is a huge turn around. IMG_3797.MOV

It sure is. But it was a lot of vehicle. It’s ten years old and was in good shape, but oxidized overall.

3 guys, 16 hours. Including a single coat ceramic on the cab and leading edges. One step of polish. We also had the benefit that the client had washed it prior to putting it in the shop, so we saved that time. Had we had to do all that and dry it, probably 18-20 hours. But again, that’s with three guys. Three polishers. Etc.

If you’re going to polish glass you’ll want the proper pads and polishes and a machine. The last thing you’ll need is time. Glass is crazy hard and time consuming to polish out.

Ceramic spray is really just another last step product. You have a million options in that regard. There is a point of diminishing returns. Buffing is not a process of melting clear coat back together. In fact, heat is the enemy in polishing. Think of polishing as really find sandpaper on wood. Think of compounding as corse sandpaper on wood. All polishing and compounding removes clear coat to remove imperfections in it. You generally don’t want to take off more than 1/3 the thickness over the life of the vehicle. At that point you lose UV protection and accelerate failure. The diminishing returns come when you’re removing a lot of clear coat to remove a blemish and weakening the overall protection. It’s a balance. We use a special gauge to know how much we can remove and how much we are removing. This isn’t available to everyone, but it’s important to note. Hope this helps.

Thank you for the kind words. They mean a lot. I’ve mentioned long ago that a hobbyist can obtain professional results. The difference is usually just experience, process and equipment. I wouldn’t expect a hobbyist to have an extractor, steamer of our capacity, selection of polishers, etc at their disposal. Those things simplify our process. I will pass your kind words on to the “team.” The reality is we are still very small operating on an appointment only basis. We are a team of three. Myself, marquis and Justin. We continue to grow and improve. We were talking the other day about where we started to where we are now and some of the cars we’ve been fortunate to work on. We are accredited/certified for multiple ceramic coatings and we don’t advertise, yet we continually grow. Every time we seem to be “running out of work,” we end up with a full schedule again. Watch soon for some interior pics. We have a few nasty ones coming up. One client is waiting until December since that’s when we can get her in and her “new to her” car is pretty nasty. I think we got it handled though. I’ll attach the pics she sent me to show where we are starting. Oh yeah, and it’s a 2017... So let’s clear a couple of things up here to help you out. When you polish a vehicle, you’re leveling the clear coat. So you’ve taken all the protection off the vehicle and you’re left with paint and clear coat. Polishing will take away some of that clear coat and leave your vehicle glossy and smooth. When polishing is done though, there’s no protection in the form of coatings, wax or sealant. This step is what gives you a glossy look. It’s not wax that makes a vehicle glossy. Using an IPA wipe will remove residues and such and allow the best bond for your protection. If you’re using a sealant, apply it first and you can wax over it for extra protection. I’ve attached a couple of charts to help people understand about paint and it’s defects.

Stick with sealant for ease of application in my opinion.

You can use an IPA wipe or ceramic prep as a means to remove residue and to clean the surface for the best bond as a LSP.