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College kid from Saint Louis


FiveOhJob

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Whats up, my name is Cam and I'm from Saint Louis, Missouri.

 

I've worked at a quick detail carwash, Waterway, for 3 years now. Last summer I started a little detail business on the side charging 60 bucks a car for a claybar/liquid polish/wax/interior armorall/steaming/vac/wheels/tires just to make some quick cash.

 

I'm over the Autozone stuff and hopefully you guys can help me get started to what i need. I just ordered a PC 7424XP after doing some research and saw Junkman's videos on youtube on how hard it would be to damage paint with the PC 7424XP.

 

I drive a 1995 Mustang 5.0 with 18,xxx on the odometer. The body is flawless and the paint is great. It has light swirl marks on it, but other than that its beautiful red paint. I want that to be a showcar shine all the time including the real nice Foose rims on it.

 

My white 1996 GSR Integra could use a little more work. I claybar/wax it like 5 times a year, but never got the swirls out and never really knew how to.

 

If you guys could guide me in the direction of what things i need to get for the PC, pads, and polishes/waxes that would be awesome..

 

Thanks alot,

Cam

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I claybar/wax it like 5 times a year, but never got the swirls out and never really knew how to.

 

If you guys could guide me in the direction of what things i need to get for the PC, pads, and polishes/waxes that would be awesome..

 

Watch the Junkman Video's and also the Adam's Videos on DVD.

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Thanks for that link AJ, just finished watching all the videos, seems TOO EASY! I bought my porter cable last night. Does it come with all the stuff i need? I just buy the pads and I'm on my way? Where do I get the pads you were using in the video and how big are they?

 

This will be the car I will be working on first.

DSCN1191.jpg

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Look at the top, left-hand side of the screen that you're reading right now. See the words "SHOP ONLINE"? Bingo! That will take you right to the Adam's website where you can order all of the stuff you see in my videos. Setup your account and start ordering away.

 

P.S. You could have gotten that polisher cheaper from Adam's! ;)

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I ended up getting the polisher for $110. Just ordered my SHR and white/grey/orange pads with the PC adapter thing-a-majig. I'll wait til more funds come in to the get other polishes you use in the videos. I have some of the Meguires Professional Glaze and Wax in the garage I've used a few times and love it. I just use those instead of the products you use in the video, with the same pads you use, and the same speed, correct?

 

Thanks AJ

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I ended up getting the polisher for $110. Just ordered my SHR and white/grey/orange pads with the PC adapter thing-a-majig. I'll wait til more funds come in to the get other polishes you use in the videos. I have some of the Meguires Professional Glaze and Wax in the garage I've used a few times and love it. I just use those instead of the products you use in the video, with the same pads you use, and the same speed, correct?

 

Thanks AJ

 

You can, but these two products do not do the same thing. The professional glaze that Meguiar's makes is a fine product and does what it is supposed to do, but it does not do what the Adam's products do. What you see me doing in the videos is "shaving" down the clear coat so that the overall level of the clear coat is lower than that of the scratches in it. I am basically "sanding down" the clear coat, but I'm using polishes to do it (which is a lot less abrasive than sandpaper). On very heavy damage, this process is somewhat slow when using the PC-7424XP because that polisher sacrifices power for safety. That is the desired trade off for a novice to machine polishing and is exactly why I confidently market the PC to novices.

 

The term "glaze" in the Meguiar's line of product is used to describe a product that fills in scratches. The clear coat is not shaved away. The process requires you to fill the scratches in with product and then cover the filled scratches with some type of sealant to help keep the scratches filled. The problem with that is, the product will eventually wash out of the scratches and the scratches will reappear. To me, that's a waste of time for the work involved, but that is what that product is designed to do.

 

Personally, I don't like mixing paint correction product brands because every company engineers their products to work together. Thus, all my paint correction products for 99% of what I do come from Adam's. In the professional auto body repair shops, they may need some really abrasive stuff made by 3M. Most Joe Weekend guys in their driveways or garages need nothing even close to that abrasive. A lot of that stuff won't even work on the PC anyway because the PC's pad can't get hot enough to break those products down and make them work the way they are engineered to work.

 

Thus, you should stick to one brand's system as the products have been manufactured to complement each other and give you a desired result. This keeps down the confusion of not experiencing what I experience in my videos. :thumbsup:

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Gotcha, thanks for that. Well you say in the videos use the wax you prefer. I guess I'll just the use Meguiar's 26 Tech Wax I have laying around in the detail box in the garage until I have enough cheddar to get some Adams stuff. I want to move all my stuff to the Adams products as they seem to work seemlessly and very easy. So right now I have:

 

1. Mothers claybar / lube

2. porter cable 7424XP

3. Adams white/orange/grey pads

4. SHR

5. Meguiars 26 Tech wax

6. **** ton of microfibers

7. Bunch of carpet cleaner/Lucas trim detail/Lucas quick wax/etc

8. Wheel and tire cleaners

9. Lots of detail brushes for the vents and hard to reach places.

 

 

How is it looking for me at the moment?

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You will probably need to get the Fine Machine Polish to follow the work you do with the SHR to really get the shine going - a clayed/SHR/FMP treated finish is the shining base for any sealer or wax you would use. (my $0.02).

 

You might then use some of your profits to swing over to Adam's Buttery Wax (fast on/off by hand with a great shine and wet look). The SHR and FMP products will last you a long time, as you only use a very small amount of them with the PC, so any initial investment in them will do a lot of vehicles. You will enjoy the results of your efforts with the PC and so will your clients. :)

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FMP is the next purchase after I make some money at the carwash next week. Just a question for amateur detailers who are just getting into it, or even have been doing it for awhile. What should the price range be for those cars I do aside from work at my house? I am still trying to think of a price without making the customers(mostly my parents friends, family, neighbors, referrals) jaw drop, and also without ripping myself off.

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As Doug said, you definitely need FMP to follow SHR. Don't use SHR and then put wax on top of that. It will look like crap. As for a price? I say free until you learn what you are doing. You need all the practice you can get. Ain't nothing like have plenty of guinea pigs to learn on.

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Gotcha, thanks for that. Well you say in the videos use the wax you prefer. I guess I'll just the use Meguiar's 26 Tech Wax I have laying around in the detail box in the garage until I have enough cheddar to get some Adams stuff. I want to move all my stuff to the Adams products as they seem to work seemlessly and very easy. So right now I have:

 

1. Mothers claybar / lube

2. porter cable 7424XP

3. Adams white/orange/grey pads

4. SHR

5. Meguiars 26 Tech wax

6. **** ton of microfibers

7. Bunch of carpet cleaner/Lucas trim detail/Lucas quick wax/etc

8. Wheel and tire cleaners

9. Lots of detail brushes for the vents and hard to reach places.

 

 

How is it looking for me at the moment?

 

What Micro fibers are you using?

 

If they're the bright colored blue, yellow, green ones they'll rescratch your finish VERY nicely for you. :( I only use those for cleaning off my dash and floor mats.

 

I know Adams MF seems really expensive but you have NO idea what you're missing until you try it. I once was where you are now and have NO idea why I didn't Adamize myself sooner.

 

I wouldn't use armorall on my door hinges let alone my interior. Silicon is BAD stuff and AA is FULL of it. Try to stay silicon free.

 

Oh and keep your car out of your car wash if you want to keep it relatively scratch free.

 

Good luck!

 

Chris

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Yeah armor all cracks your dashboard. Is Vinylex made by Lexol silicone? We went away from armor all at the carwash and went to that stuff, its easier to put on and not as glossy and slimy as armor all was. I always use the 2 bucket wash system with my car, it never goes through a tunnel.

 

Thats why I came to this site, try out these products as they look and sound AWESOME and learn from the veterans on this site. Everyone is so friendly and eager to help one another, I love it. Hopefully one day I will be an experienced one giving advice to a noobie like myself right now. FMP will be ordered next week and thats when the PC should be here. I always see videos online of everyone using the PC on the hood, and other flat surfaces. How easy is it on the fenders and other round edges/side moldings/bumpers?

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Yeah armor all cracks your dashboard. Is Vinylex made by Lexol silicone? We went away from armor all at the carwash and went to that stuff, its easier to put on and not as glossy and slimy as armor all was. I always use the 2 bucket wash system with my car, it never goes through a tunnel.

 

Thats why I came to this site, try out these products as they look and sound AWESOME and learn from the veterans on this site. Everyone is so friendly and eager to help one another, I love it. Hopefully one day I will be an experienced one giving advice to a noobie like myself right now. FMP will be ordered next week and thats when the PC should be here. I always see videos online of everyone using the PC on the hood, and other flat surfaces. How easy is it on the fenders and other round edges/side moldings/bumpers?

 

There's really not a bunch of difference. It is easier to use the 4" pads in tight areas but you don't do anything really different on the fenders from what you do on the hood or trunk.

 

Welcome from KS. St louis isnt to far a drive. maybe if work allows it this summer can make a weekend trip to St louis and meet some of you guys

 

I plan on doing a clinic in St. Louie this year. :thumbsup:

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