chops1sc

It depends on how much water you usually use. If you are used to filling up a regular bucket then it might take some getting used to less water with a 3.5G bucket. I personally use three 5G buckets but I have thought about switching to a 3.5G for my soap bucket since I only put about 2-3G of soap/water in it. My rinse bucket is filled to the top.

The car will be just fine. How many vehicles do you believe are out driving around that never get waxed?

I would do a combo. Merino mitt for the top half and the new sponge for the bottom half.

I would do a combo. Merino mitt for the top half and the new sponge for the bottom half.

It almost looks like severe overspray in the pictures. If it were me, I would try clay first then wet sand since compounding didn't work.

I believe the warm air is only because of the unit heating up. This is the case for the Sidekick. The Blaster I am not certain, but heat is a side effect of the running motor.

Go to Harbor Freight and buy a cheap spray gun. Put TS in the gun and set the pressure low. Spray the tires.

One thing we all need to remember here is that shine ultimately comes from the condition of the paint, not the wax. The wax is there as a protectant. I don't purchase wax to make my truck shine, I purchase wax to add protection.
 
I have the older Americana and I have not had any complaints about it. It goes on and comes off easy.

If your PW has the little color coded tips then you can use the Adam's cannon without needing an adapter. As far as just shooting water I'm going to say no. You can reduce the amount of foam but there will always be a little soap in the stream.

HUH??
 
Yeah I started wearing ear plugs once I started restoring headlights on the side. Definitely makes a difference!

With getting older I know my hearing is getting worse.  I'm sure it from years of driving loud diesels, too many concerts as a youngster, and being married.  I ordered up some hearing protection a while back for the purpose of doing things around the yard.  Lawn mowing, etc.  I also use them when draining my air compressor, as that thing seriously hurts my ears.  
 
While doing a detail over the weekend, I felt that running polishers and my master blaster was hard on the ears too.  I found that wearing hearing protection made it more enjoyable.  My kid teases me now and I tell him that one day he won't be so invincible and wish that he made adjustments  in his younger years.  Do any you others wear hearing protection while detailing? 

This is one reason why I probably won't convert to a WW user (for washing). The cost just doesn't justify it for me (I know others have no other choice). I do use it for door jambs and in case I missed a spot while washing. I also take some with me on trips to help loosen bugs.

I got this can of old Americana Wax a while back and it looked pretty rough. I decided to try melting it and resetting it with some hot water.
 
Before

 
After

 
It worked great! I did have to stir it up a little but in the end it looks brand new.

I got this can of old Americana Wax a while back and it looked pretty rough. I decided to try melting it and resetting it with some hot water.
 
Before

 
After

 
It worked great! I did have to stir it up a little but in the end it looks brand new.

I got this can of old Americana Wax a while back and it looked pretty rough. I decided to try melting it and resetting it with some hot water.
 
Before

 
After

 
It worked great! I did have to stir it up a little but in the end it looks brand new.

I got this can of old Americana Wax a while back and it looked pretty rough. I decided to try melting it and resetting it with some hot water.
 
Before

 
After

 
It worked great! I did have to stir it up a little but in the end it looks brand new.

I got this can of old Americana Wax a while back and it looked pretty rough. I decided to try melting it and resetting it with some hot water.
 
Before

 
After

 
It worked great! I did have to stir it up a little but in the end it looks brand new.

I got this can of old Americana Wax a while back and it looked pretty rough. I decided to try melting it and resetting it with some hot water.
 
Before

 
After

 
It worked great! I did have to stir it up a little but in the end it looks brand new.

I got this can of old Americana Wax a while back and it looked pretty rough. I decided to try melting it and resetting it with some hot water.
 
Before

 
After

 
It worked great! I did have to stir it up a little but in the end it looks brand new.

I've actually experienced the opposite. My waffle weaves soak up a TON. They start off dry. I only switch to smaller sizes for drying the sides so I don't accidentally get the Great White on the ground.

This problem always reminds me of a catch 22. We apply the sealant so the rain just runs off the windshield at driving speed and we don't have to run the wipers. BUT, at slower speeds we have to use the wipers because there's not enough air speed to blow the water off, LOL!

What sucks is I really want to try it but I still have almost a full gallon of blue shampoo, lol! I don't want to buy more just for the sake of trying it out. I'll probably get it sometime next year after it has been reformulated.

After. Most of what you're seeing is actually water drops but there are some rock chips.

I think this is the best place for my little story. If not, please move it to the appropriate spot.
 
I corrected 2 sets of headlights a couple Fridays ago for a gentleman and his father. The son immediately booked a detail for his wife's Kia Soul. This past weekend was the best time for me to work on it. I advertise up front that I need to keep the customer's vehicle over the weekend. I do this because I can't always dedicate 100% of my time on the detail.
 
Anyway, I usually do the strip wash the Friday before so Saturday morning I can jump right into the detail. Well, a cold front came in and stole 2 hours from my morning so I was already behind. I decided to work on the interior while the sun warmed up some. I finally start the decontamination with iron remover followed by clay. Here's where the bone-head move comes in. I'm claying the roof when I lean a little too hard on one of the rain guards and I hear a "crack". CRAP! I broke something on the customer's car for the first time since I started detailing. I know it wasn't like I burnt through paint or broke a mirror off, but I still started to panic.
 
100 things are running through my brain. I had no clue what to do. I was pricing replacements, trying to think of what to say to them, etc...  Then a sudden calm came upon me and said "just tell them what happened". So I text him that I broke it. It felt like an eternity passed while I was waiting for a reply. He says "Honestly, I wouldn't mind just taking those off anyway." I just about cut a backflip, LOL!
 
I ended up having to skip the paint correction and just put some wax on it since I spent the next hour or so removing the other guards and the old 3M tape residue. The customer was very understanding and I told them I can work on it another time. They were still very happy with the results and everything turned out great. It just goes to show you that panicking accomplishes nothing and the truth shall set you free, LOL! 
 

If someone wants a wash real quick...bring it by and they can help me with it. They might learn a thing or two along the way.
 
For full detail work, I may offer a small discount for the service. I have a friend/client that brings me multiple vehicles and multiple times per year. I'm inclined to toss something in for him if he asks for it or to cut him a break. But a one time thing, I'll offer a small discount (10-20%). Friends can be clients. The last thing I want to do is train my clients that I don't value my time and work. I would anticipate paying them a fair price for work if I was asking them to do a job for me. Hopefully they would do the same for me. I understand that it's a business and it needs to make money to stay a business. That statement holds true for friends that are business owners as well as myself.
 
The other slippery slope (and it's bound to happen) is when someone tells someone else what they paid after you do them a solid. Then that person already knows you'll work for less or expects similar pricing. It becomes a dangerous hill to be on.
 
All of that being said, I'm willing to walk away from a job if it doesn't pay what I feel it's worth for me to do. I'm fortunate that while I detail for money, it's a small business for me and not my main source of income. If it goes away, I'd still be okay.
 
You'll find a variety of answers on this subject if people open up about their pricing and relationships.