Odds and Ends

I don't give anybody a price until I meet with the owner AND see the vehicle in person.  I will give fixed pricing for a specific task but will upcharge if any particular task is going to take more work.  Even with your above example, "interior" and "engine bay" need more clarification for me.  Wash, clay and wax I could ballpark based on the size of the vehicle, but what exactly are you doing to the interior?  Steaming cloth seats takes a little longer but is much easier than scrubbing dirty nasty leather/vinyl.  So are you going to charge for your time or your effort?  I like to charge based on the results.  
 
I would think for an average size car or small SUV, you should be able to knock out your above list in 3-4 hours.
 
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that there are always more questions to ask and the best piece of advice I can give you is to make sure you and the customer are of the same page with regards to expectations and the price being charged.  I like to joke and say that if the first question is "how much do you charge for X", then you're probably at the wrong place.  If the first question is "Can you fix X", then we can have a conversation about what you want me to do and how much I'm going to charge you for that amount of work.
 
Hope that helps.....
 
- Darryl

Welcome, Mike!  I am in the Great Falls/Sterling area.  Darryl over at Odds and Ends is a great supplier and one cool dude to chat with.

Come see me in Sterling.....no waiting for shipping!  

Most single stage paint corrects very easily and the results are stunning.  Don't freak out that all of your pads will be the color of the car.  As noted in prior posts, tape edges if in doubt.  I rarely tape on most cars but almost always do on old, single stage cars.  If it's not metallic, and hasn't been resprayed, you can bet it's single stage.  Go slow, be careful or be sorry.....

I am very close to Dulles Airport.  If you are unable to have someone follow you/pick you up, I offer rides to the terminal to catch public transportation or to Silver Line in Reston for the Metro.

I'm 99% sure it's from a mouse.  The other 1% in question is relying on the fact I haven't seen the mouse in person.

Welcome Elvin!  You didn't mention where in Maryland, but if you're close enough to me, please come by and say "hi" and feel free to "try before you buy"!  I keep all chemicals in stock and will be happy to demo products and answer any questions you may have.
 
- Darryl

One of my loyal/regular/repeat Corvette customers just took a little trip to Bowling Green to pick up this beauty.  I know there are lots of Vette guys here on the Adam's forums, so thought I'd post up a couple of quick pics.  Unfortunately, he came to pick it up a little earlier than I expected so I didn't have time for a more extensive photo session, but here are a couple of pics right before he drove away.
 
Do you own Googling, but rumor has it, they're only producing 500 of these.
 
Some may ask, "what needed to be done to a new car with only 850 miles?".....well, here's what I did:
 
Two bucket wash
Clay
Revive polish with a White pad on a PC7424 at speed 4(ish)
Two coats Liquid Paint Sealer applied with the PC7424 on speed 2  (with cure time in between)
Tire shine
Glass Cleaner
 
Enjoy!
 

 

 

 

^I agree with most of what Tim said, clay alternatives are great for what they are and a huge time saver for neglected finishes. For most of the enthusiasts on the forum who are claying 2-3x a year on well maintained cars it's probably not as much of a need, because a quick pass or two with clay will remove most of the contaminants that will accumulate over the course of a few months.
 
I have both on my shelf and use them both when decontaminating, along with a 1:1 DWC dilution as iron remover. The "decon triple threat" as I call it.
 
Used properly though, a fine grade clay sponge (I prefer it) or mitt would be fine to add to your regimen, in addition to the clay on your shelf.

John,
Like you, I dislike "shiney" tires too, but absolutely love the look of Tire Shine. I prefer spraying it on the applicator, then dressing the tire, and is the way I suggest customers using it. I also wonder if it would be an easier "sell" if it was named "Tire Dressing" or something.
Glad you finally tried it though. Don't worry, still plenty of places to use SVRT.
Bruce

Here's a question - why mess with it? If it were my car, I would just leave it until I could take it out and put a pressure washer to it. Building up a thicker layer of dust isn't going to do any more harm, right?

One of my loyal/regular/repeat Corvette customers just took a little trip to Bowling Green to pick up this beauty.  I know there are lots of Vette guys here on the Adam's forums, so thought I'd post up a couple of quick pics.  Unfortunately, he came to pick it up a little earlier than I expected so I didn't have time for a more extensive photo session, but here are a couple of pics right before he drove away.
 
Do you own Googling, but rumor has it, they're only producing 500 of these.
 
Some may ask, "what needed to be done to a new car with only 850 miles?".....well, here's what I did:
 
Two bucket wash
Clay
Revive polish with a White pad on a PC7424 at speed 4(ish)
Two coats Liquid Paint Sealer applied with the PC7424 on speed 2  (with cure time in between)
Tire shine
Glass Cleaner
 
Enjoy!
 

 

 

 

I did the same "spray the hand" technique. It really pulled dirt off the surface very well. Anxious to see what you may or may not be testing.

Tim....very well and diplomatically stated.  Clay alternatives work just fine.  
 
Do they micro mar?  Possibly, under some circumstances.  But if you're polishing anyway........
Are they 100% effective?  Nope, cause they can't get into every nook and cranny, especially if you're using a pad on a PC.  
Are they for everyone? No, they are more expensive and the average guy won't use it enough to justify the expense vs effective ratio
 
If you're doing this for a living, they are essential.  For me, using a  clay alternative is much less expensive than shoulder surgery.  I use both the light and medium pads for the PC and also have a light mit.  I use them so frequently that even those get replaced about 3 times per year.  That being said, there is still an Adam's Clay bar on my shelf and I'm quick to grab it for small things and for doing demos for customers and clinics.  
 
And, as Chaw suggested, the blue bar isn't great.  The softer gray one was better and I was in a conversation with DVK/ShineDoc prior to his recent departure about bringing the gray one back.   I'd like to see the old clay come back......
 
- Darryl

Tim....very well and diplomatically stated.  Clay alternatives work just fine.  
 
Do they micro mar?  Possibly, under some circumstances.  But if you're polishing anyway........
Are they 100% effective?  Nope, cause they can't get into every nook and cranny, especially if you're using a pad on a PC.  
Are they for everyone? No, they are more expensive and the average guy won't use it enough to justify the expense vs effective ratio
 
If you're doing this for a living, they are essential.  For me, using a  clay alternative is much less expensive than shoulder surgery.  I use both the light and medium pads for the PC and also have a light mit.  I use them so frequently that even those get replaced about 3 times per year.  That being said, there is still an Adam's Clay bar on my shelf and I'm quick to grab it for small things and for doing demos for customers and clinics.  
 
And, as Chaw suggested, the blue bar isn't great.  The softer gray one was better and I was in a conversation with DVK/ShineDoc prior to his recent departure about bringing the gray one back.   I'd like to see the old clay come back......
 
- Darryl

I'm not sure where you are getting your information Rich, but that is false. Maybe you've never tried them before... but clay mitts and clay blocks are NOT gimmicks, they work great and are much faster and economical for claying. 
 
As opposed to traditional clay that needs to be folded every couple panels to be effective (and safe), a clay block can simply be wiped with a microfiber towel. Drop a piece of clay on the ground and it has to go in the trash, drop a clay block on the ground, no problem - just rinse it and wipe with a towel and it is good as new. 
 
Some people report light marring when using clay alternatives such as these, but in my testing (and many other professional's testing) that only has occurred on the softest of paints - which traditional clay also can mar. As you stated, you should only need to clay your car once or twice a year, which is how often most people will at least use a light finishing polish on the paint - which would get rid of any marring you most likely won't have unless you have soft black paint. As long as you're properly lubricating the surface, you will be fine. 
 
Clay alternatives are twice as fast (at least) as traditional clay and cheaper over the long run. As a professional, clay alternatives are extremely valuable. As a weekend warrior, clay alternatives can be just as useful. 
 
Unless you have extremely soft dark paint or just enjoy spending more time than necessary I don't see why you wouldn't want to use a clay alternative. Sure, there are still times where I use traditional clay, in tight spots where the clay block won't fit or on those rare occasions I'm dealing with soft dark paint and not polishing afterwards. Polishing would remove any possible mark left behind from claying.  
 
I can understand Adam's reasoning for not selling clay alternatives, both from a numbers standpoint among other reasons - but just because Adam's doesn't sell it doesn't mean it's bad. A good indicator that this technology is not a gimmick would be taking a look around at all the pro detailers in the industry right now - we're using clay alternatives and resorting to traditional clay only when needed. 
 
My $.02
 
-Tim

While you're correct that agitation and friction are the proper methods for scrubbing off oxidation, your better bet as to the proper tool would be a soft to medium bristle brush. The cockpit brush works great for this. Just spray on the desired strength of APC and brush it around. Repeat as many times as necessary.
 
As a side note, this will also work great on plastic trim too. Use a toothbrush.
 
- Darryl

One of my loyal/regular/repeat Corvette customers just took a little trip to Bowling Green to pick up this beauty.  I know there are lots of Vette guys here on the Adam's forums, so thought I'd post up a couple of quick pics.  Unfortunately, he came to pick it up a little earlier than I expected so I didn't have time for a more extensive photo session, but here are a couple of pics right before he drove away.
 
Do you own Googling, but rumor has it, they're only producing 500 of these.
 
Some may ask, "what needed to be done to a new car with only 850 miles?".....well, here's what I did:
 
Two bucket wash
Clay
Revive polish with a White pad on a PC7424 at speed 4(ish)
Two coats Liquid Paint Sealer applied with the PC7424 on speed 2  (with cure time in between)
Tire shine
Glass Cleaner
 
Enjoy!
 

 

 

 

So you mean the door HANDLE is for opening and closing the doors?  
 
Along that same line, and my apologies for going off topic, but you shouldn't shut Convertible and Coupe doors using the window either......I cringe every time I see people do this and the glass flex under the force.
 
- Darryl

^The above are correct - polish and protect like paint - Piano Black BMW trim is a pain to keep looking good - try to tell your passengers to close the door by the handle and not by pushing the pillar, otherwise you'll always be chasing fingerprints on them

0000 and Glass Cleaner as lube.  I do it quite often......

Hmmmm, heat gun + plastic car = ?    Needless to say, be careful......   As Chris posted (while I was typing), a hair dryer is better since it will generate plenty of heat to warm it up but not too much heat to melt stuff.   If it's already cracked in a thousand places, it's likely to just crumble off anyway and heat may not even be needed.  Get some adhesive remover and I bet it will just fall apart......
 
Go slow and you should be fine.
 
- Darryl

Hmmmm, heat gun + plastic car = ?    Needless to say, be careful......   As Chris posted (while I was typing), a hair dryer is better since it will generate plenty of heat to warm it up but not too much heat to melt stuff.   If it's already cracked in a thousand places, it's likely to just crumble off anyway and heat may not even be needed.  Get some adhesive remover and I bet it will just fall apart......
 
Go slow and you should be fine.
 
- Darryl

I wash year round, but pull the vehicle inside to do everything else.  One thing I have learned......water freezes at 32F.....
 
However, if I can leave the car inside the night before, many times I can take it out, do the wash and get it back in before it gets too bad.  If the car is outside in the cold, washing doesn't work since the surface is already at a cold ambient temperature and it won't be fun.....
 
Get some scuba gloves!
 
- Darryl

My initial guess would be that it was a little heavier in those spots and simply didn't get wiped thoroughly.  You didn't mention how you applied it.
 
LPS on Silver and White is especially tricky as it is hard to see when wiping it off.  I own both a silver and a white car and it always catches me by surprise when I walk by one of those cars much later and catch a spot that I missed.  
 
- Darryl