Ammo nyc

Swanicyouth said:
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Disagree. Mike knows a lot. He's able to wrangle like 5 random dudes with various levels of experience to polish out (sometimes wet sand) an entire car using like every product AG sells in the AG garage, and get great results consistently.

Besides being a great detailer, he's excellent at teaching and organizing people and projects.
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I agree. Mike definitely knows his stuff. At least Meguiar's and Autogeek seem think so also. I don't think he really pushes one product over another either. Every video he is using something else that PBMG has to offer. He does this to show that he can get the same results using a wide variety of products. Maybe that's why his saying is, "Find something you like and use it often".
 
XxBoostinxX said:
I agree. Mike definitely knows his stuff. At least Meguiar's and Autogeek seem think so also. I don't think he really pushes one product over another either. Every video he is using something else that PBMG has to offer. He does this to show that he can get the same results using a wide variety of products. Maybe that's why his saying is, "Find something you like and use it often".
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I never thought about it like that. Does make sense, I've seen him say that a lot.

I know someone else said it, and I want to make it clear. I was not saying that I don't think Mike knows his stuff. I don't know enough to judge that anyway. He is a good teacher and it works, it's just I prefer a different style. If I were in person learning from him I'm sure it'd be awesome because I can ask questions to a human... I guess I could ask the computer but that wouldn't help me much. I would hope Mike knows his stuff... I bought his book. lol

Anyway, I just wanted to make sure that was clear. I'm not sure if that's how anyone took what I said but just to be safe.
 
They are both great detailers, alot of Larrys stuff is common sense/thinking about things a bit more in depth. I think the way he does, rip every process apart an see how to optimize an perfect it. A perfect example is trick I've been using for years. When painting a touch up, tape around the scratch as tight as possible so it fills directly and thus give you a way cleaner and flusher result. He made a video on it with a G55. The result was awesome, as I've had the same plus no sanding down excess paint runs an res.
 
One thing to also keep in mind, is when the videos were posted. I've even seen Mike Phillips change the way he does certain things (like car washing) over the years.

I take what I can from both these gentlemen, as well as others, and see what works for me. Sometimes I tweak things to suit my needs better.

And FYI, Larry (last I checked) isn't pushing his compound/polish at the moment. He's actually using Meguiar's products
 
Larry Kosilla (or better said, his videos) got me into car detailing. I'm far from being an expert, but I love his concise and clear way of explaining things. Many videos one can find on YouTube serve either to sell products or to provide some detailers with a way to let everybody know how wonderful they are. I guess everybody develops his personal style over time and there are also different ways of doing things. That doesn't necessarily mean that any of them are wrong.
 
Like many/most here, I've watched my fair share (or more) of youtube detailing video's.

I can't/won't speak to products 'being pushed' or pricing. Frankly, for the most part, everybody loves the ones (products) they're with if only perhaps to justify spending so much hard earned cash buying it/them.

I will say that like most things, there's many ways to achieve a desired outcome...and not all ways will agree with everyone. I was recently watching one of his car wash video's where he uses three buckets and does the wheels first (with a dedicated bucket)... but I thought (and do) the wheels last and just use my two buckets. Is he right and I'm wrong? Well, I don't really think so - his way works, but I think mine does too...
<so there you go>
 
RDKC said:
Off the top of my head...

I've noticed he can move the polisher pretty quickly at times. Another one which I don't really question so much is in his microfiber video he says he uses 300-350 GSM towels for pretty much everything. I have read a hundred people going crazy over high GSM towels and I've even seen people that say they won't touch paint with that "low" of a GSM. Last thing I can think of right now is La
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I kind of agree with Larry on the GSM of towels. I find a good quality 300-350 towel will perform just as well as 400+ GSM. but also it depends on what type of paint you are working on. If you run into a really soft paint, i would reach for 400+ gsm just to be safe.

I think Larry reaches out to the younger detail crowd because of the type of cars and "swag" he puts out, and just the way he talks is very direct and informative. I find AG and Mike P to be the "older" generation of detailing.. maybe its just me? When I get on the AG forum, the looks and feel of it just screams 1990s. Not that I dislike the older guys, they have tons of knowledge but some tend to be stuck in that generation or style.

I prefer autopia because its a good mixture of old school and trending.
 
MiVor said:
does the wheels first (with a dedicated bucket)...
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For maintenance washes (meaning wheels not bad), I usually do wheels and wells last with the residue soap. I will either redress the tires or use Mothers Back to Black to clean them then dress.

What is the right way depends on your goals and one should approach every wash based upon the needs to get the job done such as degree of a rinseless wash. It is not a crime to use a hose to knock off the big stuff (as long as local water laws allow) and then use a rinseless wash. The goal is to get the vehicle clean in a safe manner. You may have issues with some who claim you cannot claim a car can be washed with rinseless ever so you will never satisfy them but then it is not their car.
 
If there is anything that is a constant in the Marketing of Detailing products, it is that there will ALWAYS be a NEW, IMPROVED, FASTER, SMELLS BETTER, ad nauseum, product/s and someone has to SELL them to you...

Coming from the time when there were only a few products that professionals used, and there were no new products coming out every year, we all had to decide how to make these few things work and work better...

We experimented, changed the consistencies, added other products to it, thought about it a lot at night when we woke up, definitely worked on technique of application, downward pressure, pads, speeds, heating vs not heating the paint, and eventually found a way to IMPROVE everything..

Today, everyone just boots up and here is someone demonstrating another NEW product that is going to change the Detailing world (again)...

There are big companies that have only made compounds for example, for decades, have collaborated with auto makers to make special products for their assembly lines, have probably hundreds of years of experience combined, and with all that "time in grade", really qualified people who make these products, the thousands of beautifully finished cars that come off their assembly lines just perfect, and you are going to tell me that this little, annoying girly-man, is going to drone on and on about some NEW product that will save the Detailing world from chaos, etc... :)

There is plenty of room thank goodness, for everyone and their particular needs, desires, comfort level, and all the other things that go with this Craft, and I am so glad for this...

I would rather be watching me in the Shop working on how to get just a little more out of this product, than watching even a few minutes of someone annoying the heck out of me on you tube, etc...

I will always look at what is New and Improved, but then I will give it time to work through or not work through the tens of thousands of people who buy it, and see if it has longevity or not...

Detailing Truth - Some of the BEST, absolute BEST work is done by many who will NEVER be on camera... Their WORK speaks volumes without any distractions... :)

Dan F
 
Wow, old thread brought back to life.

I do agree about AG looking '90's to an extent. It's definitely a site I visited for information, not style. :)

I know it hasn't been too long since I first posted this but I think that I now have a better understanding of detailing. The number one thing I didn't understand from this video is that it's like many other things I enjoy in life - you have the basic common principles which, to be successful, must remain the same but other than that do what's comfortable for you. It's that way for almost everything but when I first came here and first gave in and started in the detailing scene (yep, just called it that) I went in with the attitude of "one way is the right way."

I still watch Larry's videos, I watch Mike Phillips, I watch CG videos sometimes. Sometimes, I even watch the bad ones and have myself a little laugh.

I'm weird about wheels/tires. It pretty much boils down to if I have to use a dedicated tire/wheel cleaner than they get done first and with a separate bucket. I just don't want those harsh chemicals in my normal wash bucket or on my paint. I do think it's amusing when people see me with 3 buckets out there and make a comment about only needing 1. :)
 
I dunno....I like the video's, but like everything on the interweb, you gotta take it all with a grain of salt. For instance, I doubt I will be doing too much the Crazy Russian Hacker* suggests that I do! LOL

* E.g. WD40 to remove scratches...olive oil to clean/dress your dash...
 
My take on washing tires/wheels first or last, is this --

Since the wheels and tires take a little bit of time to wash and rinse, and you do them last, then what is happening to the water on your washed and rinsed paintwork??? Is it drying and spotting, etc..???

If you dont stop and master blaster blow dry it or something, before you get to the wheels and tires last, then you run a risk there, Im thinking..

So, perhaps it IS a good thing to knock out each of the 4 wheelwells, wheels and tires FIRST, then they can dry as fast or slow as they want, and you have all your attention to the paintwork and start immediately, to dry it after that last rinse...

And of course, the wash water for the wheels, is NEVER mixed, the tools used as well, with the paintwork - EVER.... no matter where you place the 4 - at the beginning, or the end...

Dan F
 
@Dan - Yep, and if I'm using a wheel 'n tire spray, I can spray, brush and pressure wash/rinse and don't need a 3rd bucket.
 
Stokdgs said:
My take on washing tires/wheels first or last, is this --

Since the wheels and tires take a little bit of time to wash and rinse, and you do them last, then what is happening to the water on your washed and rinsed paintwork??? Is it drying and spotting, etc..???

If you dont stop and master blaster blow dry it or something, before you get to the wheels and tires last, then you run a risk there, Im thinking..

So, perhaps it IS a good thing to knock out each of the 4 wheelwells, wheels and tires FIRST, then they can dry as fast or slow as they want, and you have all your attention to the paintwork and start immediately, to dry it after that last rinse...

And of course, the wash water for the wheels, is NEVER mixed, the tools used as well, with the paintwork - EVER.... no matter where you place the 4 - at the beginning, or the end...

Dan F
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Most of the time I'm doing my detailing in my free time and I don't always have a lot of it. I actually dry the paint before doing them because there have been times where I ran out of time. If I save the wheels for last, at least the rest of the vehicle is done.

I don't really share water much either. I don't always drag the wheel bucket out because I can be a little lazy and don't want to drag everything through the house so, when I don't, I rinse the brushes out with the hose before putting it back in the bucket (if I do.) If I do the wheels first, it's either a second bucket or I spray whatever general use wheel cleaner or APC on, hit them with the brush, and then rinse the wheel and brush/es. I told you I'm weird. :)

The last few weeks I've been pulling out two buckets and the foam gun. One bucket to rinse the gunk out of the wash mitt and one for the wheels. I've grown to LOVE the foam gun. Less to haul around than the pressure washer/foam cannon but easier than a 2BM.
 
Stokdgs said:
Since the wheels and tires take a little bit of time to wash and rinse, and you do them last, then what is happening to the water on your washed and rinsed paintwork??? Is it drying and spotting, etc..???
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I dry it first usually before doing the wheels and I get minimal overspray back on paint.
 
I'm very new to this thing known as 'detailing'...(and to this forum for that matter)....more like just one of those guys who likes to keep his daily driver (and the wife's...and the daughter's) looking good......and having people ask me if I ever let my truck get dirty. I'm glad I found this thread, because I've watched the AMMO videos, and was wondering if I would end up as OCD as that guys seems to be...of course, I'm not detailing super-expensive cars for a living either.

There certainly seems to be a wealth of knowledge on this site...looking forward to learning more and more....
 
Big fan of Larry Kosilla and AMMO NYC.
Great YouTube Chanel.
Great Podcast.

I do have to say that I don't like the trend I am seeing in his videos relating to his products.
The trend of endless promotion of AMMO products.

Too many detailers are going the route of producing their own product line.
I understand it, and in some cases it works, and the products are for real.
I do a lot of investigating on product ingredients.
Truthfully, even with MSDS reports, there is very little information accessible.

The amount of brand names and product lines is getting absurd.
It is going to get even more ridiculous as time goes on.
More brand names, more manufacturers of products.

The world does not need more brand names of auto detail products.
Truth is, in my view, a lot of these products are similar in chemistry, just a different color additive and scent.
Without transparency to know what exactly the ingredients are, it is marketing that influences most consumers decisions.
This when competing products may be the exact same, yet one dominates the market place, and the other sputters along.
Both providing the exact same performance.
 
I have found a fair amount of contradiction in process and technique among top detailers. There are several ways to get to a show car finish. Your best bet As a beginner is to stick around the boards and ask a lot of questions to get an answer. Once your here for a while you will know who are the guys to listen too that know their stuff. From there you try it out and develop your own routine.

Example
I clean my wheels first, I don't like the idea of getting really dirty wheel cleaner or brake dust on a just washed car. Others can argue they should be done last. So far it's working for me.

Good luck. The guy from nyc Ammo is a good detailer oithout a doubt. Last I watched his videos he was a big wax fan or sealant and really did not dabble in coatings. I'm not sure why but to me coatings should be in every top detailers list of offerings simply because they have longer lasting properties. His videos are certainly worth a watch. I learned a lot about touch up watching one of his videos. Plus the guy is a total porsche fan.

RDKC said:
I'm not really sure if this is the exact right spot for this thread, but it seemed the most fitting to me. If it's not the right place I apologize and please move to the proper category. Thank you.

I just wanted to see what you all think of the youtuber AMMO NYC. I actually found his videos while watching Mike Phillips videos which is what brings up my questions. Keep in mind I am an amateur. I haven't even had the opportunity to use my new GG6 yet (I need a usable garage).

Some of the things he does/says seem to contradict what I see Mike Phillips and some other things I read over at AG. Judging off what he works on and his website, I would say he knows what he's doing but it never hurts to get other peoples opinion. I'd rather look sound like an idiot now than mess something up and look like a idiotic jerk.

I talk/type too much. Here's his channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYsa8SOy3TkoxI5D17s1u-w
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