How do you maintain calm?

PRND[S]

PRND[S]

New member
How do you guys avoid getting angry and discouraged when the weather ruins your work shortly after you`re done detailing a car?

I washed my car yesterday knowing full-well that there was a 40% chance of rain overnight, but we haven`t gotten much rain this year in Southern California and the car really needed it. I had waxed it two week ago with Collinite 845 and it had collected enough dust and road grime to bother me. It was a nice sunny day, so I gave the car a bath with ONR Wash and Wax -- didn`t take long and the car looked great.

Fast forward to this morning. I rained overnight as predicted, but by the time I went to work it had stopped, but of course the roads were still wet, so by the time I arrived at work, the car was covered in dirty road spray and looked no better than every other car in the parking structure. Not a hint that it was washed just a day earlier.

I`m in Southern California and we don`t get that much rain, so keeping the car clean is usually a question of keeping dust off. For those of you who live in wetter climates and have to put up with rain, snow and ice, do you even bother trying to keep the car clean, or do you put all your stuff away until spring?
 
Far much more important things than to get worked up about my car being a little spotty. Priorities, man. Even with a few spots and such, my car will look better than most.

Stay focused on whats important. Head up, eyes forward.
 
I just find it very discouraging to take the time to make the car look nice and then see my efforts wasted the next day and find no trace of it.
 
keep_calm_and_use_the_force_by_canha-d5obofp.jpg
 
tropicsteve said:
keep_calm_and_use_the_force_by_canha-d5obofp.jpg
Click to expand...
"Wasted your efforts they are not"

"Look on the bright side you must"

Enough Yoda:)

Seriously, I look at it this way, you put on a good LSP on your polished paint and it takes a lot more than one or two days worth of
bad weather to ruin a detail. Sometimes I don`t mind driving in bad weather (excluding snow), gives me an excuse to wash my car:)
 
LEDetailng said:
Sometimes I don`t mind driving in bad weather (excluding snow), gives me an excuse to wash my car:)
Click to expand...

+1 I usually just start thinking immediately of all the stuff I can use. Blower? Any new towels? Quick Detailers I haven`t tried as drying aids? Should I hit the trim again? etc etc

But your point is why I love two things:

1. perfectly clean interiors
2. coatings

Even if the exterior happens to take a beating here in South Florida (sun showers are in my top 3 pet peeves) at least my interiors stay spotless. Having a fresh smelling spotless interior is a much bigger pleasure to drive in than a dirty one. I`ve heard more compliments on my interiors than exteriors.

And surface coatings to me handle road film much better than anything else.
 
Washing and waxing your ride should be a relaxing and rewarding exercise. I know shortly after I get my car perfect it will be attacked by bugs, dust, and pine tar. I don`t sweat it. I just plan my next detail session in my head before I go to sleep. I enjoy the planning and the decision of what Coating, sealant, or wax that I get to apply next. It`s an opportunity to play with my toys and develop my skills.
 
Vega, your recent thread about the black Honda is actually one of the things that made me create this thread. I saw that it started to rain while you worked on the car. Weren`t you bummed that by the time the owner returned the next day, the car would sport some water spots (possibly with dust outlines)?
 
PRND,

You need to come to WI for a winter, then you will appreciate washing a dirty car in SoCal. I have to haul two buckets of hot water to the coin-op wash Nov/Dec-Mar/April. I guess the Autopia consensus is not to sweat the dirty car after a detail. Look forward to the next detail.

BTW, love your screen name, cleaver:)
 
Don`t get me wrong, I appreciate how fortunate I am that my cosmetic maintenance requirements aren`t that demanding -- that is why I asked how others are handling it.

If I lived someplace with real winters and road salt or sand, I would get a good ceramic coating, apply FK1000P for its high temperature tolerance, and invest in a high volume steamer to blast off whatever sticks to the paint. You wouldn`t need a huge volume of water, it could remove snow and ice, and it would be touchless and avoid scratching the paint.
 
The sad part about washing a car in the winter at coin-op, I kind of enjoy it:) I`ll have FK1000p on my vehicles this winter for the first time. Looking forward to seeing how it works all winter.
 
im looking at putting optimum`s glos coat on my wifes car before the winter hopefully or bit into pending on how busy i get with customers. i`m already booking into nov

but look at it this way, with a detailed ride it`s that much easier to wash the next time, and the next, and so on, then if you dont have the time to do a bucket wash and go through a touch less the dirt will come off that much easier.
 
`PRND[S said:
;2078399`]Vega, your recent thread about the black Honda is actually one of the things that made me create this thread. I saw that it started to rain while you worked on the car. Weren`t you bummed that by the time the owner returned the next day, the car would sport some water spots (possibly with dust outlines)?
Click to expand...

The mission was still accomplished. The client really wanted a clean interior and protection for the paint. Most of my customers know that some sort of wax has to be applied to the paint regularly or else they`ll end up with clearcoat failure. Protection was still applied to the paint and the interior is back to spotless status with all the hair, sand and stains removed.

w56bqFX.jpg


I also like Civiccluth`s point, regular maintenance is easier maintenance. Keeping your car clean is easier than letting it get really bad, then having much more work to do.
 
I wash my car, my neighbors rain forest back yard pollens all over my car over night... or it rains and dust splatters all over... next day, I pull my car out of the yard and give it a quick detail (or matching LSP spray... example: ultimate wax LSP = ultimate spray wax...) and give it a 5 minute wipe before I cruise off to enjoy my shiny little hot hatch.

My rule is if I cant see it from 3 ft away its A-okay!
 
LEDetailng said:
I`ll have FK1000p on my vehicles this winter for the first time. Looking forward to seeing how it works all winter.
Click to expand...
If it preforms anything like it has for me over the years, you will not be disappointed. I agree with Accumulator in regard to it`s protective qualities. It`s ability to shed contamination is still a benchmark I use to compare to other products I have used or choose. YMMV but I found after two applications the durability is terrific. I usually wait a week until the next wash to apply the 2nd coat but that`s just me. The only draw back I have with the product is that it`s not particularly trim-friendly and can build up around edges/crevices if you`re not careful. I also find it can be a PITA to remove in certain situations. ....but that`s just my own experience as a ham-handed user.
 
`PRND[S said:
;2078370`]How do you guys avoid getting angry and discouraged when the weather ruins your work shortly after you`re done detailing a car?

I washed my car yesterday knowing full-well that there was a 40% chance of rain overnight, but we haven`t gotten much rain this year in Southern California and the car really needed it.
Click to expand...

Being a fellow So CA resident, the thought crossed my mind as well. ....glad I didn`t though. ;)

Admittedly, I am just not into detailing anywhere near the way I used to be but I completely understand where you`re coming from. I used to be that way to an extent. The fact is that after my son was born, change of priorities and worsening physical issues (back) I just don`t care that much anymore. ....but I`m lucky enough that my wife and I both work together so we carpool in her car while I leave my clean one in the garage. :) ....or if I have to drive separately, I just take the 4Runner which sits outside 24/7.

Now that gets a little frustrating for me (the 4Runner) since it is parked outside and uncovered. Heck, around here after one day it gets covered in a light film of dust. Being that the paintwork is single stage (and red), it doesn`t help.
 
`PRND[S said:
;2078370`]...

Fast forward to this morning. I rained overnight as predicted, but by the time I went to work it had stopped ... and [it] looked no better than every other car in the parking structure. Not a hint that it was washed just a day earlier.
Click to expand...

I too am in So Cal. And I used to get bothered by things like rain. I`d laugh it off to friends/co-workers, but deep down, I was bothered by the crazy intermittent rain we get. Now, it doesn`t bother me. Yes, your car can look like every other car in the parking structure. But the difference is in how YOURS is protected. Much like my little Yaris is. It has an LSP. The LSP is what differentiates yours (and mine) from most of those others. On days like that, when it gets dirty from the roads and whatnot, all I do is drive down to the local coin-op by my work. Hit it for the 4-8 minutes (depends if I`m doing video or not), and jump on the freeway to air dry it. I spend way less time doing that, and it comes out looking 100x better than most cars. Even looks better than the guys drying their cars with MF towels at the coin-op.


Vega@Autopia said:
+1 I usually just start thinking immediately of all the stuff I can use. Blower? Any new towels? Quick Detailers I haven`t tried as drying aids? Should I hit the trim again? etc etc

But your point is why I love two things:

1. perfectly clean interiors
2. coatings

...
And surface coatings to me handle road film much better than anything else.
Click to expand...

Yours is one reason I`ve been looking at coatings! And for the reasons stated. I plan to do the Yaris some day (already have the Opti-Gloss)


LEDetailng said:
The sad part about washing a car in the winter at coin-op, I kind of enjoy it:) I`ll have FK1000p on my vehicles this winter for the first time. Looking forward to seeing how it works all winter.
Click to expand...

hahaha... Funny thing....so do I. :) I especially like just pulling out, car still wet, while everybody is drying theirs. Mine still looks better after air drying on the freeway! My wife`s car has FK1000p on it...I`m shocked how well it repels water (on those rare occasions when I take it to a coin-op). Eight (8) months and it`s still going strong (So Cal weather).


Vega@Autopia said:
...I also like Civiccluth`s point, regular maintenance is easier maintenance. .
Click to expand...

I find this to be true for me as well.


Vega@Autopia said:
The mission was still accomplished...
Click to expand...

BINGO.

and to PRND... check these pics out. It was July of 2015. Working on this VW. Hand polishing the sucker. I had NO FREAKING IDEA it was going to rain. I was hit with some water drops on the hood, fender, and MY HEAD. I looked up and saw ..





Didn`t bother me, much. I continued to work through it. Well, until the rain came down at a rate where I just couldn`t continue. I took my break then and there until the rain let off. Eventually, like Vega mentioned above, the mission was accomplished.


A pic I took while I was on my break, waiting for it to stop raining.

 
I am way to tired and busy with work during the week. So the Xterra gets a weekend wash/detail. I will look at the forcast starting Saturday morning. Going on that, I will pick a time/day, Sat or Sun. to do it. I can break down the forcast to hourly even.

I only had one bad experience this summer that did GET ME MAD. LOL///

http://www.autopia.org/forums/car-detailing/185359-rain-course.html?highlight=

Sadly PA detailing weather is going to be over shortly anyway.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top