Recent content by ahheck01

I just wetsanded, buffed and polished half of my '07 accord, and it's a mirror.  I waxed with Collinite 845 for its warm depth and durability.  I've seen differing opinions about layering it, but I did 3 'layers' while I was at it.  Curious the best approach for the most depth and durability...

I reached out to Kevin at buffdaddy, but emailed him 6 days ago and haven't heard back, and it's a bit time sensitive, so I thought I'd ask the community here.  Here's what I sent him:   <div style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span style="font-size:14px;">Hi Kevin, <div...

I've detailed hundreds of cars, a couple boats, just recently a huge RV, but this is a new one.  My brother works for a trucking company, and needs his 26 foot long aluminum tank back to a mirror shine.   I naturally youtube'd this, and there's plenty of guys polishing the gas tanks with a...

Right now my shop needs to step up both efficiency and effectiveness when it comes to paint correction. Historically for dealership details (for which we're paid a whopping $100-$120 per car), we've used Sleek by Carbrite, applied with a pad that looks like foam shag carpet - this is the stuff...

The paint on this '90 ZR1 was just trashed by the dealership it sat at for years. The new owner is incredibly excited about the car, but he thought the paint looked horrible BEFORE I stripped the glaze that the dealership put on it. Now the whole car looked like the left side of this...

Here's a few photos of what I'm up against. Curious what you'd recommend as the best process and tools for the job. The goal isn't necessarily perfection, it's as much improvement as can be reasonably expected...

For those of you who have witnessed or been involved with the sale of a detailing business, how would you assess the valuation? As I grow and solidify my business, one thing I want to have in mind for the long-term is my exit strategy for down the road. How do I maximize the value to where...

I'm looking for a powerful but safe wheel cleaner for some volume work, and research suggests Brown Royal is the best bang for the buck - that said, I see posts saying it's $17 a gallon. Well, the prices have gone up. With shipping, they're now $36.90 per gallon! Should I look elsewhere, or...

We're getting the floor refinished with a durable epoxy this weekend, and painting the walls shortly thereafter, with the ability to paint the ceiling if desired. I'm wondering what the ideal configuration would be for a detailing studio? I've seen black floors with white walls and white...

First of all, a huge thank you to all who have lent your wisdom and advice on considering the purchase of my competitor's detailing business/equipment/dealer accounts. He ended up accepting a remarkably reasonable offer I made, and I'll be starting at 60 cars a month between my brother and I...

As I prepare to launch a 'high end' detail studio in a medium-sized city, the other big shop in town informs me that they're wanting to focus on resprays and get out of cleaning/detailing. They're willing to (for a price) transfer all of the detailing contracts/jobs to me over the next few...

And what set them apart? Post photos if you have them!

I'll finally be detailing with an air compressor, and am in the process of shopping for a quite large one that could support a spray booth eventually, and most any air tools you'd expect to come in contact with. Probably either a 60-80 gal 2-stage. So, for a primarily-detailing operation...

For the pro's, what's a cost-effective but time-saving solution for dilution of chemicals into spray bottles? I've heard dilution machines suggested, but finding deeper conversation on them than that is difficult. I'd love to hear your experiences and recommendations.

We'd love to see the environment in which you pursue your passion. If you don't mind, post photos of your shop, and share your wisdom on why you have it set up the way that you do. I will of course do the same once mine is complete in a month or so!