A Lesson in Humility

ACE

ACE

What's that smell?
Although I am only a hobbyist, with a few paying customers, I believe I am pretty serious about learning this difficult craft and have been studying and practicing since 2002. I've always been amused when I see the certified pre-owned BMW commercials where the guy's wife says "You bought a new BMW" and the guy tells her he didn't. I never failed to tell my wife that there was no way on earth a 3-year old car could ever be mistaken for new. Not possible. Well, I got a rude awakening when I was at a Mercedes dealer leasing a car when I went down to the area where the Certified Pre-Owned cars were kept. Just to look. I would NEVER own one of those cars. You lease them and give them back. Take my word for it. But anyway, I was shocked. I have never seen such perfection. Forget about the paint and the glass. I looked for the telltale signs of a used car, but found none. The door jambs and the bumpers were perfect. No paint chips, scuffs, no sign of repair, no dirt, scuffs or chips anywhere in the jambs. The interior showed no sign of being used. Perhaps, maybe, the driver seat was a bit softer, but maybe. The dash was perfect, no fingerprints, no dust in the vents, no glossy dressing, nothing. No signs of what we typically know as a "detailed" vehicle. It was just like new. I'm sure that if I bought one and examined in the sun I could have found a few things, but at the time, even with a trained eye, I was extremely impressed and reminded of how far one could take detailing. The hours spent must have been huge, although they probably had a shop with 5 guys working on the car, which makes a big difference. Anyway, as I said, it was a lesson in humility. I still have a long way to go.
 
Not "it". They had a number of vehicles on the floor and I inspected several of them. Admittedly, not at great length and not in the sun, but still... I think what impressed me most was the "non-detailed" look about them. They had anywhere between 12 and 30 thousand miles, as I recall. I was speaking to the salesman and he said that in order to be certified the vehicle could never have been in an accident and were admittedly the best of the used cars that came in, but even so, they truly had a new look about them. That is not easy to achieve on a 3-year-old vehicle.
 
I applaud that dealership but.... On the other side of the coin I just did a full PPF kit a certified 2010 certified S4 that had the whole side of the car repainted. Even the "S4" badge was upside down on the back. Since I wasn't really looking for this I wouldn't of noticed had it not been for the badge. But after I saw that I looked closer and saw bondo sanding scratches all over the car. The whole back end appeared to of been crushed and this car still passed the "certification" because the repair did not show up on Car fax. Same thing with my lexus IS350 that was a certified car, I knew when I was looking at it that the hood and fender had been repainted clear as day. It passed the cert with a clean car fax. I showed them the nibs in the paint, uneven peel, and paint depth gauge. I got almost 7k off the car because of this so I still bought it and 12 hours of sanding later everything was fine. It's not that hard to get that new car look with proper detailing and really doesn't take that long, from what your describing they went through a dealer prep. Wheels are almost always resprayed in this process, bumpers get repaired and painted, leather even if torn with be repaired or sections replaced. Drag them out in the sun or a brinkman on them to see signs of buffing because I'd be in shock if the dealer didn't rotary/glaze/wax them.
 
Absolutely - that's why I qualified my remarks about not seeing them in the sun. I was once at a Mercedes dealership having my vehicle serviced and I checked out the used vehicles in their outdoor lot. Every black vehicle had noticible buffer marks. Every one. I'm sure the average customer wouldn't have noticed, but I did. I'm sure the quality of the work varies depending on the dealership. The one I purchased from happens to do excellent prep, even on black vehicles, but that may be the exception.
 
Not all dealerships are hacks. (especially the higher end dealerships) They get the internet too (online forums)

They probally had the front bumper repainted ;)
 
Ace -
Thanks for your post.

There is a difference between Detailing and Reconditioning and although they both blur into each other, they still are different.

A good Detailer will understand both concepts and use them appropriately throughout the vehicles and at the end of the day, the Client will be so happy (as you were when you saw those really nice Interiors) and feel that they got a "new" car all over again..

An example of Reconditioning to me, would be to really clean Leather and then apply an appropriate product to it that would return the feel, look, and smell of the Leather again as much as possible. Not just slap something on there that makes it slippery and shiny..

I just Detailed a mammoth '2000 Suburbans K1500, White with a lot of black plastic trim on the outside that all needed help. I could have just cleaned it and applied something with silicone's on it to make it shine temporarily. But instead I used a product that reconditions the plastic, removes the years of Armorall, etc., and brings back a good version of the original plastic, black, more of a satin finish, and its going to stay that way for a long time.

So as you keep working and expanding your knowledge and techniques, along the way you will look for and find better products and knowledge that will make the overall result even more stunning than you already do!

You either really like doing this, have a great work ethic, some artistic talent, and flat out love all things with 2 or 4 wheels, or you are somewhere else along that road.

We will all ever be learning and comparing and picking up things from these great Forums and hopefully be able to pass this huge database of knowledge down to someone else so its not lost.

Glad that you are thinking this all out and looking and comparing and learning !

Maybe someday find out how those Mercedes vehicles get to look that way - perhaps there is a way to work yourself into a Company that offers way more than being self-employed in terms of benefits, etc... You never know...

Good luck with this !
Dan F
 
Very astute post, Stokdgs. I've always tried for the new look as far as interiors go, but I never thought about how far it could be taken. As if "new" was just a thought, but could never really be achieved. Now I see it can. Of course, this may take more hours than I am willing to devote and also because the Certified cars need only be done once prior to sale, whereas I have to keep doing it. I believe I do a pretty good job for a serious hobbyist, but I have to start looking more into the goal of making a vehicle look new as opposed to detailed. Like anything, once you get your products and techinques down, it's a lot easier, but that takes time as well. That's what makes this hobby fun and interesting. Of course, I'm using the word "detailed" in the negative sense, meaning shiny dressings, slippery seats and such, but I realize that is hack detailing, not real detailing. I think it's a matter of thinking more about what one intends to achieve rather than just rushing in.
 
Stokdgs said:
Ace -
Thanks for your post.

There is a difference between Detailing and Reconditioning and although they both blur into each other, they still are different.

A good Detailer will understand both concepts and use them appropriately throughout the vehicles and at the end of the day, the Client will be so happy (as you were when you saw those really nice Interiors) and feel that they got a "new" car all over again..

An example of Reconditioning to me, would be to really clean Leather and then apply an appropriate product to it that would return the feel, look, and smell of the Leather again as much as possible. Not just slap something on there that makes it slippery and shiny..

I just Detailed a mammoth '2000 Suburbans K1500, White with a lot of black plastic trim on the outside that all needed help. I could have just cleaned it and applied something with silicone's on it to make it shine temporarily. But instead I used a product that reconditions the plastic, removes the years of Armorall, etc., and brings back a good version of the original plastic, black, more of a satin finish, and its going to stay that way for a long time.

So as you keep working and expanding your knowledge and techniques, along the way you will look for and find better products and knowledge that will make the overall result even more stunning than you already do!

You either really like doing this, have a great work ethic, some artistic talent, and flat out love all things with 2 or 4 wheels, or you are somewhere else along that road.

We will all ever be learning and comparing and picking up things from these great Forums and hopefully be able to pass this huge database of knowledge down to someone else so its not lost.

Glad that you are thinking this all out and looking and comparing and learning !

Maybe someday find out how those Mercedes vehicles get to look that way - perhaps there is a way to work yourself into a Company that offers way more than being self-employed in terms of benefits, etc... You never know...

Good luck with this !
Dan F
Click to expand...

Nice post.
 
ACE said:
Very astute post, Stokdgs. I've always tried for the new look as far as interiors go, but I never thought about how far it could be taken. As if "new" was just a thought, but could never really be achieved. Now I see it can. Of course, this may take more hours than I am willing to devote and also because the Certified cars need only be done once prior to sale, whereas I have to keep doing it. I believe I do a pretty good job for a serious hobbyist, but I have to start looking more into the goal of making a vehicle look new as opposed to detailed. Like anything, once you get your products and techinques down, it's a lot easier, but that takes time as well. That's what makes this hobby fun and interesting. Of course, I'm using the word "detailed" in the negative sense, meaning shiny dressings, slippery seats and such, but I realize that is hack detailing, not real detailing. I think it's a matter of thinking more about what one intends to achieve rather than just rushing in.
Click to expand...

Ace -
Thanks for the compliment !

The mindset needed more often than not is to be always thinking of each step, everything you look at, you touch, and decide what will bring this to the desired result, meeting/exceeding the expectations of the Client.
You then calculate in your mind, how long this will take vs how much time you have to accomplish the various stages the Client purchased.

Sometimes it will just be something that is slippery and shiny, but a better product than Armorall, etc.., for example...
After all, this is what the Client wants and paid only for this. If you decide to amp up the Result to more than the Client expects and paid for, that is entirely your choice and sometimes it works out really good for you..

There will always be opportunities to reach a higher level of Detailing/Reconditioning and you will learn with each vehicle that comes in.

Just think about all of this more than just on the day the vehicle comes in, because you saw the vehicle beforehand and checked to make sure you had adequate supplies for that job, and back up in case something went awry...

Keep reading and re-reading some of the awesome posts on here by some incredibly talented men and women, and it will start to stay with you and will be recalled easily when needed.

If you can find some of these great Detailers locally, perhaps you can arrange to come by and watch, talk, help out, etc., and further gain more insight from other's experiences..

You will find that as you get out there longer, Clients are going to ask you for help with - touch up painting, clear bra installs/removals, reconditioning wheels, paintless dent repair, automotive glass repair or replacement, help with re-coloring leather seats, and on and on.

So, you will have done your homework, and have a very good group of people that do all the things you don't do, and you can totally trust to handle your Client's other needs. I do this all the time. People give me their credit card, the vehicle, and say I need body work, a new windshield, all 5 wheels reconditioned, paint touch up, door dings removal, and an awesome Detail of my prized Baby...

When they get back, you have a perfectly Detailed/Reconditioned vehicle for them, they are stunned speechless for awhile, and then they give you a $500 tip! :)

Good luck with this !
Dan F
 
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