Advice on a new business!

Thanks guys. I really appreciate your time. I do have til spring, and I'm by no means rushing, and that's the reason I'm asking so many questions. So far, I've come to the conculsion that I should offer other, less expensive products, along with Zaino, but I'm still confused about exactly what else I should get.

PoorBoy's, Pinnacle, Four Star, I'm completely overwhelmed!!! Seriously, I don't know where to start. Carnuba wax, regular wax? What's the difference? Once I know what things are, I catch on really fast. I know everything there is to know about Zaino....I mean everything, and I only learned about it 3 weeks ago. What I would love for someone to do is for each of you to tell me exactly what products/machines you use, every detail, so I can get an idea of what's recommended/popular/gets the best results. I'm looking for the best of both worlds....inexpensive and high quality.

Thanks...ttyl
Carl
 
zainoshine said:
Thanks guys. I really appreciate your time. I do have til spring, and I'm by no means rushing, and that's the reason I'm asking so many questions. So far, I've come to the conculsion that I should offer other, less expensive products, along with Zaino, but I'm still confused about exactly what else I should get.

PoorBoy's, Pinnacle, Four Star, I'm completely overwhelmed!!! What I would love for someone to do is for each of you to tell me exactly what products/machines you use, every detail, so I can get an idea of what's recommended/popular/gets the best results. I'm looking for the best of both worlds....inexpensive and high quality.

Thanks...ttyl
Carl
Click to expand...

Hey Carl,

I know that people really love to discuss products on these forums and it can be quite overwhelming at first. I would like to suggest concentrating less on the "what to use" and more on the "how to do it".

I can detail a car with numerous products and get great results but technique is 90% of a high quality detail. The products are the icing on the cake and there are many flavors to choose from. Very rarely is there a wrong flavor.

Dwayne
 
Dwayne....

You have a great point, but I'm also overwhelmed with the different techniques. Maybe someone, on their own time, could PM me with the products they use and HOW they use them. This is a list of what I'm hoping to get, based on what I know so far...

P.C (but which model)
Pads (but which ones)
Some sort of other wax (but how and which one)
Some sort of real polish (ditto)
A new detailer's type vacuum (which one????)
Interior products (I've got a pretty good idea about interior products)
Wheel Cleaner (any recommendations)
Microfiber (I've sort of got this figured out too)

I'm confused, and I think by coming here, I'm even more overwhelmed....I thought I could just do Zaino and be fine, but now that I'm taking on waxes and polishes. Is there any site for dummies? haha

Carl
 
I would be willing to help but wouldn't want to type answers to all those questions...I'm a two finger pecker :D. Go to my website (my number is on there) and feel free to call me and I'd be happy to help you out. If I don't answer just leave a message.
Keep in mind there are no right/wrong products, just peoples preferences and opinions.
 
Thanks Focus, that would be cool if you would do that,I'm sure many people besides me would appreciate it..thanks in advance.
 
rollman,

I think I'll give the search a try...I've been looking at other sites and this site, and I'm much more comfortable with things now. The only confusion that I still have now is the difference between types of waxes and paint sealents (?), and the process polishing, compounding, and waxing/sealing. That's still a little blurry to me. But hopefully the search feature will help me out!!!!

Can you buy Poorboy's/Four Star/Pinnacle/any other recommended products in bulk to save for a detailer?

Thanks guys.

Carl
 
I don't know if you have checked it out yet, but I've written what I feel to be good information on www.ocdetails.com. That might help out a little bit. I haven't really tried much in the Poorboy's arsenal, but I've gotten myself pretty familiar with enough other products to give some advice on stuff that you may not have tried yet. And you can Four Star and Poorboy's in bulk if you want to. I get a few things from Four Star by the gallon just because it makes it out to be such a better deal. Stuff like QD and leather conditioner and spray wax (I use it as clay lube) and even UPP are great items to get by the gallon. I would personally like to have several gallons of Spray and Wipe around. Its great stuff. :bigups
 
Yes, I have checked out ocdetails.com! It's a great site! I guess I missed the part about which products you use and how you use them, but I'll check again!

Next item on my list, Bissell LGM!!!!!

Carl
 
zainoshine said:
Can you buy Poorboy's/Four Star/Pinnacle/any other recommended products in bulk to save for a detailer?
Click to expand...
Poorboy's World offers discounted shop and bulk pricing to professionals. You have to contact Steve directly for this type of purchase. I believe he requires proof that it is a legitimate business (e.g. tax ID number for the business).
 
Jngrbrdman, I have checked out your site & I must say it is awesome & has been very helpful to me & I'm sure many others...all the info that we can share with each other will definitly save a lot of headaches.
 
Hey,

Do you think I'd do okay with Poorboy's? Are they an overall excellent product, or could I do better? It's a good price point, and my first choice would be pinnacle (but they're expensive), so Poorboy's looks good cause I can buy it in bulk!

For interiors, what product line do you recommend?

Which vacuum is great for under 70 bucks?

Thanks
 
Yes Poorboy's are good if your doing some easy details. It depends on what your polishing or waxing, but I would go with em. I would get the Rigid 5Hp 4 Gal. 70 bucks and lots of power for a mobiler!
 
Well, if it's only for easy detailing....

There are quite a few people that have expressed an interest in the business I'm starting, and most of them have swirls marks and small scratches. Does Poorboy's have a product line that provides durable, long lasting, shiny, glossy, products, and also swirl mark compounds/polishes and waxex/sealants? Their website is confusing....I don't know which ones to get, or whether I should get another brand instead? Should I get some 303 cleaner and protectant, leather cleaner, and some upholstery cleaner too? I emailed jason at autogeek about his recommendations, but I haven't gotten any response yet....

Carl
 
Get SSR 2.5 / SSR 1. EX for Dark Colors. EX-P For light Colors. And then you can change to something for topping the sealant layers.
 
I would also suggest you check out premiumautocare.com. They have just about everything you can think of, plus a 10% discount Detail City code and free shipping for orders of $125 of more. Great customer service and if you dig a little bit you can find plenty of special offers.
 
Thanks Jason Rawls....

I checked out the site and there are many products...I made a wish list and it's quickly exceeding my budget of $400. Oh well, my plan is to get at least 5 customers interested before I order, so at least I'll break even. THe more I contemplate it, what is wrong with using Zaino? It's really not that much more than the others, and if I offer Wolfgang products along side it, then I wouldn't have to use the cheaper products like Poorboy's. Why should I buy cheaper products when I could just charge a little more and use better products?

Anyway, does this sound like a good setup for a full detail package (interior and exterior)?

Dawn Wash: Remove old wax/get paint extra clean
Clay: Remove surface contaminations
Car Wash: Using pH balanced wash
Polish using P.C. (swirl compound before if necessary)
Paint Sealant
Wax
Gloss Enhancer
Tire/Wheel Cleaning
Tire/Wheel Dressing

Vacuum all interior
Clean all vinyl/dash
Protectant on Dash/Vinyl
Steam Clean Carpet
Stain Removal Upholstery (if necessary)
Leather Cleaner
Leather Conditioner
Window Care

I'm pretty confident in the interior, but I'm scared of the Porter Cable, it seems clumsy to me. Is if honestly easy, and then which pads/bonnets do I use? Is the process for swirl mark: swirl mark removal compound, polish, sealant, polish?

Thanks

Carl
 
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