First day working at a pro shop..

Antonio Wright

Antonio Wright

New member
Let me first say. I have always loved to detail cars and work for a major "Pro" shop. Well now I got my chance. Today was my first day at certain shop in Maryland. Needless to say their methods would make any Autopian cry.



There is no such thing as a microfiber towel there. Every thing is terry and I mean like walmart type terry cloth. They have two gigantic bins full of various shammys, towels and lint free cloths. These towels are used for glass cleaning, applying waxes and various other chemicals. Mind you, they are all in the same bin! When the towels are "dirty" you put them in a dryer *note* I said dryer! They are then dried and re-used. :rolleyes: Wash procedures consist of a power washing and the a complete wash with a dirty old wash mitt with dirty water. I have seen these same mitts used to clean wheel wells. :down Drying consist of a old dirty "Shammy" which induces more swirls then removing water. :rolleyes:



My highlight of the day was "Willie" on the rotary. Willie is cool in all but he needs to remove himself from the buffer. This guy is a joke. A S-class Benz came in for a polish. Willie proceeds to apply the polish by hand(incorrectly I might add) and then buff off with the rotary. :rolleyes: I stood there in shock as the swirls stared at me. I know for a fact the polish was not abrasive enough becuase that rotary would have made short work of those swirls. Anyway, back to Willie. He than applies a glaze the makes the car shine bright but brings out the swirls even more. Then he adds the seleant and Customer thanks him and pays his $200. This customer was very happy. :rolleyes:



On a good note I did learn how to use a Extractor and some steam cleaning device for the carpets. I must also get a power washer to clean my car. Man are those things nice.
 
Note: Microfibers are new trend so established shops are not going to be quick to adopt them so I wouldn't worry abou it.



However, not washing is a definitely concerning.



Paco
 
Pro? Ain't nothin' Pro about it!



That's why I'm in the business, to fill the gap between 'those' shops, and what the client deserves.



Straight to the dryer? It's a crazy world!



Jim
 
Stick with it. Youll pick up experience besides polishing cars. You know that mfs are the better towel, but you get to do something that you like to do.
 
It's probably much like one our local hack shops that offers a "wash n wax" for $30.:nixweiss They probably use some kind of spray wax that looks good when the customer pays for it but not so good after it rains a couple of times.:(
 
heh. Just dont do TOO good a job on a customer's car. They'll be confused as to why after all these visits, their car is suddenly swirlfree.
 
I'd have a hard time working there, just like I did when I was a Denny's manager, since they too have similarly low standards.
 
I couldn't stand working at a shop like that.



I can understand not having microfiber. I don't have that many microfiber and still use cotton for drying, grunge/engine work, and interior work. My microfiber is only for removing compounds/polishes/glazes/waxes, quick detailing, and window cleaning.



But all that other stuff!! WOW...



There are a lot of "Pro" detailers out there. Some better and worse than others. I've always considered 'Pro' just means you do it for $.
 
Yeah, I think Fry's requests that you undergo a lobotomy prior to working there. I don't like them because if you get a DOA item and return it, they just throw it back on the shelf and 'certify' it. You can rarely get any hardware that is new and not 'carnaged' ugh.
 
Most of their memory and CPU are faulty. Funny how people say they hate Fry's but keep going back there; like a fly attracted to the light.
 
about the shop... I would want to stay there and try to get a chance to test out a rotary. Even if your using non-autopian methods, your still getting to test it out. Some practice is better than nothing.
 
I agree with dcswd.... stay there and learn or experiment... if you've never used an orbital or powered polisher, like me, its a new experience and good educatin.... think of it this way...



that guy is doing swirl marks and the customers arent complainin... if you do better than the current guy they wont complain... if you do worse... just say your new! either way you cant lose! and get this.. .you'll be gettin paid to learn something u want... what a rarity! when you've learned all you want... ditch the place and find a better company!



and xtreme-klean and ncal: im offended, i used to work at Fry's! I aint dumb and now going for my second college degree.... obviously i needed the money... but i still learned more about computers from talking to the people that did know what they're talkin about. and yes... i was probably one of the more intelligent and informed employees there.



btw... i could never remember to punch in and out! my other jobs were all salaried!!!
 
Xtreme-Klean said:
Most of their memory and CPU are faulty. Funny how people say they hate Fry's but keep going back there; like a fly attracted to the light.
Click to expand...



That is so true. I've never seen such a packed computer store when I drive by at whatever time. My first DOA item from them was my last item.
 
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