Been a long time reader of this forum since 2018ish?
Have spent much of that time gleaning the huge amounts of info and experience from the members here. Learned a great deal.
With that said my employment left me very little free time with large long evolutions of travel. That with raising a our 3 childern with my wife. At best it left me with tons of wishes and things to look forward to trying with detailing my vehicles once things turned at a less intense pace. Well this has finally happened. Combination of age, job related injury, childern finished with their graduate degrees significantly decreased my work tempo and finacialcommitments.
I can finally start spending some time on pursuits of pleasure. One being vehicle detailing.
As a teen, in the mid 80`s, I earned cash thru high-school and summers detailing vehicles for various people thru word of mouth. It started with family and friends. This was all by hand and the only local game in town was meguires for products. It started with my family borrowing other relatives vehicles when we would come to visit (large family in Texas). As a thank you, I would always do a basic wash, polish, wax, and detail interior with a fluid & filter change as a thank you. Once I had my DL I did this as I visited on my own. Soon it went from me asking to borrow a vehicle to my various aunts uncles and cousins fighting over who would "loan" me a vehicle. Then one uncle decided to offer to pay me to detail his neglected (body and interior) VW Jetta he was about to sell. He was quite pleased as he sold it very quickly and for a few grand more than he expected. He then had me do his collection of 3 Olds 442`s. I carried that idea back home after summer break and started to offer that to friends and family when they were selling their vehicles. As I was also good with a wrench I also repaired basic issues as well.
Hard work doing this all by hand but for a 14-18 yr it was good work and the results were something you could be proud of. The cash did not hurt either as we were of limited monetary income.
Flash forward, I have always wanted to continue this as a hobby for myself and family. I find it relaxing and satisfying.
The technology sure has not stood still! The tech in washes polishes compiunds, dealers coatings oh my...... has skyrocketed as it seems have the equipment like buffers. Air and electric rotaries was it with just a hand full of choices back then. Now wow DA, DA short, med, long throws, rotaries of all different sizes and quality. Then fixed rotation DAs. Now add in high tq long lasting light battery powered in every conceivable size. Every type towel and wash mitt. Leaf blowers to dry exteriors..go figure!?! Clay is now in different grades and can be had in mitts pads towels even buffer pads. ,
Have been reading this forum now for quite sometime trying to educate myself about the current level of tech and perf. Other than correcting a few very neglected gel coated boats it will be my first time putting a proper power buffer on auto paint. But looking forward to it. I must say, I certainly have no desire to correct paint by hand going forward. That was definitely something for my youth. Now being north of 50 youth is no long my designation.
Anyways, glad to be here and hopefully learn and in time possibly add to the collective knowledge.
Have spent much of that time gleaning the huge amounts of info and experience from the members here. Learned a great deal.
With that said my employment left me very little free time with large long evolutions of travel. That with raising a our 3 childern with my wife. At best it left me with tons of wishes and things to look forward to trying with detailing my vehicles once things turned at a less intense pace. Well this has finally happened. Combination of age, job related injury, childern finished with their graduate degrees significantly decreased my work tempo and finacialcommitments.
I can finally start spending some time on pursuits of pleasure. One being vehicle detailing.
As a teen, in the mid 80`s, I earned cash thru high-school and summers detailing vehicles for various people thru word of mouth. It started with family and friends. This was all by hand and the only local game in town was meguires for products. It started with my family borrowing other relatives vehicles when we would come to visit (large family in Texas). As a thank you, I would always do a basic wash, polish, wax, and detail interior with a fluid & filter change as a thank you. Once I had my DL I did this as I visited on my own. Soon it went from me asking to borrow a vehicle to my various aunts uncles and cousins fighting over who would "loan" me a vehicle. Then one uncle decided to offer to pay me to detail his neglected (body and interior) VW Jetta he was about to sell. He was quite pleased as he sold it very quickly and for a few grand more than he expected. He then had me do his collection of 3 Olds 442`s. I carried that idea back home after summer break and started to offer that to friends and family when they were selling their vehicles. As I was also good with a wrench I also repaired basic issues as well.
Hard work doing this all by hand but for a 14-18 yr it was good work and the results were something you could be proud of. The cash did not hurt either as we were of limited monetary income.
Flash forward, I have always wanted to continue this as a hobby for myself and family. I find it relaxing and satisfying.
The technology sure has not stood still! The tech in washes polishes compiunds, dealers coatings oh my...... has skyrocketed as it seems have the equipment like buffers. Air and electric rotaries was it with just a hand full of choices back then. Now wow DA, DA short, med, long throws, rotaries of all different sizes and quality. Then fixed rotation DAs. Now add in high tq long lasting light battery powered in every conceivable size. Every type towel and wash mitt. Leaf blowers to dry exteriors..go figure!?! Clay is now in different grades and can be had in mitts pads towels even buffer pads. ,
Have been reading this forum now for quite sometime trying to educate myself about the current level of tech and perf. Other than correcting a few very neglected gel coated boats it will be my first time putting a proper power buffer on auto paint. But looking forward to it. I must say, I certainly have no desire to correct paint by hand going forward. That was definitely something for my youth. Now being north of 50 youth is no long my designation.
Anyways, glad to be here and hopefully learn and in time possibly add to the collective knowledge.
