How has your approach to detailing changed as you`ve gotten older/wiser?

Desertnate said:
Not a Glock fan. I don`t like the way they feel in my hand and the controls just feel slightly off. I like the feel of a couple of the concealed carry sized Sigs, but the real sweetheart in the mid-side semi-auto IMO is the H&K VP9. Love that weapon. It as a bit out of my price reach, so I have an IWI Masada that reminds me of the H&K in many ways and is very nice to fire.
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Check out the Shadow systems m920. You can change the back strap to make it feel like differnt guns. Would be my choice over traditional glock.


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The grips on both my IWI and the H&K swap out too. The large sized grips fit me like a glove. Ditto for the medium grips on the H&K I tried.

After a couple decades of being handed an M9 (a.k.a. Beretta 92F) whenever he need arose, I was presently surprised to find something that fits well. My hands are not made for the Beretta and I never really liked carrying/firing it.
 
[Accumulator resists the temptation to keep the handgun-detour going...]

I wonder if the (dis)/continuation of the "perfect as possible" is related to *why* people care(d) about it. I couldn`t care *less* what anybody else (other than Accumulatorette!) thinks of my paints` condition. I *do* care about my Techs having to work on a dirty vehicle, but "clean" and "marring-free" are two very different things. So I keep them clean on general principles, but I try to avoid any marring for utterly personal reasons.
 
Accumulator said:
[Accumulator resists the temptation to keep the handgun-detour going...]

I wonder if the (dis)/continuation of the "perfect as possible" is related to *why* people care(d) about it. I couldn`t care *less* what anybody else (other than Accumulatorette!) thinks of my paints` condition. I *do* care about my Techs having to work on a dirty vehicle, but "clean" and "marring-free" are two very different things. So I keep them clean on general principles, but I try to avoid any marring for utterly personal reasons.
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For me, striving for perfection (on a BLACK car, no less), finally drove me to a state of burnout, where I had no interest at all in cleaning my car, let alone "detailing" it. I tried for perfection for myself, yes, but in an attempt to impress (and gain the approval of others) - others who could NEVER see the `imperfections` *I* did, and couldn`t see WHY I made such a fuss over having a perfectly clean, absolutely immaculate car.

SLOWLY, the interest did return - but so did the realization that why SHOULD *I* care what the other people (who were blind to horribly swirled and damaged paint anyway), thought.

So, I lowered my expectations, BUT improved my game. Lower Expectations = LESS STRESS, while Improved Game = better results. So my mental shift was a win-win for me. I can now return to the primary goal of Self-satisfaction and as a means of relaxation. I am learning to live with the small imperfections that you have to be a contortionist and look at the paint from a million angles to try and find that elusive scratch or swirl, and I`m much happier for doing it. I have decided that "d@mned good" and "better than 99% of the rest of the cars on the road," is plenty good enough. The ONLY person I try to satisfy now, is my wife - when I`m cleaning/detailing her mother`s car, that`s it.
 
Lonnie said:
On aside note to this gun debate, in Wisconsin one of the local communities policemen had a police department-issued Sig Suaer pistol go off/fire/discharge by itself (supposedly) and injury the officer. There is now a law suite against the Swiss-made Sig Sauer from the police union. The local department has since switched to Glocks because of this incident.
This is NOT a one-time self-discharging police department issued pistol incident, as this has also "supposedly" happened within the City of Milwaukee, WI Police Department using the same Sig Sauer pistol. They are also switching over to Glocks as federal funds become available (an unexpected ("non-budgeted", in politically-correct terms) expense to the city police budget) to financially allow them to do so.
I am NOT a ballistics or gun enthusiast in any way, but I do think police officers have enough on their plate concerning their own personal safety without having to worry about their department-issued pistol going off unexpectedly in the line of duty and getting hurt themselves or to a fellow officer or possibly injuring an innocent person.
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This is the first time I ever heard of anything like this. I carried a Sig throughout my LE career. I used to have a Sig 220 (.45) and eventually my agency switched over to a Sig 229 (.40 cal). They have now issued the new Sig 320 MOS as duty carry. I still have a Sig 229. However I now own three Glocks and just like the way they fit in my hand. I definitely shoot better with a Glock.
 
I gave up "chasing the swirl" several years ago. I realized that my cars only had so much clearcoat and with the advance in spray ceramics I don`t spend hours applying a sealant anymore. If my car needs a quick polish its always with an AIO like BF One Step or HD Speed.

One of my cars is coated with CSL/EXO which makes things very easy. I also have given up on needing every new product that hits the market. I have so many quality products that tend to get pushed to the back of the cabinet for the latest and greatest.

My cars look better than 95% of the cars on the road anyway so I am happy :)
 
Accumulator said:
[Accumulator resists the temptation to keep the handgun-detour going...]
.
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Am I the only curious to hear Accumulator`s thoughts on handguns? I am tempted to start a thread on it in the general discussion thread if Accum and others have any interest. As wise as many of the detailers are on this forum, I would be curious to hear their thoughts on firearms.
 
Hi, Pat! Nice to see you posting, seems like it`s been a while...but then I haven`t been on there that much lately (new dog, for one thing).

Bert said:
Am I the only curious to hear Accumulator`s thoughts on handguns? I am tempted to start a thread on it in the general discussion thread if Accum and others have any interest. As wise as many of the detailers are on this forum, I would be curious to hear their thoughts on firearms.
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Heh heh, my primary thought about Handguns is that these days a whole lotta insufficiently trained, less-than-competent people are carrying `em as if they were magic wands. As with the Driving and the raising of the dogs, Accumulatorette and I take those particular tools, and their use, seriously.

But seriously, eh, I`m a bit reluctant to discuss Guns over the internet for a whole lotta reasons and I caution people to think before they post about `em lest a few keystrokes come back to, uhm...bite your face off.
 
Back on-topic...it`s not the *marring* that gets to me, which is good since most of my vehicles have paint that`s too thin for much more correction. Since nobody touches the paint, and I wash the way I do, that`s really just not an issue. It`s not like my wash technique, which I admit is pretty extreme, really takes all *that* much time. It`s just that if I`m gonna set aside a few continuous hours to do a single task, there are other things I`d much rather/oughta do. But sigh... I keep my [stuff] clean and vehicles are things that tend to get dirty.

Eh, I go through this with most new dogs, and the latest one is special enough that I could easily let him monopolize my time.

Don- I simply *LOVE* your epiphany about what other people think! The way you`re approaching it now sounds *VERY* sensible to me...doing what *you* find enjoyable, to *your* standards, for *your* reasons.
 
Accumulator said:
[Accumulator resists the temptation to keep the handgun-detour going...]

I wonder if the (dis)/continuation of the "perfect as possible" is related to *why* people care(d) about it. I couldn`t care *less* what anybody else (other than Accumulatorette!) thinks of my paints` condition.
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Thank you for getting us back on track. I got a little carried away... I`ll take my wet chamois lashings as punishment.

I think you are on to something. I really do my detailing for me and no one else. My wife doesn`t even care as long as everything clean.

Don said:
For me, striving for perfection (on a BLACK car, no less), finally drove me to a state of burnout, where I had no interest at all in cleaning my car, let alone "detailing" it. I tried for perfection for myself, yes, but in an attempt to impress (and gain the approval of others) - others who could NEVER see the `imperfections` *I* did, and couldn`t see WHY I made such a fuss over having a perfectly clean, absolutely immaculate car.
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I think it was having a couple black cars that actually helped me set reasonable expectation. With my first one, I started to see almost from the beginning there was no way I could keep it perfect all the time without compromising other things in life and/or my sanity. I simply dealt with the bad days (i.e. encrusted in dirt/salt) by looking forward to the good days (a nice hand wash on a warm spring day)

Don said:
So, I lowered my expectations, BUT improved my game. Lower Expectations = LESS STRESS, while Improved Game = better results. So my mental shift was a win-win for me. I can now return to the primary goal of Self-satisfaction and as a means of relaxation.
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Absolutely. Owning two black cars really improved my skills as well on every front, but I take it at my pace with comfort in knowing the time I put into any of our vehicles has them looking good and to the best of my ability and the time I can put into it.
 
Desertnate- Heh heh, once I got Accumulatorette used to Autopian-level Detailing, she developed a very critical eye, and she takes great pride in how nice her `00 A8 still is. When we look at new vehicles in showrooms, she`s usually the one to comment on how marred up they are. She once asked a Porsche salesman "who would buy a mess like that?!?" about a six-figure car they thought looked great.


Heh heh..."black vehicles"...my Yukon XLD was a metallic black ("granite" or somesuch). OK, the metallic will be forgiving, right?

Nope. It merely concealed the marring under some conditions, which made my inspection challenging when chasing holograms (left by an Pro, who used to post here, he`s *NOT* a hack. That`s what I get for paying somebody to do my work for me). Stuff that "doesn`t show" did at times and I couldn`t stand it. I get enough of that with the dark blue `93 Audi (over-corrected to where it`s now stupid-soft). I can keep `em OK, but it`s not fun, so the Yukon got sold (and I`m careful with that Audi).

The one color on which I can stand (very minor) marring is white, and only if that`s kept clean and very shiny. And sooner or later I always end up fixing that anyhow.
 
To all Autopians:
My sincere apology for getting off-topic and making my comments/adding "fuel to the fire" about the Sig Sauer versus Glock gun controversy. So much for my feeble and hypocritical attempt to keep this a detailing-centric forum!!!

What were we talking about?? Oh yes; getting wiser about detailing as we get older. Back to the topic discussion at hand.

(And keep your off-topic/topic hijacking comments to yourself, Captain Obvious, and we will all be the better for it. JUST SAYIN`, as you say...
Yeah, right; like THAT is ever going to happen!!!
Say something (wrong), and then apologize; say something, then apologize.. we see a trend here.. Are you SURE you are an Obsessive-Compulsive Detailer , and not a politician, Captain Obvious? Because you sound (and act) like a politician! Just sayin`...)
 
Perfection is the enemy of done.

at this stage I’m thining the product line down, and simplifying my process.

im financially independent finally (within the context of a simple frugal life) and can buy, and do anything that i want to do.

The only resource I’m not independent, of and have a limited amount is my time.

once my time is spent I can never get it back.

once a year my vehicles get a “super intense paint cleaning” instead of perfect paint. Then a coating, and from there a wash (time permitting) and spray sealant/wax as a drying aid.

one apc, a glass cleaner, rinseless wash, and some car soap (when the little ones want to see foam). Something to put on the tires. Whatever’s cheapest. That’s it. Spray polish, and sealants/waxes only. No more of the apply, wait, buff off nonsense.

I like a clean vehicle, and a shiny vehicle. I no longer wish to spend a day or 2, and dozens of products to do so.

‘I’ll spend one day, once a year, and then “as I feel like it”

at the end of the day it’s a car, and by no means anything remotely fancy. Sometimes I feel like washing a car, but honestly most days I’d rather be on a pontoon boat, or sitting on a dock reading a book. or strumming my guitar
 
Bert said:
Detailing talk of the past was kind of like on gun forums where the 1911 versus Glock wars took place and now it seems to be Glock versus Sig Sauer, lol.
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I`m a CZ guy lol. Lonnie, I think it was the first version of the P320`s that weren`t drop-safe.

Overall, detailing was a pandemic hobby for myself. Learned with all the downtime I had. Now that I have less time, I`m trying to find more efficient and faster methods, time saving tools, etc. Would love a whole weekend to work on a car, but it`s usually just not available. Mostly maintenance and trying to not do harm.
 
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