I am not impressed by those that detail high dollar vehicles

being a detailer that does just a ton of DD's and super neglected cars back to better than new condtion I would easily say bring on the 911 any day of the week LOL. I've done my fair share of decent valued vehicles (none I would consider exotic) I do like working on them better.
 
rydawg said:
Every exotic that I have ever done has been a total mess and has been hacked before I got it. Think about how many times the car gets wiped down improperly just to show it off.



Also kids at dealerships can't wait to get their paws on these cars and end up hacking them.



I have been polishing since, when Pintos and Gremlins were cool.
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Good points Ryan.



I respect a detailers ability, no matter what they are working on. If you are good at it, it will show. There are some valid points here. As mentioned, the threads with exotics do get waaayyyy more attention. Why? Because pretty much all of us love them and like to look at them. I don't even bother posting "normal" cars, because it's way to much work to do to get a few responses. Having had the pleasure to work on exotics, I would beg to differ that all of them are pristine and require no "real work". As a rule of thumb, they "usually" don't get as trashed as a minivan, but I have seen some that were in pretty bad shape. I enjoy working on exotics more so than regular cars, but from a difficulty aspect, I would MUCH rather polish a common car versus an exotic. The surfaces are a lot flatter and very accessible. All of the stuff that makes exotics cool looking (vents, random angles, scoops, etc.), also makes them a royal pain to polish. There are a lot of areas that are next to impossible to get to with a machine. Another thing, they are ridiculously close to the ground and have low roof lines and are usually very wide. All of these elements make them a pain to work on as well. Trying to lean over the car to polish the mid sections without leaning on it, sitting on the floor to polish the sides, because chairs put you too high, etc. all add to the complexity of the polishing process. Not to mention, they are a royal pain to get in and out of. Heck, I barely fit into them just to ride in/drive them.



A friend of mine once told me, "you will be excited about working on exotics, until you start working on it. Then, it's just another job, until you are done and can admire your work." He was correct. After the first one, they are just work.



Also, most of the owners with the exotics that spend the money, expect everything to be done. When working on regular cars that have a huge turnaround, the customer is so impressed by the obvious, they don't really pay attention to the details, nor do they usually want to pay to have them taken care of.



Everyone has their own opinion and they are entitled to it. I'm sure it won't change because of my post or this thread, but I think for people to make an accurate statement about this, they should have worked on multiples of both types of cars, not base an opinion on one or two cars, or on the work of others.



Ultimately, you will never make everyone happy, so I would suggest making your customers happy. If others are impressed, it's an added bonus. I have found some detailers that I really value their opinion. I strive to impress them. Everyone else's opinion is just icing on the cake. Everyone likes the approval of their peers, but unfortunately, you will never get it from most of them.
 
Jakerooni said:
lol you new here still.... I got my a$$ compltetly chewed out and spit on when I voiced this exact same opinion. But in all reality 99% of the soccar mom detailers couldn't touch the high end exotics and visa versa. We all have our different niches. The reason that the "high dollar" cars get more press here is simply because they are rarer to see. I mean who really cares what process was taken on cleaning up that 1999 town and country? or that Used Dodge ram on the corner lot? We see those every day. And they are posted on here. But those only get a reply or two and then the thread just dies. Then you get someone detailing a very babied ferrari claiming 50+ hours of correction on it and it goes for 30 pages. ehh I don't get it but it seems to be what sells on here. Hopefully you don't get chastised to much for voicing this opinion.
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Time here has zero to do with it. Ive been detailing on and off since 1995 and done virtually every type of vehicle includine exotics.
 
blk45 said:
Good points Ryan.



I respect a detailers ability, no matter what they are working on. If you are good at it, it will show. There are some valid points here. As mentioned, the threads with exotics do get waaayyyy more attention. Why? Because pretty much all of us love them and like to look at them. I don't even bother posting "normal" cars, because it's way to much work to do to get a few responses. Having had the pleasure to work on exotics, I would beg to differ that all of them are pristine and require no "real work". As a rule of thumb, they "usually" don't get as trashed as a minivan, but I have seen some that were in pretty bad shape. Not only that, I would MUCH rather polish a common car versus an exotic. The surfaces are a lot flatter and very accessible. All of the stuff that makes exotics cool looking (vents, random angles, scoops, etc.), also makes them a royal pain to polish. There are a lot of areas that are next to impossible to get to with a machine. Another thing, they are ridiculously close to the ground and have low roof lines are usually very wide. All of these elements make them a pain to work on as well. Trying to lean over the car to polish the mid sections without leaning on it, sitting on the floor to polish the sides, because chairs put you too high, etc. all add to the complexity of the polishing process. Not to mention, they are a royal pain to get in and out of. Heck, I barely fit into them just to ride in/drive them.



A friend of mine once told me, "you will be excited about working on exotics, until you start working on it. Then, it's just another job, until you are done and can admire your work." He was correct. After the first one, they are just work.



Also, most of the owners with the exotics that spend the money, expect everything to be done. When working on regular cars that have a huge turnaround, the customer is so impressed by the obvious, they don't really pay attention to the details, nor do they usually want to pay to have them taken care of.



Everyone has their own opinion and they are entitled to it. I'm sure it won't change because of my post or this thread, but I think for people to make an accurate statement about this, they should have worked on multiples of both types of cars, not base an opinion on one or two cars, or on the work of others.



Ultimately, you will never make everyone happy, so I would suggest making your customers happy. If others are impressed, it's an added bonus. I have found some detailers that I really value their opinion. I strive to impress them. Everyone else's opinion is just icing on the cake. Everyone likes the approval of their peers, but unfortunately, you will never get it from most of them.
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Well said. :2thumbs:
 
I'm not a professional detailer but rather an enthusiast so I'll throw in my two cents.



I find that generally there are three types of people involved in the business of automobile appearance maintenance- 1) the car washer, 2) the volume business detailer and 3) the high-end professional detailer. Of course, some are a mix of the three and some are working their way from 1 to 3.



The car washer is happy to focus on washing cars and get the occassional wax job. They are quick and really don't focus much on things we discuss here on Autopia. An example is your typical gas station hand car wash operation.



The volume business detailer is more knowledgeable about detailing and probably uses the correct techniques/products. Their business focuses more on daily drivers and the occassional garage queen.



Lastly, the very experienced, professional detailer is at the top of his craft and has a reputation that attracts the uber cars. This isn't a volume business but rather a business of trust (i.e., the owner of a very expensive car entrusts it to this detailer because he trusts the detailer knows how to maintain/enhance it's appearance). The level of expertise + attention to detail (i.e., time involved) = high prices.



I think the OP may be saying that the volume detailer is not getting the respect they deserve and too much praise is given to the high-end detailer. I can understand his point and partially agree. The volume detailer does deserve respect as they are the ones saving many daily drivers from the corner hacks. However, I don't agree that this should mean that less praise should be given to the high-end detailer.



The high-end detailer was probably a volume detailer in the past but he has perfected his craft and reputation to such an extent where he is now entrusted to work on very expensive cars. We've all seen what happens to expensive cars when a newbie tries to pass himself off as a high-end detailer (...trim gets burned on a Lambo). So, these high-end detailers have my respect as well. I'm sure that a high-end detailer would happily correct a Camry if he has time and the owner is willing to pay for his time and experience. The problem is that most Camry owners won't pay that much (DISCLAIMER: I'm using Camry only as an example).



As far as the Pro before and afters on this forum, I think they're made for two reasons, both very valid. The first is for business promotion. If you're a pro detailer and you make a good post showing your work, someone can see if and call you up for work.



The other reason is to show off/teach. As an enthusiast, I love seeing those posts where the OP goes into detail on products and the reasons they used them. I learn tons! Unfortunately, I end up buying WAY too many products as a result. In any event, what's a little showing off especially if you got to detail a beautiful car?



So, to conclude my very verbose post, IMO, if you did a detail where you corrected a Camry to perfection, please post it. You will get praise and will teach many of us. If you detailed an uber rare concours car, post it also. It isn't often we get to drool over these machines.



Best,



Art
 
I'd also like to point out the large amount of time that goes into doing a write up on any detail job. It takes a lot of time to capture all the shots, not to mention loading and resizing. I try to get as detailed as possible in my write ups, but it's not always possible.



I give much respect to any detailer who takes the time to go above an beyond his job, and takes the extra time to share their work with the forum, regardless of whether is a Geo Metro or an Evo. ;)





Rasky
 
Interesting points - is there a right and wrong view, no there is not. I've done many details that really proved that you CAN polish a turd (also proved for real on MythBusters) and I've had my share of sitting in the recliner, doped up on presciption pain killers and muscle relaxers, staring at the TV while my lower back decides to stop hurting - all cause I spent 14 hours on a Suburban. And I thought, damn, why didn't I take a few before and after pics? Well, cause I thought - who gives a rat's butt about a 7 year old SUV. Honestly, just the detailer and the owner.
 
Some sorta-random thoughts follow:



- People probably expect more folks to be interested in looking at exotics (for any reason). No, I myself don't find 'em all that interesting but hey, that's just me. And yeah, there's probably some justified pride involved when somebody trusts you to do serious work on a valuable vehicle. Most owners don't turn their exotics over to just *anyone*.



- I also have to say that most of the exotics I've seen IRL were in terrible condition. Often *clean*, but marred up just like any grocery-getter.



- Owners of expensive cars are probably more likely to pay for extensive reconditioning-type details. Wonder how often sombody like TH0001 gets paid to spend days doing somebody's minivan :think: Actually, that's something I'd *love* to see posted!



- People I know who are "car nuts", even serious concours competitors, still think it's weird that I keep my beaters as nice as my good cars. They just don't have the same mindset; a "driver", let alone a *beater* simply doesn't matter to them. People like that Ferrari owner with the mint Subie (and guys like me ;) ) aren't all that common IME. Even people *here* have talked about having one vehicle that they simply don't keep all that nice.



- If certain threads/topics/whatever don't interest you, I'd just skip them without comment. Pointing out that something doesn't interest you kinda rubs me the wrong way. If you don't care, why spend time/energy on it? It's kinda like calling somebody's baby ugly....you know, the old "if you can't say something nice..." thing.
 
Accumulator said:
... still think it's weird that I keep my beaters as nice as my good cars. They just don't have the same mindset; a "driver", let alone a *beater* simply doesn't matter to them. .
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That's the sign of a "TRUE" detailer. Oooops. I guess I are one.:xyxthumbs
 
Accumulator said:
Some sorta-random thoughts follow:



- People probably expect more folks to be interested in looking at exotics (for any reason). No, I myself don't find 'em all that interesting but hey, that's just me. And yeah, there's probably some justified pride involved when somebody trusts you to do serious work on a valuable vehicle. Most owners don't turn their exotics over to just *anyone*.



- I also have to say that most of the exotics I've seen IRL were in terrible condition. Often *clean*, but marred up just like any grocery-getter.



- Owners of expensive cars are probably more likely to pay for extensive reconditioning-type details. Wonder how often sombody like TH0001 gets paid to spend days doing somebody's minivan :think: Actually, that's something I'd *love* to see posted!



- People I know who are "car nuts", even serious concours competitors, still think it's weird that I keep my beaters as nice as my good cars. They just don't have the same mindset; a "driver", let alone a *beater* simply doesn't matter to them. People like that Ferrari owner with the mint Subie (and guys like me ;) ) aren't all that common IME. Even people *here* have talked about having one vehicle that they simply don't keep all that nice.



- If certain threads/topics/whatever don't interest you, I'd just skip them without comment. Pointing out that something doesn't interest you kinda rubs me the wrong way. If you don't care, why spend time/energy on it? It's kinda like calling somebody's baby ugly....you know, the old "if you can't say something nice..." thing.
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Great points as usual.
 
Being a relative newb to this obsession, I usually post my stuff elsewhere because frankly the VW Jetta I did this weekend while pretty at the end of the day just aint worth bragging about. I enjoyed detailing, I got paid to do it and it was good practice. I do about 8-10 of these a year, mostly for people I know.



I post them up over at AG usually so why post them here too? Some of you might see it over there and the OP is right. I get about 5-6 "hey looks great!" and maybe a question like "hey, how did you like using the new <insert product name>?



After 24 hours it's sunk to the bottom under several "NEW TO THE FORUM" and "WOW! look art this hack" threads...LOL



Even the Lexus or AMG Benz I've done only get a page worth of responses but it doesn't bug me at all. I'm here to learn and share what I can whether to people on this board or my neighbor cleaning his 2003 Odyssey.
 
I guess it's just personal preference.. but I love to see neglected DD that are turned around to look almost like new, esp the interior.. Exotic jobs with 50+ pics of just the paint isn't as interesting to me.. But that is just my humble opinion.

Autopia has something for everyone, and gives me great inspiration, so thanks to everyone that post pics and details here..
 
I confess that I just like seeing sports cars and roadsters. I don't even need dramatic before and after shots. I'd be happy with just gorgeous afters. :)
 
Actually, I liked your detail of the Jetta, especially the interior pictures. Talk about disgusting!



Personally, I would like to see more detailed non-exotics, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I think the simple fact is that a higher percentage of "nice" cars get detailed more often than the less expensive ones. People who own nicer cars will more than likely want to keep them nice, whereas people who own less expensive cars just don't have the time or money to do much other than wash it and maybe give it the Turtle Wax shine. That's the reality of the situation. I'm speaking in very general terms, of course. Maybe it's just me, but I seem to see a lot of detailed mustangs.:D
 
akimel said:
I confess that I just like seeing sports cars and roadsters. I don't even need dramatic before and after shots. I'd be happy with just gorgeous afters. :)
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I'm the opposite. If somebody detailed their kid's tricycle, I'd love to see before and afters.:lol
 
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