Much respect to you professional detailers

E

EsWeAr

New member
I just spent about 3 hours cleaning the leather seats in the Tahoe I just bought. I haven`t even begun to try to clean the carpets yet and I`m tired hahaha.
 
The older I get the longer it takes me. lol I can still get the quality but the days of polishing and coating 2 cars in a day are over for me.
 
BudgetPlan1 said:
I`m happy to get one done in a weekend...
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I`m slowly coming to terms with the reality of my situation that I need to start doing my cars in sections. With work, an hour-ish commute, and a 2 year old at home, the large chunks of free time just aren`t there anymore. My CDO (OCD, in alphabetical order - like it should be!) still struggles with it though.

Every time I do get a chance to work on the cars, I have that same level of respect as you for the Pros ability to knock out good quality work. I also really appreciate when they post up the really stunning jobs and mention they have 20+ working hours into them. Makes me feel better like I`m not way off base with how long I take when I get to really dial one in.
 
Oneheadlite said:
I`m slowly coming to terms with the reality of my situation that I need to start doing my cars in sections. With work, an hour-ish commute, and a 2 year old at home, the large chunks of free time just aren`t there anymore. My CDO (OCD, in alphabetical order - like it should be!) still struggles with it though.

Every time I do get a chance to work on the cars, I have that same level of respect as you for the Pros ability to knock out good quality work. I also really appreciate when they post up the really stunning jobs and mention they have 20+ working hours into them. Makes me feel better like I`m not way off base with how long I take when I get to really dial one in.
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I`m pretty picky about how my cars are cleaned. I guess I have my old man to thank for that because he`s pretty picky about his cars. Now to pick up a decent DA to work on the paint. Any suggestions on which one to get? I`m just doing this for my cars. I saw in another post about people recommending griots gg6(?) as being pretty beginner friendly.
 
I would 100% recommend the Griot`s 6". I know the harbor freight and PC machines have their followers as well, but I love my GG6. And the company as a whole has such an awesome warranty and customer service.

I had the first gen GG6 (they`re on gen 3 now if I`m not mistaken), and after 9 or so years of use I noticed a slight grease cast-off from the head onto the paint when in use. I contacted them, they said to send it in as that didn`t sound normal. They sent me back a brand new current gen machine, and upgraded it to the long cord for no charge! Another time I had called them to ask questions about something with their polishes, and mentioned in passing that I had a few sprayers for different products that weren`t working- same situation- they said send them in and I got free replacements on those as well. They definitely have me as a customer for life. I think I`ve only had one product (their glass Sealant) that didn`t live up to my expectations, otherwise I can`t think of anything of theirs that`s been a "miss" for me.

If if you get the GG6, also look at getting their 3" HD backing plate they just came out with so you can have 3" capabilities for tight spots as well!
 
Oneheadlite said:
I would 100% recommend the Griot`s 6". I know the harbor freight and PC machines have their followers as well, but I love my GG6. And the company as a whole has such an awesome warranty and customer service.

I had the first gen GG6 (they`re on gen 3 now if I`m not mistaken), and after 9 or so years of use I noticed a slight grease cast-off from the head onto the paint when in use. I contacted them, they said to send it in as that didn`t sound normal. They sent me back a brand new current gen machine, and upgraded it to the long cord for no charge! Another time I had called them to ask questions about something with their polishes, and mentioned in passing that I had a few sprayers for different products that weren`t working- same situation- they said send them in and I got free replacements on those as well. They definitely have me as a customer for life. I think I`ve only had one product (their glass Sealant) that didn`t live up to my expectations, otherwise I can`t think of anything of theirs that`s been a "miss" for me.

If if you get the GG6, also look at getting their 3" HD backing plate they just came out with so you can have 3" capabilities for tight spots as well!
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I would have to agree on the GG6. I really do like mine. I also own the Porter Cable, the Harbor Freight and the Flex machines. All of them are great machines but the majority of times I reach for my GG6. To me it just feels the best in my hands and is smoother with less vibration than the HF or the PC. I also ordered mine with the 25` cord which I would highly recommend so that you don`t have to worry as much about extension cords getting in the way.

I will however say that if you are on a budget you can`t go wrong with the HF machine. Its a lot of bang for the buck. I have one that I probably have 250 hours on and its still running fine. It has a little more power than the PC and you can pick it up at about half the price. I have turned out a lot of great work with that little machine.
 
I assisted a friend of mine yesterday. He owns and operates a production facility, with dealership accounts. I`ve never seen such a hard working individual. Time is of the essence in his business, and he uses the rotary for the bulk of his work. It`s been a good ten years since I did a full heavy cut with one. I was glad to see I still have that ability!

He told me that he`s gone through about a dozen gg6 tools in the three years he`s been in business. He said that sometimes they arrive in the box from the company defective. For what it`s worth, he`s also killed one PC 7424xp.

I had a 1st gen gg6, and didn`t like it. I was going to try his, but it was broken... Good news is that those gg6 tools get replaced for free! Bad news is that he has to have backups, but in business its not that big a deal. He even has a dead Flex PE14, and a dead DeWalt in the shop too. The DeWalt is his preferred weapon of choice though.

To the topic of work, he charges for the whole vehicle, for what I usually get for an AIO. Of course he works on volume though. I`m mobile/home garage based, with low overhead. I wouldn`t want to do what he does day to day. Like I said - I`ve never seen someone work so hard in my life.

I suppose if I went that route I`d come up with a teachable, repeatable system of paint reconditioning, and interior services, and hire help. When you use a very specific style of polishing - with a rotary noless, it can complicate the process even more!
 
I might swing by hf and check out their machine, I`m not sure how often I will use it at first so I don`t want to spend a bunch. I appreciate everyone`s input to help this rookie out lol.
Do you guys have any tips on carpet cleaning? I have a shop vac and a bissell (sp?) auto heat cleaner. I`m not asking for trade secrets just a small how to guide. I saw the sticky post on the oxy clean method and I might give that a shot on my next day off.
 
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