Professional Hacks!

8

8Banger

New member
the other day i was at the local coin OP spraying the car down (it rained in the morning and was going to rain that night, just had to get the grime off :grinno:). anyhow, i was getting change and noticed in the stall next to mine, a truck that said "professional automotive carpet detailing" or something like that....it was backed into the stall and there was a guy with like 8 mats spraying some stuff in a spray bottle on them, then spraying with the coin OP....the truck was in terrible shape, too. professional rip off!





rant 2:



i was at a local car show this Saturday and saw a big red truck that said "****'s mobile detailing" on the back. i was thinking either: sweet, im about to meet an autopian, or this guy is a major hack. so i walked over there and the truck was very "clean", but it was more of a dealership quality. thick gooey tire dressing, swirls...etc etc. the bed of the truck had some nasty shop vacs, extractors and stuff in it. it was like an autopian quality set up, but not with autopian results.



people really disappoint me......the thing is i know somewhere along the lines, they're going to get MY business if they haven't already :bat
 
I swear as I drive around daily I get more and more dirty looks from the "detailers" around here.



I have been told numerous times by my local distributor that I am his only customer who is an actual "detailer." I guess that word has gotten around to the other guys because I never seem to get good looks. Even funnier is the fact that I don't have any stickers or markings on my truck at all.
 
Your results will be the best advertisement you can ever have. Typically I've noticed, the bigger the sign, the worse the quality. Not always, but a safe bet.
 
You know, come to think of it, I was at a Dallas car show Sat. and I have a big red truck with my name on the side??......... however we took my wifes silver toyota.:nana:



Seriously though, if you do great quality work you will not loose your clients.:xyxthumbs



Josh
 
jsatek said:
Lets define HACK:



A person of limited skill, ability, and experience who maintains and accepts a low level of standards in their work.
Click to expand...



To add to this.



A person of limited skill, ability, and experience who produces low quality work either because of those shortcomings, or the simple lack of knowledge of the difference between what is good and bad.



This site has done a lot to open my eyes to everything that is out there. I am sure that I can speak for almost everyone here in that we have all thought our work to be excellent, only to have that standard of excellence blown away by the work of someone else.



When I polished my car with a PC the first time, a long time ago, I thoguht it was absolutely amazing. I thought the results hard to top. I look back on those results now and laugh at how little that I knew about the process, and how much better that it can get than the results that I got out of it then.



The hacks are people who think their work is top notch, only because they don't really know what the top notch is.
 
The 'hacks' are always going to be around, and surely people will use their services. Do not think of it as they are taking your customers. It is up to you to find those customers who understand the difference between the hacks and you. There is plenty of business for all levels of detailers; whether you are a hack or an autopian quality detailer. I do not know why any detailer would have animosity toward another detailer. Like I said, hacks and low quality detailers are not really servicing the same types of clients as a high end detailer. Why should they be angry, their is plenty of people who want a cheap hack detail.
 
brwill2005 said:
The 'hacks' are always going to be around, and surely people will use their services. Do not think of it as they are taking your customers. It is up to you to find those customers who understand the difference between the hacks and you. There is plenty of business for all levels of detailers; whether you are a hack or an autopian quality detailer. I do not know why any detailer would have animosity toward another detailer. Like I said, hacks and low quality detailers are not really servicing the same types of clients as a high end detailer. Why should they be angry, their is plenty of people who want a cheap hack detail.
Click to expand...



I agree.



To bad a kid at my school works at a local carwash/ "Detail Center" and convinces kids to come there after school to get the "best" wash/polish/wax (no clay) that they can get.

So far:

-2 have come to me with terrible marring.

-3 have gotten the mirrors ripped off their cars...:hm- because they dont handwash, they run it through the carwash before the "detail."

-and one took is dads Ferrari there.- he is now my customer.



hacks? agreed. But i think that because of them, ill end up getting aloott more clients, especially the everyday soccer moms who drive x3's and x5's and the business men and their sports cars. Eventually people will notice that when they look at their black car in the sun it looks like someone used rocks on a pad to wash it with, thats when they come to me :sign
 
8Banger said:
the other day i was at the local coin OP spraying the car down (it rained in the morning and was going to rain that night, just had to get the grime off :grinno:). anyhow, i was getting change and noticed in the stall next to mine, a truck that said "professional automotive carpet detailing" or something like that....it was backed into the stall and there was a guy with like 8 mats spraying some stuff in a spray bottle on them, then spraying with the coin OP....the truck was in terrible shape, too. professional rip off!





rant 2:



i was at a local car show this Saturday and saw a big red truck that said "****'s mobile detailing" on the back. i was thinking either: sweet, im about to meet an autopian, or this guy is a major hack. so i walked over there and the truck was very "clean", but it was more of a dealership quality. thick gooey tire dressing, swirls...etc etc. the bed of the truck had some nasty shop vacs, extractors and stuff in it. it was like an autopian quality set up, but not with autopian results.



people really disappoint me......the thing is i know somewhere along the lines, they're going to get MY business if they haven't already :bat
Click to expand...





The red truck that was seen, couldn't have been in Kemah, TX was it? We were out at a car show in Kemah and saw the same truck you described. Of course, when we walked over to take a look, it was covered in swirls. I am guessing it was the same truck... We are located in League City :wavey
 
In defense of these hacks.



Some people are only willing to pay $50 to have their car cleaned.



A quick buff may get the paint looking better than no buff at all. The customer gets what they pay for. Pay the same hack $200 and he may very well surprise you with their quality of work.



Instead of 5 minutes buffing with a strong compound he may then spend an hour using 3 steps.



Pay enough and he may change that dirty wool pad for a fresh clean one.



For $50 some us wouldn't even get out of bed. So the "hack" has already done a better job than some of us.
 
TTWAGN said:
In defense of these hacks.



Some people are only willing to pay $50 to have their car cleaned.



A quick buff may get the paint looking better than no buff at all. The customer gets what they pay for. Pay the same hack $200 and he may very well surprise you with their quality of work.



Instead of 5 minutes buffing with a strong compound he may then spend an hour using 3 steps.



Pay enough and he may change that dirty wool pad for a fresh clean one.



For $50 some us wouldn't even get out of bed. So the "hack" has already done a better job than some of us.
Click to expand...



Sorry, but that's a load of crap.....:grrr



Hacks are hacks due to the quality of work they provide.....or the lack there of.



If they actually provided quality work/materials/techniques with real skills then they wouldn't be hacks now would they.



I can stay in bed and still do a better job then a hack who is tearing up a car since I'm not damaging it.



So you're saying cause a car is clean, yet hacked up, it's better then being dirty? I have to disagree, I'd rather have a nicely polished dirty car, then a hack polished clean car.:hifive:



Josh
 
Eh, hacks are hacks. They really don't bother me at all because my results speak for themselves. Word of mouth WILL get around of my efforts...
 
Wow! Thats what a lot of people thought of me for about a couple of weeks. I was a victim of a hit and run which left my truck bumper basically facing the ground. It was my only source of transportation for detailing and I was quite embarrassed to say the least. I wish I could take my company name off at the time. But my work outshined my hacked mobile detail truck. How do I know...they called back and referred! WOOHOO!!!
 
Shea Luxury said:
Wow! Thats what a lot of people thought of me for about a couple of weeks. I was a victim of a hit and run which left my truck bumper basically facing the ground. It was my only source of transportation for detailing and I was quite embarrassed to say the least. I wish I could take my company name off at the time. But my work outshined my hacked mobile detail truck. How do I know...they called back and referred! WOOHOO!!!
Click to expand...





I dont' think a damaged vehicle makes anyone a hack, it has to do with the quality of work you perform.:xyxthumbs
 
I think the term detailer is over used in that every joe, **** and harry with some gear calls himself a detailer. Kinda like the carpet cleaning business. You know, $99 full house or $250 full house and it is really cleaned.
 
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