Self satisfaction in detailing

I

imported_NHBFAN

New member
Anyone else shares my problem?



In the last year or so my skills have increased significantly, but now I want to "knock it out of the park" every time at bat. After investing the better part of a day using my best products I want to be awed. When it doesn't happen I feel let down even though the vehicle is almost always considerably improved.



And, it's not always a direct correlation between the final results and "self satisfaction". I detail several later model cars that I’ve worked into excellent condition, but when I finish them I don't get the gratification I do when I turn a "beater" around.



Do "seasoned" professionals experience the same thing I'm going through?
 
dude, pm darren (sonnydaze1) he talked some major sense into me. after swirls still being in my truck after a wool pad and dacp (darren was there) i had kinda an "autopian revelation". some stuff ain't possible w/o a rotary. likewise some stuff ain't possible w/ a rotary. especially on customer's cars who aren't as fanatical as we are.
 
I get frustrated when I have to polish a real turd and am limited by the existing problems. The customers are always happy with the transformation and I know I did the best I could with what I was given but it still bugs me since I want every car to look perfect.
 
Thanks for the replies.



JCrawford,



I understand it's not rational to feel unsatisfied even though you may make dramatic gains, and intellectually I know most of the limitation of the PC and detailing in general, but I still feel let down when things aren't perfect.:nixweiss



Scottwax,



Glad to hear someone of your skill level and experience is bothered by some of the same things that bother me. Or maybe you're just crazy like me;)
 
I've just 'finished' a 1985 Maserati Biturbo, 42K miles, but neglected. The car is much improved, but it really wasn't much when new, so getting it to Autopian standards is near impossible. It is a candidate for restoration, not just detailing...



I haven't delivered it yet, but I'm sure the owner will be happy. But I'm not.



Jim
 
2 nights ago I had a 2000 Porsche 911 Cab in my shop along with a 1983 mustang glx convertible. The Porsche is absolutely beautiful. Its clean, well taken care of, a real nice piece of German engineering. But the mustang had single stage maroon paint that was severly oxidized, chipped, scratched - you name it. When I was done working on both cars I couldn't stop looking at this mustang! It looked great! The owner will probably think it runs better now to. So for me it doesnt matter what your working on, its the satisfaction you take from the transformation you give to a specific vehicle.
 
It would take me two days to detail a car to the point where I thought it was awesome. I do what I can in the time the customer allows me, they are always over joyed but they end up swirling and scratching their car all over again.



Oh well, I detail those cars for the money and my own car for the enjoyment.
 
NHBFAN,



I started a thread along these lines some time ago and in that thread I wrote that I am my own worst critic and many detailers suffer from this. It is like having an OCD but instead of washing your hands 1200 times a day or making sure your shoe laces are perfectly even down to the nano inch you desire a finish that is 100% free from any and all scratches and swirls, it should be optically pure:up ................sadly though this is nearly impossible to achieve.



Now on the positive side think about it this way.........if you do reach that level............then what? Then where do you go? I have come to look at this as the detailers "Holy Grail" It is something one strives for, we search for it day and night and it's what keeps me going every day and if I am to ever reach it then I feel I may lose some of that drive and passion.



So maybe if you look at it like that, like a quest, then each detail will be a stepping stone to that goal BUT the really deep thing here is that no one nevers knows when they have reached that level. 100 years from now detailers will battle this same issue, not all detailers battle this, only the perfectionists.......which is a rather small number.



Anthony
 
Anthony Orosco said:
So maybe if you look at it like that, like a quest, then each detail will be a stepping stone to that goal BUT the really deep thing here is that no one nevers knows when they have reached that level. 100 years from now detailers will battle this same issue, not all detailers battle this, only the perfectionists.......which is a rather small number.



Anthony
Click to expand...



Anthony,



That's a good perspective. I'll try to employ that rationale for now on because I know I have to reconsider my overall outlook.



There's something fundamentally wrong with putting forth your best effort (within the confines of the job, e.g. time, etc ...) and not being satisfied.:nono



I thought it was a “newbie� thing. Didn’t know people that’s been in the professional detailing biz for a substantial amount of time share the same experiences.
 
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