I've been on vacation, so I haven't had a chance to tell my fellow Autopians about my experience two Saturdays ago. I spent the day with NYDetailer (who is known in the real world as Brian).
As a fellow Autopian, Brian offered me a reduced price to detail my car. Better yet, he offered to spend the day with me detailing together so I could learn all the tricks of the trade. Based upon the positive posts about him and his work, I jumped at the chance to drive over an hour and a half to meet him.
I brought my wife's black 1997 BMW 528i. We bought it in 1999 so I have no idea how the previous owner treated the paint. I also thought I was doing the right thing by having it washed once per week - at the automatic car wash. Needless to say, the car is covered in swirls. Also, my wife loves the car, but doesn't see the need to have it detailed. I started bringing it to a professional twice a year. He did a fine job, but my wife freaked when I told her it was $165. (We have the money, but she couldn't stand the thought that I spent $165 twice a year "just to have the car cleaned").
Anyway, off to see Brian. The first thing I noticed was that his wife's Accord and his new Diamonte were stunning. Even though they're both light colored cars, it was easy to see they both had a great "wet look". He assured me that my car would look the same way, but I had serious doubts about that.
We detailed the car together - wash, clay, glaze, wax, interior, etc. Along each step of the way, he told me what I was doing wrong, which products work best, etc. Even though I've spent a good deal of time reading old posts on Autopia and the Autopia Guide to Detailing, Brian gave me a wealth of practical information.
Brian has obviously tried tons of products. It was GREAT to be able to ask him which ones work the best and last the longest. Judging by the results, he's obviously onto something! From the difficult carpet stains that were removed in minutes to the fantastic shine on the car, Brian sure knows what he's doing.
In addition, I just bought a PC - but was scared to use it on my car. Brian used it first and showed me what to do (and what not to do). After I felt comfortable, he let me use it to finish the rest of the car. Now, I can't get enough of it!
In the end, the car looked amazing - inside and out. The two professional products he uses on the paint go on and off really quickly and deliver a fantastic shine. We left two panels unwaxed so I could try Klasse on them and compare the results. Since I've been on vacation (and working to prepare for my vacation), I haven't had a chance to do it yet. I'll let you know when I do.
Brian and I have different "needs" when detailing cars though. I detail for enjoyment and relaxation. Brian, on the other hand, details for a living.
For example, on my new Mercedes C32 AMG, I spent 17 hours washing it with dawn, claying it, and then applying two coats of AIO. (Don't even ask me how long I've spent on coats of SG, the interior, the wheels, the engine bay, etc.) Brian needs to be able to detail a car in two to three hours.
When he said we'd be done in a few hours, I found this idea incomprehensible. Yet, in just a few hours, we had everything but the leather and some of the interior trim done. And again, the car looked amazing. It appears I don't need to be so obsessive to return great results. This is going to be a hard habit to break!
The only thing we didn't get to work on were the swirl marks. I did this at home with the PC and some 3M Finesse-It II and Meguire's #9 to great success. I'll post more on this process later because I've got a little problem to work out.
In the end, if you get a chance to spend the day with Brian, I'm SURE it will be worth the drive. Apparently, someone from Autopia is driving from Virginia to New York just to spend the day with him. In my opinion, it will be well worth the trip.
As a fellow Autopian, Brian offered me a reduced price to detail my car. Better yet, he offered to spend the day with me detailing together so I could learn all the tricks of the trade. Based upon the positive posts about him and his work, I jumped at the chance to drive over an hour and a half to meet him.
I brought my wife's black 1997 BMW 528i. We bought it in 1999 so I have no idea how the previous owner treated the paint. I also thought I was doing the right thing by having it washed once per week - at the automatic car wash. Needless to say, the car is covered in swirls. Also, my wife loves the car, but doesn't see the need to have it detailed. I started bringing it to a professional twice a year. He did a fine job, but my wife freaked when I told her it was $165. (We have the money, but she couldn't stand the thought that I spent $165 twice a year "just to have the car cleaned").
Anyway, off to see Brian. The first thing I noticed was that his wife's Accord and his new Diamonte were stunning. Even though they're both light colored cars, it was easy to see they both had a great "wet look". He assured me that my car would look the same way, but I had serious doubts about that.
We detailed the car together - wash, clay, glaze, wax, interior, etc. Along each step of the way, he told me what I was doing wrong, which products work best, etc. Even though I've spent a good deal of time reading old posts on Autopia and the Autopia Guide to Detailing, Brian gave me a wealth of practical information.
Brian has obviously tried tons of products. It was GREAT to be able to ask him which ones work the best and last the longest. Judging by the results, he's obviously onto something! From the difficult carpet stains that were removed in minutes to the fantastic shine on the car, Brian sure knows what he's doing.
In addition, I just bought a PC - but was scared to use it on my car. Brian used it first and showed me what to do (and what not to do). After I felt comfortable, he let me use it to finish the rest of the car. Now, I can't get enough of it!
In the end, the car looked amazing - inside and out. The two professional products he uses on the paint go on and off really quickly and deliver a fantastic shine. We left two panels unwaxed so I could try Klasse on them and compare the results. Since I've been on vacation (and working to prepare for my vacation), I haven't had a chance to do it yet. I'll let you know when I do.
Brian and I have different "needs" when detailing cars though. I detail for enjoyment and relaxation. Brian, on the other hand, details for a living.
For example, on my new Mercedes C32 AMG, I spent 17 hours washing it with dawn, claying it, and then applying two coats of AIO. (Don't even ask me how long I've spent on coats of SG, the interior, the wheels, the engine bay, etc.) Brian needs to be able to detail a car in two to three hours.
When he said we'd be done in a few hours, I found this idea incomprehensible. Yet, in just a few hours, we had everything but the leather and some of the interior trim done. And again, the car looked amazing. It appears I don't need to be so obsessive to return great results. This is going to be a hard habit to break!
The only thing we didn't get to work on were the swirl marks. I did this at home with the PC and some 3M Finesse-It II and Meguire's #9 to great success. I'll post more on this process later because I've got a little problem to work out.
In the end, if you get a chance to spend the day with Brian, I'm SURE it will be worth the drive. Apparently, someone from Autopia is driving from Virginia to New York just to spend the day with him. In my opinion, it will be well worth the trip.
