Watching My Neighbor Wax His Truck

I have been enjoying my wireless internet connection in my front yard all day with the great weather. I have been watching my neighbor across the street wash his F150 that he seriously hasnt washed in months!!! He generally uses it to haul his dirt bikes and his ski boat. So he finally washes it while I sit here critiquing his work to myself. Then instead of using towels or a chamois to dry the truck he puts the tail gate down then goes for a drive!! He's gone for about 10 minutes when he comes back and pulls out a turtle wax orbital! It looks like he is using Meguiars carnauba cleaner. But it makes me sick to my stomach because I go through all the steps that I would have done to make his truck look so good. He didnt use a claybar, didnt polish or seal the paint, didnt dry the truck properly, he even used dishwashing soap to clean the truck :eek: . Oh well he is too full of himself to even hire a detailer such as myself but it hurts to watch a beautiful truck go through the pain! :down Does anyone else find themselves looking down on people who have no idea how to detail a car properly?
 
Most people aren't as concerned with the appearance of their cars as some of us are. Although he didn't dry the car, I can't say I see anything too terribly wrong with your neighbors procedures. Sure he didn't clay, polish, use a sealant, but at least he is washing it and waxing it. It will at lease be protected, that's more than I can say from the majority of car owners. As for using dishwashing soap, well its harsh and certainly depends on what kind he used, but there are plenty of users of Dawn as their soap for a big detail prep- mostly Zaino users. I guess what is important is that he can look at his truck and think it looks good. He is happy. I certainly don't look down on people, I would typically go help them out and teach them a little something instead.
 
i don't look down on people because they don'tk now how to detail a car properly.



maybe they look down on you because you're obsessed w/ keeping your car clean! or maybe you're just a car freak around the neighborhood... so yeah, you shoudln't look down on people because of things like that.
 
Ya I see what you guys are saying. I guess I dont look down on him, I just always seek perfection in my work and I guess I always compare other peoples' methods to my own. Oh well I am quite entertained by his orbital skills right now LOL
 
I still can bear with people who don't know how to take care of their own car properly. However, if that person come and destroy my car's appearance (scratch the paintwork, etc...), I will look down on him. Because he doesn't know how to respect people's work.
 
No offense, but he's your neighbor, how about helping him out? Just hang out with him a little bit and see if he is interested in techniques or products. If he is really full of himself, then he will be closed minded and not want any tips--and THEN you can really laugh at him! :)
 
Ya thats what I meant by closed minded, he always want to do things himself without help from others. I have offered to detail his cars for him but he refused and said he could do it himself.
 
crappywax2.jpg




crappywax1.jpg




'nuff said!:lol
 
:D Scott that picture cracked me up!



It brought back memories of this guy on the street where I grew up who thought that if he left the wax on his car for several days it would give him longer lasting protection. I think it was Rain Dance wax.



He then spent hours trying to rub it off:D



Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread.



Anthony
 
JimS said:
'scues me.....but what the hell is that?!



My neighbor uses a whole can of wax on his truck and then left it on all day, we had late afternoon thunderstorms so he couldn't even begin to remove the excess until the next day and even the following day, there was wax residue all over his truck.



He knows what I do for a living but he "doesn't need my help". Whatever. :rolleyes:
 
COBRyan, I'm sure you don't look down on your neighbor but I completely understand where you're coming from. Most of my friends and even my parents think we're idiots for the time we spend on our vehicles. "It's just transportation" is what I usually get. My father has a 1995 4 Runner that has never been waxed, and washed probably six times. While visiting recently he was going to wash it with with a sponge off the garage floor that is used to clean the lawn equipment. I went nuts, so i spent the rest of the day and detailed it. Looked better than the day he bought it. " It's nice but look how long it took". We all have our priorities I guess.
 
mikenjody said:
My father has a 1995 4 Runner that has never been waxed, and washed probably six times. While visiting recently he was going to wash it with with a sponge off the garage floor that is used to clean the lawn equipment. I went nuts, so i spent the rest of the day and detailed it. Looked better than the day he bought it. " It's nice but look how long it took". We all have our priorities I guess.



My Dad is the exact opposite. This past year, since he knows I just don't have time to detail his cars, he asked for detailing stuff for Christmas, so I got him some Quikshine, S100, microfiber towels, foam hand pads and a few other things. He really likes keeping his cars shiny...which is probably what inspired me to some degree to end up as a detailer.
 
I don't care as long as they don't say something about how "obsessive" I am.



Take my girlfriend's mom, for example. She knew I was obsessively waxing and doing all the good stuff to my car and she really liked how it looked (She thought my obsession would only last a month, she was sooo wrong). So, she went and bought some of that 2001 Turtle Wax stuff and waxed her car. She told me and I talked to her and explained everything to her and next week we will, clay and Klasse the car. The 2001 is reserved as garage decoration.



Most people care, they just don't know any better. People like having their car look nice and are willing to invest the time as long as they know how to do it right. People that wash their car regularly are already a minority much less people that detail their own cars.



However, when I see a new BMW or Porsche with swirl marks, it brings a tear to me eyes.
 
"So, she went and bought some of that 2001 Turtle Wax stuff and waxed her car. She told me and I talked to her and explained everything to her and next week we will, clay and Klasse the car. The 2001 is reserved as garage decoration"



What's so bad about the 2001 Turtle wax stuff. I have used it several times before and it works nearly as well as mother's cleaner wax or similar. It does have pretty good durability as well. Not everyone wants to spend $40 on some AIO/SG or Zaino or do some 3 step process
 
LouisanaJeeper said:
What's so bad about the 2001 Turtle wax stuff. I have used it several times before



I agree. I don't use it on our vehicles but for friends who want a quick wash and shine (and who are grateful for just having their car washed not to mention what they think when they see the "sparkle") it does the trick. Every time I try to explain about waxes and sealants and gloss versus sparkle their eyes glaze over. Some just don't or want to get "it."



200 1 does go on VERY easy. Comes off VERY easy. Also gives a very Zaino-like sparkle. Seems to have decent longevity as well.



Biggest problems are the excess of white powder when buffing and the fact that you have to be EXTRA careful around black trim because it stains it badly.



It does have its place in the world!
 
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