What do I say to these people?

I would tell them what your using and that your a detailer and hand them a business card. Not all people have the passion and time for their car's but when it looks GOOD and someone compliments that's, your good.
 
mborner said:
"Dude, what do you wax your car with?"
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And your answer to that is?



That's what I would tell them. Most people really don't care - they just like the fact that it is so shiny.



Once after a recent good detail on my truck (it's a 1971) I had a guy ask me "Who painted that?"



He wasn't at all interested that it had been 8 years since the paint job and that I had spent a couple of days polishing on it. He just wanted to be a car guy that asked a car guy like question while loading into the minivan.



Just tell them what they want to hear. You aren't doing any damage to anything except your pride. :D



DLB
 
mborner said:
"I don't know you, but, I highly doubt you share the same passion as I do about your car and it's unlikely that you would be willing to spend hours and hours of back breaking work to get your car to look like mine, I mean, it's a lot of work"
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Satinsilver said:
I would NEVER give them one of the answers you listed above. No one likes being talked down to which is prob how it will be perceived eventhough you never intended that.
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Accumulator said:
Fair enough. No complete strangers ever ask me about this stuff, it's always somebody I'm already acquainted with (and those folks know how I am about, well...everything).
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Hi Accumulator,



When I said above answers I meant the comments in the original post and not anything you mentioned. I always like reading your responses and learning from your expertise. :xyxthumbs
 
Satinsilver- OK, roger that. Nice of you to bother posting that.



Heh heh, it's probaby a good thing that most people who talk [such stuff] with me *do* already know me, they're already accustomed to my, uhm...perspective. But yeah, I *do* try avoid coming across as condescending, presenting myself instead as somebody a bit outside the usual box.
 
Honestly, I don't think I've ever been asked "what wax do you use?" without other questions arising first. Most of the time I get questions like "I've never seen a car as clean and shiny as yours....how do you get it like that?" To which I tell them it usually takes clay bar, several polishing steps, a good sealant or wax, and careful washing with two buckets. Sometimes people will ask about specific products or say "well it looks great".



I can understand the frusturation though. It is the same with photographers. As a photographer, nothing is more annoying than someone seeing a really great photo of mine and respond with...that's a great picture, you must have a great camera...not realizing that as much or more of the final result is in the experience of the photographer and knowing how to get the shot than it is in what gear is being used. Same deal....people don't realize that a shiny car is attributed to your skill as a detailer and they'll give Meguiars all the credit.
 
"A lot of time and care."



For convenience and simple lack of knowledge about this field, the Avg Joe will ask you stuff like "What wax do you use?", thinking that all he has to do is wash his car and apply the wax and instantly his car will look comparable to yours.

We know that doing so obviously won't yield such results. Which is why I recommend saying what I said.



If they care to open the conversation and get into details, then feel free to open up Pandora's Box and open up their minds to a world of confusion...which usually annoys them because they weren't expecting to hear someone's life story. They only expected to hear "Oh, I just apply Turtle Wax three times a year." :lol.



If they just don't care to talk any further once you tell them the aforementioned statement, then let it be :xyxthumbs.
 
I always say "Wax is just the last step. It takes a lot of prep., including clay and polishing with a machine."

Many people I talk to are not even familiar with clay as a car care product.
 
I get this all the time. All I ever say is that I haven't put the wax on yet. This usually confuses them and they'll either say "Oh" or they'll say "What do you mean"? When someone is interested and uses the latter term I explain to them that wax is only the sacrificial barrier between the paint and the elements, and even the best waxes and/or sealants only make a 2% difference in the final outcome of paintwork. I do have to admit I love Souveran on dark colors though, and always loved #16 on any other colors.
 
dont be a pr!ck and just answer it with the correct response.... what wax do you use? tell them the way you used if you didnt tell them you dint use wax.. simple as that.... if they ask you what all you did then tell them....
 
I normally respond with its not wax, its polish and sealer. If they are still interested, they will ask more :-)
 
....I had the "what wax" question asked of me at a stop light once. I know the guy really wanted a quick, easy answer regarding what product I use but I really didn't know how to respond in the short time we had. I basically told him the result wasn't due to one particular product and it took several hours. I hate the way it sounded but I didn’t want them to think that what they were seeing was something they could simply buy in a bottle. On the other hand, when folks approach me on the street or at work, I will always give them a brief overview and then fill in the details if they are still interested.
 
Accumulator said:
Heh heh, it's probaby a good thing that most people who talk [such stuff] with me *do* already know me, they're already accustomed to my, uhm...perspective. But yeah, I *do* try avoid coming across as condescending, presenting myself instead as somebody a bit outside the usual box.
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....I ran across a post on a another forum once from a member who criticized some of the "extreme" regimens he had read about. From his remarks I knew he was using you in some of his examples. IMO it was really short-sighted of him to simply dismiss others based on the fact that he found these intense routines a little over the top. I explained that even though I don’t necessarily subscribe to some of the rigorous processes he mentioned, I am still able to learn from them. ….usually picking up on tid bits that I can try/use to help improve my own routine.



When some folks ask me for details, they tend to get a little discouraged when I begin explaining what processes, tools and products I use. At that point I remind them that they don’t need to mirror what I do (or anyone else for that matter). What they need is to find those things that work for their situation. I try to encourage them by recommending a more simplified routine that matches their needs/expectations and suggest they adjust accordingly over time. I know that when I have overloaded some people in the past with information, links, etc., their eyes just tend to glaze over. …..”TMI” I guess. :chuckle:
 
I had my 2002 yellow Mazda Protege "smogged" a couple days ago. A middle aged lady started asking me a lot of questions about my car, including the type of gas mileage I got, how I liked the car, etc. because she was thinking of getting a new car that got good mileage. When I told her it was a 2002 model year with 152k miles on it, her chin just about hit the floor!



She thought it was a new car. She then asked me how I kept it looking so nice, and I told her that I tend to spend a lot of time on it and detailing is a hobby of mine. :cool:
 
Kean said:
....I ran across a post on a another forum once from a member who criticized some of the "extreme" regimens he had read about. From his remarks I knew he was using you in some of his examples.... :chuckle:
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Oh, yeah...I bet I'm the bogey man for a lot of people.



Eh...IMO people who criticize others for being "over the top" probably have better things they could be thinking about.



If I didn't have to be so extreme to get the results I can live with, believe me, I wouldn't bother. In detailing and everything else. If others are satisfied by the cost/benefit ratio of their lesser (or greater!) efforts, good for them, and they might extend the same consideration to me.



I get the same sort of "why do all that..." regarding all sorts of endeavors, and I'll admit that I do sometimes get a bit of a :chuckle: when the results of my efforts are side-by-side with those of the not-so-extreme folks. And when, OTOH, I see equal, or better, results from less extreme efforts, I try to learn from those examples.
 
....yeah. That individual I mentioned was definitely short-sighted. ....and while I may share a lack of desire/need to take it to that level, the difference is that I can still appreciate the effort and finished product from those that do. Personally, I have been able to benefit over the years from the shared experience from others like yourself. I constantly tweak/enhance my own routine by assimilating bits of what I learn so they work in my own situation. ....but I certainly don't delude myself into thinking that my results are comparable.
 
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