What to look for/what to ask to get a good detail

Just had my car washed @ APCW. Brought it home and put a coat of Megs GC liquid on the wheels. (See, I'm already starting to talk/type like a detailer.) The car wash did a fair job of cleaning them (front only) and dried them w/ a soft towel. I don't know any place that will do the back side of my wheels. I'll probably pressure wash them in the spring before putting back on the car. The wheels are new (2,000 miles), so should not be too bad on the back yet.
 
You could always order a wheel cleaner (or pick one up locally) and clean the wheels in a basement sink or something. It doesn't matter what the temperature outside is.
 
White95Max said:
You could always order a wheel cleaner (or pick one up locally) and clean the wheels in a basement sink or something. It doesn't matter what the temperature outside is.
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I do have some non-acid-based wheel cleaner that I will probably use to clean the backs in the spring.
 
i just sprayed mine down with megs hot rims and sprayed it off with a hose. hand dried them.. all better. . stored away in bags in the garage.
 
Thanks everyone for everything! My car is very clean and my winter wheels and tires are on the car. The clean summer wheels and tires are in the Tire Totes and in my garage for the rest of the season.



If any of you move to Lawrence, please let me know! Otherwise I will call my friend in OP, KS or become a detailer myself. And I am still hopeful that Blacksunshine will return in the spring and give me a call.



Thank You All--and to all a good night...



MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!
 
mirrorfinishman said:
Personally, I do not agree with this opinion.
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I do. He is talking about a typical tunnel wash place, not a dedicated detailing shop. There is a huge difference in the quality of details between the two. Someone being a member of the Chamber of Commerce is not necessarily a stamp of approval since you pay to be a member. As long as your business does not generate a large amount of complaints, they aren't going to kick you out. After seeing what people will accept from the makeready departments of most dealerships, you'd have to mess up a car pretty bad for anyone to complain.



I think anyone looking for a high quality detail should seek out a shop that specializes in details, not a tunnel car wash whose main income is $10 wash jobs. Why do you think we can command a premium price, Frank? ;)
 
you have been here for awhile, have over 100 posts and you dont know how to go about detailing your car?



-Justin
 
4830Deuce said:
you have been here for awhile, have over 100 posts and you dont know how to go about detailing your car?



-Justin
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Some people just want to become more informed about detailing so they know how to look for a good detailer, what questions to ask, etc.
 
I know what to ask, I dont know if anyone already said it, but ask them if they know what a polish is and does and what kind of machine they use as well as pads, then ask what the difference between a sealant and wax is and if they offer both, then ask if what they use on the trim (plastics, rubber, etc) is water based or oil based, I think that would kinda narrow it down to who knows what they are doing as well as get you some respect for knowing what to ask (at least I would be impressed if one of my customers asked me that stuff).
 
Ramp, I will chime in with my $.02 here again. I have seen your car in person and it is not in bad shape, AT ALL. If you get that one fender situation taken care of, you will not even need to use an abrasive polish on your car, period.



I'll tell you exactly what I would do with the car.



I would wash it (I believe you have Meg's GC? This is fine.) Don't bother drying yet, pull in the garage.

I would then clay it with blue Clay Magic clay using the supplied clay lube.

I would wash it again to remove any clay residue and carefully dry with a WW towel.

I would use Klasse AIO (or similar chemical cleaner type product). This stuff is fool proof.

I would seal it with your choice of protectant. Probably Collinite IW since it lasts forever and will hold up well if you ever need to run it through the tunnel. Any wax or sealant is fine, really.

I would use your Meg's Quik Detailer for smudges/bird bombs.



Nothing I have listed here can harm your paint if you use common sense and general discretion. I am not trying to take anything way from Toto, as I'm sure he does great work, but why not at least try it yourself first, get more familiar with your paint and the process, and save a few bucks in the long run?



That's just my opinion, of course.
 
BlackSunshine said:
Ramp, I will chime in with my $.02 here again. I have seen your car in person and it is not in bad shape, AT ALL. If you get that one fender situation taken care of, you will not even need to use an abrasive polish on your car, period.



I'll tell you exactly what I would do with the car.



I would wash it (I believe you have Meg's GC? This is fine.) Don't bother drying yet, pull in the garage.

I would then clay it with blue Clay Magic clay using the supplied clay lube.

I would wash it again to remove any clay residue and carefully dry with a WW towel.

I would use Klasse AIO (or similar chemical cleaner type product). This stuff is fool proof.

I would seal it with your choice of protectant. Probably Collinite IW since it lasts forever and will hold up well if you ever need to run it through the tunnel. Any wax or sealant is fine, really.

I would use your Meg's Quik Detailer for smudges/bird bombs.



Nothing I have listed here can harm your paint if you use common sense and general discretion. I am not trying to take anything way from Toto, as I'm sure he does great work, but why not at least try it yourself first, get more familiar with your paint and the process, and save a few bucks in the long run?



That's just my opinion, of course.
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Thanks BlackSunshine!



I really appreciate the suggestions, and plan to do exactly what you said. I have already got the AIO and will proceed as though I know what I am doing. It is the "common sense and general discretion" part that I am worried about.



Hope all is well w/ you in GC,



Ramp
 
ramp said:
Thanks BlackSunshine!



I really appreciate the suggestions, and plan to do exactly what you said. I have already got the AIO and will proceed as though I know what I am doing. It is the "common sense and general discretion" part that I am worried about.



Hope all is well w/ you in GC,



Ramp
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Good choice. If you have any questions feel free to ask. As long as you thoroughly wash the car prior to claying, and use a liberal amount of clay lube, you will have nothing to worry about. I recommend working the AIO in by hand with a MF applicator pad and buffing immediately with a quality MF buffing towel. Oh, and since you have the Meg's GC wax already, you could use that over AIO if you didn't want to buy something else. I don't know how durable it will be, but you may just find you enjoy the process and want to freshen up the wax layer monthly. If not, I recommend going down to Advance Auto on south Iowa and picking up a bottle of the Collinite Insulator wax. Or, if you want something more "pretty" I highly recommend Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection (UPP) on silver. It's fool proof and fantastic.



Last but not least, proper washing techniques are a must. Use two buckets, one for washing and one for rinsing the mitt, use sheepskin wash mitts (I use the Eurow brand from Wal-Mart with great success) and a nice big WW drying towel, used to blot at the surface, never rub.



Good luck. Oh, and GC is driving me crazy. You can only detail so many work trucks before going insane :hairpull
 
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