PDA

View Full Version : A Very Productive Sunday - Training 2 Novice Detailers



stilez
11-21-2004, 09:11 PM
...into pros ;)



Aside from the weather, today was great :)



I was contacted at separate times by an Autopian (ejoech) and a Detail City Member (rundatrack) about getting a detail done but having it more interactive so they`d be able to take the skills with them and do it on their own pretty much from there on out. I accepted both jobs and arranged for them both to meet at rundatrack`s house today.



I arrived around 9am with a complete devised plan of going through an Ultimate Detail using all of my products and techniques. The way it worked was I first gave some background info on each area of attention, giving them the common misconceptions and then the method I have found to work best. Following this I would explain each product (dilution if necessary) and demonstrate a complete procedure in a certain area. From there on they would complete the next area and I would critique if necessary and ultimately they would finish up the procedure while I set up the next.



Coming into this I wasn`t sure how much info they both had detailing. I was pleasantly surprised that they were both pretty savy detailers. They were pretty familiar with the terminology, acronyms, and many procedures. rundatrack actually worked at a couple different "hack" detailing shops in which he didn`t learn much due to egotistical and strict bosses. He said they were flat out not helpful. I also learned about some hilarious procedures they used to practice. For instance, my favorite of the day, they compounded every car...but they applied the compound with a paint stirring stick and just kinda threw it on the car. They then instructed him to use a wool pad at FULL SPEED!



Anyways, fun fun day, but tiring. We went 8 hours straight today with barely a break. We coulda used an extra hour of light for better pics, but like I said, the weather sucked today. On a better note, most products don`t work too well on the high humidity days, so for their benefit, they learned on one of the hardest days. So for the future, they will be pleasantly surprised with the ease of the procedures.



For the procedures, we did the same procedure for both vehicles. It was as follows:



Interior

-Full Vacuum

-Shampoo carpets and mats with Oxy (1 scoop)/ Costco APC (4 oz) : 2 gals hot water...thanks ebpcivicsi - the APC smelled yummy and did quite a job.

-Water:Woolite - 6:1 on leather, dash and doors

-APC+ 10:1 on Benz`s vinyl doors and dash (very soiled)

-Adam`s V.R.T. on dash and doors

-4* Leather Conditioner

-Gliptone Glass Cleaner





Before

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/kappapsi497/DSC03298.jpg



After

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/kappapsi497/DSC03317.jpg



Benz

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/kappapsi497/DSC03301.jpg



Mazda 6

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/kappapsi497/DSC03304.jpg

stilez
11-21-2004, 09:15 PM
Rims, Tires, Wells

-Simple Green on tires and in wells

-4* Wheel Cleaner for Mazda 6

-TOL Wheel Wash for Benz

-All Necessary Brushes and Pads

-Hyper Dressing 2:1 to dress wells

-Poorboy`s Bold `N Bright to dress tires

-VM to enhance gloss





Exterior



-NXT Wash

-Poorboy`s Clay on paint, rims, windows, and chrome trim

-Menzerna MicroPolish (Final Polish II) via rotary and LC Polishing Pad @ 1500rpm

-Zaino Z5 by hand



-VM on windows, chrome trim, and lighting





Benz Before

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/kappapsi497/DSC03292.jpg



Benz After

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/kappapsi497/DSC03315.jpg





Mazda 6 Before

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/kappapsi497/DSC03293.jpg



Mazda 6 After

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/kappapsi497/DSC03316.jpg





Side by Side

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/kappapsi497/DSC03314.jpg





*These pics are pre Zaino. The sun (or lack thereof) went down very quick and the pics came out like crap. But as most of us agree, the difference is in the prep. Zaino just enhanced a bit of gloss.





I just want to thank Gordon (rundatrack) and Sage (ejoech) for being great students today. You both did great work and I hope you took a lot from the experience. Gordon make sure you wave to all the neighbors for me ;)





Enjoy!

1 Clean WS6
11-21-2004, 10:02 PM
AWESOME!! Spread the wealth (knowledge) my man!! :bigups :bigups



How did they take to the rotary?

Scottwax
11-22-2004, 03:15 PM
Looking good, Sean!

stilez
11-22-2004, 04:40 PM
Thanks for the kind words. Here are a couple more pics Sage sent me today of his Mazda 6. Unfortunately it rained last night once he got home and it was cloudy today, but I believe the pictures speak for themselves.



Before

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/kappapsi497/mazda6001.jpg



After

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/kappapsi497/mazda6028.jpg



Exterior

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/kappapsi497/mazda6026.jpg





Enjoy!

SilverLexus
11-23-2004, 04:53 PM
Sean,



You ought to do "master classes" in detailing. :)



Seriously this could be a lucrative related business for you.

Scottwax
11-23-2004, 10:38 PM
How do you like the new 6, Sean? I`ve got the car (626) that became the 6 but my interior is way more conservative than the 6`s is.

stilez
11-23-2004, 10:54 PM
Lee: Thanks :) ...I think Sage and Gordon took a good amount of info from the session.



I have thought about the training aspect of it. Still working on a way to market it and to whom!



Scott: I love the lines on it, or should I say curves ;) . It`s very aggressive looking inside and out. I didn`t get to drive his, but it has 220hp which should make it rather quick.

Corey Bit Spank
11-23-2004, 11:01 PM
I bet there are some local clubs you could find. Like a corvette owners club, boosted Buick owners club, Camaro owners club, etc. I bet you could talk to one of the members and see if they`d be interested in a class of some sort.



"New Beetle" owners club.



Or a Minivan owners club? Eh, that`d be one hot detailing class. wooo.

ejoech
11-24-2004, 12:51 AM
Just wanted to thank Sean for sharing his wealth of expertise. He really knows his stuff and I`m fortunate to live close enough to him where I can see him in action. He taught me a lot - products and procedures. Now all I have to do is save up for a PC and some other products and I`ll be good to go.



It`s really too bad we had such a cloudy, damp day. My 6 looked fabulous and is still holding up great.



Mike - I had never used any type of machine polisher prior to using Sean`s rotary and I must say it didn`t seem too difficult at all. Once I got a feel for the speed, I think I did okay for a first timer. Although, I am getting a PC for ease of use.



Scott - I know you didn`t ask me but I thought I`d comment since it`s my car. I absolutely love my 6. Every time I see it in the parking lot or my driveway I can`t help but stare. It`s just that beautiful, especially in black. It also handles beautifully and is pretty quick.



Also in 2006(i think..) they`re coming out with the mazdaspeed version for around $30k. I think it`s supposed to pack 270hp. Look for that if you`re considering upgrading.







-Sage

imported_becks
11-24-2004, 06:07 AM
Also in 2006(i think..) they`re coming out with the mazdaspeed version for around $30k. I think it`s supposed to pack 270hp. Look for that if you`re considering upgrading.



Actually make that 2005, the Mazdaspeed 6 will be available for sale around April/May 2005 :xyxthumbs

Carl Anderson
11-27-2004, 06:46 AM
This thread is encouraging. I ordered the Makita 9227 yesterday, and have been hoping I will be up to the challenge. I will be practicing on my clear coated John Deere lawn mower, Kubota tractor and our old Volvo. If Gordon and Sage are able to pick up rotary usage this quickly, I feel that with 2 1/2 years of PC experience and lot of time spent working paint I should be OK.

boywonder
11-27-2004, 01:27 PM
Originally posted by GSRstilez

Lee: Thanks :) ...I think Sage and Gordon took a good amount of info from the session.



I have thought about the training aspect of it. Still working on a way to market it and to whom!



Scott: I love the lines on it, or should I say curves ;) . It`s very aggressive looking inside and out. I didn`t get to drive his, but it has 220hp which should make it rather quick.



The strange thing about the detailing meets I held here were they were very similar in concept. I brought my stuff and showed them what to do (or not do) and gave pointers on how to wash, wax, and detail their vehicles.



Even the extreme detail of that Neon was a training exercise so that we both could get the feel of the rotary and learn about different polish combinations.



The response from this has been terrific and I am seriously considering doing the same thing. Maybe we can share notes. :D



BTW, Sean, the guy whose Makita 9227 I use is learning from me how to do things to his car and he is getting a major kick out of it. I`ve also got a guy with a 2002 Maxima SE (Black) that was very eager to learn the process so that he could keep his ride swirl free.