What would be the yalls prefered products out of my array of products?

[GlossyTundra]

I have for paint,



3-step meg`s system

P21s wax/cleaner

EO WET liquid

EO Nano

Mothers cleaner wax

Rejex

Tomar industries commercial cleaner/wax

Mothers clay bar system

NXT spray wax

Mothers and Meg`s QD



For everything else



303

Armor-all

turtle wax-fabric cleaner

duragloss glass polish

IG glass cleaner

EO bumper trim



For heavy cleaning



Purple stuff concentrate

Megs` hot rims

Westlys bleach white

Megs`s deep crystl car wash



Is there anything here yall dont like? I like everything but the EO bumper trim, and tomar commercial crap. What would be a good combo of my paint care products to work together. Yall are always talking about products working with oneanother, can any of mine do it well?





Thanks for your help

:wavey

[travisdecpn]

I just have a few questions that may make it a little easier to address what products to use. Will you be working by hand or machine? Do you have any scratches or swirls? Do you own any microfiber towels? You have a decent collection of products, I`m sure you will expand your collection even further as you spend time on this forum. I`ll give you one suggestion, I`m sure others will give you some different lineups



Wash with you Meg`s deep crystal

Clay

DC#1

DC#2 or P21S paint cleaner

DC#3 or P21S wax

[GlossyTundra]

Originally posted by travisdecpn

I just have a few questions that may make it a little easier to address what products to use. Will you be working by hand or machine? Do you have any scratches or swirls? Do you own any microfiber towels?





Working by hand for now but I am gettin a PC soon. I myself dont have any swirls or scratches, but my parents and my customers cars do(but they are all country folk and dont even know that there is but one kind of wax:p ) I own only cheap microfiber towls. Like the ones from target. The procces you reccomended I what I use on my customers cars, and it works fine.

[6']['9]

the only way to know is to try. As long as you have the basic steps of detailing down as to which order the products go in you should be fine. If your wanting to get better products that others use like poorboys, megs detailer line and so on,id use those products you have there and make the extra cash to get the products you want and a pc. You could use the commercial cleaner and top it with something like NXT and get pretty good results.

[Scottwax]

Originally posted by Brandon1

Working by hand for now but I am gettin a PC soon. I myself dont have any swirls or scratches, but my parents and my customers cars do(but they are all country folk and dont even know that there is but one kind of wax:p ) I own only cheap microfiber towls. Like the ones from target. The procces you reccomended I what I use on my customers cars, and it works fine.



Quite honestly, it sounds like you are cutting corners on paying customer`s vehicles. Regardless of their expectations, you should be striving to give them the best detail possible since you are charging for it.



What I would suggest is buying a gallon of Meguiars #80 and using that to polish out the paint prior to waxing with NXT Tech Wax. It is a great 2 step combo, very user friendly and will give you much better results than you are getting now. A gallon of #80 will be less than $30 from a Meguiar`s pro distributor or on line and $15 for the Tech Wax. It will be the best $45 you can spend for both you and your customers. I`d get a PC as soon as possible too. Take it from someone who detailed professionally completely by hand for more than 10 years before getting a PC.

[travisdecpn]

In addition to what Scottwax has said, you should also invest in some high quality microfiber towels for drying and product removal. Pakshak, excel, and autopia-carcare, are all great sources. It`s worth the few extra bucks up front. Excel also has some decent pads for the PC. You may also want to get a better car wash soap, NXT is great especially for the price. Hope this helps get you started.

[audipower]

Scottwax couldn`t be more right. Your business isn`t going to grow unless you go with the best and give your best. Especially trying to cut corners. I agree with going at least with a two steps like paint cleaner/polish combos and then a wax. You will get much much better results which = bragging = more customers. Then you can maybe throw in detail clay. Then if they have swirls remove them. I don`t let any of my customers tell me "don`t worry about the swirls" or oxidation. I`ll tell them that I can`t do it. THat`s why I only do classic cars and motorcycles, because they don`t cut corners with there passion with there rides.

I suggest for a two step is Klasse All In One and Klasse Sealent Glaze. It`s shiner than NXT and it protects your car (Sealent Glaze) for 6 months not 6 weeks like waxes. It will stay shinny that long when you get practice at it. The Klasse All In One is a Cleaner, Polisher, and protection in one bottle. Literally a must in your arsenal.

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/klasse1.html

To add more shine to blow away your customer and competion add clay and some P21S wax.

Good Luck! I owe so much to these people on this forum including Scottwax, togwt and others for there support. Listen to these people and they will help you more than you can imagine. I owe ALOT to them!

[GlossyTundra]

Originally posted by Scottwax

Quite honestly, it sounds like you are cutting corners on paying customer`s vehicles. Regardless of their expectations, you should be striving to give them the best detail possible since you are charging for it.



I am not cutting corners at all. I give them what they pay for. Like last week I detailed a 1995 toyota camery/green. The paint and hubcaps were in horrible shape. I charged her $40 to wash, clay, wax, dress, and clean&vacume interior. She was more than happy with the results even though I wasent, but she diddent pay me but 40 bucks, and thats all I could get. People like her and most other people I detail for dont want to pay my "normal"$80 detail charge every other month b/c they dont have the money or the need. If I could charge more realistic prices, I could make my results better. I just cant with $40.:)

[6']['9]

if your charging in the 40 range id go with something like automagic. you can buy the meguiars line and make money just as well. but if your looking for commercial grade automagic,malco, granitize is what your looking for.

[Scottwax]

Originally posted by Brandon1

I am not cutting corners at all. I give them what they pay for. Like last week I detailed a 1995 toyota camery/green. The paint and hubcaps were in horrible shape. I charged her $40 to wash, clay, wax, dress, and clean&vacume interior. She was more than happy with the results even though I wasent, but she diddent pay me but 40 bucks, and thats all I could get. People like her and most other people I detail for dont want to pay my "normal"$80 detail charge every other month b/c they dont have the money or the need. If I could charge more realistic prices, I could make my results better. I just cant with $40.:)



You need to decide if you are going to go after the price shoppers or people who really care about their cars. Competing on price isn`t going to make you successful in the long run because people who only care about low price have no loyalty and the minute someone cheaper comes along, they go on to that person.



If you want to pursue this market though, you need a quality one step cleaner wax. Clearkote`s Moose Wax would probably suit your purposes well. Easy on, easy off, cleans the paint decently and has a nice shine.

[GlossyTundra]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Scottwax

[B]You need to decide if you are going to go after the price shoppers or people who really care about their cars.



there isnt anybody within a 20mi radius of my detail center that REALLY cares about their cars. Everybody usually just runs them through the automagic wash. I have to charge those prices b/c around here(I actually live in Franklin county, Wrightsville is my weekend place) some cheap buisness is better than no buisness. I acutally do have some decent buisness this week, A 2003 f-350 dually I am doing the 3-step+clay on for $80, and a 1999 GMC-tandem dump truck, that just gets a wash for $40. He is my only good loyal, good paying customer I have.

[audipower]

Brandon go to classic car shows, motorcycle shops. Those people love there rides and want the best. Nothing less. Trust me. I live in a town where people have no money, but theres car lovers in EVERY town you just have to reach them. I used to think that there`s no way to make money detailing cars.

I got sick of making $40 for a whole days work. I know it`s only about 4 hours but a waste of time to me, and it wasn`t something I loved to do. I went to car shows and started picking out cars that needed help (swirls, oxidation, and dull paint). I made a deal with the cars owner if you don`t like it you don`t pay for it. Well he paid for it and the jobs started coming. The guys car I did is now my good friend and has helped me get 17 classic cars. I know do them all steady before shows. They compete in the biggest car shows across the country.

Make some business cards up also. I got some business card paper at Office Max. You can use Microsoft Word and you just print them up. Easy to do and profesional.

I talked to a guy at work to do his `01 Whit Cadillac Catera. It was in bad shape but I knew I could make it look really nice. It had the main three; faded paint, oxidation, scratches and swirls, but his clear coat wasn`t gone. I took tons of before pictures and after pics. I did better than I thought. After that a big chopper builder wanted to hire me to detail there customers bikes. Now I charge $40 a hour not a day.

Never get frustrated. You just think how you can reach the customers you want.