TRIED to give products away at work. Interesting.

[Desertnate]

[Original post, all three versions of it, DELETED to avoid giving (even greater) offense ]

This whole Detailing "to relax" or "for enjoyment" topic is why I consider myself an Autopian Heretic.

Different people deal with Life differently.

So very true.

I think my enjoyment comes from actually being able to work with my hands and produce a physical result. In my day job I`m just another manager drone working in a cube village working on things which can`t be seen or touched. Detailing and doing yard work have become my way of enteracting with the world around me to actually do *something* tangible is quite satisfying. Both might be hot, dirty, frustrating, and difficult, but I find is quite satisfying since I have no talent in working on engines or doing something like wood work.

[Accumulator]

Desertnate- That makes perfect sense to me. Especially in today`s, uhm..."trending more towards virtual"...world where we lose touch with many aspects of Physical Life on Earth.

Even back (many) decades ago, my parents, who were 100% white-collar in their professions and most areas of interest, did things with their hands just to maintain balanced lives. (And many of their friends wondered "why?" but then those people retired and some of `em didn`t know what to do with themselves..and promptly died.)

[pgp]

I keep thinking of putting some stuff on the table with a sign- free to a good home- if someone wants it great. Most people don`t seem to care about their cars at all as long as they run. The lease issue is probably part of the reason, all maintenance is covered. I have friends that think the clear coat does not require waxing as often. I offered to help clean a friends car and he stated he can get it clean for $3.00 at the car wash !

[MattPersman]

Well you gotta understand it’s misinformation too a lot of times when people are buying cars. I’ve been told buying new cars before they don’t need any care because of the Clearcoat other than washing when you want it to look clean

Then on the flip side there are tons of dealers trying to make the easy high profit on the up selling of the sealant, coating, protection packages

So you got one group saying no worries and the other trying to sell you their product so you also don’t have to worry for x amount of years with a warranty


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Accumulator]

I keep thinking of putting some stuff on the table with a sign- free to a good home- ...

I`ve posted before about how I donated some great Detailing stuff to my Jag Club`s charity raffle only to have "car guys" treat my stuff like some booby-prize they only took to appear polite, even joking to me about "what`s anybody gonna do with this [crap]?!?", not knowing that I was the one who spent good money providing it after carefully considering what non-Autopians would find most useful. Gee, it`s not like they would crack jokes if I offered to detail their cars for them using that stuff! I gotta say that really opened my eyes about, well...a number of things

[wristymanchego]

I`ve posted before about how I donated some great Detailing stuff to my Jag Club`s charity raffle only to have "car guys" treat my stuff like some booby-prize they only took to appear polite, even joking to me about "what`s anybody gonna do with this [crap]?!?", not knowing that I was the one who spent good money providing it after carefully considering what non-Autopians would find most useful. Gee, it`s not like they would crack jokes if I offered to detail their cars for them using that stuff! I gotta say that really opened my eyes about, well...a number of things

Car club guys are rarely a detailers friend and are far from our target audience if you’re a pro. It’s seen as an unnecessary expense unless they specifically enjoy the process, then they’ll do it themselves.

Bodes true even if you give the stuff away, in your case.

I’m sure many of us can attest to being at a car show and wanting to throttle owners.

[Desertnate]

Car club guys are rarely a detailers friend and are far from our target audience if you’re a pro. It’s seen as an unnecessary expense unless they specifically enjoy the process, then they’ll do it themselves.

Bodes true even if you give the stuff away, in your case.

I’m sure many of us can attest to being at a car show and wanting to throttle owners.

That`s really surprising to me. I`d figure car clubs would be the last hold out of those interested in detailing or hiring someone to do the work for them. If someone goes so far as to organize and/or pay for a membership to a club for their specific car, I`d think they would be pretty fanatic about keeping the car(s) in top shape.

[Accumulator]

Car club guys are rarely a detailers friend and are far from our target audience if you’re a pro. It’s seen as an unnecessary expense unless they specifically enjoy the process, then they’ll do it themselves...

The people I was referring to consider themselves serious Concours competitors. They do do it themselves but, uhm....well, you know. The times I did a car (e.g., my pal Bob`s MKII), everybody oohed-and-ahhed, but the car was trashed again in no time and the great job I did never translated into any additional points (because they *just don`t care*, not even the judges).

I do get some "gee, your car doesn`t even have swirlmarks" comments (and those are the Daily Drivers..), but trying to explain how that`s the ground-floor of Detailing falls on deaf ears.

Bodes true even if you give the stuff away, in your case.

Meanwhile they buy [crap] that doesn`t compare and tell me it`s better. Uhm, OK...

I’m sure many of us can attest to being at a car show and wanting to throttle owners.

In my case, so much so that I simply quit attending them.

That`s really surprising to me... I`d think they would be pretty fanatic about keeping the car(s) in top shape.

Yeah, it was a real eye-opener, and not in a good way. There`s no way to exaggerate it, I wouldn`t take most of the 99.999x point show winners to the grocery store on a rainy day. But then I care more about a car looking remotely presentable than I do about having the exact right battery/etc.

Seriously, I`m considered a complete nutjob when it comes to Detailing and vehicular cosmetics, even by the Chief Concours Judge (who damaged my car`s cosmetics beyond repair when working on it). People literally thought I was joking when I asked why they don`t judge the engine compartments in the Driven Class. They do judge the latter in the "Concours" Class, but not the undercarrriages, and their standards fall far short of Daily Driver-OK. And man..I`m not even *CLOSE* to being as particular as many here at Autopia.

[estcstm3]

I`ve had some really good luck giving away detailing supplies on Craigslist. I do a purge every few years and have gotten some very appreciative people.

im pretty sure i was one of those people back in 2008, met you in the parking lot of Fairoaks mall i believe.... Still my the PS21s polishing soap (really good stuff just dont have alot of metal), and the duragloss TPP.

Anyways it was a life saver when i was just starting out! Thanks again 10 years later.

[Coleroad]

Some people just don`t seem capable of seeing the finer details. They see the car that was detailed to a very high standard, and a car the was just ran through the car wash the same way. These are the same people who`ll tell you to wax your car to make it shine. My next door neighbor said a couple of weeks ago. That other people don`t understand taking care of their cars like car guys like him and I . This while he`s rubbing a dry bath towel across his truck. I just stood there and agreed. I figured if he`s happy with jis his truck looks, okay by me then. I know I could tell him some information on detailing. Thing is I know he`s not willing to spend that kind of time and care on it. He probably thinks I`m crazy when he sees me out there for hours .


i know over the years my perspective has changed on what a detailed car looks like.

[rlmccarty2000]

That`s really surprising to me. I`d figure car clubs would be the last hold out of those interested in detailing or hiring someone to do the work for them. If someone goes so far as to organize and/or pay for a membership to a club for their specific car, I`d think they would be pretty fanatic about keeping the car(s) in top shape.

-

Sometimes it’s people with a lot of money who buy these cars for status symbols and don’t really care about the car. They just want the oohs and ahhs when people look at their car and know how much they paid for it. I am always much more impressed with a lower dollar car that has been immaculately detailed by the owner. It’s hard work to keep an older car looking great, one just off the lot is much easier to make look good. My BMWs are 8 years old but I want them to outshine a brand new one and I respect owners who work as hard or harder than I do.

[Accumulator]

-

Sometimes it’s people with a lot of money who buy these cars for status symbols and don’t really care about the car. They just want the oohs and ahhs when people look at their car and know how much they paid for it...

Yes indeed, it`s often just a measuring contest between people who keep score that way. Upgrading a new Porsche Turbo because it`s not fast enough? For street use by somebody who`s never done a Driving School? Please...

I am always much more impressed with a lower dollar car that has been immaculately detailed by the owner..

Agree entirely! I simply love the Daily Driver details that are posted here, finding them by far more interesting than work on newer limited-use vehicles.

It’s hard work to keep an older car looking great, one just off the lot is much easier to make look good..

Yes, indeed, especially when you factor in things like winter use. (Says the guy who`s newest vehicle is an `08 and whose winter drivers are much older than that.)

[Dan]

Yes, indeed, especially when you factor in things like winter use. (Says the guy who`s newest vehicle is an `08 and whose winter drivers are much older than that.)

Said by the guy who has lots of indoor storage!

[Accumulator]

Said by the guy who has lots of indoor storage!

Heh heh, yeah...though not nearly as much as I had with the previous shop (ex-Ford dealership building).

It`s not like I never kept vehicles outdoors, but I could always pull them inside for Detailing. I`ve kinda let that Detailing tail wag Life`s dog

[bofh]

Around here, most of those high-end cars are leased and the owners know the paint condition doesn’t really matter at the time of turn-in; these are treated like rentals and discarded after 3 years.