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  1. #1

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    Jun 2021
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    Lightbulb Starting Out....

    Alright,

    I`m turning to you guys and gals for help. As I have posted before I recently got into "machine" detailing. I have always taken my vehicle to others when it is due. The biggest reason for this was time, two jobs prior and the National Guard took up all of my free/off time. A year and a half ago I switched jobs and now have much more free time. I am starting to use machines on my personal vehicles, so its all a learning experience for me currently. With that being said, now to the part I need help with....

    I get asked a lot by family/friends to "clean" their vehicles for them. For the longest time I said no, just because I didn`t want to touch someone else`s. The more and more I do my own, the more and more I enjoy it though and want to tell them yes...for a price of course. Just starting I do NOT plan to use any machines on anyone`s vehicles besides my own. What advice would you all offer when it comes to a simple wash and "spray wax" type cleaning? I will also do simple wipe downs and coatings on the inside and vacuum as well. As I get more confident with my machine skills I will begin throwing that in with a few, but for now I just want to do simple washes, wheels/tires, and a spray wax. I use a lot of Meguiar`s on my personal vehicles, but I am not against venturing out into the world to try other items.

    Step 1: Rinse off the entire vehicle.
    Step 2: Wash wheels and tires.

    • Mothers Wheel Well Brushes
    • Meguiar’s M40
    • Duragloss 253

    Step 3: Treat all bug and tough spots.
    • PBW

    Step 4: Foam gun and wash using several Microfiber Chenille Wash Mitt`s (top-down).

    • Meguiar’s Hyperwash
    • Reset

    Step 5: Dry vehicle.
    Step 6: Spray Wax.

    • 303 Graphene
    • Sonax
    • Meguiars Spray Wax
    • OPT Spray Wax

    Step 7: Spray/Clean windows.
    Step 8: Interior if requested.

    Break it down and give me feedback/suggestions, please and thank you!

    I also listed some products I have available. If you think I should add anything different, let me know!

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Posts
    493
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    Re: Starting Out....

    Quote Originally Posted by detailingbyd View Post
    Alright,

    I`m turning to you guys and gals for help. As I have posted before I recently got into "machine" detailing. I have always taken my vehicle to others when it is due. The biggest reason for this was time, two jobs prior and the National Guard took up all of my free/off time. A year and a half ago I switched jobs and now have much more free time. I am starting to use machines on my personal vehicles, so its all a learning experience for me currently. With that being said, now to the part I need help with....

    I get asked a lot by family/friends to "clean" their vehicles for them. For the longest time I said no, just because I didn`t want to touch someone else`s. The more and more I do my own, the more and more I enjoy it though and want to tell them yes...for a price of course. Just starting I do NOT plan to use any machines on anyone`s vehicles besides my own. What advice would you all offer when it comes to a simple wash and "spray wax" type cleaning? I will also do simple wipe downs and coatings on the inside and vacuum as well. As I get more confident with my machine skills I will begin throwing that in with a few, but for now I just want to do simple washes, wheels/tires, and a spray wax. I use a lot of Meguiar`s on my personal vehicles, but I am not against venturing out into the world to try other items.

    Step 1: Rinse off the entire vehicle.
    Step 2: Wash wheels and tires.

    • Mothers Wheel Well Brushes
    • Meguiar’s M40
    • Duragloss 253

    Step 3: Treat all bug and tough spots.
    • PBW

    Step 4: Foam gun and wash using several Microfiber Chenille Wash Mitt`s (top-down).

    • Meguiar’s Hyperwash
    • Reset

    Step 5: Dry vehicle.
    Step 6: Spray Wax.

    • 303 Graphene
    • Sonax
    • Meguiars Spray Wax
    • OPT Spray Wax

    Step 7: Spray/Clean windows.
    Step 8: Interior if requested.

    Break it down and give me feedback/suggestions, please and thank you!

    I also listed some products I have available. If you think I should add anything different, let me know!
    Hi again I posted on your autogeek thread...

    I was just thinking of your post and i remembered griots 3 in 1 ceramic spray might be a great option if you want to make some money. I have never tried it but its budget friendly and many people have reported excellent durability upwards of 6 mths i believe.

    Reset is rather pricey for someone washing people`s cars for money. I would use it just for new customers maybe...and a fresh layer of spray wax.
    Likes detailingbyd liked this post

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Green Bay, WI
    Posts
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    Re: Starting Out....

    Here`s suggested pieces of equipment I told someone else to add in a recent thread about getting started in detailing:
    You can add a drying blower and power washer as nice-to-have tools for vehicle washing later on.
    My "redneck" drying blower is a Toro Variable-Speed leaf blower, Model No. 51619. Works for "cheapskate" me. Just NEVER use it as a vacuum to pick up and shred leaves or lawn debris. It`s a mess the next time you try to dry a vehicle.
    Live and learn...Or as 1920`s humorist and writer Will Rodger`s said, "I guess common sense ain`t so common!"

    detailingbyd:
    What are you using for a vacuum to clean out interiors? Mine is a Sear`s Craftsmen 6.0 HP 16 gallon shop vac with a 2-1/2" hose I bought in September 2009 to replace a similar one that burned out the motor. JUST replaced the toggle switch on it with a non-OEM rocker switch, but it is usable again (Removed the big OEM red on-off toggle cover on it; now it`s just the rocker on the new switch for on-off).
    When looking for a suitable vacuum for cleaning vehicle interiors to replace my shop shop vac, which I thought was un-repairable, I went to a power tool store. They strongly suggested a Fein Tool Turbo II Wet-Dry Vacuum that was 8.3 Gallons and had a 1-3/8"? diameter hose Mfr Part #: 92036236090 that they sold to most car dealers and detailers in the area. I thought the hose size was small, but Metro vacs use a smaller diameter hose size as well. This vacuum`s advantage was that it uses a bag similar to a residential home vacuum and provided better suction measured in inches of water (InH20) or "draw" than my shop vac with just a canister and internal filter that tends to get filled and plugged easily, causing it to lose its vacuum or draw power. That may be true, but I clean out my shop vac filter on a regular basis, taking an old paint brush to the pleats of the filter and removing embedded dirt and dust (another Obsessive-Compulsive Detailer (OCD) time-consuming task). I also use a small bristle brush and old tooth brushes to brush the entire floor or mat carpets and seat fabrics of deeply embedded dirt, debris, and/or hair (human or pet), and also get into corners or around trim or seams as as I vacuum. It`s a method I learned in this forum from Autopian All-Stat Dave Fermani. (More OCD tasks) Anyway, just some thoughts about vacuums.
    GB detailer

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    NE Ohio
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    86,975
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    Re: Starting Out....

    detailingbyd- Welcome to Autopia!

    Different people do things differently, and that doesn`t always mean "right way vs. wrong way". But FWIW, I don`t get the whole vehicle wet until I`ve done the wheels/wells/etc. Less chance of water-spotting that way, at least the way I go about it.
    Likes Oneheadlite, detailingbyd liked this post

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jun 2021
    Posts
    2
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    Re: Starting Out....

    That was simply a typo on my part. I DO NOT rinse the entire vehicle first, I do indeed scrub wheels and tires first. Thanks for pointing that out!

  6. #6
    Long Time Member GearHead_1's Avatar
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    Jul 2003
    Location
    Utah
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    Re: Starting Out....

    I`m definitely a wheels first guy. Ive always liked to get the part I like doing least of all out of the way. I often do the wheels the day before I wash the vehicle. Gives me a chance to address the wheels and undercarriage without killing myself in one day.
    A society willing to trade liberty for temporary security deserves neither and will lose both
    ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
    Likes brazillianguy liked this post

 

 

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