I think if they get a car that is in bad shape instead of using a rotary with wool or flex they make pass after pass with a long throw and chase. I still have some of the old fashion twisted wool pads if there is a bad panel and I load the pad up with an compound it cuts so fast
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skibik- At least you enjoyed that car! I...sigh...simply cannot drive something that`s not basically marring-free Seeing anything I can correct simply means it doesn`t leave the garage until I have
I did let things go back in the day when I decided to get serious about my education, but even then I had a "good" car I could drive that was really nice.
These days, I could no more drive a correctibly marred car than wear a stained or wrinkled shirt...and no I`m not saying that as if it`s a good thing.
I did enjoy driving it. I was the same about driving it unless it was clean, but I got burnt out detailing it at mid-point of ownership. I reverted to my old ways and it never bothered as much to driving it a little dirty as did in the beginning.
Kudos to those that do this for a living. I know it is a career I could not do. Not after owning a black car, that was a job in itself.
Dean.
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[QUOTE=skibik;2177455].....Kudos to those that do this for a living. I know it is a career I could not do. Not after owning a black car, that was a job in itself.[/QUOTE]
Which is WHY most professional detailers do not own a black car. Some detailers may drive around in a vehicle that is less-than detailed to perfection. It`s related to the adage of, "The local shoemaker`s kid`s go bare-foot." They are too busy detailing everybody else`s vehicles they have no time for their own.
GB detailer
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Sometimes you need to realize that if everything in life needs to be absolutely perfect, you are really just making life more difficult at times.
This reminds me of the R.B. Perry quote that "A man can be his best only by constantly striving for, and perpetually missing, an unobtainable perfection". Guess he wasn`t trying to maintain Jet Black on a year-round Daily
But seriously, there`s "absolutely perfect" and then there`s "as good as can be done under the circumstances". I simply couldn`t respect myself if I fell sort of the latter, in Detaling or anything else..BTDT and regretted it, so no more. But how one defines "the circumstances" is, uhm...subjective, and every subject is a little bit different.
Which is WHY most professional detailers do not own a black car...
Heh heh, yeah, that`s a clue
Some detailers may drive around in a vehicle that is less-than detailed to perfection...[because].. They are too busy detailing everybody else`s vehicles they have no time for their own.
But to me, a Detailer`s vehicle is his reputation. I myself would never hire a Detailer whose personal vehicles weren`t basically perfect. Hey, *MINE* are, and I`m no Pro, nor is it even a big priority to me. It`s just not *that* hard...if you prioritize it. That`s one mighty big "if" though, you`d have to really love something to do it some more after you`re off the clock.
Eh, sorry..guess I`m knee-jerking again and now I`m thinking "Lonnie probably thinks I`m disagreeing with him again" But I always hated that adage about the Shoemaker...I figure "then his priorities are [screwed] up". Ya see, IRL, I`ve known lots of tailors, and a few cobblers, and every one of `em kept himself and his family`s stuff as close to perfect as humanly possible...like, "blow-me-away close to perfect", and *all the time*. One glance told me "this person is competent".
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You hit the nail on the head. Most vehicles are done in under 10hrs with correction and coating work. Of course there`s exceptions but if I can start my day at 8am and by end of the day have all the correction done and leave the coating work and interior work for the next half day im good with that.
Now on the other hand im finishing up a full repaint on my gto and I will guarantee ill have a good amount of time doing the finish work.
I did enjoy driving it. I was the same about driving it unless it was clean, but I got burnt out detailing it at mid-point of ownership. I reverted to my old ways and it never bothered as much to driving it a little dirty as did in the beginning.
Kudos to those that do this for a living. I know it is a career I could not do. Not after owning a black car, that was a job in itself.
I think some people need to understand letting a car get a little dirty is, "OK". It`s a car and you can`t let a machine, no matter how great it is, dictate your life and happiness.
I`m now a year into ownership of my second black car and it doesn`t stress me out a bit. I know it will get dirty and I know I will clean it up and get it looking, "proper" again when time allows. This schedule often is no different than when I owned a gray or silver car. In the winter it gets downright filthy when it`s too cold to wash. In the spring it gets covered in pollen for a few days between washes. The rest of the year it will get dusty and covered in brake dust thanks to autocross events. It happens, and you do the best you can. Even with letting it go some times, any of our cars probably look better than 95% of those on the road...and the other 5% are probably owned by fellow nut-cases like ourselves.
I think some people need to understand letting a car get a little dirty is, "OK". It`s a car and you can`t let a machine, no matter how great it is, dictate your life and happiness.
I`m now a year into ownership of my second black car and it doesn`t stress me out a bit. I know it will get dirty and I know I will clean it up and get it looking, "proper" again when time allows. This schedule often is no different than when I owned a gray or silver car. In the winter it gets downright filthy when it`s too cold to wash. In the spring it gets covered in pollen for a few days between washes. The rest of the year it will get dusty and covered in brake dust thanks to autocross events. It happens, and you do the best you can. Even with letting it go some times, any of our cars probably look better than 95% of those on the road...and the other 5% are probably owned by fellow nut-cases like ourselves.
I think it was because it was my first black vehicle(and will be the last) and it was a Camaro. I never cleaned a car so much before I got it. It was my DD through even through winter so it was driven at least 5 days a week, washed just about every Friday until winter set in then it only was cleaned when it was above 20F. I look back now and know I cleaned it at least 5 times more than any other vehicle because it was not only black it was a Camaro and I wanted it to look nice all the time. I think if it was a black pickup I would treat it like any other vehicle I have ever owned, wash it about every 2-4 weeks, wax it 1-2 times a year and would have left it at that. Back to my old ways, I can`t remember the last time I washed the truck, it has been at least 4 weeks, I was going to wash it a week and a half ago and the rain cleaned the thick layer of dust off so I should be good for a couple more weeks.
I think some people need to understand letting a car get a little dirty is, "OK". It`s a car and you can`t let a machine, no matter how great it is, dictate your life and happiness.
I`m now a year into ownership of my second black car and it doesn`t stress me out a bit. I know it will get dirty and I know I will clean it up and get it looking, "proper" again when time allows. This schedule often is no different than when I owned a gray or silver car. In the winter it gets downright filthy when it`s too cold to wash. In the spring it gets covered in pollen for a few days between washes. The rest of the year it will get dusty and covered in brake dust thanks to autocross events. It happens, and you do the best you can. Even with letting it go some times, any of our cars probably look better than 95% of those on the road...and the other 5% are probably owned by fellow nut-cases like ourselves.
This comes down to a case of how the car is used. If it`s a daily driver then trying to maintain a show car finish is just asking for frustration. Keep it clean and wash carefully and do a full polish and wax once or twice a year. it`s a different case for limited use cars that don`t take a beating.
I have had a lot of black cars and even a new Jet Black Bimmer, and paint corrected a zillion more..
They are not hard for me and I use Rotary Power on all of them..
Have seen Jet Black paint so neglected that it had turned a shade of dull gray and was not even black looking at all on the entire vehicle..
The man came back when I was done and swore I switched out 2002 BMW M5`s on him...
Having a fully insulated and sheetrocked, painted garage walls, door, and ceiling really helps keep everything much cleaner.
I guess I have this thing for making rolling, black mirrors..
Dan F
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This comes down to a case of how the car is used. If it`s a daily driver then trying to maintain a show car finish is just asking for frustration.. it`s a different case for limited use cars that don`t take a beating.
I guess having the right facilities to keep things nice makes all the difference, especially in the winter. I don`t have to correct the Dailies for years on end any more than the Garage Queensm but that`s because they don`t get touched between washes and I can always do those washes the way I do.
As long as nobody touches the paint between washes our stay nice indefinitely. Simple as that. But I realize that my situation is kinda, uhm...different and if I didn`t have my facilities there`s no way I could keep things as nice as I do.
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Originally Posted by wannafbody
Seeing anything I can correct simply means it doesn`t leave the garage until I have 
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