Tips for Making Detailing Less Miserable & More Fun

[Trouble]

Once you start, don`t stop. Have all the materials you`ll need close at hand. Don`t be a quitter or a crybaby. Suck it up and get the job done

[tropicsteve]

Dear Steve

Moisture-wicking? Is that a special kind of shirt? My wife buys me cheap T-shirts from Kohl`s for about US$5 each. I think they`re mostly cotton. Is a moisture-wicking shirt something different?

My sandals are Ecco brand and have a wetsuit-like material covering the soles. Is that okay? They seem comfortable enough, but I usually ditch shoes altogether if I waxing/sealing wheels.

dri fit was originally developed by nike to help control heat and moisture and are very comfortable and dry out very quickly as you sweat. under armor is another well known manufacturer, but both are a little on the expensive side. there are many off brands out there now that are more resonable. i still like 100% cotton but they tend to soak pretty quickly and dry very slowly.
i say whatever shoes you like are fine. i like marine type shoes and flops at times.

[ec90]

Check out running warehouse and other websites that carry fitness clothing, you can pick up last season`s clothing usually at half price or so. Major manufacturers change the style/colors roughly 2x a year. Average shirt runs about 20-40 retail depending on how much it has and who makes it so good deals can be found.

[ziggo99]

I`ve picked up the Starter t-shirts from Wal-Mart. One is the cling style and the others are looser fitting. But I love em and couldn`t imagine using just a cotton t-shirt. The cotton started to stick and become annoying, and these keep me much cooler, even when I have to throw the company t-shirt on over it. They`re about $10 a pop.

[mjlinane]

Dear Michael

I watched the first video and will watch the second one tomorrow (have to get the house shut down).

I wish the video had shown him actually cleaning the tires and wheels and drying the car. Drying our Odyssey takes me as long as or longer than washing it, and I have a Master Blaster. And if I do the wheels thoroughly (with Daytona brush and Mother`s brush for wheels and a different Mother`s brush for tires) and wheel wells with a longer-handled brush, that extends my total time by at least another fifteen minutes.

I have to get off the computer and get the bedtime routine done. I have a four-year-old who`s still awake.

Thanks for responding, good buddy.

Here is my video on wheel cleaning: https://www.youtube.com/6z6JAuC3Mhw

For moderately dirty wheels, try PBW Spray & Rinse: hose down, spray, spread/agitate, and rinse. Maybe 5 minutes total and does a really good job.

Rinseless: https://www.youtube.com/GJ6AM3UC3QI

Waterless: https://www.youtube.com/Jfv-SYc9LzE

[Bunky]

Rinseless: https://www.youtube.com/GJ6AM3UC3QI

Mike, it looks like your rinseless video got blocked due to music copyright.

It does seem to take me some time to do wheels in relation to doing the paint.

When using the master blaster, sometimes you just need to get 95% off and then use a towel to do some clean up but can see a van has some many crevices for water to hide to add time.

For some washing is almost a religious experience (although inefficiency can be a factor) so can take some time if you have the time.

• Prep time (buckets, hoses, mixing up soap, one for wheels, one for paint)
• Wheel area clean
• Pre-treat and/or foam
• Wash - rinsing can take a lot of time depending if done after each section
• Drying paint and wheels
• Using a detail spray if not during drying process
• Cleaning jambs (doors, truck, hood)
• Applying tire dressings
• Cleaning glass
• Clean up - brushes, mitts, buckets

Quick disconnects help to change sprayers as needed
Pressure washers make rinsing quicker

I do not think the 2 bucket method slows you down much but if you take your mitt and wipe for top of the door down to the bottom of the jamb as in one of the perfect methods that can save time...you can do that with a mitt too in a 2BM process but I think that is just wiping too long before changing or rinsing mitt.

Even if I did the mf towel approach (rather than mitts), I would still wipe to clean any area at least twice to be sure it is clean so that would always add time for me.

In the end you tailor the process to make the vehicle condition. For example, I may not choose to scrub the wells or clean the barrels if done regularly. You can use something like Poorboy`s Bold n Bright for one step tire clean/dress.

[mjlinane]

Thanks Al. I believe it is a mobile thing because I can watch on a laptop but not my tablet. I will remake at some point without that background music.

[Bunky]

Thanks Al. I believe it is a mobile thing because I can watch on a laptop but not my tablet. I will remake at some point without that background music.

I cannot watch it on my laptop. I could view the other video.

[BobbyG]

Hi Jaddie,

Your tips are spot on and if followed will turn detailing from drudgery into fun with a boatload of satisfaction in the end!!

[mjlinane]

I cannot watch it on my laptop. I could view the other video.

Interesting, it lets me view it. Youtube/Skynet is removing the Heart tracks as I type and should be available a bit later today.

[daveinsweethome]

jaddie guess your vehicles are cleaner than most of the moms mini vans i do so often. i should elaborate a little on the tornado. i use it in conjunction with my mytee extractor when i am attacking bad carpet stains. it busts up stains like nothing i have seen. where i love it is dirty ingrained junk on door panels, dashes and door jams. i follow these with some ultima interior guard and damn it is done , looks great and lasts forever. learned so much about ultima from corey.

[Bunky]

Interesting, it lets me view it. Youtube/Skynet is removing the Heart tracks as I type and should be available a bit later today.

It works now on same laptop same location (ip address, etc).

[glen e]

i don`t want this to be an advertisement but switching to blackfire stuff made all the diff for me. I used to hate detailing, particularity the buffing off which I always want to do by hand. I was using a lot of collonite and rejex and it had a miserable buff off, at the end of the day I was beat.

Enter blackfire - the wet diamond and total polish and seal wipe off with one stroke, no dust anywhaere and I`m done in half the time.

But the ability that Crystal seal & Ultima Paint guard have, in that they don`t need any buff off is what has changed my detailing life. I am done a lot earlier, but mostly, I don`t have that damn dust in logos, fender edges and the like.

I will never use another LSP unless it`s a WOWA product.

[mrclean81]

If you dont have one yet, I would suggest investing in a power washer. Doesnt have to be any more than a 1600 or 1800 psi electric unit for washing personal cars, but it would shave a lot of time off. They will also do a lot of the job for you when your cleaning fender wells and wheels/tires.

[RZJZA80]

After wasting a lot of time and money on so many products and techniques, environments and methods, here are a couple things that come to mind:

Your shoes are key to not having everything ache at the end of the day, whatever comfortable shoe that works for you, go with that.

For hot weather, at least two fans on stands are essential, one on either side of the car (if you`re mobile, take a small blower fan with you)

Staying hydrated keeps you from getting drowsy in hot weather also

The Under Armor line of clothing I find works well, but most moisture wicking type clothing works also

Music is also key to make the time go by and keep your mind from wandering and the day from dragging

Good lighting saves both time and strain, trust me, it`s a pain in the ass to think you fixed a panel only to see at a different angle that you didn`t do much. Also if you aren`t well lit, you strain too much in odd positions to see the defects.

Go with ONR washes instead of traditional washes, I switched several years ago and unless I need to quickly rinse off a filthy car before washing with ONR, I`m not reashing for a hose. Also, it allows you to wash inside and thus out of the sun.