My wallet says . . . OUCH!

**Mikeyc** · 10-24-2005, 05:39 PM

Well, I have to say I love reading the posts on this website. I`ve loved to detail cars ever since I was old enough to drive. After about 10 years of experimenting I came up with what I felt was a good car care regimen which was made up of Zymol products applied by hand. However, after having read all these posts of people restoring cars using their PC I came to the conclusion that it would be WAY to hard to accomplish the same thing by hand or rather impossible.

So, today I was in Lowes and spotted the PC for only $99 and was like . . . "what the hell!" I figured if I had a PC even if I stuck with Zymol I would with some additional supplies be able to correct any swirls or scratches I may get much easier. Also, I could use the machine for my final buff. Boy was that a mistake! I don`t have any products I can use with the PC. So, I just ordered the whole Menzerna line: IP, FP II, FTG, and FMJ. Along with that I ordered some pads, a pad brush, and some pad cleaning chemicals. Well that led to ordering some Wheel Wax and some other things that I`ve been wanting to try. Ouch! That really hurt my wallet.

**[TRD]RoLLa** · 10-24-2005, 06:18 PM

hey $99 thats good deal...i bought mines for alot more than that =(

**Mikeyc** · 10-24-2005, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by [TRD]RoLLa

hey $99 thats good deal...i bought mines for alot more than that =(

It wasn`t the PC that hurt so much it was the Menzerna, pads, toolbox (for the PC), etc. Basically, I had to replace all the chemicals I use on the paint for ones that could be machine applied. Also, I found an old post talking about a Lowe`s coupon. So, I`ll likely return the one I already bought so I can use the coupon. I think it should save me another $10.

**Mike-in-Orange** · 10-24-2005, 07:58 PM

At first it might look like you`re spending a lot of money, but I think you need to alter your perspective. I posted this little story elsewhere, but I`ll repeat it here:

A friend of mine started ragging on me after I told him how much I spent on my PC and accoutrement, until I pointed out the following to him: He takes his black BMW 540i to the car wash every week and pays, with tip, about $15 for the priviledge of having the dirt removed from the paint, the windows wiped down on the inside, the carpets vacuumed, some tire shine stuff applied unevenly on his tires, and a fresh set of swirls added to the finish. After 6 months he`s spent about $390, which is a probably a little more that you`ve just dropped on your latest purchase, right? Now, the stuff you`ve bought, and I`ve bought as well, will last you well over a year. I know it will for me, and that`s taking care of 3 cars.

At the end of the year he`s spent almost $800 and has one heck of swirled, messed up 540i (seriously, you should see this thing!). You and I haven`t spent any more money, have swirl free cars, and get our therapy fix on the weekends detailing our rides.

The pain is going away, isn`t it? :LOLOL

**Mikeyc** · 10-24-2005, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by Mike-in-Orange

At first it might look like you`re spending a lot of money, but I think you need to alter your perspective. I posted this little story elsewhere, but I`ll repeat it here:

A friend of mine started ragging on me after I told him how much I spent on my PC and accoutrement, until I pointed out the following to him: He takes his black BMW 540i to the car wash every week and pays, with tip, about $15 for the priviledge of having the dirt removed from the paint, the windows wiped down on the inside, the carpets vacuumed, some tire shine stuff applied unevenly on his tires, and a fresh set of swirls added to the finish. After 6 months he`s spent about $390, which is a probably a little more that you`ve just dropped on your latest purchase, right? Now, the stuff you`ve bought, and I`ve bought as well, will last you well over a year. I know it will for me, and that`s taking care of 3 cars.

At the end of the year he`s spent almost $800 and has one heck of swirled, messed up 540i (seriously, you should see this thing!). You and I haven`t spent any more money, have swirl free cars, and get our therapy fix on the weekends detailing our rides.

The pain is going away, isn`t it? :LOLOL

I wish it was. Unfortunately, there is some pain considering the $200 worth of Zymol I already have on the shelf. But after reading about all the different products eveyone here uses, I wanted to try some new stuff. Don`t get me wrong, the Zymol works awesome and I love it. It`s just a lot of work. So, I`m hoping going the PC route will save me some work and time.

**GTScott** · 10-25-2005, 09:12 AM

Originally Posted by Mikeyc

I wish it was. Unfortunately, there is some pain considering the $200 worth of Zymol I already have on the shelf. But after reading about all the different products eveyone here uses, I wanted to try some new stuff. Don`t get me wrong, the Zymol works awesome and I love it. It`s just a lot of work. So, I`m hoping going the PC route will save me some work and time.

It sounds like the Zymol might should meet up with ABay. While my old products were not as nice as Zymol, I boxed up the stuff I was no longer using and gave it to friends.

-GT

**Mikeyc** · 10-25-2005, 09:20 AM

I still plan on using some of my Zymol stuff on my own car. The FMJ and P21S I bought will likely only be used on my parents & friends cars. I do already have my jar of Concours on Abay and there have been no bites. I wanted to lower the price, but the system won`t let me edit it. I would give the Concours away to a friend, but none of them would use it. So, what`s the point. Also, it`s almost full and I paid over $100 for it. So, I wouldn`t be willing to give it away to a complete stranger.

**LightngSVT** · 10-25-2005, 09:26 AM

Eh, dont worry about it! Most of us have shelves full of supplies and many we hardly ever use. Collecting supplies and trying new stuff is all part of the fun!

**Scottwax** · 10-25-2005, 09:47 AM

I`m fixin` to drop about $50 on pads at my Meguiars distributor on the way to the SL500 detail I have this afternoon. It never ends....

**Mitchubishievo** · 10-25-2005, 10:09 AM

I spent about 2200 this year...but half of that was startup stuff...PC, Rotary, tons of pads, Wet/Dry Vac, Polishes...etc...trust me 100-400 is NOTHING until you REALLY catch the bug

.

**imported_rfinkle2** · 10-25-2005, 11:03 AM

although it doesn`t help your wallet, I can say that @ least you bought good polishes, and won`t be disappointed.

All of the menzerna (IMO) polishes are great, dare I say the best, and they are a good investment.

I have shelves full of products that I`ve used once, been disappointed, and never used again. I feel that you only waste $ when you don`t like the product, and even then, each product usually teaches it own "detailing" lesson.

YOU WON`T be dissappointed with what you`ve purchased so far.

Have fun! :dance