Looking for suggestions...

**Maxima Lover** · 05-20-2006, 07:02 PM

Isn`t this slander? He`s saying that you ("others in town") ruin the paint on cars. I would contact him and tell him to knock off spreading misinformation about your business. Maybe even threaten a lawsuit even if you don`t plan on it.

If you owned a local market, you couldn`t go around and say that the local grocery stores` meat department cuts the meat on the dirty floor.

**AutoBuff** · 05-20-2006, 08:44 PM

all he is trying to do is get people scared of your work and trying to get them as customers. All you got to do is educate your customers or potential customers if they ask you about what he is telling them. Tell them he is correct that damage can be cause by a pc or rotary (only if used incorrectly) and swirls can be create( if polishing with lambs wool, the way cars were polished before the foam pad came along) but the swirls will be taken care of with another product and a foam pad. As for the wax lasting 2 years, I have never heard of a wax lasting that long, but have heard of sealants that do. So I think right there that he does not know what he is talking about (maybe I worng)

**Phideaux** · 05-21-2006, 08:40 AM

A quick follow up......

I was out and about last weekend, and I saw this guy doing a detail (and I use the term loosely). I stopped by just to say hi, extend my hand in friendship, welcome to the neighborhood, etc, etc. He didn`t seem very thrilled to meet me.

After talking to him a little, I don`t think his no-buffer policy is any kind of an angle or sales gimmick. I think he truly believes that a PC or buffer will ruin the paint. His thing is not that it ruins it in one use, but over time, it takes off the layers of paint (I guess until you`re down to just a bare metal car?) I tried to explain to him about the proper use of a buffer and the right chemicals are a benefit, and how the desired effects are achieved with a high-speed application, and his response was "that`s just a bunch of marketing bull that the wax makers tell you so you`ll buy their product."

I realized at the moment, I had nothing to worry about. That, and the quality of his work. He was mostly finished (by his standards) with a job, and it looked only a little better than when you go through the car wash tube and pay an extra buck for Super Wax Rinse. He said that, once his wax/sealant cures, the swirls, etc will go away. Huh? I guess he used to work at a Chevy dealership somewhere as the new car prep guy, so I`m guessing that his special stuff is the snake oil that dealers sell as the paint protectorant.

He also mentioned that business is kind of slow and he doesn`t really have repeat customers. For me, things have been going pretty decent, and I get return customers and, even better, referrals from previous customers.

Like I, and other here have said, I`ve got nothing to worry about. Thanks for all of the great responses.

Steve

**Hawaiianelement** · 05-21-2006, 03:19 PM

It sounds like every body was right on the money on this one .

He was trying to come in and make some fast monrey . A wax job every 2 years isn`t going to pay the rent silly detail dude.!!!

**Maxima Lover** · 05-21-2006, 04:26 PM

That`s good news for you. He probably feels the way he does about machine buffing because he was around a place that used strong compounds on every car even if it wasn`t needed.

Do you know what he charges?

**Phideaux** · 05-22-2006, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by Maxima Lover

That`s good news for you. He probably feels the way he does about machine buffing because he was around a place that used strong compounds on every car even if it wasn`t needed.

That`s what I was thinking. It`s not so much as he thinks buffer=evil, but that`s he`s afraid to use one. Maybe he`s bad bad experiences, so he thinks a buffer ruins paint. I don`t know. I do know that at the rate he`s going, he won`t be around very long. Word travels quick in these here parts.

Originally Posted by Maxima Lover

Do you know what he charges?

He charges a flat rate of 100 for cars, 125 for trucks, vans, etc. That includes a wash, the 2-year-wax job, vacuum and AA the interior, AA the tires and clean the rims, if necessary (his words). Nothing else. No interior shampoo, no engine detail, nothing. That`s a pretty expensive quickwash if you ask me.

**Maxima Lover** · 05-24-2006, 12:55 AM

Originally Posted by Phideaux

He charges a flat rate of 100 for cars, 125 for trucks, vans, etc. That includes a wash, the 2-year-wax job, vacuum and AA the interior, AA the tires and clean the rims, if necessary (his words). Nothing else. No interior shampoo, no engine detail, nothing. That`s a pretty expensive quickwash if you ask me.

Wow, that`s a lot. I wonder how much his "2-year wax" costs him. Maybe that`s why his prices are so high.

**Fishpimp** · 05-24-2006, 09:46 AM

Yeah I`ve heard of that new SUPER GLUE wax people are using now. Lol! I don`t see how anything other than paint can stick to a finish for TWO YEARS! Washing, washing and washing over a Two year period ain`t gonna leave no wax behind that is for sure. The rain and elements alone will strip the wax before that period of time is up. Only way i can see a two year wax actually lasting two years is if 1. they never wash it. 2. they never drive it and 3. They keep it in an Automotive storage facility specifically designed for auto storage...

There has to be more to this 2 year wax than just putting it on and not doing any type of up keep for two years.... I mean even the best waxes/sealers you have to layer at some point.

Unless I`m mistaken?

**Phideaux** · 05-24-2006, 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by Fishpimp

Yeah I`ve heard of that new SUPER GLUE wax people are using now. Lol! I don`t see how anything other than paint can stick to a finish for TWO YEARS! Washing, washing and washing over a Two year period ain`t gonna leave no wax behind that is for sure. The rain and elements alone will strip the wax before that period of time is up. Only way i can see a two year wax actually lasting two years is if 1. they never wash it. 2. they never drive it and 3. They keep it in an Automotive storage facility specifically designed for auto storage...

There has to be more to this 2 year wax than just putting it on and not doing any type of up keep for two years.... I mean even the best waxes/sealers you have to layer at some point.

Unless I`m mistaken?

No, you`re not mistaken. I think the guy`s doing a disservice to his customers making them think thay can go 2 years before doing anything to his car, not to mention shooting himself in the foot. If your customer believes that he can go 2 years, why would he come back to you before then?

I don`t know what he`s using, he wouldn`t tell me (trade secret and all, lol) but he did say that it was from Canada. Who knows, maybe there`s some Secret Lab in the Yukon Territories developing a super-industrial cax wax destined to change the face of the auto detailing industry as we know it, and he has a brother-in-law working there......or something.

**Beercan31** · 05-24-2006, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by dr_detail

my 2 cents...

Keep focused on doing what it is you are doing and don`t waste your time worring about what he is or isn`t doing -- if you`re doing a good job your customers will know it!!

I agree with every post response you have gotten. The one above says it best. "Keep focused ",
you have a great alliance with the other detailer in your town, the other fool will only be there for a short while, but may be there long enough to put a small ripple in your business. Educated your clientele so they under stand the total process you do and why it needs to be done.