Hi, everyone! Unlike a lot of you, I`m not a pro detailer or looking to become one. I`m a guy who cares about his car and wants to keep it in good shape and hoping to learn how to do it.
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I have a local detailer who`s a great guy and has done some solid work on my car. About a year or so ago I had him come do paint correction and Opti-coat. After eight hours he was able to get the car looking better than I`d ever seen it. It`s definitely not swirl free by any means (they`re still pretty noticeable in the sun), but it`s a huge improvement from where it was. Using swirl-o-matic car washes and my improper washing technique had really, really, wrecked the very delicate paint.
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While the Opti-coat has held up well and I stick to touchless washes for almost all my washing, I`ve decided I never want to damage a car again from improper washing. I want to keep my current car from being swirled further, and for my next car I plan on having full paint correction done right away (right down to removing orange peel) and keeping it absolutely perfect from there on out.
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So I`ve come here in my quest to learn some detailing and start by learning proper washing technique. While I`ve done plenty of reading and research already, it`s been awfully overwhelming and I`ve decided to go right to the pros for advice. I`ve started a thread here`in the car detailing subforum hoping for advice in the washing process, finding an affordable setup of the essential tools, and maintaining them.
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Once I`ve got basic washing down, I`m hoping to stay onboard here and learn more and more - clay barring, using decontaminants, sealing/waxing, and eventually I`d love to pick up a Porter-Cable and learn scratch/scuff removal, swirl removal, and other paint correction techniques.
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So anyway, hello, and thanks in advance for all the help! I`m excited to start learning.
