potential detailer

**MikeLoi** · 03-03-2003, 09:24 PM

I`m looking to get my car detailed and stumbled upon this company - http://detailworks.com/ Could someone check out their detailing methods and let me know what they think?

Thanks in advance

Mike

**Scottwax** · 03-03-2003, 11:30 PM

My first concern is their `Teflon` sealant. According to Dupont, if yo don`t apply Teflon at 600+ degrees, it doesn`t add any protection.

Second, not all cars need a 4 step paint cleaning/protection process. A well maintained car usually only needs claying on the horizontal surfaces, a glaze then wax.

Third, why would anyone these days use a wax that dries white and has to be cleaned out of the emblems and crevices? Too much unecessary work considering all the excellent waxes and glazes that don`t dry white and won`t need the extra cleanup (and cost). In addition, all their prep work eats up time and money. All that taping off takes time and you do get charged for it.

I am sure they do good work overall, but I think they use a lot of steps that in most cases really aren`t necessary, but you still pay for them.

I had to laugh when I saw this:

" Door Jams are the first thing you see when you open your doors. We even get them sparkling clean"

Man, I sure hope so! I can`t imagine any good detailer not cleaning the door jams.

I would check their listed referrences before committing to them. If they`ve been in business 19 years, they must be pretty good, but it doesn`t hurt to talk to people who`ve used them.

**Jngrbrdman** · 03-03-2003, 11:34 PM

Microsoft has been in business a long time too. Doesn`t mean they know what the snot they are doing though. :p Sorry. I`m just bitter. Long day.

If they are going to list references then they must be pretty secure that they are paying them enough to give them a good review.

You might as well make their money worth it and check them out. I would avoid the Teflon too. Do a search on it here at Autopia. It has been discussed a few times. Sealants are all well and good, but use the right product for the job. Teflon belongs on pans and not on cars IMO.

**Scottwax** · 03-03-2003, 11:47 PM

I don`t list referrences on my site, but if someone wants a few, I have a ton of pirvate owners that I can provide.

**Jngrbrdman** · 03-03-2003, 11:58 PM

Originally posted by Scottwax

I don`t list referrences on my site, but if someone wants a few, I have a ton of pirvate owners that I can provide.

I think your work speaks for itself, Scott. :xyxthumbs

**Scottwax** · 03-04-2003, 12:02 AM

Originally posted by Jngrbrdman

I think your work speaks for itself, Scott. :xyxthumbs

Why, thank-you! Come to think of it, almost all my new customers are referrals anyway. That is the best kind of customer...someone else convinced them I can do the job!

**Nagchampa** · 03-04-2003, 12:06 AM

Nothing looks worse than wax in and around all your emblems, cracks and crevices.

:shocked I am so imature sometimes.

I see nothing wrong with their presentation. I am not too crazy about the teflon thing but they seem geared toward people who have never had their vehicle detailed before which is probably why they talk about cleaning door jambs and other things we see as SOP.

**safetyman2010** · 03-05-2003, 12:23 AM

Originally posted by Scottwax

My first concern is their `Teflon` sealant. According to Dupont, if yo don`t apply Teflon at 600+ degrees, it doesn`t add any protection.

Second, not all cars need a 4 step paint cleaning/protection process. A well maintained car usually only needs claying on the horizontal surfaces, a glaze then wax.

Third, why would anyone these days use a wax that dries white and has to be cleaned out of the emblems and crevices? Too much unecessary work considering all the excellent waxes and glazes that don`t dry white and won`t need the extra cleanup (and cost). In addition, all their prep work eats up time and money. All that taping off takes time and you do get charged for it.

I am sure they do good work overall, but I think they use a lot of steps that in most cases really aren`t necessary, but you still pay for them.

I had to laugh when I saw this:

" Door Jams are the first thing you see when you open your doors. We even get them sparkling clean"

Man, I sure hope so! I can`t imagine any good detailer not cleaning the door jams.

I would check their listed referrences before committing to them. If they`ve been in business 19 years, they must be pretty good, but it doesn`t hurt to talk to people who`ve used them.

Yep the Teflon thing definitely throws up a few red flags. I hate guys like this that throw around marketing jargon which only serves to further confuse the already uniformed/uneducated consumer. I had to spend almost 30 min. selling a new customer a complete detail because his former "detailer" had filled his head with so much BS that it was liking educating a 5 year old about rocket science. Apparently, there is this new thing called "clear coat" and if you have it you never, ever have to do anything to your car`s paint! Can you imagine? This is reveloutionary and could change the car care industry forever! Sweet Jesus I don`t know how these people can be intelligent enough to earn the money to afford a nice car and then get sucked in by that kind of crap. He was also told to use a solvent based tire dressing on his leather seats. Really nice.

**Scottwax** · 03-05-2003, 12:37 AM

ShineShop-I detailed a Vette for a guy a while back. He`d had it 5 years and couldn`t understand why the paint had lost it`s shine. I asked when it was last waxed, and he said it had never been waxed-the dealer told him since it had a clearcoat, it didn`t need to be waxed! Needless to say, I polished and waxed a fender and he couldn`t believe the improvement....nor could he believe the dealer would flat out lie to him like that.

Solvent based leather dressing? Too funny...yet sad.

**Anthony O.** · 03-05-2003, 01:09 AM

Solvent based dressing on leather? I would have sued that guy before you could say "moron!"

That reminds me of a real brainiac detailer for our local Porsche dealer who rode a Kawasaki to work each day and thought he was the 90`s "Fonzie" and real hot with the chicks

I worked there as a sub-contractor and one day before Fonzie took off for lunch he thought he would wash his bike and after drying it he took some solvent based tire dressing and sprayed it all over his engine. His reasoning must have been something like this......."Uh, if it makes a cars engine look all shiny and cool it will make my bike look even better!"

The other detailers there and myself just backed up as he got on his bike and hit the starter.....then there was a POP and a neat blue flame rushed from the heads. He looks down and scratches his head trying to look smart. He hits the starter again and this time its a BOOM and his pant leg catches fire

and drops the bike and jumps and hops around like a Mexican jumping bean.

Oh man that was funny. Detailing humor.

Anthony