Anyone else look forward to the really bad condition vehicles?

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Paulie Walnuts

New member
I love working on the crappiest ones possible. Its so fun to see the owners look once they get it back.



I will say however, I hate doing interiors. I wish I could just do exteriors, I HATE doing dirty insides.
 
Sometimes I do look forward to a "Lazarus project".



To be truthful, I prefer the client who keeps his/her vehicles clean and want them detailed becuse they want to maintain them or are too busy to do it themselves.
 
I don't like doing the really bad ones at all. IME, while the turn around is dramatic, the client that keeps his car in such a poor state is going to be less likely to come back for repeat business. Sure they will say "Thanks, it looks great" and give you a nice tip but they don't really care about their cars that much if they let it get so bad.



I like doing the semi-clean ones, where you do enough to make a noticable difference and the owner obviously cares about the car, but not dirty enough that it's ball busting work.
 
Another reason I don't care for doing Lazarus Projects...



I did a 1996 Toyota Camry a few months ago...



It was black and hadn't been washed or waxed in over two years, had been repainted in a single stage black after a collision (typical Maaco cheapo job... poor prep and workmanship). The interior hadn't been cleaned in years, coffee and juice stains all over the carpeting, a heavy coat of dust on the dash, and the leather was just plain filthy.



I took the job after telling the customer that I could bring the paintwork back to about 80% to 90% after doing a test spot on the roof.



I amazed myself and probably got it back to 95%. The customer was thrilled...



He came by the house the other day to ask if I could look at his wife's Toyota 2005 Sienna... the car looked trashed again...



The wife came by with the Sienna.. just as bad, if not worse than the car. Like the Camry.. it's black... at least it's the original paint.



She stated has been washed at least three times... at a gas station car wash.. swirl city!
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Yes, I absolutely see cars that I would love to detail just because I know it would be such a dramatic improvement.
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Thats how I feel, especially now that I have SIP. Now if I could just get some damn business.
 
I'd have to say that I'd prefer cars that are kept well to a certain extent. For example, my dad's friend's car was somewhat maintained with a yearly NuFinish protection and wheel washes. Thus, when I went to clean the wheels and the paint, it's was somewhat enjoyable and easier to work with (when it came to first washing/claying).



Really bad cars, on the other hand, are very rough (literally) to work with, and it takes a lot of work. However, I think that these rough cars are the best when you want to show a before/after :)
 
Not normally. Yeah, they make for dramatic before and afters but I know in a month it will look like I never touched the car.
 
WilliamHBonney said:
I love working on the crappiest ones possible. Its so fun to see the owners look once they get it back.



I will say however, I hate doing interiors. I wish I could just do exteriors, I HATE doing dirty insides.
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I am the same way. Lately I have been doing a on of work for this dealer and he buys a lot of Diesel trucks and dump trucks that have seen the worst and I will revive them back to life. The dealer said he has never seen anyone that could ever bring back a car like I can. He just hates the price I hit him with but I add a couple thousand to the profit and make it sell faster. I will have to start taking pics again of my work.



I hate doing interiors too and they are not my favorite. The exteriors is where the fun is at and is where I kick major butt:chuckle:



The only problem I have with doing these dealer cars is the crappy black magic tire dressing silicone they use as it will not come off the paint and tires. I threw away a couple bottles he had and told him it is an extra fee of $ 25 for removal of the black magic. He is now a happy AA user for a cheap price:woohoo:
 
rydawg said:
I am the same way. Lately I have been doing a on of work for this dealer and he buys a lot of Diesel trucks and dump trucks that have seen the worst and I will revive them back to life. The dealer said he has never seen anyone that could ever bring back a car like I can. He just hates the price I hit him with but I add a couple thousand to the profit and make it sell faster. I will have to start taking pics again of my work.



I hate doing interiors too and they are not my favorite. The exteriors is where the fun is at and is where I kick major butt:chuckle:



The only problem I have with doing these dealer cars is the crappy black magic tire dressing silicone they use as it will not come off the paint and tires. I threw away a couple bottles he had and told him it is an extra fee of $ 25 for removal of the black magic. He is now a happy AA user for a cheap price:woohoo:
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Hahaha black magic rules!



I just hate doing carpets, Im not good at them Someone write up a EDU for carpet cleaning
 
It varies for me. Yeah I love seeing the transformation from a severe oxidation to pure wetness!



If I have a really bad car to do and I have to do the interior also. Then usually I am dreading the detail; as I hate doing interiors.



If I do just an exterior detail then I love em! Unless it single stage or repainted poorly.:nervous2:
 
I like doing the nasty makeovers as well. Very satisfying for both the customer and myself. The only thing I hate about the bad cars are the heavy water spots. They are the worst and most time consuming portion of the entire job.



As far as interiors, I just got my Mytee Lite and looking forward to trying it out on some nasty interiors. Might even post some C&B.
 
I really like to use polishes and bring a car back out to life again! I have done a few free details for some friends that I knew needed some help, but I tell them if its a single stage paint then you will pay $20 per pad that I end up eating up...



I just hate single stage paints, they are the worst in the world. And interiors are right up there with single stage paints, maybe not so bad a SS Paint...
 
rydawg said:
I hate doing interiors too and they are not my favorite. The exteriors is where the fun is at and is where I kick major butt:chuckle:
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Agree but I think I do a damn good job on them. I like interiors when I finish them but not really when I am doing them. Plus, since I am usually working out in the sun, it is hard to get good interior pics because of the shadows.
 
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