Detailing Forums - I'm cranky today...

PorscheGuy997 said:
I feel that there are good and bad members on every forum. You just hope that the bad ones don't post and the good ones stick around.

Every forum has good and bad characterics. Once we frequent a forum enough, we tend to concentrate on the bad qualities.

In general, I find it the most irritating when a new member instantly starts spouting off 'facts' that have no backing. For example, when the G110 was released, someone joined and stated that it was the same as the UDM.

Another common occurance is when a fairly new member asks a question and someone else responds with a copy and paste type answer. For example, you need X polish, X pad, and X machine. How is that taylored to their question? Why do they need this, this, and that? Or, a member gives rotary advice when they have never picked up one.

Oh well...
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Chris,

I agree and we both know there are plenty of amazing members at MOL but the need by (some) to just keep posting the same nonsense over and over again just wears on you.

I don't mind when a newb comes on and asks a question which has been asked 10,000 times before, because that is what the site is there for, IMO. However, when you have kids with very little experience holding themselves out as detailing experts, which goes uncorrected, I think it is dangerous.

Right now at MOL there is a group of abut 2-3 kids (between 15-17 years old) that post about 50 times a day, often back and forth to each other, as though they've been doing this for 30 years. I've seen one kids ride at least 9 times for "shine and shows" and his process looks somthing like this.

Wash with Gold Class, two buckets and grit guards.
Dry with Water Magnet.
Two coats of NXT 2.0
Maintain with QQD

Followed by 42 pictures.

Followed by 17 comments like this...

"Another amazing job sporto"

"you've done it again champ"

"well done chappy"

"amazing save"
 
User Name said:
Right now at MOL there is a group of abut 2-3 kids (between 15-17 years old) that post about 50 times a day, often back and forth to each other, as though they've been doing this for 30 years. I've seen one kids ride at least 9 times for "shine and shows" and his process looks somthing like this.

Wash with Gold Class, two buckets and grit guards.
Dry with Water Magnet.
Two coats of NXT 2.0
Maintain with QQD

Followed by 42 pictures.

Followed by 17 comments like this...

"Another amazing job sporto"

"you've done it again champ"

"well done chappy"

"amazing save"
Click to expand...

Well done Chappy.:biggrin:
 
Ok, my turn -- :)

I dont have time to sit here and look at multiple sites, so I keep this one as my first and usually the only one because of some really nice guys with alot of history from other site/s that ended up here. I have seen their work, read their well thought out instructive, posts, and decided that they have in my mind, credibility.

I am also very grateful for all the time many of you take to get pictures throughout a detail job, then finish the work, go inside, unload the pics from your camera into the PC/laptop, etc., edit, resize, write up the post/s send them, and then finally get some much needed rest, etc..

You guys, and you know who you are, easily stand head and shoulders above many because you have put your hard work, blood, and sweat, into the business to make you the successful detailers you are.

And anyone who is crazy enough to want to be a System Admimistrator for any website with all the attendant problems, challenges, daily, weekly, monthly, back ups, patches, filtering, etc., wow, you are really doing a huge favor to all of us. Thank you so much !!

Thanks also to Proper Auto Care and its founders and employees, for also sacrificing much more than anyone may realize so that we can have this great, useful, place to learn, make friends, compare products and techniques, and purchase about everything one would ever need at great pricing.

You know, everyone can say how much more easier it is to do things because of the Internet, etc., and it is,- however, the amount of background work involved to keep it running, at whatever speed, etc., is really huge, and expensive for someone or many.

The only thing I wish was better for me on the extreme Northwest part of the country is that PAC wasnt so far away. Shipping ground takes easily a week, and I cannot afford the extra $20 to make it faster yet.

What about opening up a presence on the West Coast ? I would be glad to help in this effort.

I have detailed a few vehicles now, and unfortunately only have pics of one and still dont know yet how to post them up. I know you need to get them hosted somewhere and then get them over to here, but will work on that soon.

My first experiences with both M105 and M205 have been positive. I just used them on a black Honda Element and they really brought out the shine and removed probably 95% of the scratches in the paint.
Blackfire Wet Diamond x 2 over the finish really brought out the finish and the lady did not recognize her vehicle when I picked her up and brought her back from the airport.

Ok, yacked too long, have to go to Home Depot!!

Thanks guys for all your hard work and time !

Dan Franco
 
User Name said:
Chris,

I agree and we both know there are plenty of amazing members at MOL but the need by (some) to just keep posting the same nonsense over and over again just wears on you.

I don't mind when a newb comes on and asks a question which has been asked 10,000 times before, because that is what the site is there for, IMO. However, when you have kids with very little experience holding themselves out as detailing experts, which goes uncorrected, I think it is dangerous.

Right now at MOL there is a group of abut 2-3 kids (between 15-17 years old) that post about 50 times a day, often back and forth to each other, as though they've been doing this for 30 years. I've seen one kids ride at least 9 times for "shine and shows" and his process looks somthing like this.

Wash with Gold Class, two buckets and grit guards.
Dry with Water Magnet.
Two coats of NXT 2.0
Maintain with QQD

Followed by 42 pictures.

Followed by 17 comments like this...

"Another amazing job sporto"

"you've done it again champ"

"well done chappy"

"amazing save"
Click to expand...


Yeah, after seeing an orange Cobalt posted for the millionth time, I decided that forum wasn't for me.

Autopia is a mixed bag for me. A few great detailers there, lots of keyboard detailers (they can regurgitate info, but I am not sure how well they can actually detail), and some who scare me with what they post. I have however picked up several great clients off that site.

I don't care for DB as it seems to "high end" for me.

I like this site, because I have had the pleasure of meeting Todd, Angelo, and several others in person, so I feel like I know these guys. There are also guys like Junebug, gmblack3a, and a couple others that I talk to from time to time, and greatly respect. Then there's User Name, and he alone is "worth the price of admission", and keeps me coming back - lol.
 
Wanted to ad another feedback. Looks like it's been covered that most people are unhappy with posting times vs. just reading. I don't seem to have any speed related issued on TID. I don't post much... but as far as reading, it's as fast as any of the other forums I visit. The few times I've posted, if it's been any longer than other forums we're talking a few more seconds.

EDIT: OK, I see... took maybe 10-15 seconds. I don't remember it happening like that before...but then again it's been awhile since my last post.

Rob

admin said:
Just to let you know that the man behind the curtain is always listening, I'd like to pose the question to the rest of the forum members and ask if they are also having an issue with the speed of the forum.

As to the speed, in which manner is the speed an issue? Page loads, post updates, etc?

Now, I know that page loads may not be lightning fast, but I have checked our page load speed against other boards and we are definitely in the same ballpark. Actually compared to a few others we are actually faster on page loads.

So, wanting to keep all our members happy, I'd appreciate any feedback.
You can either reply here, or PM me.

Regards
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User Name said:
So, I have a bit of a bug up my behind regarding detailing forums and I'm going to vent. As you can tell by the amount of posts I put up, I really enjoy detailing forums (by in large) but they are not without their problems, so I am going to site the issues I have with certain forums.

I generally only post on three detailing forums, TID, Autogeek and MOL (I was given the boot from Autopia). I also post at Detailing world or detailing bliss but not sure which one, so I won't comment upon it.

TID - Right now, it is my favorite forum and I have very little beef with this forum, except that it is the slowest of all the forums. I feel like I'm using dial up on this forum. Anyone else have this issue? On the good end, what I like about this site is that even though it has an obvious Blackfire bias, I have never seen them discourage fair discourse about other products. The other negative about TID is that since it is new it doesn't enjoy the same traffic as other sites, but I think this is only a matter of time. I think this site is moving in the right direction. I will keep annoying all of you on here as long as it keeps moving in the right direction.

MOL - That was what I considered my "home" operating forum and LOVED it for a long time, but I have become disillusioned with it of late. There are a few MAJOR problems the way I see it.

First big problem is that I have a GREAT respect for guys who "detail", however, Meguiars seems to have been taken over by 16 year olds who "wash" cars and call it detailing. IMHO, washing and waxing your own car over and over and posting the pics of the same car is NOT detailing and is of no benefit to anyone (for learning purposes).

By in large I only do my own cars but I do NOT put up "shine and shows" if I've simply washed my car and waxed it. That is not really "detailing" per se. There has to be something more.... paint correction, new product testing, plastic correction etc...

The second big issue I have with MOL is since Mike left and even a little bit before he left, I see a lot of misinformation coming from there, some from very young members and some from older "seasoned" guys. I recently read that a PC is basically only used for applying waxes and it went uncorrected. What would Kevin Brown say about such a statement??? I go to detailing forums to learn from the top guns in the business and MOL used to do that for me, but no so much anymore.

Autogeek - I can't stand the product bashing against rival products. Let me give you an example... recently I tried WGDGPS 3.0 and reviewe it (positively) at TID. No negative comments from the moderators or PAC folks that post here. However, I have read COUNTLESS topics over there slamming products that are not on there roster. Not just PAC products but basically anything they don't sell. To me, that undermines their site because I just don't buy the notion that "only products they sell are any good". Logic dictates that can't be true.
Autopia - This was never the place for me because I found it very "snobbish". I found the notion that an OTC product could never be as good as a boutique brand pervasive at that site. My belief is that every product must be measured by it's merits and not how it is sold or distributed.

The other thing that bugs me about that site is that it is in some ways the anti-MOL website. Megs seems to be full of kids who are non-experts but Autopia seems to ONLY have experts. That is to say, if you post there, you "must" be an expert. Well, I posted there and there is no bigger detailing shmuck than me!!!

In any event, just felt like venting this morning because I'm grumpy... carry on! :out:
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This is why so many members, especially some of the best detailers have merged to different forums like TID, and DB.I hate to say this, but right now that place looks like kindergarden, pretty much with mostly newbies...
 
Well, I am starting to get sick and tired of all the wetsanding and rotary buffing threads on MOL lately. Its ridiculous how much inaccurate info is coming from over there now regarding that topic.

:)
 
I may as well jump in here and stir the pot. J/K LOL. I go to 3 or 4 detailing forums and try and pick out what is interesting to myself or a topic on which I have a little knowledge or intrest in learning about. I think its easy to pick out those that are just spouting off things which they read elsewhere and no actual experience. I kind of overlook those since they add very little to my info gathering.No matter which forum it is , it's easy to pick out those posters with experience worth sharing and the patience to help others.I try and keep in mind that the purpose of these forums is not only to share and discuss detailing but for the owners to present products to interested members. So wether the member is a seasoned pro or a young (or not so young) no-it-all. He is a potential customer for the sponsors. I'm grateful for the platform provided to learn and willing to wade thru "How is this process for my whatever" for the hundredth time to find the secret to dealing with ceramic coatings or whatever might be presented before me at any given time.I guess forums are like radio stations. There are all kinds and even our favorites get a little stale at times.
Now my fingers are wore out from pecking and I've been up since yesterday so me and my tenth grade education are grabbing a few longnecks and heading out to the garage to see what trouble I can get into before supper.:D
 
I dont have very good luck at Autopia in getting responses to my post for help. I have had great luck here thanks Angelo and others who are quick to reply, the speed doesnt hinder me any. I also like DC Troy has given me some good info also. And Im getting ready to take the Blackfire plunge from all the post on its greatness, so Ill just keep coming back till I get booted.:thumbup:
 
Some thoughts.

MOL - I think the view it is predominately inexperienced people is because some of the pro Meg users are just posting less. My comment is that many young Meg's users do not want to use any other brand products even if they knew there were better ones.

Autopia - wide open place. Again the tone is set by the regular posters but still a very diverse group. I know there are a lot of readers because when you see comments about OTC some chime in but they are not out there discussing older stuff. Autopia seems to be flavor of the month. How many ONR, washing mf, etc threads can you have? I had heard the mods used to heavily manage things but that has changed in the last 2 years.

DB - Nice place. It does not seem to be dominated as much by strong judgmental personalities and well moderated to keep down the drama.

AG - It is sales support tool for AG - nothing wrong with that. I see comments about bashing other products but this tends to come from certain individuals. It is not the general trend and they even allow discussions on CEE GEE. With Mike P, it is now much better and fills the hole on the need for an in house detailing expert. They really did not have anyone supporting their own house brands well (like how to use the WG stuff) so we shall see how Mike does.

DC - smaller forum with regulars. Strongly influenced by Poorboy and AG since they sponsor the forum.

The one observation I have on posters is how someone new joins, starts reading, and then starts giving out advice on polishing (products, technique) without that much experience rather than advice based upon personal experience.

Forums get their personalities by the regular posters and it changes over time as they come and go. The regulars at many places just tend to agree with each other so discussion on some products does not really come up. How they handle new posters asking questions etc often determines the forum tone. For example if they always just mention specific brands it tends to get stale but you may just attract loyal users of that brand.
 
Bunky said:
.

Forums get their personalities by the regular posters and it changes over time as they come and go. The regulars at many places just tend to agree with each other so discussion on some products does not really come up. How they handle new posters asking questions etc often determines the forum tone. For example if they always just mention specific brands it tends to get stale but you may just attract loyal users of that brand.
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Well stated.;)
 
User Name said:
So, I have a bit of a bug up my behind regarding detailing forums and I'm going to vent. As you can tell by the amount of posts I put up, I really enjoy detailing forums (by in large) but they are not without their problems, so I am going to site the issues I have with certain forums.
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If this is who I think it is, you do have issues.....:D

User Name said:
I generally only post on three detailing forums, TID, Autogeek and MOL (I was given the boot from Autopia). I also post at Detailing world or detailing bliss but not sure which one, so I won't comment upon it.
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I post on MOL, AG and sniff around here and there. I really don't consider myself a pro but I have put up some "show offs" at MOL and AG.

User Name said:
TID - Right now, it is my favorite forum and I have very little beef with this forum, except that it is the slowest of all the forums. I feel like I'm using dial up on this forum. Anyone else have this issue? On the good end, what I like about this site is that even though it has an obvious Blackfire bias, I have never seen them discourage fair discourse about other products. The other negative about TID is that since it is new it doesn't enjoy the same traffic as other sites, but I think this is only a matter of time. I think this site is moving in the right direction. I will keep annoying all of you on here as long as it keeps moving in the right direction.
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I admit, I haven't been here enough you guys need to advertise it more! I have it saved at my work and sniff around but don't have it at home and tend to forget.....I've also been working a ton of overtime lately and have been cranky myself, we got lay offs so they pay me overtime, topped out Corporal, with longevity, do the math, it costs to pay me what it would cost to have 2 part timers to work the same day at regular pay. So, I took it and ran to the bank.

User Name said:
MOL - That was what I considered my "home" operating forum and LOVED it for a long time, but I have become disillusioned with it of late. There are a few MAJOR problems the way I see it.

First big problem is that I have a GREAT respect for guys who "detail", however, Meguiars seems to have been taken over by 16 year olds who "wash" cars and call it detailing. IMHO, washing and waxing your own car over and over and posting the pics of the same car is NOT detailing and is of no benefit to anyone (for learning purposes).

By in large I only do my own cars but I do NOT put up "shine and shows" if I've simply washed my car and waxed it. That is not really "detailing" per se. There has to be something more.... paint correction, new product testing, plastic correction etc...

The second big issue I have with MOL is since Mike left and even a little bit before he left, I see a lot of misinformation coming from there, some from very young members and some from older "seasoned" guys. I recently read that a PC is basically only used for applying waxes and it went uncorrected. What would Kevin Brown say about such a statement??? I go to detailing forums to learn from the top guns in the business and MOL used to do that for me, but no so much anymore.
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MOL isn't what it used to be. I think once Mike Stoops gets in shape and sees what direction he wants it to go, then it will be fine. I haven't posted as much and pushed myself from the keyboard more than one occasion. There are some people that get on my nerves badly and think they know it all. I try to tell what I know and in my experience.....There are some Young'ns that think they know it all and some older newer members that think they know it all. I still like it and it's where I got my start and I love Meguiar's products and use them a lot. But my participation has dropped a lot. It also appears to be a rep point fest which gets on my nerves a lot.

User Name said:
Autogeek - I can't stand the product bashing against rival products. Let me give you an example... recently I tried WGDGPS 3.0 and reviewe it (positively) at TID. No negative comments from the moderators or PAC folks that post here. However, I have read COUNTLESS topics over there slamming products that are not on there roster. Not just PAC products but basically anything they don't sell. To me, that undermines their site because I just don't buy the notion that "only products they sell are any good". Logic dictates that can't be true.
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I kinda like AG, since Mike arrived, although I missed the couple of threads that others mentioned and having post's deleted or modified (Kevin/Dana, who's Dana? ).....There are a couple with attitudes but, hey every forum has them. They only talk about things they sell and that's part of their rules. I respect that. I don't sense that the stuff they sell is only the best, it's just what they sell. But, I haven't been very long either....I like it though. I have seen that they don't like to discuss what they don't sell and they will kindly remind folks......Heck MOL has done some bad deleting of posts which ticked me off, but they pay the bill for the internet and it's not my business, same with AG, they pay the bill. They sell Meguiar's stuff and have my interests peaked on other product lines but that's about it.

User Name said:
Autopia - This was never the place for me because I found it very "snobbish". I found the notion that an OTC product could never be as good as a boutique brand pervasive at that site. My belief is that every product must be measured by it's merits and not how it is sold or distributed.

The other thing that bugs me about that site is that it is in some ways the anti-MOL website. Megs seems to be full of kids who are non-experts but Autopia seems to ONLY have experts. That is to say, if you post there, you "must" be an expert. Well, I posted there and there is no bigger detailing shmuck than me!!!
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I sniff around Autopia and that's about it. I always feel that I'm out of my "pay grade" there. Like I walked in a room full of suits and I'm the plumber.....

User Name said:
In any event, just felt like venting this morning because I'm grumpy... carry on! :out:
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It's alright to vent.
 
Nappers said:
I kinda like AG, since Mike arrived, although I missed the couple of threads that others mentioned and having post's deleted or modified (Kevin/Dana, who's Dana? ).....There are a couple with attitudes but, hey every forum has them. They only talk about things they sell and that's part of their rules. I respect that. I don't sense that the stuff they sell is only the best, it's just what they sell. But, I haven't been very long either....I like it though. I have seen that they don't like to discuss what they don't sell and they will kindly remind folks......Heck MOL has done some bad deleting of posts which ticked me off, but they pay the bill for the internet and it's not my business, same with AG, they pay the bill. They sell Meguiar's stuff and have my interests peaked on other product lines but that's about it.
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From the time I created this thread, to the present, AG has gotten MUCH worse IMO.

They ONLY censore the word "Blackfire" which is ridiculous and have (in the past claimed Wet Diamond is a clone of WG DGPS).

It also seems to me that MP has waivered a bit on the AG forum, backing away from certain opinions he's held in the past. Take a look at that thread about backing plates.

MP seems to offer one a opinion and then modifies it to be in line with the AG opinion.

In the end, the real problem is that I'm always cranky.
 
User Name said:
From the time I created this thread, to the present, AG has gotten MUCH worse IMO.

They ONLY censore the word "Blackfire" which is ridiculous and have (in the past claimed Wet Diamond is a clone of WG DGPS).

It also seems to me that MP has waivered a bit on the AG forum, backing away from certain opinions he's held in the past. Take a look at that thread about backing plates.

MP seems to offer one a opinion and then modifies it to be in line with the AG opinion.

In the end, the real problem is that I'm always cranky.
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I actually like the changes Mike has made with AG so far. Obviously his opinions are going to change slightly as I feel his hands were tied over on MOL.


If your cranky this is the best cure I can think of...obviously a hot girl walking by helps too! :D

corona.jpg
 
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