Flawless Image gives a new life to an 07' Trailblazer!

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beaurogel81

New member
Alright fellas, as most of you know, I just started doing this full time about 5 months ago. And I have learned ALOT from the more experienced guys on this site. If anyone is new on here and REALLY wanting to learn the tricks and trades of the detailing business, these guys will turn you into a professional.. Heck, I started with a d**n powerball on my drill and thought i was buffing a car! ha..



Ok, started on this SS two nights ago. Thought it would be a 4 or 5 hour standard detail, but when i got there, it was one of my toughest projects yet.. I firmly told him after doing a test section on the paint that this was going to be an hourly job. He just told me to get it done and he would pay whatever it takes.. These are the customers I LOVE so I got after it.



Came back Friday around noon. He had it waiting for me in his AIR CONDITIONED garage! I decided to do one panel at a time. I started with the hood. Ended up wet sanding most of it to take out horrible scratches from the previous owner dragging stuff across it. (Didnt take pictures of the wet sanded hood, but here are before and afters of it..

(well here is what I did the night before, still dusty on the 'good' side. this is before I wetsanded it tho)

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This is in the sun. After the wetsanding, compounding, machine waxing, hand waxing, and nano sealing..

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this is the rear quarter after washing, but before messing with the paint..

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this is the fender after wet sanding. looks bad, i know..

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After..

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Drivers door before..

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It had this horrible scratch that was in it, and I wasnt sure if i could get it out..

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Door handle was really bad too..

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During wetsanding..

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Door after the full deal..

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Remember that scratch? Its gone..

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Door handle after..

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Final pictures of the vehicle (at 5am i must add)

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I have learned that overspray is not very much fun at all.. The working environment is the only reason I worked for 17 straight hours. A/C, free beer, good company, hydraulic lift (no bending down to buff on anything!)



Im gonna go outside and take some pictures of the equipment/pad/compound/wax combo's i used, and post them up..

Thanks for looking guys!
 
flawless your a fast learner i guess even after 11 years of this stuff i can't go from a wet sand to compound right to a machine wax. now my ? is for ya why did you decide to lay a a machine wax then a hand wax then a sealant? since i been around its always been compound polish sealant wax. did you really do this work? I'm not trying to ? your integrity, but sometimes the things you say just don't make any sense to me as a professional. i been at this along time and your not gonna blow smoke up my *** with a few pictures. when you first came on here as flawless image you were asking all kinds of ?'s then you get this nice rig, and tools and such. then all of a sudden your making all kinds of money just washing cars. and you were bashing those of us who did paint corrections. now your on here doing paint corrections. trust me i feel bad as I'm typing this but i don't feel what your doing is a good example of a professional detailer on a forum like this.
 
My opinion is that you took off wayyyyy too much clear just for an overspray removal. It's kinda like killing a squirrel up close with a 12 gauge slug. Not much meat's left for you to eat. (and no, I don't eat squirrel meat :lol)
 
bufferbarry said:
flawless your a fast learner i guess even after 11 years of this stuff i can't go from a wet sand to compound right to a machine wax. now my ? is for ya why did you decide to lay a a machine wax then a hand wax then a sealant? since i been around its always been compound polish sealant wax. did you really do this work? I'm not trying to ? your integrity, but sometimes the things you say just don't make any sense to me as a professional. i been at this along time and your not gonna blow smoke up my *** with a few pictures. when you first came on here as flawless image you were asking all kinds of ?'s then you get this nice rig, and tools and such. then all of a sudden your making all kinds of money just washing cars. and you were bashing those of us who did paint corrections. now your on here doing paint corrections. trust me i feel bad as I'm typing this but i don't feel what your doing is a good example of a professional detailer on a forum like this.
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heading back over to detail his F150 limited in the morning (sunday). I will be sure to take pictures with me, the SS, and my truck and trailer.. Anything else? Need a pic with a newspaper or something?



Let me get this straight.. What am I doing that is not a good example of a professional detailer? The fact that I have found my own techniques and still do amazing work? Or the fact that I have been doing this for 5 months and you have been at it for 11 years and im just about caught up to you??



I have put in alot of time and research into what I am doing. Alot of trial and error or dozens of body panels that I picked up from the salvage yard. I am averaging 75-90 hours a week, out there busting my *** to be the best at what I do.



I started off with taking whatever jobs I could, but now the demand is so high for FULL DETAILS, that that is the ONLY thing I offer anymore! Nothing but the full package. And yes, I am booked up for 2 to 3 weeks in advance. Word of mouth is my greatest advertising and the season is just beginning!



So as i said, are you saying my work isnt satisfactory as a 'professional' detailer? Or are you saying that the work isnt even mine?? Im confused.. Please clarify..
 
David Fermani said:
My opinion is that you took off wayyyyy too much clear just for an overspray removal. It's kinda like killing a squirrel up close with a 12 gauge slug. Not much meat's left for you to eat. (and no, I don't eat squirrel meat :lol)
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the compound took off the overspray. the wet sanding was just for the scratches. As you can see in the pics, some were quite deep..
 
bufferbarry said:
did you really do this work?
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If im not mistaken, that looks a bit like my trailer 5 feet away from the SS.. Or maybe I just pulled up on the job when ANOTHER mobile detailer was at this guys house and just started snapping pictures? hmm..

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And call me crazy, but this looks like the same fella in these two pictures.. hmm..

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I'll be darned if that isnt my truck in the background of this picture..

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An apology would be nice..
 
Got_Leather said:
So you went from compounding to a machine wax? Hmmm..pics are pretty dark too.
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here were my steps..

1: wash vehicle



2: interior (while vehicle air drys)



3: Work on one panel at a time, start with wet sanding. I use glass cleaner for lubrication and 2000 grit paper on a sanding wedge. Same directional motion with almost no pressure at all. wipe clean and continue with all the scratches..



4: Same panel. Use my Cyclo with the double sided orange pads. I usually use all Ardex, but I am running low on alot of stuff and the closest dealer is 3 hours away. So this is what I used on this job.

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This product is pretty tough to get off, but it works well. It also leaves a hazy look on the paint and light swirl marks.



5: I switch to the double sided green pads and use meguiars swirlx. I know its a wal-mart product but it is great for taking out the haze and swirl marks that the Machine Cleaner left.

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6: Then I switch to the white double sided polishing pads and use this..

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7: then i put down the cyclo and pick up a microfiber applicator. I apply this by hand and remove..

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8:then i use another applicator and apply and remove this..

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9:then i use another applicator and apply and remove this..

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Call it wrong order or over kill or not enough or whatever.. it worked for me! the camera doesnt lie! and as far as it being dark pictures, the flash tells all the truth you need right? and what about the pics of the hood in direct sunlight? no spider webbing, swirls, etc.. You saw the hood before right?? Why am I being challenged here?



Like I said, I usually use all ardex products, but I had to work with what I had last night..
 
That's...five stages in addition to sanding??? Maybe you are like me and need to improve on your camera skills but, looks to me like you went a tad too aggressive and left a few trails? If that's the case, you had better stick with washing and waxing. I can't imagine you left that behind with a Cyclo? And, I'm not going to suggest you change how you work but, I think the sealant should have gone on BEFORE the wax. What happens when the wax boils off??? You now have lost not only the wax but the sealant as well.



Just my 2 cents



Andy
 
Holy crap Flawless, lay off the Red Bull! I have never seen somebody so ready to fight. Why are you so defensive? If you are so confident in your abilities, why do you keep coming back here for validation? I didn't read Barry as suggesting it wasn't your work, he was questioning your process and your behavior here (and your use of hyperbole in the past).



You have come a long way in the 5 months you've had your business. You came to a forum that has a lot of professional members who do this because of their passion for it, and a lot of non-professional members who have a passion for it, and have been doing it for a long time. I waxed my first car before you were born. The backlash you are getting is from your lack of humility, not from your lack of ambition or effort. None of the pros who have commented are jealous of you, they are a bit miffed at your attitude.



I joined here about 5 years ago, and I thought I knew a lot about detailing, because I’ve been washing and waxing and even polishing for a long, long, time. But after I got here I quickly realized I really knew nothing in comparison to the collective membership knowledge. When you joined here you told us you were a “professional detailer”…who had a polisher but was afraid to use it. You regaled us with how much money you were making. Everyone here wants you to succeed and to be successful, but no one wants to hear your braggadocio. Life is a journey, hopefully a continuing learning experience. If you work on your ability to take constructive criticism as hard as you work on your business, you will be able to learn a lot here.
 
Got Wax said:
That's...five stages in addition to sanding??? Maybe you are like me and need to improve on your camera skills but, looks to me like you went a tad too aggressive and left a few trails? If that's the case, you had better stick with washing and waxing. I can't imagine you left that behind with a Cyclo? And, I'm not going to suggest you change how you work but, I think the sealant should have gone on BEFORE the wax. What happens when the wax boils off??? You now have lost not only the wax but the sealant as well.



Just my 2 cents



Andy
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thanks for the advice.. but i still fail to see any 'trails'.. are you talking about the 1 pic with the wax residue that wasnt wiped off yet on the drivers door?
 
Yeah, I don't know. Might be the pics because some of them are blurry. I am still trying to figure out the pic/posting process myself. The one I was referring to is the front left fender. Looks like the beginning of a trail where the flash has hit the front corner of the fender.
beaurogel81 said:
thanks for the advice.. but i still fail to see any 'trails'.. are you talking about the 1 pic with the wax residue that wasnt wiped off yet on the drivers door?
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Nice work Beau, especially for the short time you've been in the biz :)! I do have to say though that you've left out a couple of important steps... IPA wipes (maybe you did that, dunno) and final polishing/jeweling. The polishes you use may leave the paint looking as if it's finished because of the oils in it and the final polishing/jeweling ensures that those fine scratches left after compounding are removed. Just some constructive criticism, not bashing ;)! Keep up the good work! BTW, you're wife's a hotty, props!
 
David Fermani said:
no, I don't eat squirrel meat :lol)
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Have you ever eaten squirrel meat David? Well I may be a poor redneck from MS, but I know good stuff when I eat it and it tastes like chicken! Just not much meat on it regardless of what you shoot it with :).
 
well put Setec, learning to take constructive critisism is very important. There are tons of knowledgeable members here who post alot of great info, and yes people will speak out if they feel the term "professional" is being misused. This is a place to learn, share some info, and cool cars, and to better the meaning of "detailer".
 
Nope, not yet, but I haven't seen it served in any of the restaurants either to try. I'm all for road kill grill....:drool:
 
Nice job. I was curious to know if you used a paint thickness guage before deciding to wet sand. I invested in one last year, and use it everytime I do a full detail, just to be sure of what I have to work with.
 
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