Forums and forum advise for the newest people...

T

The Total Pro

New member
When it comes to being or getting involved in auto detailing forums, there is a lot of truly great stuff on the forums, great teaching and some great tips and tricks. The forum format is a great resource to find valuable info fast and easy. Its a great way to get involved in the auto detailing and reconditioning industry. There are some amazing people on the forums with some awesome teaching. On a good forum you will find some amazing tips and tricks, "how to" things that are un-believable and can make your detailing endeavor much easier. But, please be aware that there are also a lot of un-educated people putting out the wrong info, being negative and placing bad info post on the forums as well.



Be sure to find someone in the industry that is truly a leader that you can mentor with, share with and has a support system in place and always verify any information you get from the forums with them before using or implementing or investing money in any business idea or product... A couple of the best guys I would recommend that you can turn to on this forum is David Fermani, Thomas Dekany or Kevin Brown as some of the great leaders and high end professionals on this site that are very knowledgeable, very positive and extremely helpful about how to use and service the forum and extract the information you need correctly. Look these guys up and drop them a note or question, Im more then confident you will be treated with the utmost respect and service. They can help make your first experience a great one on Autopia.org



Always remember to keep your post positive and objective.



Good luck to you in your search...
 
But, please be aware that there are also a lot of un-educated people putting out the wrong info, being negative and placing bad info post on [some] forums as well.



Be pro-active and research others opinions and products, test them and then make an objective decision based upon the factual information gained from research. Don’t regard any source as something you can entirely rely on, least of all marketing hype or brand loyalty. What's often most disturbing is that many car product vendors (especially rebranded products) have no idea what goes into the chemistry of each product. They simply know it went on and wiped off nice... and produced a shine



Always keep an open mind. Any material presented is actually my interpretation of personal experience objective research, and information gathered; so any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. I would strongly suggest that you verify any information that anyone shares with you.
 
I guess if was to advise a new member I would tell them not to get too wrapped up in the "whats the best product" mindset.



The detailers on this forum (for the most part) use specific products/equipment because it works for them and their business or personal vehicles. Not necessarily because their products are the "best", it is just something that they have a personal preference towards.



For instance, a guy or gal that does high end exotics is going to have different needs and expectations than someone who details minivans and beat up work trucks all day, and their product choices will reflect that. The person who is a weekend warrior and just likes to keep their baby shiny and protected is going to have much different needs than someone who is getting paid every single day to work on other people's vehicles.



The key is to find the products, equipment, and processes that work well for YOU. This forum is a Wikipedia of detailing information, and the best place on the internet to learn from the best detailers in the business, but don't feel like you are behind because so and so uses polish XYZ and you use polish ZXY.
 
Back when I first got into detailing for my personal cars, I found this forum and read up on everything for 9 months before making my first purchase. After that purchase, I continued to purchase tons of stuff, that sat around for several months, before any of it was ever used. I probably used about 50% of everything I bought back then, the rest is either still sitting there, or went to waste or I gave it away. Moral of the story: do your research before buying anything, and keep it SIMPLE, this isn't rocket science.



With that being said, I don't really take anyone's word for any product, unless it's obvious that 90% of the people using it say the same thing. I'm the type that walks into a Toyota dealership, and listens to the salesman trying to say Toyota is the best and all that good stuff, but that doesn't mean much to me. When someone from another non-Toyota dealership says hey, that Toyota is a good car, now THAT means something to me. Even then, you never know until you try it yourself. I think many want to make very sure it'll do something before buying, but even if it does or doesn't for someone else, it doesn't mean it won't for you.



cliffs: don't take anyone's word for anything, you will never know until you try it yourself
 
My advice would be don't take the advice of someone who seeks financial gain when suggesting products for you to buy.



Look for the reviews of the average Joes.
 
chrisguga said:
My advice would be don't take the advice of someone who seeks financial gain when suggesting products for you to buy.



Look for the reviews of the average Joes.
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Even the "Average Joes" can have bias or agendas, even when there's no financial gain in it for them.



Ultimately it comes down to looking for people with experience and a reputation for producing quality work, and then using a little common sense of your own to form a conclusion.
 
C. Charles Hahn said:
Even the "Average Joes" can have bias or agendas, even when there's no financial gain in it for them.



Ultimately it comes down to looking for people with experience and a reputation for producing quality work, and then using a little common sense of your own to form a conclusion.
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Sure, but on average they're going to be less biased than someone who is paid to pimp product.
 
this is the best detailing forum around (so many awesome detailers and just good people in general) and with that said, everyone is welcome here! :thumb:
 
Ultimately I think there are too many variables when it comes to choosing the right product. There are, literally, dozens of products that will likely create the same results for the novice, so choosing the exact right product is a waste of energy. The pros may choose specific products based upon speed/ease of use and cost while the hobbyist may choose a product for other reasons. The difference might really only come down to a 2%-3% difference in looks and durability and be slightly less forgiving on time and ease of use. If you parked identical cars side by side, one done by a pro in 4 hours with one set of products and a novice in 6 hours doing the same basic steps with a whole different set of products, the differences would probably not be immediately obvious to the layman.



For those who want to find that perfect product it is important to provide as much information as possible about the car including: Color, miles driven, where parked, time you are willing to spend detailing, time you are willing to spend washing, cost range, tools available for detailing/washing, climate...



In choosing the perfect wax/sealant these, and other factors, are all considered. There are very few who have used such a large cross section of the available products on the market on a wide variety of colored cars to be able to give an opinion that is not limited by first hand experience. So, while someone might recommend one product, it might not actually be the best option, just the best, in their opinion, compared to the others products they have tried, and you never will know what they are comparing, or not comparing it to.





Sorry, I think I rambled a bit... a result of insomnia and 40 hours straight.
 
[Even the "Average Joes" can have bias or agendas, even when there's no financial gain in it for them.



Ultimately it comes down to looking for people with experience and a reputation for producing quality work, and then using a little common sense of your own to form a conclusion] C Charles Hahn



With detailing products and methodologies there are a multitude of variables, what works for one person in one set of circumstances may not work for someone else, even under similar conditions? People seek out definitive answers, however sometimes the answer is far more complicated and a definitive answer just isn’t possible



We are all biased one way or another, in our choice of products, using certain products that do what WE want them to and consistently give us the results that we’re looking for



Focusing on one person’s methodologies or the products or tools they use will seriously limit your detailing experience and knowledge. Most importantly - choose carefully whose advice you listen to, and more importantly what advice you act upon.
 
C. Charles Hahn said:
Even the "Average Joes" can have bias or agendas, even when there's no financial gain in it for them.



Ultimately it comes down to looking for people with experience and a reputation for producing quality work, and then using a little common sense of your own to form a conclusion.
Click to expand...



Indeed. There are die hard brand fanatics that like or dislike certain brands and not always based upon issues not related to product performance. With a little reading, you can usually spot the trends on more popular ones but as you said in the end you need to buy something and use it.



There are a lot of good products out there and most anything sold by the major detailing places will likely do the job with the right technique that comes with experience.



One key point is when someone says they like or dislike a product it is useful to know what other products they have used. It is not uncommon to proclaim the first wax they used as the best out there.
 
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