Getting a little burnt out on detailing

J

JSFM35X

Active member
I don't know if its the fact that I did so much this summer or the fact that its getting colder but I have been putting off re coating my Infiniti for 2 weeks now. I just cant muster the mental fortitude to invest another whole day staring into the pearl paint, tearing it down and building it back up.

Anyone else get these feelings?
 
Re: Gedtting a little burt out on detailing

I have been the same way all year. In fact now that I have my vehicles coated all I really want to do is wash and walk away.
 
Re: Gedtting a little burt out on detailing

Same here. I have been doing cars every weekend for the past few weeks. My car is just sitting in the garage dirty. :wall
 
Re: Gedtting a little burt out on detailing

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I washed my car yesterday and took my time on the wheels and tires. She's back to being super shiny :)
 
Re: Gedtting a little burt out on detailing

I just had some issues polishing some tough paint yesterday on a tight schedule. I found myself wondering why the hell I even do this. I love maintenance detailing but I think I might be done doing correction jobs for other people.
 
Re: Gedtting a little burt out on detailing

I get that feeling from time to time also. Sometimes you just have to walk away for awhile. After a week of tough corrections I don't even feel like cleaning my car!
 
Re: Gedtting a little burt out on detailing

I got that way a few years ago. Granted, some things changed in other areas of my life that sorta helped make the decision easier for me. But when I sat back and thought about my priorities, I got to thinking: I am spending all this time, effort and money on an item that continually depreciates in value for results that practically no one notices but me. I thought about all the time I spent "rubbing the paint" on a vehicle. A machine whose only real purpose is to get me from one point to another. Basically realized how much of a waste of time it is when I could be doing other things that, for all intent and purpose, really matter. That's when I kinda walked away from the enthusiast part of it. I am pretty much content with a clean vehicle now. Definitely not pristine by the standards of people who hang out on the forums, but better looking than a majority of the vehicles out there. I sorta gave up on the forums when they became an over-the-top product marketing tool as opposed to what they were when I first started, which was more along the lines of people helping others with a process-first approach.
 
Re: Gedtting a little burt out on detailing

I get this way too when I book cars every weekend and don't leave time to enjoy life...feeling that way right now actually. Between working FT, detailing on weekends, and trying to get our home/garage addition up before it snows has been very stressful and takes the "fun" out of it for me. :/
 
Re: Gedtting a little burt out on detailing

I was that way last year, however this year I have made the decision to limit the number of cars I do each month. Being part time it is pretty easy to do this, however if I was full time that might be a different story. I now keep atleast one weekend a month open.
 
Re: Gedtting a little burt out on detailing

Yeah, it can take a certain frame of mind to have to re-work the LSP (coating or otherwise) as winter approaches. I did half a car on Saturday and that'll be it for a while. We've had a nearly rain-free summer and even the weekly washing has fallen way down on the list of tasks. One of the car's has severe water spotting, and I should do something about, just not sure what.
 
Re: Gedtting a little burt out on detailing

JSFM35X- Heh heh, I really do sympathize with you. I've been burned out with regard to actually enjoying this stuff for years. It's just "taking care, primarily cosmetic care, of an object", and IMO that shouldn't be one of Life's great priorities.

To me it's just another chore like shining my shoes or cleaning the house.

But I don't want to replace any of my current vehicles so I have to go about this stuff just the right way if I want to keep them nice (and that's "nice by my standards" ;) ). Every time I spot something significant that needs attention, usually when detailing the undercarriage or engine compartment, I'm reminded that OK there is a functional justification for doing this stuff, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it.

As for keeping stuff marring-free, that's just like not wearing wrinkled/stained clothing or scuffed shoes.

At this point the only car I'll ever consider doing for somebody else is my physically-challenged pal's MKII Jag. But I haven't even done that for quite a while now (he doesn't care as it still wins shows).

I've posted before about how I'd gladly wave a Magic Wand (or, more realistically, the Magic Checkbook ;) ) and never do any detailing again in my life, but I don't see that happening.
 
Re: Gedtting a little burt out on detailing

Did my gf's car yesterday in a 2 step polish and wax. Love it during, but the way I feel when I wake up the next day makes me question it. Sucks having a bad back.

That said, I'd love to pick up paid details. I charge $20/hr and most just don't want to pay.

I get a little burnt out on the maintenance detail for my own car. Looking forward to polishing and coating ahead of winter, just waiting for a good weather weekend to do it.
 
i feel your pain. i sat and looked at my SRT challenger for weeks after it got out of the body shop. waiting to gather the energy to start the polishing process towards eventual coating

so i ended up just calling into my day job and spending the 10 hours I normally put towards the commute/work day and got it polished/coated..then sat it in the garage and coated it again the next day, why not
 
Yeah, I really had to push myself to apply another layer of FK1000P this weekend in Sunny, 55f weather.

I have about 8 LSP's I still haven't tried out yet due to being burned out on free details for friends and family. I also have a plastic coating I need to apply before winter hits (weather dropped from 80's to 50's overnight).

I like to think of detailing as a mild workout with rewards and that typically keeps me going...

So yeah I totally know the feeling.
 
From an enthusiast's point of view, I was thrilled when I found a place that sold awesome car care products and could talk to others who felt the same via a forum. The collection of products grew to the point that I wouldn't make it through a quarter of the products before they expire. Then, I started noticing that I was the only one who noticed my ride; others didn't and still don't.
Looking back on all of this, I had to remind myself that this started as a hobby and was turning into something else. That something else was full of vanity; wanting others to comment, seeking more gloss, getting mad at myself when my technique was inefficient or unrewarding.
Time to bet back to basics and do it for the fun by slowing down and not putting expectations or time constraints on shining my ride.
 
I lost the mojo for detailing this year. I would have back pain for a few days afterward, but still push through cause I need the money. Then the back went out, and I had surgery. I am still doing physical therapy and hope to get back to my day job soon. I have had a long time to think and I have concluded that things happen for a reason, I guess I got my wake-up call to stop and take care if myself. So, my car will be looking better soon since I won't have to neglect it while I did other cars.
It will be clean and waxed, but forget that show car crap, after all, it's just a daily driver. I am looking to spend more time with family.
 
Junebug- Glad to hear that you're taking it as a wake-up call and that you know how to prioritize (i.e. family time vs. detailing).
 
EXPDetailing said:
.., I started noticing that I was the only one who noticed my ride; others didn't and still don't.
Looking back on all of this, I had to remind myself that this started as a hobby and was turning into something else. That something else was full of vanity; wanting others to comment, seeking more gloss, getting mad at myself when my technique was inefficient or unrewarding.
Time to bet back to basics and do it for the fun by slowing down and not putting expectations or time constraints on shining my ride.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're gonna be more, uhm...inner directed with regard to what you want out of this stuff. Good on you for that. Seeking validation from other people is a losing game IMO. Not that I don't appreciate compliments ;)
 
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