Hi Y'all SOS!

M

MaryW

HS Detailing Teacher
Hi everyone,
I need help. I will be teaching high schoolers basic auto detailing this fall and don't know anything about the field except for what I am able to research online. I need help with understanding the basics, how to's, safety rules, procedures, etc. Any help would be appreciated. Right now my class has no funding, so any information needs to be free. Thanks!
 
Mary,

What sort of information are you looking to cover? With no funding and thus presumably no way to purchase equipment and supplies to demonstrate or give hands-on experience I can't help but think you won't be able to do a whole lot.

Have you thought about trying to get a local independent detailer or detail shop to help you out? Maybe let you shadow them for a day or two, kick in some supplies for your class, etc.?

Just throwing out ideas, here....
 
MaryW, we (the forum) is chock full of free information related to the detailing field be it from a hobbyist/enthusiast detailing their personal vehicles to the part-time detailers who have other vocations but choose to detail others vehicles on the side, to the full-time pros.

As mentioned above it would seem that you would need some funding to purchase equipment and supplies unless the course is theory. Further details would prove helpful, such as posting the course curriculum. If this course is being offered in the Fall, the school district surely has this defined by now.
 
I have some basic supplies (detergent, wax, couple of brushes, wet vac, cheap orbital polisher), not much else. I will eventually have a small budget. What basic supplies do I need to get started? I am expected to come up with the curriculum so this is what I have so far. If someone could post some basic safety rules, basic procedures in order, checklist of things to do (I did find the interior one in this forum) links to training videos, any training videos laying around you are not using, etc? I have to teach this course 2 hours a day, 5 days a week for 2 years. Yikes!

Auto Detailing Curriculum:
1. Safety
a. OSHA
b. Right-to Know laws
c. Work Place Hazards
d. Emergencies at Work
e. Making your Workplace Safe
f. Fire Prevention
g. Tools and Materials Safety
h. Material Safety Data Sheets
i. Universal Safety Precautions
j. Personal Protective Equipment

2. Understanding Automobile Construction
a. Name Body Shapes
1. Sedan
2. Hardtop
3. Convertible
4. Liftback/hatchback 2
5. Station Wagon
6. Sport Utility Vehicle

b. Major Body Sections
1. Front
2. Center
3. Rear

c. Identification of Pertinent Car Parts

3.Tools
a. Hand
b. Power
c. Use of PPE
d. Storage and Maintenance

4. Materials
a. Material Safety Data Sheets
b. Identification of Combustibles
c. Storage and Maintenance
d. Use of PPE

5. Detailing Steps
a. Washing the Auto
b. The Interior
c. Clay Bar
d. Wax and Polish
e. Bumpers and Trim
f. Tires and Wheels
g. Windows

6. Auto Damage Repair Curriculum
a. Straightening Damaged Areas
b. Filling Dents
c. Preparing Surfaces for Painting
d. Priming the Work Area
e. Smoothing Primer Coat and Painting
f. Compounding a Repaired Area

7. Customer Service
1. Employability Skills
a. Chain of Command
b. Pay
c. Sick Time
d. Communication Skills
1. Oral 3
2. Written
3. Listening
4. Business

e. Social Skills
1. Anger
2. Conflict
3. Employee relations
4. Discrimination
5. Time management

8. Preparing for Employment
a. Resume
b. Portfolio
c. Job application
d. Interviewing

9. Setting Up and Running a Business
a. Fundamentals
1. Name
2. Money
3. Policies
4. Procedures
5. Marketing
6. Customer Service
 
Color me cynical, but I'm having a hard time swallowing the idea that a school district is launching a Fall course and basically 30 days before the course begins there is no course plan.

I think I'll pass on this one. I'm sure that there are plenty who could provide consulting services, but to develop and implement a full course of study would take some time even for those of us who do and have done this type of work. But feel free to browse the site there is a significant volume of material to choose from which covers, at least in part, the topics you have mentioned.
 
Mr. Clean, Not asking for you to design my curriculum - just any nuggets of info that might be useful.
 
MaryW, there are plenty of "nuggets" available including descriptons of the processes, products and materials. There are even posts related to job pricing, working with employees and bits and pieces of dealing with customer complaints.
 
Wow... that's an EXTREMELY broad set of topics you're looking to cover -- is this designed to be a semester-long course (taught twice a year for two years), or a year-long course, or....?

What kind of classroom/facilities will you have available to you? Large enough with a work area where you could have a car there to work on? How many students are expected in the class?

I would again suggest reaching out to local detail shops, body shops, dealerships, etc.and see what they can offer you -- the class could be a source of trained employees for them, which is a great incentive to get them involved.
 
Welcome!
I agree with the above. You need
someone near you. All that information comes from years of experience an careful data collection.

It is basically the business plan and formulation for opening a shop.
 
Interesting that there is a class for high schoolers that last 2 years (during the summer) in South Carolina. It sounds like a combination of "shop" and learning to run a "shop."

Is this some elective? I am surprised this would be taught now. Is there that much of a demand in the current education environment.

If done right, someone could write a text book but this site and others have numerous how to's and plenty of some good and bogus ones on youtube.
 
This class could pay for itself and then some. A class of 20 students could knock out a detail in <15 minutes (Once trained). The problem is, even those who have done it for years still run into new situations that require some experience to know exactly how to "experiment" safely to get the desired result.

I would try to get some cars donated from a wrecking yard or body parts from a repair shop to experiment on. The students should be allowed to burn through the paint so that they learn just how easy it is to do.

Finding a local detailer is your best bet. You may want to volunteer your own time before the class starts to get some hands on experience yourself.

Good luck!
 
dwgcmc said:
I would try to get some cars donated from a wrecking yard or body parts from a repair shop to experiment on. The students should be allowed to burn through the paint so that they learn just how easy it is to do.
Click to expand...
:exactly:
Mary I will PM you some information to hopefully help you out.
 
:welcome: To Autopia Forum Mary!!

This biggest contributor to your personal knowledge base is "doing".

Reading is important as it give you a glimpse into the art of automotive detailing and exposes you to many of the tools, products, and methods many use.

This is "the" place to learn some of the finest ways to detail your car. There is a wealth of knowledge here for the beginner to the most advanced. A simple question is all that's needed to initiate helpful responses from members here and also Autopia Professional Staff.

Everyone starts off as a beginner but with some reading, questions, and trial, error, and practice you'll be amazed how much you'll be able to do. After reading and understanding some of the basics, the more hands on your are the quicker you'll build your knowledge and gain experience.

Do some reading

Library

How To's


Basic steps in order are:

  • Wash
  • Clay
  • Paint Correction & Polish
  • Seal
  • Wax
Make detailing enjoyable and practice. Take your time and try not become overwhelmed. Just because there are a thousand product doesn't mean you have to use them all.

Pick one product from each category from the steps above. Tale a look at the different products offered here as they're all good.

Autopia Car Care Products - Car Detailing Supplies, Car Wax, Car Polishers, Auto Detailing
http://www.autogeek.net/indet.html
 
Thanks everyone. This program is for at risk kids who are not academically able to graduate with a diploma. There are no state standards I have to follow, so the design of the curriculum is up to me. I am incorporating the business aspect with the curriculum because I want to empower them with the idea that they can become entrepreneurs (mobile detailers perhaps) as well as find employment with a company. It is ambitious, but if I can't get these kids to believe in themselves, who will? Can someone explain to me the difference between polishing, sealing, and waxing, and which equipment is used for each process? Which polishers are recommended for low price, ease of use, and producing results? Thanks again!
 
MaryW said:
Thanks everyone. This program is for at risk kids who are not academically able to graduate with a diploma. There are no state standards I have to follow, so the design of the curriculum is up to me. I am incorporating the business aspect with the curriculum because I want to empower them with the idea that they can become entrepreneurs (mobile detailers perhaps) as well as find employment with a company. It is ambitious, but if I can't get these kids to believe in themselves, who will? Can someone explain to me the difference between polishing, sealing, and waxing, and which equipment is used for each process? Which polishers are recommended for low price, ease of use, and producing results? Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Mary, there are a ton of threads on these topics which will give you everything you're wanting to know. In fact, I'd suggest reading the articles listed here as well:

Articles by Mike Phillips - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum

Mike's already got an article and video(s) describing how to select a polisher which should give you some insight:

How to choose the right polisher for your detailing project - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum

As you'll see, there's a reason we can't just give you a quick listing of "this is the best product for this, and here's the best polisher for that" -- there are a TON of variables in detailing, it's not something where the exact same thing will work the exact same way every single time.
 
Also trying to avoid being cynical, it appears that you're biting off WAY more than you can handle by attempting to cover autobody repair and painting in any meaningful way. This topic is covered in some votech schools in very elaborately equipped shops. There's really no "quick and dirty" approach to body work and auto painting.

I hate to say, but IMO, you're setting yourself and the students up for failure. I'd drop by to offer assistance, but you're at least 500 miles away.
 
Wow, this may be more than a full time job for the next four weeks, just to get ready!

Charlie took my first thought, posting the AGO thread, listing articles by Mike Phillips; each and every thread by mike is a wealth of information. Trust me, even the boring stuff will have you looking back, thinking "wow, I'm glad I read that.

Maybe this would be a good starting point before you dive into Mikes articles:

Car Detailing How To Information

Auto Detailing Facts, auto detailing Tips, How to detailing Guides, how to polish, how to wax, DIY detailing, do it yourself guides

Lots of really good info between Autopiaforums.com and Autogeekonline.net.

I would also check out as many Write-Up threads by forum members to get even more ideas. Write up threads are typically titled by the name of the car, or maybe "wash", "detail", "correction" and so forth. They outline the process the member followed to carry out the job. If information about the detail is not there, just post a reply with your question and the member will usually give you an answer.

Lots and lots to learn in so little time...

Maybe it would be helpfull to break up the curriculum into separate threads on multiple forums to discuss course ideas.:hmmm:
 
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