How about a Non Autopian thread...

buzztt said:
its exactly what the OP was talking about
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The OP wants to know some non Autopian methods, procedures, and processes. Not when we washed the family car with Murphys oil soap in the driveway.
 
Nothing too bad for me. Fortunately, I was raised around parents who love cars and take care of them the right way, for the most part. Can't say I always used the 2 buckets with grit guards, the KBM, or high-end waxes but have been pretty good about detailing since childhood.
 
Shutter said:
The OP wants to know some non Autopian methods, procedures, and processes. Not when we washed the family car with Murphys oil soap in the driveway.
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if thats not non-autopian, what the hell is?
 
When I was attending university, I worked for a detail shop that never clayed a thing. In fact, I don't believe any of the employees (nor the owner) knew what claying was. Now for the wax-only jobs, meh, I do that in my packages today. But for the polishing jobs, not a chance, I'll only polish if I clay first, but this other shop, to date, still polishes away without claying.



I also once worked for a fleet vehicle leasing dealer (private fleet leasing, so not a "manufacture dealership"). We were instructed not to tape anything before polishing, just to go at it, regardless of what we got caked into seams and wherever. Also undercoated and box-lined without masking or covering anything. Made for some interesting wheel-well areas.
 
I was taught that a build up of dirt, road salt, grime, tar, etc. helped protect the paint.



Same as never bathing: Didnt want to wash off the protective crust.



My mom and I also used to apply Turtle Wax 2000 polish to the car and not buff off the residue afterwards- she told me it wasnt necessary :soscared:
 
black03mach said:
back then the epa didnt regulate what solvents were allowed in paint so i bet alot of that paint was meant to take a beating unlike todays fragile coatings...
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but, but, but, the one thing nobody has addressed is how good your memories are (for those who said they'd use kerosene, just straight water, etc... etc.. when washing decades ago). Post-"detail", would the cars be at an autopean level, or look like a pile and shit? Who can say, because I sure doubt 30yrs ago you guys were looking for the flaws you are today.



So while maybe in your memories the paint looked 100% after a kerosene wash (to your untrained eyes back then), by today's autopean standards it might have been 2% at best.
 
efnfast said:
but, but, but, the one thing nobody has addressed is how good your memories are (for those who said they'd use kerosene, just straight water, etc... etc.. when washing decades ago). Post-"detail", would the cars be at an autopean level, or look like a pile and shit? Who can say, because I sure doubt 30yrs ago you guys were looking for the flaws you are today.



So while maybe in your memories the paint looked 100% after a kerosene wash (to your untrained eyes back then), by today's autopean standards it might have been 2% at best.
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Heh heh...well, in my example the kerosened vehicle's condition was just a relative thing; a beat-to-blazes work car that stayed "decent-looking" for decades and a zillion miles (odo broke so who knows). The owner was a semi-itinerant electrician who worked in some wild areas and drove many, many miles. *NOBODY* else I knew kept their beater on the road so long here in the rust-belt, at least not back in those days.



Guess I myself was never all that far from today's "Autopian" detailing, 'cause my (good) cars 30 years ago were mighty nice. Hey, my Jag is 26 years old, and I'm not doing things much differently on it now and it doesn't really look much, if any, better.



Go back a bit farther, and I guess some Autopians might take issue with mixing Meg's #7 with cornstarch and using that with cotton towels, but that's what "hand-rubbed lacquer" meant back in the day.



I find it kinda interesting that people were able to keep black ss lacquer really, *REALLY* nice back before today's miracle products and wonder tools. A pal's family owned a local funeral home, and those Cadillacs were *NICE*, even by today's Autopian standards.
 
craigdt said:
I was taught that a build up of dirt, road salt, grime, tar, etc. helped protect the paint.



Same as never bathing: Didnt want to wash off the protective crust.
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haha, I still do this in the wintertime. For about 4 months out of the year (November, December, January, February) my car doesn't get washed. Road dirt and grime build up and I give it a good bath come spring in March. Important to note is that we do NOT use salt on the roads here, so nothing eating away at my metals. I might also note that it gets to around -60 F in the winter. Wash you car and you'll never open the door for a few months, or, in my case, my windows get frozen and don't "return to top" (I have a convertible) whenever I close the door.
 
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