IDA - International Detailing Association

And I`ve known a bunch of MCE (Microsoft certification) who I wouldn`t recommend to anyone I know to let them do anything to their computers.

Boy, was that ever rampant back in the Tech-Boom era. Take a boot camp online, take the tests and BOOM...Microsoft Certified (or Novell). Resulted in a lotta book smart folks that lacked practical, real-world knowledge.

HR Departments would then look for those certs when pre-qualifying resumes, so it did have some value when dealing w the Gatekeepers but that was about it for many of newly certified folks.

Maybe certifications are like foam cannons; questionable as to actual value but if you`ve got the time and motivation it certainly can`t hurt in any way.
 
i don`t see how the average consumer is supposed to know about the IDA to even ask a detailer about it. With that being said, certifications are by no means a measure on how good a person is at whatever they are certified in.
 
i don`t see how the average consumer is supposed to know about the IDA to even ask a detailer about it. With that being said, certifications are by no means a measure on how good a person is at whatever they are certified in.
I agree with the last part of this statement 100%. That said, if your technician can’t pass the basic/advanced tests to become certified (short of some medical/mental condition or treatment) it might make you want to take a look at them a little more closely.
 
I wouldn’t want a specialist physician who isn’t certified in his/her area but medicine and detailing are widely different fields....
 
I was interested, but when I repaired several jobs done by a past president of the ida, I decided not to be associated with them.

That is my issue too and I`ve seen poor work by an "awarded" member in the past. I`m 100% on board for continuing education (just came back from two advanced PPF classes), but at the end of the day just because someone passes a test and becomes an IDA member doesn`t mean they will choose to run their business ethically and by those standards. Some people don`t care, just focus on money, or whatever their reason is for doing poor work, lack of education/understanding often has nothing to do with it. Same goes for a ASE certified mechanics. Sure it`s nice to know an individual is educated and understands the vehicles they`re working on, but at the end of the day who I choose to go to is going to be based on reputation and WOM.

Perhaps the IDA has to implement a way to weed out the bad apples? Routine audits (undercover)?
 
Collision repair bodyshops, for years have depended on I-CAR for sharing, training, etc. The major vehicle manufacturers, paint suppliers, etc all work with them to provide the latest repair information, they have certification classes held all over. Many insurance companies also work with them, etc.
They have the same issues as ASE, etc, do their job right, but there are always shops that do just enough to get a high rating but once attained, do not enforce the correct methods.
That said, if someone asks me "what body shop should I chose?", I inform them to look for the Silver or Gold rating usually listed in their ads and signage on the outside of the shop.
Even so, sometimes the shop may be a dirt bag, not adhering to the ethics and standards of I-CAR.
 
Just about every field has bad seeds among them. Incompetence, bad ethics, laziness....whatever "bad" it is, it is. People have it. Period. Seems there is no field of "work" that is exempt from this. From the judges in the courts, the lawyers, the corrupt police. Bad doctors, teachers, mechanics.

I do applaud the IDA and what [i think] they stand for. It would be nice to see certification.

It would nice to see some standardization as well :) Like foam pad colors!!!
 
IDA may someday be powerful enough to get pad manufacturers to set a standard for colors but doubt it will ever be industry wide. Just as important is to mark each pad with date of manufacturer since the foam breaks down due to age. UV exposure is the culprit.
Which is why one pad may hold up for many uses, but the next time you buy the same pad, it doesn`t last but one use.
At the very least, as IDA membership grows around the world, someday will be able to at least attempt to pressure some manufacturers to set and use standards other than government mandated.
 
Lots of great feedback here ! Thanks all !!

I am grateful that Autopia is associated with the IDA and I believe A/G is also.. Thank you guys/gals for helping to push this forward !

Perhaps someday, the Detailing Craft may be at the level as the pretty familiar "ASE" certifications, that we car geeks are familiar with.. Wonder how long it took those people to put it out there in such a way, that we pretty much know what ASE means ?

If I did the math right, it has been mentioned that this Detailing Certification idea started in 1989, with starts, stops, etc.. Well, that was 31 years ago..

No matter what happens and when, -Nothing- will ever substitute for a world-class Work Ethic and Quality of Work.. You really have to - want - to work at this level !

And to achieve this, it will take years of hands-on time behind the tools, while all the time learning, and thinking of ways to perform more efficiently without sacrificing one whit of one`s highest Quality of Work..

My humble advice to anyone wanting to learn how to Detail has always been -- go find all your family, and Detail all those vehicles to start.. It will be easier to learn and carefully experiment on family vehicles than on a Client`s vehicle.. It you really want to do this for a living, this, or a form of this, needs to happen.. Yes, it will be much less expensive than a class that costs around $500/day, and you can perhaps start saving up for all the supplies you will sometime have to front and then get a return on investment..

We all stand ready to impart advice from the decades+++ of our experiences to anyone who asks, but you have to go do the work first.. :)

Dan F
 
That is my issue too and I`ve seen poor work by an "awarded" member in the past. I`m 100% on board for continuing education (just came back from two advanced PPF classes), but at the end of the day just because someone passes a test and becomes an IDA member doesn`t mean they will choose to run their business ethically and by those standards. Some people don`t care, just focus on money, or whatever their reason is for doing poor work, lack of education/understanding often has nothing to do with it. Same goes for a ASE certified mechanics. Sure it`s nice to know an individual is educated and understands the vehicles they`re working on, but at the end of the day who I choose to go to is going to be based on reputation and WOM.

Perhaps the IDA has to implement a way to weed out the bad apples? Routine audits (undercover)?

I think they need to make it much harder to get certified in the 1st place. From the Googling I`ve done on it, a person with just a bit of experience could probably get IDA certification with only minimal studying. There will always be capable people who get their cert and just do lazy work, your surprise audits would help that. But for the main cert just make it harder. A perfect example is Cicerone certification, it`s for people who want to brew beer. Level 1 wouldn`t be too difficult for even a novice if they spent a few weeks studying. Level 2 would be impossible to get without a ton of dedication. I mean like, it could take someone a few years of dedicated effort to prepare themselves. And even with pure dedication I think the pass/fail rate only only around 25% pass. And level 3 has like a 10% pass rate. And level 4, there are only I believe 4 or 5 on the entire planet, so the fail rate there`s basically 100%. If I meet a level 1 Cicerone person I don`t assume their knowledge goes beyond the basics, maybe they`re elite but I don`t know. Now if I meet a level 2 I know instantly they`re absolutely great. Now a level 2 could be lazy and not apply what they know and do crummy brewing. But I know for them to reach that certification they have to possess insane amounts of beer and brewing knowledge. When I know a certain certification has a majority fail rate for the testing, I will hold the people in higher regard.

IDA obviously has a ton of good members. I mean Mike Phillips & Renny Doyle are members, and I know there are others on their level. But it seems to me for a regular joe off the street to get IDA certificated it might only take them reading a bit and taking a few day long classes. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable in detailing, but imho I don`t think I`m good enough to where I should be able to get certified for it.
 
Many years ago my boss at the time set me up to get a low voltage certification. He booked me at a several day long class that was supposed to prep for what ends up being a multiple open book test. What the guy actually taught was how to find the answers to the questions rather than the material. So anyone could have passed because he taught how to break down the question to find the location in the books to get the appropriate answer. In other words people with no clue about low voltage contracting in the real world could pass this test. Meanwhile in the real world and I`m on job sites witnessing various trades all certified for their field failing inspections. Hell some of the time the work is up to code but for whatever reason the inspector wants to see it done differently.

A couple of random letters thrown on your resume is just that, no way it makes up for time spent doing proper work. There are guys doing work for years that are hacks and will always be hacks. Just because you pass a test doesn`t mean you still wont do hack work. Not saying this is the case with the IDA as it`s voluntary but in some of the required certs there are plenty of worthless accreditation out there.
 
I see some are missing one of the important points of the IDA.
Much more than just a `test, I can do that, etc, no reason for me to take part, I have customers,etc"
It is an organization dedicated to growing of respect by the public, working as a group to bring professional detail operators together, to create over time, respect in the eyes of the public.
It is not about "one person", their ego`s, etc, but working,world wide for the good of all professionals in the industry.
If one only joins for "what`s in it for ME!", not seeing the bigger long range picture, then IDA is not for them.
 
I truly believe that in time, the IDA will be what it should be. Right now, it’s still getting it’s legs. Like anything, there are growing pains, and as long as they get addressed going forward, it will be fine. So far, I believe I have $600 invested to get to be SV certified. Not terrible by any stretch. The IDA seems to have a mantra of “how you can help the IDA” .... As a new member, who is finally after 10 years of doing this on side, going full time mobile. I’m not sure what I have to offer at this time. In the future I hope to be an active contributor to new people starting out like I am. Until then, I feel a bit better knowing there is a community I can reach out to any time I hit a roadblock.
How much more time do you reckon it will take?
So far no one has asked me if I was a member. I dont think anyone outside of this organization has heard of them
 
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