If you could start all over from the beginning.

[Setec Astronomy]

I call shenanigans. That’s kinda how I recently started... lol... I got gallons of stuff I don’t know how I’m ever gonna use.

Ha ha, I still have stuff that I bought in the first years after joining here that I`m still working on, and I joined in 2004. But to the OP`s question...if I could start over from the beginning, maybe I wouldn`t even start.

But if I did, I`d keep it simple, some ONR or DG rinseless, some Opti-Bond or one of the tire coatings, some DG or Optimum conventional wash, some OPC or Tuf Shine tire cleaner, and Opti-Seal or one of the other WOWA sealants, and some Wolfgang Cockpit Trim Sealant and Meg`s QID for the interior. And maybe some AquaWax or OCW. Oh, and if I needed something for bird bombs, maybe some UWW. Somehow that didn`t turn out that simple.

 

[RaydiantDetail]

Just let the rain wash my car, keep em filthy and save a tons of money lol.

If I had to start over I would keep it super simple as well and probably just grab some OTC products from Walmart/ Autozone and be done with it. Too late now.

 

[Accumulator]

glfnaz- Well, consider that my late father didn`t wash his own car until he was 70 and didn`t run a polisher (he liked my Cyclos ) for years after that.

...if I could start over from the beginning, maybe I wouldn`t even start.

-AND-

Just let the rain wash my car, keep em filthy and save a tons of money lol...

I`m assuming you guys are being facetious, but still....

We do put an awful lot into this whole thing. I *assume* everybody who keeps his vehicle nicely detailed keeps everything else in his life to the same standard.

I do wonder whether we`d do it if given the option of having it done for us...I lean towards the "pick up your own brass; clean your own gun" approach to life, but...I don`t really have options if I want my vehicles the way I want them, simply gotta DIY it. If I could be happy leasing something new I might indeed just Not Care- just do the tunnel wash and when it`s too marred up, get a new one. Guess it`d be pricey buying winter tires every other year or three, but I wouldn`t have needed to build my current shop either.

FWIW, none of the genuinely "successful" (i.e., "status" and/or "money-based success", the validity of which are a whole `nother topic...) people I know IRL give one moment`s thought to stuff like Detailing, and those are still people who drive themselves as opposed to having drivers/etc. to take care of stuff like that. I`ve spoken with guys who maintain some of the Big Private Collections, and those who write the checks sure don`t spend any time/effort/thought on such stuff either; they pay their minions to deal with that just like the housekeeping. They "just use their stuff" while paying others to take care of it for them. Just mentioning it for, uhm...Perspective. We sometimes flame people who don`t keep their vehicle nice, but the Pros here kinda rely on that for their livelihoods.

 

[Desertnate]

Interesting thought.

While I too believe in self responsibility and doing things yourself where able, that isn`t why I got into detailing. From an early age, I was taught to take care of my possessions and keep them nice and functional as long as possible because there wasn`t enough money to simply let them fall into disrepair and be cast aside. While the theory applied to clothes, shoes, and other household items when I was younger, it came into it`s own when I bought my first car. It was by far the most expensive personal item I owned. I knew I needed to keep it in top shape while showing pride in ownership, so I religiously washed and waxed it (with Dawn and NuFinish). The same mindset applies today despite having more cars and using far better products.

 

[Accumulator]

Interesting thought.

While I too believe in self responsibility and doing things yourself where able, that isn`t why I got into detailing. From an early age, I was taught to take care of my possessions and keep them nice and functional as long as possible ...

That`s how I was raised too, keeping one`s stuff in good shape was part of the whole Personal Responsibility thing.

The Japanese have a term for it that I can`t quite remember, part of "honoring your stuff".

 

[bodidly22]

Confucius - “To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right.”

 

[Coatings=crack]

I enjoy the washing/topping weekly routine. tried to pay someone to correct and coat but both had no salesmanship or customer service (important to me). All you guys who are pro’s if someone lowballs you or asks for a discount, no is absolutely OK. What’s not is not explaining the why. The quality of YOUR work. The Time it actually takes, the quality of materials. The horribleness of ones car and all proper steps to do right. If either of them had the sales/customer service part of their job down. Both coulda had my $1200. Now Autogeek got it and you guys gotta read my rants.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Accumulator]

I enjoy the washing/topping weekly routine...

Heh heh, you crazy Autopian you Just kidding, I enjoyed it for decades myself.

.. tried to pay someone to correct and coat but both had no salesmanship or customer service (important to me). ... If either of them had the sales/customer service part of their job down. Both coulda had my $1200..

I`d see that as a red flag, like...maybe they didn`t really know enough to explain themselves.

 

[acuRAS82]

I will give a happier picture to the new detailers out there: If I had to start all over, I don’t think I would change a thing. I’ve only been at the Autopian level for a few years now, but I’ve enjoyed the ride. Trying tons of new products, deciding what I like/don’t like about each, making my own pros/cons observations, coming up with combos for different seasons, I’ve loved it all.

The stress release I get after a busy day or week of work, parenting, house chores, pleasing others... being able to go to my garage and try to make something look as good as I want to make it without worrying about anything else, it’s been a great experience. And the best part is: I still have sooo much more of my own stuff to try.

ive spent way too much money on this stuff, but I’m OK with that for the satisfaction I’ve gained in return. I work hard to make money at work. My money has gone to so many places at the requests of other people. I used to spend so much $ on going out and having fun. Now I’ve changed things up and this is how I want to spend my recreational income.

 

[mobiledynamics]

I did the start over a couple years ago.

On my initial purge, I gave away the bulk of stuff that I did not use.
The following spring season, I re-editied my list again. Kept all my primaries. Kept the specialty stuff that I use for XYZ applications. The rest got purged

I have not bought alot of supplies the last couple years, but have bought some standouts just to try and see if it replaces/supplements my top-tier list. If a product replaces a top tier, then it get`s put into *2nd place* and after awhile, if I don`t use it, it get`s purged.

I dunno. I consider it either simplying/decluttering my ways of detailing I suppose
I just went back to a quick excel sheet of towels I put away that are brand new extras
Scary how much *stuff* I did a c c u m u l ate

"8 Crazy Pile
1 Dry Me Crazy


15 Everest 1100 Towels
15 Everest 800 Towels
26 Orange Eagle Edgeless
16 Blue Eagle Edgeless
5 Glass Towels
3 DP Monster
4 Griots PFM Wax Towel
4 Large Eagles Drying 20x40
4 Griots PFM Drying 2x3` "

- For your wiki, this is what spurned my purge. A couple of polishes (1Z Tin Cans), the solvent had evaporated out of it (proper storage). From there, I was like, why let these unused products sit around wasting when someone else may use them/enjoy them .

 

[Accumulator]

Scary how much *stuff* I did a c c u m u l ate...

Gee, that *is* a fair number of MFs. I have a gazillion lifetimes worth of cotton towels myself...having all of those kinda keeps me from going overboard on MFs (well, "overboard" is kinda relative here at Autopia!).

If I predecease my wife she`s gonna have a real job-o`-work on her hands, and dealing with Detailing stuff is a headache she wouldn`t need.

I threw out a lot of stuff I`ll never use while keeping stuff with sentimental value to me. I keep thinking (hoping?) I`ll wake up one day and have zero attachment to the old products I`m holding onto, but it hasn`t happened yet.

Really oughta get some of the OK stuff into the hands of somebody who`d appreciate it, but I don`t know anybody IRL who would and shipping a gallon of product to somebody would cost $ even if someone did want it (M205 anyone?).

 

[Accumulator]

acuRAS82- Glad to hear you still enjoy doing this stuff, necessary chores are a lot less onerous that way.

 

[CleanIt]

I`d buy a white car, Gyeon Bathe, Gyeon CanCoat and call it a day.

I`ve only taken this up as a hobby within the last 4 years or so, and I`ve already come around to a similar idea. I`ve always kept my cars clean, but never was too concerned about what products I used. What surprised me most about this thread is how many products many of you would continue to use. It`s addicting for sure.

 

[Coatings=crack]

I`d buy a white car, Gyeon Bathe, Gyeon CanCoat and call it a day.

White’s no fun. At least with black you feel you’ve done something impressive for the hour or two after.

I still feel the need to try things but to be honest…. I rhink i would be fine with some

CanCoat
Reset
303 T&R
Brake buster
Stoner’s glass
Adam’s graphene
Polish Angel High Gloss.
Fenylab Pure Rinseless.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk