Is this Heresy ? All products look the same.

P

Perm

New member
I recognise that there is a huge difference between a dirty car and clean car. And a noticeable difference between a car that has just been washed and one that has been

Washed, clayed, polished, waxed ect ect



However is there a real difference to the casual observer (someone who sees your car as you drive past, someone who simply walks past it in a car park ect) between all the different products / combinations.



Would Mr and Mrs Average be able to see the difference between two cars that have both been well prepared with different products. (eg megs vs zaino vs klasee ect ect )



I know that Autopians would be able to tell the difference but I am interested in if you think the average person would notice the subtle effects that different high quality products make on the overall impact of a cars paintwork.



My opinion is that there is little or no visual difference between products as applied to a well prepared car to the average person.



What do you all think ?





Cheers



Perm
 
LOL.



Now that is interesting........ I think a lot of the car detailing perceived difference is in the mind. I except that protection can be objectively measured but things like shine, wetness, gloss, slickness are totally subjective.
 
First of all, regular people can't tell anything about a car besides whether or not it's shiny. Swirls mean nothing to them.



Second, I think there are those autopians who can tell, but for the most part we can't. That's why my focus has been durability.
 
If regular people can not tell the difference....... then all that extra time taken to create that perfect

finish and maintain it will not help the resale value of a car vs a car that has been taken care off but

only in "normal" way. eg. washed when dirty.
 
Perm said:
...perfect finish and maintain it will not help the resale value of a car vs a car that has been taken care of but only in "normal" way. eg. washed when dirty.
Click to expand...



I am somewhat new to these boards, but a casual look and a look to buy IMHO are totally different. A car that I can see my own reflection and meticulous interior has a better chance of me buying than a car that doesn't. Walking through a parking lot, previously it was shiny, not shiny. But when you're putting cold hard cash down, you are alot more picky. Just my $0.02
 
I buy products for ease of use as well as looks. Every one has their own ideas. I have found my favourite products and use the same products for all my detailing, on my own car and when I do other cars.



I like a wet look on my silver 307, so I top off with Nattys. A lot of other guys like the shine given by a sealant like Klasse SG.



I can see the difference with some products. As with all things it comes down to personal choice.
 
I would have to agree that it's in the mind.



Does a $35.00 Carnuba wax look better to the average human eye than a $5.00 tin of Turtle wax? Most likely not.



Does polishing your car with a retail product as opposed to a professional product give the apperance of a deeper finish to the casual eye? Again I think not. We won't go into marring as it has already been stated that the casual eye knows nothing of these things.



However enthusiasts (read Autopians) and professionals are evaluating other aspects than the final result (ease of use, how much product do you need to use to achieve results and how fast can you obtain those results, lastly shelf life are some I would add to those already mentioned).



In the end I think it's not what the casual eye see's but what went into getting that "as close to showroom look as a daily driver can get" results and how much effort is required to keep it that way.
 
Hdi136,



I agree it is all about personal choice. All I am saying is that on a well prepared car, the choice of product will not have a major impact. The visual difference between product 1 vs product 2 will be subtle and that you will be hard pushed to notice it.



As this site says..... it is all about the preparation of the paint. Not the product.



However on reading some of the threads you would think you are missing out by not having the greatest / latest product when in reality if you bothered to swap products you probably would not be able to tell.



I have used Megs wash, Megs NXT, plus Autoglym extra gloss protection. Now I suspect of I swapped to another combination of products (Klasse, Zaino ect) that the difference would be minimal.





Perm
 
Here's my take:



No, the average person cannnot see anything that we as autopians see. Swirls just do not appear to them as they have the ability to "soft focus" paint. Unfortunatley we have lost that luxury through the quest for the perfect "shine."



While I do believe that detailing is all in the prep, different combos and LSP's do IMO produce certain looks that can be distinguished by a trained eye. Obviousy this is hard to see in pics, but in person they are there. This is a little easier to see on your own paint becasue you are more familiar with how different combos look on it.



Now, I couldn't care less what the average person thinks of my car or if it will help sell it. I detail my car to treat my own sickness fine thank you and I certainly do not plan on selling her anytime soon. :)
 
Ebpcivicsi,



The reason why this thread is important that it could help someone else getting infected by the same sickness and set off on the endless "quest" for the perfect combination of products. :laugh:



Perm
 
No, the average person can't tell the differences among products. And I don't think any of us could pass a "What product is this?" type examination, either. Most of the differences are nuances. I'd go so far as to say you could Zaino your car, tell me it's #26, and I'd believe you; and vice versa.



Realizing this will go a long way toward alleviating product wars. We all gravitate toward products that feel comfortable to us, based on a lot of things but mostly based on "trust". We trust Zaino, we trust Chem Guys, we trust Meguiar's, we trust PB or CK or Mother's. Trust can be based on price, service, effectiveness, ease of use, availability, a combination of those things, or some other thing. But there's a feeling you get picking up a product that can only be described as "trust".



For example, I had some 4* UPP; nice stuff, really slick. It went on easy, came off easy, and looked great. No reason not to use it, no reason not to love it. But I didn't feel like using it again. I didn't get the same feeling from using it that I get from using products that I'm more familiar with.



Like it or not, we build relationships with things. It's why there's a Z camp, a Meg's camp, a Mother's camp, a Klasse camp, a Sonus camp, a PB camp. Understanding why we do this and what it means will go a long way toward breaking down barriers and fostering mutual respect.





Tom
 
Mosca said:
We all gravitate toward products that feel comfortable to us, based on a lot of things but mostly based on "trust". We trust Zaino, we trust Chem Guys, we trust Meguiar's, we trust PB or CK or Mother's. Trust can be based on price, service, effectiveness, ease of use, availability, a combination of those things, or some other thing. But there's a feeling you get picking up a product that can only be described as "trust".
Click to expand...



I concur, very well said/written Tom.
 
Mosca said:
No, the average person can't tell the differences among products.
Click to expand...



I sorta agree - I think on a black or really dark color car you can tell the difference between a sealant and wax but on light color cars it would really be hard press to tell the difference. Even telling the difference between different sealants or different waxes on light or dark color cars would be hard for most people.



I just posted this on other forum...



I have a silver blue (light blue) 1958 Vette that is by far my favorite car and the one I work on the most. To my disappointment I cannot tell the difference between waxes or sealants on this car and I have tried Zanio, DP Spray Shield, Wofgang, NXT, and Souveran. Last week I tried Zanio without much difference but last night I topped it with Souveran and still didn’t see much of a difference if any. So I think color plays important role in telling the difference between products. I will probably continue with Souveran not for the looks/durability but because I can spend some quality time with the car…:grinno:



Now dark color cars I can see a difference between Waxes and Sealants but comparing sealant to sealants or waxes to waxes I don’t seem much of a difference.
 
Nah, generally speaking I don't think that "regular" people can tell any difference. Even my friends who care more about their vehicles than the average person don't notice/care about things that would drive me crazy, let alone subtle differences in things like LSPs.



But on the other hand, some people just "see" things, they're more tuned-in visually. So if they turn their attention to a car's appearance they can see stuff that other people would miss.



My wife, who doesn't really care all that much about this stuff, can *always* tell if I use something different on her silver Audi. I never tell her when I use something different, I wait for her to say what she thinks about the difference and as soon as she walks in the shop she'll spot the change immediately.
 
fantastic thread.



I now feel a lot calmer knowing that in truth I am not missing out by not having the UPP or Klasse or Zaino ect and that what I am using is probably as good as it gets and if I swapped to what ever your using it would not make that much difference.





Perm
 
Well, if you are doing your own car, you are missing out in those products. Plus, say if a customer's paint is oxidized, AIO can make a huge difference, and that's something a baby can tell.
 
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