Mistakes Made LETS HEAR THEM!
- Thread starter Fishroes
- Start date
jtford95
New member
I left the lid up on a center console a dog in the dressing process, not paying attention and knocked it off with my elbow. Had to buy a new one.
Burnt edges on paint. Understanding that this was in the late 80`s. Paint was a lot different than and as far as I remember, there wasn`t any da polishers around. Or I just wasn`t introduced to any. Rotary power baby.
Burnt a few Mercedes rims with wheel acid. Ouch.
Knocked a few emblems off as well.
Live and learn. The biggest thing of all, not charging enough for my service. Not paying attention to people that knew what they were doing. Probably would have been very busy and successful.
Burnt edges on paint. Understanding that this was in the late 80`s. Paint was a lot different than and as far as I remember, there wasn`t any da polishers around. Or I just wasn`t introduced to any. Rotary power baby.
Burnt a few Mercedes rims with wheel acid. Ouch.
Knocked a few emblems off as well.
Live and learn. The biggest thing of all, not charging enough for my service. Not paying attention to people that knew what they were doing. Probably would have been very busy and successful.
NLove
New member
I bought a BLACK CAR when I was in my early 20`s 
, that was my first mistake. My life hasn`t been the same since that sunny day after work when I walked into the parking lot and saw all the squirrels....I mean swirls. Any detailing mistakes I can blame on that black car since it would have never sent me down this rabbit hole. On a positive note I have found detailing to be my zen.
, that was my first mistake. My life hasn`t been the same since that sunny day after work when I walked into the parking lot and saw all the squirrels....I mean swirls. Any detailing mistakes I can blame on that black car since it would have never sent me down this rabbit hole. On a positive note I have found detailing to be my zen.Justins00ss
Active member
Well the one that actually cost me some money was last year. Finished up a big correction and coating job on a client`s black Camaro. He was going to be out of town so he asked if I could deliver it back to his house. No problem except it was going to have to stay here a couple extra days because I had some mobile work lined up.
So after the last time pulling it back in the garage after double checking everything. The only thing I can think of is that I left the car in neutral with no ebrake on. It must have rolled back a little bit so when I went to open up the garage door to go deliver the car a bracket on the garage door caught the back bumper and gouged it. Ouch!!!!
Owner was cool about it and said just make it right. Which I did and had the rear bumper stripped and painted.
So after the last time pulling it back in the garage after double checking everything. The only thing I can think of is that I left the car in neutral with no ebrake on. It must have rolled back a little bit so when I went to open up the garage door to go deliver the car a bracket on the garage door caught the back bumper and gouged it. Ouch!!!!
Owner was cool about it and said just make it right. Which I did and had the rear bumper stripped and painted.
Ronkh
Wax Waster
I`m just a needy kind of guy.
512detail
New member
when I fist got my black SRT in 2008 I thought I was doing good by rinsing off the brush at the car was hand bringing my own bucket with soap in it to dunk it in
I also recall washing my car with quartered 16x16 terry cloths for a couple of months as well
One time about 3 years ago I lost control of my Duetto on the roof of my truck, luckily I caught it before it found the windshield but there are some marks on the roof now
My largest mistake was thinking it was a good idea to put Essence under GTECH CSL and torture test it. Well, it failed a little after a year completely so I recalled the only two CSL vehicles I had out there and re coated them after a polishing for free.
It didn`t look like the coating was failing on their vehicles but I didn`t want to take a chance.
I`m sure I did a lot of other silly things in the past but those are the ones that come to mind.
On a positive note detailing has led me out of some of the darkest times in my life.
I also recall washing my car with quartered 16x16 terry cloths for a couple of months as well
One time about 3 years ago I lost control of my Duetto on the roof of my truck, luckily I caught it before it found the windshield but there are some marks on the roof now
My largest mistake was thinking it was a good idea to put Essence under GTECH CSL and torture test it. Well, it failed a little after a year completely so I recalled the only two CSL vehicles I had out there and re coated them after a polishing for free.
It didn`t look like the coating was failing on their vehicles but I didn`t want to take a chance.
I`m sure I did a lot of other silly things in the past but those are the ones that come to mind.
On a positive note detailing has led me out of some of the darkest times in my life.
BudgetPlan1
Active member
Despite the end result, that was a great test though. I`d still like to give the CSL/EXO combo a try at some point...
512detail
New member
oh yea I forgot that one, haha
guilty!
but in my defense, I Needed to see if I liked them
512detail
New member
funny thing is is absolutely fine on the passenger side which has never seen an iron decon in 18 months or so
edit: zero issues on my car as well but then again its covered in so much PA who would even know it was coated with CSL and EXO under there? ha .. I just did it for sacrificial layers anyways
Dan
Well-known member
I`ve had a couple of burn through in my less cautious days using my rotary but the one that I haunts me to this day is a towel that got a tiny strand of steel wool in it somehow. I saw scratching, and thinking it was a pseudo hologram or smudging, I rubbed harder. OUCH.
My overall biggest mistake in detailing was obsessing about swirls. Buying lights to see them, using polarized glasses to look at them, what a waste. These days I keep the cars clean and mostly swirl free, but I don`t go looking for swirls anymore. I`ve wasted too much time getting to perfection only to get tired of a car and then sell it.
My overall biggest mistake in detailing was obsessing about swirls. Buying lights to see them, using polarized glasses to look at them, what a waste. These days I keep the cars clean and mostly swirl free, but I don`t go looking for swirls anymore. I`ve wasted too much time getting to perfection only to get tired of a car and then sell it.
RaydiantDetail
New member
Plenty of mistakes:
1. Under charging for work
2. Spending money on too many products (not sure if mistake or addiction)
3. Burned through an edge on the bumper when I first started (luckily my own car but taught me to be extra careful)
4. Used Megs Super Degreaser on the exterior to remove stubborn adhesive then without thinking used the steamer on the same area and it caused some chemical staining on the paint which I then had to compound and polish.
5. Left some high spots when applying coatings the first few times to customers cars and had to have them bring it back to repair and recoat.
Sure I will make more mistakes a long the way!
1. Under charging for work
2. Spending money on too many products (not sure if mistake or addiction)
3. Burned through an edge on the bumper when I first started (luckily my own car but taught me to be extra careful)
4. Used Megs Super Degreaser on the exterior to remove stubborn adhesive then without thinking used the steamer on the same area and it caused some chemical staining on the paint which I then had to compound and polish.
5. Left some high spots when applying coatings the first few times to customers cars and had to have them bring it back to repair and recoat.
Sure I will make more mistakes a long the way!
Desertnate
Active member
I didn`t pay attention to the grooved shop vac hose when vacuuming out one of our cars after detailing the exterior. The hose rubbed back and forth on door/body panel and left some serious marring. I had to polish it all out and re-apply the LSP.
Also from the "not so bright" files: I was polishing one of our vehicles when the extension cord came unplugged from my DA while I was working. Being a smart guy, I promptly plugged the cord back in without turning off the DA and proceeded to spray a fine mist of compound all over the vehicle, myself, and parts of my garage before I could turn off the machine.
Also from the "not so bright" files: I was polishing one of our vehicles when the extension cord came unplugged from my DA while I was working. Being a smart guy, I promptly plugged the cord back in without turning off the DA and proceeded to spray a fine mist of compound all over the vehicle, myself, and parts of my garage before I could turn off the machine.
JustJesus
New member
That worked well for me for a while...until it didn`t. Then I tried Menz FG400. Good stuff but stinks. Then I went to a Megs training and liked D300.
I convinced myself that I "needed" to try everything to see what works under various conditions. <- that was a mistake.
Not sure if that qualifies as a mistake? Depending on who you ask, I guess. But I`m guilty of that. I`ve got over 25 different waxes. Some haven`t even been used. (But, i like the colors and scents of some!!)
That was big of you, man.
Hmmmm....
Ouch. not sure I`m ready to share
Here`s one that is somewhat *not* really detailing related, but sort of is?Wife pulled into the garage with her Kia. Liftback open for us to get things out. Looked like she was going to faint, so I rushed over to catch her. Took her in the house, forgot the liftback was open and proceeded to close the garage door. The scraping of the contact still gives me the shivers. (Luckily, it wasn`t that bad, and you couldn`t really see the minimal damage).
More recently, trying to replace her tail lamp bulb, after taping off the edges to avoid damage....still managed to chip her paint.
Ugh. I don`t think I`m liking this thread.
Ronkh
Wax Waster
Anyone who doesn`t make mistakes is either lying or hasn`t done it.
TroyScherer
Ummm.... Ya.....
I have looked at this thread a few times and never seem to have enough time to make my list. I`m usually overly cautious and heavy on research to help minimize the level of the mistakes.
Ronkh
Wax Waster
Minimize...
ShakingHorizons
New member
Put CSL on my shower door and didn`t wipe it off in time - still need to polish the door so that it doesn`t look like permanent soap scum, lol.
Coleroad
New member
Taking as long as I did to figure out what detailing and clean real is. Same for on learning how to safely detail a car. What I thought was a clean car 30 years ago is a joke. Still finding new areas to clean that I hadn`t thought about before.