2k1AmberR/T
New member
Hello all, I've obviously known about the site for a long time(what kind of car enthusiast isn't familiar with this place?) and even read some threads of particular interest from time to time...but I think now more than ever is an important time to sign up and get to know some people and do some more in depth reading. Spring time and nice weather is right around the corner and I'm determined to keep my truck as clean as possible, and cleaner than ever before. I have a whole bunch of questions that I'll be asking, I'm sure, but plan on doing a lot of research prior to that. I just wanted to say hello and get my 10 posts in pretty soon so I can post some pictures when the time is right. For now I'll go ahead and answer a few questions that were posted in the sticky thread here in the noob section:
2. What do you like most about detailing?
I think I like the outcome the most, there's nothing better than taking a cruise in your freshly finished product. Feeling the super smooth paint and looking at the shine in your mirrors adds to even the driving experience. I also really enjoy learning new techniques, more importantly the new ones that actually work quite well and show the improvements. For example, the use of a clay bar...no matter how much you tell somebody how great it is or how well it works...until they actually use it and see the results for themselves they won't fully understand it. If for some reason they aren't impressed then they must not have a thing for detailing in general and I feel sorry for them. It's the **** like that that makes me happy! Watching swirls disappear, too (which I need to get better at whether it's my technique, equipment, or products I'm using I don't know...maybe just the lack of experience in general).
Also, just like anything else, spending money is always fun. I'd love to try new products as much as possible since I'm kinda new to this. It's hard to know what you like without having tried everything, or a lot of things. For me that sucks because I don't have a whole lot of money and it seems like the market is just plain flooded. There's too many of everything and for the most part I'm sure they all work just fine. It's usually just a preference that one person has over another for whatever reason...and although it's nice to hear someone say they prefer X over Y because of _____ I like being able to make my own determination.
3. What are your favorite products/processes and why?
Right now my favorite products are 3M because I spent the most money on them most recently and they seem to work quite well. Also clay bars in general I really like, they do wonders. I just picked up two gliptone body bars this past weekend and I'm pretty excited to use them in a few weeks.
10. What was you first car and what got you interested in keeping cars perfect?
I drive a 2001 Dakota R/T and it's my first, I've been trying to take care of it for about 6 years now and so far I seem to be doing an alright job, the paint is still in great shape from what I can tell. I hope I can only make it better after learning as much as possible from this great website.
12. Would you ever pay someone else to detail your car?
Hell no. I like to do as much myself as possible when it comes to wrenching, detailing, etc...even not just with my truck but with other aspects of life in general. I cooked a tuna steak tonight because I can cook it the way I want to and it saves a whole bunch of money. Why pay someone else entirely too much for a less desirable end result? Even if it takes a few tuna steaks to cook before I get it dialed in...I think you get the idea. I'll always detail my own vehicle. I'll take tips/advice/whatever from others but wouldn't ever pay them to do the entire thing for me. Also, I'm pretty picky about the way things are done. I like the way I do things.
15. If detailing is a hobby for you, would you like to do it full time, or do you feel that it would take the fun out of it?
For most things I think if you enjoy them but make a living off doing them you end up taking the fun out of them. I've NEVER thought about it until now (since this question is posted here I figured I would answer it) but I think I would definitely not mind detailing 40+ hours a week and getting paid for it. That actually doesn't sound too bad. It's something that at least once every day you can be proud of what you've accomplished and feel good about yourself. Unfortunately I have no where near the knowledge or experience in order to have such an occupation at this time and I'm afraid it would probably take years to get to that point so...it's not really in my cross hairs at this time. Thanks for asking, I find that pretty interesting.
Anyway, hello, you'll see my stupid posts start popping up here and there in the near future.
2. What do you like most about detailing?
I think I like the outcome the most, there's nothing better than taking a cruise in your freshly finished product. Feeling the super smooth paint and looking at the shine in your mirrors adds to even the driving experience. I also really enjoy learning new techniques, more importantly the new ones that actually work quite well and show the improvements. For example, the use of a clay bar...no matter how much you tell somebody how great it is or how well it works...until they actually use it and see the results for themselves they won't fully understand it. If for some reason they aren't impressed then they must not have a thing for detailing in general and I feel sorry for them. It's the **** like that that makes me happy! Watching swirls disappear, too (which I need to get better at whether it's my technique, equipment, or products I'm using I don't know...maybe just the lack of experience in general).
Also, just like anything else, spending money is always fun. I'd love to try new products as much as possible since I'm kinda new to this. It's hard to know what you like without having tried everything, or a lot of things. For me that sucks because I don't have a whole lot of money and it seems like the market is just plain flooded. There's too many of everything and for the most part I'm sure they all work just fine. It's usually just a preference that one person has over another for whatever reason...and although it's nice to hear someone say they prefer X over Y because of _____ I like being able to make my own determination.
3. What are your favorite products/processes and why?
Right now my favorite products are 3M because I spent the most money on them most recently and they seem to work quite well. Also clay bars in general I really like, they do wonders. I just picked up two gliptone body bars this past weekend and I'm pretty excited to use them in a few weeks.
10. What was you first car and what got you interested in keeping cars perfect?
I drive a 2001 Dakota R/T and it's my first, I've been trying to take care of it for about 6 years now and so far I seem to be doing an alright job, the paint is still in great shape from what I can tell. I hope I can only make it better after learning as much as possible from this great website.
12. Would you ever pay someone else to detail your car?
Hell no. I like to do as much myself as possible when it comes to wrenching, detailing, etc...even not just with my truck but with other aspects of life in general. I cooked a tuna steak tonight because I can cook it the way I want to and it saves a whole bunch of money. Why pay someone else entirely too much for a less desirable end result? Even if it takes a few tuna steaks to cook before I get it dialed in...I think you get the idea. I'll always detail my own vehicle. I'll take tips/advice/whatever from others but wouldn't ever pay them to do the entire thing for me. Also, I'm pretty picky about the way things are done. I like the way I do things.
15. If detailing is a hobby for you, would you like to do it full time, or do you feel that it would take the fun out of it?
For most things I think if you enjoy them but make a living off doing them you end up taking the fun out of them. I've NEVER thought about it until now (since this question is posted here I figured I would answer it) but I think I would definitely not mind detailing 40+ hours a week and getting paid for it. That actually doesn't sound too bad. It's something that at least once every day you can be proud of what you've accomplished and feel good about yourself. Unfortunately I have no where near the knowledge or experience in order to have such an occupation at this time and I'm afraid it would probably take years to get to that point so...it's not really in my cross hairs at this time. Thanks for asking, I find that pretty interesting.
Anyway, hello, you'll see my stupid posts start popping up here and there in the near future.