What products for Police Vehicles?

T

Tkinney1016

New member
Hey everyone-



My day job is as a cop, looking at doing some detailing on the side. My department has probably 100+ take home patrol cars so everyone is responsible for maintaining the appearance of their vehicles.



A little insight on how people usually care for their cars. On average probably a wash once every week or two. Most people go through a drive through type of wash as it is easiest and quickest. As far as waxing goes, probable only a few of those people who are meticulous about their things do it. Other than that its just the basics to keep the bosses off your back for having a dirty car. Cars are parked outside probably almost 100% of the time.



I am looking at offering some basic details as far as cleaning interior, wash, slight polish, and wax. Due to the cars not being owned by each person, I don't expect them to pay for a full on detail. Plus the cars are "tools" and see some harsh treatment so making the paint perfect would be a waste of time.



My question is- What would be the best product(s) to use for the paint correction and wax. I was thinking an all-in-one would be my best bet for some slight correction for water marks, swirl, and slight scratches and also giving me a protection as well. The best bang for the buck/time is what I'm looking for due to what I'm going to be working on.



Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Also I have a Porter Cable 7424xp on its way so this will be done with the DA.



Thanks!



Tyler
 
Best bang for your time is going to be Megs D151, especially if you can't resist topping. If you want better durability, you'd be better off with ZAIO but won't get nearly as much correction. In fact, I'd use ZAIO on the ones that were in better shape and hit the others with D151 for as long as you are willing to work it. If they ever come back, hit with ZAIO.
 
Dan- thanks, I was just reading a couple threads and it seems that the aio's don't provide a very long lasting protection. I could really use the longest lasting protection as possible so if using two products would be better I'm good with that too. I would probably want a decent polish and then a good wax or sealant.



I also debated on HD Uno maybe?
 
I'm not really experienced with AIO's except for Meg's ColorX and HD SPEED. I've just completed one of my ambulances with SPEED and I'm pretty amazed at what it could do. I brought out a nice gloss and brightened up the white paint nicely. I'm testing out it's durability but topping it off with your favorite wax or sealant will definitely improve durability. What kind of cruiser do you have and color is it? I'd also invest in some heavy duty disinfectant/germicide too for the back.....I know what kind of clientele you folks get to play with!
 
I recommend the 3D Speed as well.

Cruisers are often put through automatic car washes, so in reality it's tough for any sealant/wax to last for too long due to the high pH of the soaps used.

From my personal testing of the Speed, feel that it is easy to use, may even be applied by hand as well as a dual action, have used it with a high speed rotary as well.

Other than this product, and considering what the vehicles are subjected to, not an "autopia enviorment", I would have to recommend Nu-Finish liquid.

Grumpy
 
Underdawg- ha ha, true on the clientele



We have the black and whites. Obviously the black front and rear is where I'm going to focus on cause the white middle doesn't show as much and the decals run right through the middle of the doors. The interiors shouldn't be too bad, rubber floors, hard back seats, thats easy. Im just wanting to focus on the exterior appearance. What waxes are pretty easy to use and have good durability and how long can I expect them to last?
 
Tkinney1016 said:
Dan- thanks, I was just reading a couple threads and it seems that the aio's don't provide a very long lasting protection. I could really use the longest lasting protection as possible so if using two products would be better I'm good with that too. I would probably want a decent polish and then a good wax or sealant.



I also debated on HD Uno maybe?
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Well, if you want to maximize results in as little time, yet have durability, its going to be hard to beat ZAIO. There are very few sealants that will outlast that ZAIO. Its also aggressive enough to do minor corrections and remove oxidation. Its pricey, but a little goes a long way. You could go the UNO and Poxy route, but I wouldn't, it'll be lost on the target audience.
 
Tkinney1016 said:
....white middle doesn't show as much and the decals run right through the middle of the doors.
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Good point, I'd be very careful with abrasive based AIOs on the decals. Depending on their quality, you could create some real damage. I'd probably do the decal section with something like DG501, its heavy on chemical cleaning but pretty light on abrasives. Still a very durable product.
 
Where I live Police officers do the same as you all. Most take them to the local tunnel and scrub'em places. I have a good number of the who have started to use my services for their maintance needs. Like the officers I detail for,I'm sure you would like the easy bang for your buck method. What I do for a vehicle before starting them on their own detailing schedule is as follows. I do a good ONR wash of the vehicle making sure all the nooks and cranies are spotless, clay, then and AIO polish as others have said D151,ZAIO,Speed are all great choices. I like ZAIO myself for one step details. Same goes for the interior APC all the surface and 303 the interior, 303 holds up very well and darkens a bit. Once I have done the hard work for them advise them to get some ONR, tire dressing, and glass cleaner ect. Then they are good for for maintaining their own vehicles for a number of months. When they feel like it needs something more they call me for another enhancement detail. Some cars I do about every 3-6 depending on how well it has been maintained. Very basic detail and sure you can handle it in a weekend or day off and you should be good with a once a week ONR wash. Hope this helps and good luck at having the best looking vehicle on the force.-Jamie
 
Jaime- great to hear from someone who is doing work for the same audience. I'll have to get my products ordered and then start getting some jobs. I already have one lined up plus my own. Then it will just be selling it to some others. Just curious what price you charge and how much people seem to be willing to spend?



thanks for the advise everyone!
 
Hmmm, just a thought here, What if you did your detail and correction sealant etc, then wrapped it in a clear vinyl wrap the entire car? should make maintaining much easier and look good for years.
 
Would probably work but its going to be hard enough to get the guys to pay for the detail let alone anything extra.



Anyone else have a suggestion on a price for a detail on the patrol cars?
 
Dan said:
Good point, I'd be very careful with abrasive based AIOs on the decals. Depending on their quality, you could create some real damage. I'd probably do the decal section with something like DG501, its heavy on chemical cleaning but pretty light on abrasives. Still a very durable product.
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Just what I was thinking--why not use DG501 mixed 4 parts 501 with 1 part 601--it's low cost and lasts for 6 or more months even on cars routinely going through auto car washes. The mix with 601 would then allow you to put a coat of DG 105 on those willing to pay for a little extra durability and better looks. And you could do it all in a reasonably short time.
 
Ok, they are Police Cars that stay outside all the time; hummmm, let me think about this one....ok, the "normal advise" is what they are doing---->"Most people go through a drive through type of wash as it is easiest and quickest." So, do you seriously believe that claying, light polish, waxing and PAINT CORRECTION are something a Police Officer wants to do to a Police Car that he doesnt even own? And OMG, the suggestions to wrap the car in a clear vinyl wrap....seriously? I'll bet that MOST of the Officiers dont even want to do detail their own personal cars.



In any event, just my opinion



Pig
 
Pig- I totally see what your saying and I don't think a ton of guys will do it but some do care enough. Like I said earlier, I already have one job lined up and can probably think of a few more just off the top of my head that would probably go for it. And as another member said, he does some patrol cars on a somewhat regular basis as well. There are some guys that care enough to do it, I usually go through mine really good at least once a year which is probably a norm for about 75%
 
Also I see that Pwaug suggested to mix two products together, I have never heard of that. Is that ok to do? Not doubting Pwaug, just never heard of that but I'm new too so I haven't heard of a lot of tricks
 
Tkinney1016 said:
Also I see that Pwaug suggested to mix two products together, I have never heard of that. Is that ok to do? Not doubting Pwaug, just never heard of that but I'm new too so I haven't heard of a lot of tricks
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It has become common practice after a couple of guys on AG gave it a try and it was "blessed" by Jerry at DG. Saves time during application and shortens cure time to a couple of hours. You can mix 601 with 501,105,101,111 Who knows perhaps you can get a few of the guys to occasionally give the car a coat of DG AquaWax once they see how good their cars look.
 
Cops are pretty competitive with each other. If you make a few cruisers pop, you'll get more business, the trick is a price that is wallet friendly, otherwise you price yourself out of work.
 
Just a thought, but how often does your agency replace its cars? You might be wise to also offer a service to the guys who get issued brand new cruisers and Opti-Coat them right off the bat. Yes, the tunnel washes will still chew them up eventually, but OC will slow that down considerably and allow them to come clean much more effectively. Plus it's not affected by the crazy pH of the wash soaps those places use so the durability is way above that of a traditional sealant or wax.



Aside from that I'm thinking a lot of officers would be more interested in having their interiors deep cleaned since they live out of their cars and use them as mobile offices.
 
Charles- most cars go about 120k miles, the last 30k or so being a fleet car not a take home. It would be great to offer some different stuff like you mentioned but I'm curious how many guys are going to want it. And most cars sit on a lot for a year before they even get outfitted so a paint correction right off the bat would be needed if someone really cared about the paint finish.



The reason it's hard for guys to put a lot of time into the appearance is cause we lean on them, throw bad guys on them, eat off of them (lunch boxes on the trunk, spilled ketchup and salsa). Some guys just want a freshen up every year or so.



Anyone have any suggestions for a price on a full detail with mild paint correction and sealant? Just a ball park figure?
 
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