I've reached that stage...rant.

where i'm not overly insane about taking care of my car anymore. i used to be, and i wondered how some guys would seem to not care as much about their own cars, yet performed high quality detail work on others.

well i'm definitely there. i dont want to say i dont care anymore. i do, trust me. i want my car to look nice....when i have the effin time. im the kinda guy that if i dont have half a day at LEAST to dedicate to washing and topping off my car, im not going to even bother. id rather my car be dirty than to half ass it. havent washed my car in prob almost 3 months, and earlier this week i had it in for service. forgot to mention no wash, even though it is permanently on my service file. well, they washed it. and surprisingly i didnt freak. they did a pretty bad job too, and didnt bother to touch the wheels. and now my paints extremely swirled up. but thats ok, because as some of you know, my girlfriend mom gave my car a good once over during the winter with a stiff bristled broom to get the snow off of it, so its been messed up since then. the paint is in the worst shape its ever been. and frankly, i dont care.

why? life and more important shit take up my time now. like i said, i just dont have the time to worry about it. im back in school full time, doing side work, and recently spent every waking moment of my spare time over the last few months renovating a house so that my girlfriend and i could move in together and to top it all off my fire company promoted me to an officers position so now i have that responsibility on my back. would i love to give my car a nice full correction? totally, but im in no hurry really. it is what it is.

am i crazy? some of you prob will say so, but i know some of the OG guys on here feel where im coming from. i knew this day would come...:doh:

 

I hear you, Im getting to the point on my car its not worth obsessing over anymore. I have other issues to tend to, if its washed and looks good im ok with it........

 

After a few incidents I decided that I was taking it too seriously, and in retrospect I was neglecting myself (body and mind) and making myself feel better by having a clean car. Now I've dropped 30lbs and and getting into great shape, hitting the gym 3-4 days a week and dieting like a champ. Perfect person > perfect car. If you can't balance it, pay attention to yourself first.

 

im with you man. well said. congrats on the health front, thats quite an achievement. stick with it. working out on a regular basis is the last thing i have remaining on my list of things to reintegrate back into my life, but like with my car, i just really dont have the time right now to dedicate to it.

 

I know what you mean Billy. With the economy in the toilet here, both of my businesses are slow and perfecting my car is the least of my worries. Like Kyle, I really need to make time to get to the gym now that "fat season" is over.

 

LOL. I'm making it a lifestyle change rather than "I want a beach body" bullshit. All about diet.

 

Sometimes I wish I could be at that point...I'll even find myself wishing I didn't have a nice car. Having my GTI is fantastic, I love tracking it and I love driving it but at the same time having it in high school can be a pain. None of my friends respect it, they treat it like any old car. So far my friends have caused more wear and tear on my car than I have. Sometimes it just seems like it would be easier to have a car I didn't care about. Ah well. Still though, I've noticed that if my car looks good, I feel better.

 

I still obsess over my car. But I have no time for it, so I keep it locked up in storage and drive my POS Jeep around lol. It's all about prioritizing. I'm sure we would all like to take a week off life and clean every square inch of our cars to the degree that pleases us. If I can't manage to do a good wash, and/or wax if it needs, I just don't drive it...

So, no you're not crazy lol.

 

I'm still at the point where I can stare at both cars and go zomggggg and prob wont change until I really run out of time with priorities... but for now I will enjoy what extra time I have left making my cars look awesome

 

Oh dont get me wrong, I still obsess over my car too. It quietly lives in its garage with my dog to keep it company........ LOL I just find other things to do then wash it and do mini details all the time

 

Your posts explain why so forums have 1000's of registered members but only a small percentage are that active. Detailing is a hobby for many so when something else comes along it gets lower priority. If you stay connected to other enthusiasts, you will be less likely to just let it go.

 

Congrats on the new ventures in ilfe Bill. Great news about the fire company. No worries...Just bring that car down one day and we will get it in tip top shape

 

I don't think this is an entirely atypical situation. I know tons of people who have turned an avocation into a business and the majority of them no longer spend much personal time on their former interest outside of work. If they have employees they often just pay an employee to to do gardening/landscaping for them at their home or detail their car or re-tile their bathroom. Even when it is strictly a hobby I'm prone to go through roughly seven to twelve year major interest cycles and then on to something new. This doesn't necessarily mean that my former interests have been totally abandoned but they do become more peripheral.

With detailing if your vehicle has anything that connects you to your business on it or if you meet with clients or prospective clients when you are driving it then I think it is probably in your best interest to invest the time to maintain it in great condition.

For me detailing is still new and fresh and I'm just beginning the learning phase. Even at that I should be following Reflect's example and lose some weight and get back in better shape. Good intentions...

 

Billy ... you are not the only one. I've been extremely busy with the new house and the family. I just got done with a 1-step for a co-worker. I'm still detailing for side money whenever I have some time, but for the most part, the "honey-to-do" list is taking priority over detailing. My wife's car is still being taken care of while my car is a total mess.

It's reminds me of "Old School" ... when Frank "The Tank" is telling the college kids he can't drink 'cause he has to go to Home Depot and maybe Bath & Beyond with his wife in the morning. I thought it was funny when I first saw it (i was single at the time) ... now, it's my reality ... lol.

 

yes but detailing was my main source of income for the past 3 years, not just a hobby. i detailed full time for an employer and also full time on the weekends for myself on the side. its more than a hobby for me, but my point is i simply dont have the time to worry about keeping my car perfect anymore. more important things in life.

 

thanks pat. you said something about "not caring about chasing every single swirl anymore" to me last time we hung out, and that stuck with me lol. except i think i took it to the extreme. soon as i get some free time i will surely let you know. ill definitely need a hand! wait til you see the paint...

 

i feel you gianni. couldnt have said it better myself. especially the old school reference. PERFECT lol. its my reality too, but im not even married yet. sometimes i think i might as well be though. like today for example. its warm and sunny out, and i thought about washing my car, but the wifey is working so i have to straighten up the house and do yard work all day. total bummer.

 

I used to clean my old car when in high school and throughout college once a week maybe once every 2 weeks if I was too busy. Then while in school in philly I got a couple love taps here and there and eventually came to that it was a losing battle. I couldn't get too crazy bc it was bound to happen with the parking situations at my apt and in manayunk (major hills and only street parking = taping of bumpers). To be honest, it felt kind of good to not have to worry about it. towards the end I probably didnt wash my car once or twice the last year I had it. :yikes:

Came out of school and took over the detailing business that I worked for while during summers and have been doing that full time since. I've got a new car since then and too be honest i've waxed it twice in 8 months and wash it maybe every 2-3 weeks, albeit only have about 4500 miles in that time and garaged. drive my work van everyday. I only wash it when it is truly dirty, I don't have time to spend washing a "fairly clean" car. Between working Saturdays and only getting to see my girlfriend on the weekends, there's just more important things to do with spare time.

Bottom line, My customers get there cars cleaned before mine. mine can wait.

 

not to mention it makes the girlies think you're crazy, hahaha

i'm with OP on this point. as much as i'd love to wash my car every week, i don't have the time or place anymore

 

We all go through stages in life. I used to wash my truck at least once a week, now it's once every two weeks or so. It's a big vehicle, so it takes quite a bit of time to even do a proper wash and dry. I still wax it every month or so. The fact that it's garage helps.