Hey guys, I'm new with paint correction and trying to figure out the products I want to use. What do you think of this combo? Griots buffer w/ Uber Pads (Apparently pretty equivalent to the PC) Meg's M105 Meg's M205 Menzerna PO85RD Menzerna Power Lock Thoughts? Thanks, Alex
Alex, Welcome to this Forum ! Looks like you have a great start - the Griot's big PC has had great reviews from many, and the warranty is the best out there I hear. Same for Phil's Uber pads, everyone here and other places like them a lot. Phil uses them too, and you see how nice his Client's vehicles, look, right ? Your compounds are fine, 105 for correction, 205 for some lighter correction and polishing, Meguiars 105 is not exactly the easiest compound to start out on; it wants to dry out before its really finished doing its thing, so just keep a little moisture in form of a spray bottle handy, and allow it to work itself down to a nice polish, and try to catch it before it starts to dust a lot. PO85RD for really fine polishing/jeweling, and Menz Power Lock for your LSP, have always been favorites of mine. Have you had a chance to look at the new Meguiars D300 series microfiber buffing pads and compounds/finishing polishes ? A lot of people are really liking what they do, and from what I see and hear, they are way less problematic, and the finish is pretty incredible. Either way you go, you will be fine. Depends on what you are trying to achieve, is it for your vehicles only, what kind of paint they have, or are you thinking you might want to venture out into the Detailing World many of us live in.. Good luck with your research, let us know how its going ! Dan F
Hey Dan, Thanks for all the help. I'm already hooked haha. I'm actually in college and last summer I just got hooked on keeping my car clean, that led to neighbors wanting their cars cleaned and it built from there. Last summer I made great money and this summer I decided I wanted to take it to the next level, marketing, getting the right products and moving more from lower end detailing waxes and washes to higher end paint correction. My business partner worked at a detailing shop and is experienced with a rotary but it sounds like they used some cheap stuff there. This week has been the most successful week I've ever had and decided I'd splurge a little haha. Here's what I'm currently doing/ what I'd like to add on. Let me know what you think about this procedure. Prep Tires/ Wheel Wells with diluted Zepp Purple Prep Wheels with diluted Zepp Orange/ Megs wheel Brightener depending on wheel material/ state of wheel Rinse exterior Prep stubborn bugs with diluted Zepp Orange, for more stubborn areas use Zepp Purple/ Tarminator Wash exterior with Meg's Diluted Wash Dry exterior with microfiber Dress wheel wells with Griots Undercarraige Spray Dress wheels with megs hyper dressing Spray down vehicle with Megs Last Tough Spray What would be a better compound to start with/ what do you mean by jeweling? Also, how much polish do I put on the pads, I don't want to create buffer trails. I ended up buying the Uber Pads I'll real excited.
Hey Alex ! Well, congrats on the decision - it's a lot of work, but if you like challenges and get satisfaction from taking something totally wrecked sometimes, and turning it into a beautiful rolling work of art, then you are in the right place ! One question for you and your team, are you guys going to do more "production" (get them in and get them out asap) work or more "Custom work" where you have time to really get the paintwork almost if not perfectly clear, or a combination of both? I use Meguiars Wheel Brightner on really dirty neglected wheels only, and always try to use car wash soap, Megs super degreaser or apc+ first, if time permits, to get the wheels and tires clean. The Wheel Brightner smells really caustic and I am sure is not good for your skin or your lungs so be careful with it. It DOES work great though and I never go stronger then their recommendation on the gallon jug = 4:1 (4 parts water to 1 part chemical) I pressure wash vehicles first because up here where I live, mold grows wild and will attach itself to all kinds of places on vehicles if they are left outside for a year or more..You may not need to do this step, but I have to, if I want to speed up the job, and its invaluable in cleaning out engine compartments engines, and under hood areas. It cant do everything but it sure can move a lot of stuff out of the way fast and then you can see what is left to do, or better still, spray chemicals on engine, etc., use a large long soft bristle brush/s with long handles to agitate all the chemical especially under the hood avoiding the hood pad if there, and then pressure wash it/rinse and it will turn out fabulous. I also dry using an electric leaf blower that I modified with a slightly shorter nozzle that I taped A/C thick black foam around the edge so if I accidently touch the vehicle, i wont scratch it. Blowing out water from all the seams, behind moldings, cracks, etc., is really nice and means you dont have a lot of drips going on when you pull the vehicle into your dry garage floor. I tried out Griot's undercarriage spray and while it worked, it was too greasy looking for my needs. I found Chemical Guys Bare Bones undercarriage spray, which is less greasy, works great, and costs less and you can get gallons of it. Have also used Meguiars Hyper-Dressing - it looks great on engines and the compartments, if you dont spray it too heavy, and may need a wipedown after it dries if it looks too shiny. Cant beat the smell of it anywhere, its great ! Have never tried it for tires, but have to think it would work well there too. It doesnt seem to have much durability though, as other products. It is a great value for the cost, though.. Megs Last Touch Detailing Spray works great too ! Cost again is geat on this one as well. There are so many compounds out there, its crazy now. Depending on the correction work required, the paint type, the paint condition including thickness, I might use Menzerna PO83 Super Intensive Polishing compound, Meguiars 105/205, Optimum Hypercompound, Hyperpolish, and either a Lake Country purple foam wool pad for the heaviest correction on the worst paint, Orange foam, Hydro-Shred Cyan,, white foam, Hydro-Shred Tangerine, and Hydro-Shred Crimson for final polishing or applying a glaze or polish, etc. I also like to apply the last step using those little round yellow foam pads, by hand. Jeweling is taking the compounded if necessary, polished, paint to the highest level of clarity using a super soft pad and a really fine polish like Menzerna PO85RD Final Polish, or if you want a little more cut before it polishes out really great, Menzerna PO106FA Super Finish. I am using all of the above with a Rotary Power, and while I have a couple of Random Orbitals, they mostly get used for front and back bumpers, smaller areas, plastic headlights, etc., places where the big Rotary even with a smaller pad, might not be needed, or be more risky if it slips.. I have found a good, inexpensive 1-step compound in Meguiars D151 Reconditioning Creme, and think this was developed for production shops, etc., because it cuts fast, dusts little, finishes down nicely, and leaves a layer of protection. I wouldn't use this on an expensive car (unless they wanted it), but for the average not badly hammered vehicle in need of a quick detail, or even some airplanes, its really good, and its a true 1-step product. Your Business partner, may also have great ideas on products and techniques, coming from a production shop I assume.. Looks like you are off to a great start, hope it works out for you guys ! Dan F Your partner
Hey Dan, Right now I would say its more of production. It's jobs ranging from a 35 dollar hand wash to 180 wax, wash shampoo carpets etc... I think I would like to continue doing work like this until I have learned how to CORRECTLY do paint correction when I will then do more custom, take my time, perfection work. So the answer to that question is a combination of both. How did you get started detailing? I actually just bought an electric pressure washer from home depot and it's awesome. I love it and it cuts a lot of time off the wash. And I also try and not use wheel brightener when I do not have to. My partner, who's a mad man likes to prove that its not that bad by spraying it on his arm (his skin will probably burn off in the next month) haha. As for the undercarriage spray/ tire dressing. I do wipe it off afterwards. I know exactly what you mean by greasy and actually if you wipe it off I think it gets a nice look. Next purchase I will be sure to by the CG Barebones I actually read about it today and it sounds great. I think the tough thing about what we I guess are calling "production work" is being cost effective. Most people in this forum do custom work like you talked about, it seems more feasible to start a detailing business doing production work where the costs are very low. My products allow very low costs for my business. My upfront costs were about $400 dollars and will last me about a month (This is a complete guess) keep in mind the 400 also includes a 12 x 12 canopy and a powerwasher. Do you think this is smart trying to cut costs like this? Honestly I'd like to know maybe I'm sacrificing too much quality. But I believe I am able to achieve the same great results by applying this cheaper dressing and wiping them. Funny you talk about D151 I actually just ordered it today and from its reviews it sounds great. Now that I am moving into the paint correction field I'm trying to buy more expensive, high quality chemicals. So far I have bought M105, M205, and the Uber 6.5 inch pads. What else would you recommend? I have been suggested to check out Prima products I heard they were sick. Thanks again for all the help, I look forward to hearing what you think of all this haha Alex
Alex, Sounds like you are dialed in great for your business plan at present ! Great to read that you are taking your time, learning, and experimenting with products and techniques. I was lucky enough to get introduced to all things automotive when I was a kid at my Dad's gas station/repair/shop and a body shop. Ive been into all these things pretty much all my life. I always liked the painting, detailing, part of the business more than all the rest, and it was a requirement of our house that I kept all the vehicles washed and waxed weekly, so I guess you can say, its in my genes. Further back, my Grandpa also was a car guy and liked clean cars, got a new one almost every year, etc.. Painted professionally for a few years, and got away from it into the Telecom world because it paid a lot better, but always did the Detailing thing on the side, including keeping all our cars up and my neighbors, etc.. Finally a few years ago, decided to make it a full time job, even before the economy tanked, and Telecom jobs like I used to have, all went away anyway. Great moves on the pressure washer, and yes, when HyperDressing is wiped down, it always looks great, and as I said earlier, the smell is outstanding. I hope your partner is ok with putting a product on his skin that has a "3" (High) Hazard rating by Meguiars, and their own words - " Can cause severe irritation/permanent damage to eyes, skin, and upper respiratory tract, Can cause deep tissue damage and delayed skin burns, Inhalation can cause damage to the respiratory tract, avoid breathing vapors or mist, etc, etc. " Yes, you will want to keep your supplies costs down as low as feasible for the type and level of work you want to produce. After you get a handle on your yearly costs for chemicals, it would be advisable to go to your best Supplier, tell them you can give them $XXX of money a year, and how much of a discount can they give you in return? Buying in Bulk will be their first reaction, but I dont buy that, and still shopped around the big $$$ I spend a year until I found a great supplier that gives me what I want in any quantity, for a great discount.. There are a lot of supplliers, they all need volume, most I believe would be happy to know that they can depend on your $$$ yearly.. I hope your monthly cost $400, is going to be lower, or you will be spending close to $5k yearly - thats pretty high for someone starting out in my humble opinion. It looks like you bought a few things that are 1-time purchases, so your monthly cost should be lower and that will be great. What machine/s are you going to use ? Rotary, and anything else ? Random Orbitals? I am glad to hear you are in school; I have a friend who put himself through college doing Detailing on the side, similar to what you are doing. He did it but didnt stick to it, so now I detail his nice vehicles and his Airplane. I keep reading as you, about Prima, but dont have any in stock, and maybe later, I might get some to try out. I like that fact that there is competition, but also wonder how much was spent on R&D compared to the big guys Menzerna, 3M, Meguiars, Optimum, etc., who have mega-bucks and years of experience put into their products.. I am not saying that the new guys' products are not good, I believe that one can take any product out there, study it, work with it experiment with it, mix other products with it, and come up with something that will work perfectly for his needs, every time. This aspect of the business alone, can be talked about ad nauseum, and never be done, because everyone has their own spin on it. And this is all good ! You might later on, want to get backing plates for 5.5", 4", and 3" pads, so that you can get more versatility out of your tools. I learned on big wool/wool/blend, etc., pads, and they were fine for the time, but have for some time now, used the 5.5" pads for most of my work and only use the bigger 6". etc., pads on big, straight panels,vans, airplanes, etc... I guess I just dont like having the extra foam to haul around, I like to get a smaller pad into more places easier, before I have to change to a smaller one, and think that smaller pads use less product, and are quicker to clean up, and they cost less money. But that's just me.... You might want to also get a Website started; a lot of people shop for almost everything via the Internet, and when they hit Google for Detailing in Potomac, Md, it would be great if your website came up ! There are places that will host for free or very little, and it is cheap advertising for the amount of exposure it has the potential to give your business.. I have been dinking around with one here - www.dansautodetailing.com You have a great start, Alex ! Glad to see your enthusiasm about it, there are a lot of awesome Detailers around this Forum that are in your area, so as they will chime in, perhaps you guys can schedule a meet and greet thing ! Dan F
Great reading here.. I am new to the business as well but also do carpet cleaning and upholstery in homes. The main piece of advice I can offer is, you have to walk before you run and sometimes when you run, you need to slow down and walk again. Carpet cleaning is an entirely different beast but detailing and paint correction is so.... well, that much harder. I have done some great work for friends, teachers etc. on their cars and want more and more as well. I take my time with every car and make sure my stamp of approval is on it. I know what my time, effort, quality etc. is worth. I am a researcher into products as well. Try many products out to see what you like. I have enough crap in my trailer I could fund 3 high school car washes with product!! It is easy to get caught up in the wants v. needs for this business. I am looking really hard at the 105/205/21 and the new MF system from Meguiars. Then finish it off with some APC, tire cleaner etc. Keep it simple, keep it clean.. cant wait to read some more from this thread.. great info....
Dan, I'll make sure to keep you updated I've had a great 2 weeks back in the business. Last week I did 15 full details and this week I'm already booking up. I'm using a DA right now. My partner is very experienced with a rotary and is picking one up from a friend soon. Right now every second we aren't detailing during the day, we're handing out flyers and marketing. I actually already have a website but it's not done yet. I'll make sure to send you a link when its done. This summer things are really going in the right direction. I'm going to order some serious polishing products soon and learn more, but right now thing are going as good as they can! Any other advice? Alex
Alex, You and your team are on the road to success ! We are so proud of you guys !!! Let us know how its going when you have time. Dan F
I would be very CAREFULL when using a power washer in an engine compartment, actually I wouldn't do it but if you are using that, be carefull or you'll be replacing sensors, harnesses and modules. I have seen modules cost $1500+...so watch out. One mistake could turn a $180.00 detail job into a $1000.00 problem.
