WE R IN THE PRESENCE OF GREATNESS -LINK-From The Dupont Registry

I was following the link for Bob that was posted and I and I am not on facebook so I googled it and came up with this link. Besides seeing regular poster Bob I also see David from Street Dreams. I have been following these 2 guys for a while on the forums and it is nice to seE them recognized for their dedication to exfellence along with the others who I have seen excellent work from as well!



Auto Detailers - duPontREGISTRY.com Auto Resources

Auto Detailers

Auto Detailsers Special automobiles deserve special treatment. This is auto detailing at the highest level. Experience world class service from the finest detailers in the


California (North)
Auto Concierge
(925) 852-1962
Auto Concierge, Professional Auto Detailing, High End Exotic Vehicle Detailing New Jersey

Street Dreams Detail
(551) 804-6782
Street Dreams Detail - New Jersey's Finest Car Care - Home

California (South)
Glistening Perfection
(888) 459-7130
Southern California’s Premier Auto Detailing – Porsche Detailing - Ferrari Detailing - Lamborghini Detailing Pennsylvania

Presidential Details
(717) 875-8686
Presidential Details
Florida

Marino Detailing
(407) 797-7217
Marino Detailing Tennessee

Tru Shine
(865) 382-6951
Trü Shine Your Automotive Detailing and Paint Correction Specialist
Georgia

Detailed Designs
(678) 859-1795
Atlanta Car Detailing, Clear Bra Installation, Paint Correction - Detailed Designs Auto Spa Utah

Reflections Detailing of Utah
(435) 890-9441
Reflections Detailing of Utah - Auto, boat, rv and plane detailing
Michigan

Autolavish
(248) 514-5676
www.autolavish.com Washington

Metropolitan Detail
(425) 233-6068
Metropolitan Detail, Auto Detailing, Waxing, Paintless Dent Removal, Paint Protection - Home

 

Repost
http://www.detailingbliss.com/forum/compound-polishing/32986-there-detailers-then-there.htm

 

My Bad-Sorry

 

Presidential Details.... that's not those guys from the Presidential Car Wash commercial is it?

 

LOL^^^^^^^^ If we're on the same page.

 

Presidential Details is in Pennsylvania, not Florida.

 

There is a presidential in Florida as well, younger guy who does really nice work. Dupont probably just didn't do their research on who was advertising with them lol.

 

They knew exactly who was in the add, I might add there is a lot of conjecture concerning who is in the add/ how they were chosen................why some detail services were not on "The list" and it is becoming a little long in tooth.

The group of guys were services which networked thru John @ Metropolitan and there was no "selection process" or anything insidious............ Just companies wanting to broaden their marketing appeal and everyone had to be legit and have insurance plus be established as having a great reputation for quality.

I have personally caught heat over this on Autopia and it is unfair and smacks of "hateraid", I cannot understand what the issue seems to be but it is what it is.

 

I know it was an advertising spread I realized the OP's post was not a direct copy(direct meaning correct line breaks etc) of Dupont's site (I read the physical magazine). Figured it was a site typo but I think its just the way it was transferred in as a post.

I was going to repost what you said the other day on it, but didn't want to look like "that guy" if you catch my drift.

 

I don't understand it either. Personally, I think its great that legit
detailers are getting that kind of exposure. The more aware people
are of this caliber of work, the better off all of us are. It helps to
separate us from the swirl n shines.

I don't have the camera, camera skills, or the patience to document/post
write-ups at this point; but I have gotten work from people in my area
because they've seen legit work posted on forums by people like
yourself, felt enlightened about what a detail should be, looked through
the regional threads, and found me.

So if you ask me, the more positive exposure the high end detailing
community receives, the better.


Oh, and I'm pretty sure the Florida thing was just a typo.

 

Glad I came back. I have never met any of the guys listed in the article in person-ever. I do feel like I know some of them because of their posts, their personalities shine through in writing and certianly their pictures tell the story. SOme have enven been kind enough to answer direct questions of mine.

I see no reason to tear down any of these guys who are the top of the industry. Not so say that there are not some who should or could have made the list that didnt but its not the fault of the people on the list. I can tell you that if I they were local I would have no issues having my cars maintained by these guys and sleep really well knowing my car was in the right pllace. Period.

There is alot of drama in this industry, not sure why other than envy?

 

Bingo.

 

Mike always "Get's it"................... it is part of the deal as I know but when people attribute certain traits about someone it is unfair and most will say "Water off a duck's back" etc..... but when I see this stuff directed at me or other people I know well I am not a "Shrinking violet" and will say anything that is true to anyone at anytime.................to their face if possible.

The "Industry" is no different than any other occupation where you have people who do it right and will NOT waterdown quality or gough a client..............ever, and the people who sit back and "Ankle bite" them.

I get to work for the some of the Bay Areas most affluent people and when they drop off their $200,000.00 dollar plus car or when I go to their multi million dollar home I am not thinking "Look @ this guy/gal "Must be nice"..................................I think................I am glad I have a JOB!! ,and am happy in this country still(For the time being) that whether you inherited the cash or are a hardworking business person who builds a better mousetrap(Like my Apple clients for example and Facebook guys) that you can go as high as your smarts/luck/opportunity will get you.

The internet has created "Mini celebritys" in the detailingworld and I never considered myself in my mind at least to be one, but one day last year my wife and I were coming out of a PF Changs in Walnut Creek a good 16-19 miles away from our home and were almost to our car and I hear a guy yell out "It's Bob Willis from Auto Concierge" and the guy almost runs up on us and says "I see your work and it is unbelievable etc...." and I sheepishly smiled and said "Thanks but calm down I put my pants on just like you lol" and spoke with the guy for a few minutes then he saw the look on my wife's face and said "Oh sorry I see you guys were leaving......". Now real "A list actors or sports stars" go about their day to day lives and get this daily and if they need to be somewhere or are eating a meal and someone approaches them and the celebrity does not THANK them or act like their long lost buddy then the impression is "What a a-hole he doesn't care for the little people or "What a ego".

I used to be a private and "Livery Chauffuer" which means I worked for limousine services and had quite a few celebritys over the years including George Burns, Tony Bennet, Dougla Fairbanks Jr, Nordstrom family and when I was @ Park Avenue Limousine we had the Raiders account and drove Al Davis the owner and team execs to every home game and Dave and I (The owner drove two cars to Phoenix for Al Davis and team execs to the Super Bowl Dallas vs Pittsburg in the nineties for the whole week) and I never asked for a autograph or bothered these people ever as I felt (Correctly in my mind) that if I just did my job they would enjoy things more (a few of them pointed this out specifically and thanked me for being discreet and a pro).

If you are a aspiring detailer or a pro who may be in a part of the country that you do not have many "Fancy cars" as some put it, this is not your fault but it is certainly not mine either......... it is the same mindset of other nations who envy the US and bash us all day(But immigrate here to get our goodies and then still bash our way of life). If you want more go "Get it" or move to where the work is and concentrate on YOURSELF to be a better person first and foremost then a better craftsman and businessman of high reput.

 

^ very humble if you ask me........... look at it from a non detailer context. Bob like everyone here is a guy who busts his ass and crafted his trade to the level many people look up to and are inspired by. Guys like Bob (work hard and play by the rules) in any industry are always looked up to, or respected and sometimes is for the wrong reasons. Look at it this way, if Bob was detailing datsun B210s all day instead of exotics and put the same quality of work into each and every datsun, but charged 99.00 would people still look up to him? Being from Moraga/orinda area I respect Bob for being a excellent businessman first, and top shelf detailer second, the bay area is very spread out, its hyper competitive and to make a living at anything and; to be living anywhere west of tracy you are "doing it right".

 

Well said, both Bob and Karl. In nearly every profession, there will be the "doers" and the "talkers". If you're putting in the time doing it, putting in the work, long hours, research, etc., then you have no reason to cast stones as you KNOW what's required to make it happen. If you like to sit on your ass, armchair quarterback someone else's work, and call it a day, you're not going to be successful at anything. Envy usually comes from seeing someone else succeed where you haven't. And it's always easier to try to knock someone down a bit than to look inward and see where your own flaws are and how to overcome them. Very few people these days are willing to admit any faults (and we ALL have them). Maybe I'm just getting old (36), but it seems to be getting worse in SOME of the younger generation too. That's why young guys like Dave Saunders, Marc Harris, and Eric Witt impress me so much. It's not JUST their work, which is top-notch, but their work ethic, which is also in short supply lately.

Anyway, sorry to get off an this tangent. Congrats again to the guys in DuPont for "doing" and making it happen for yourselves.

 

That's why young guys like Dave Saunders, Marc Harris, and Eric Witt impress me so much. It's not JUST their work, which is top-notch, but their work ethic, which is also in short supply lately.

I agree 1000% Mike. I am soooooooo tired of hearing people say things like " I wish I could detail like ( pick a name ). " Bottom line is that we ALL have access to the same equipment and supplies. You either want to do good work, or you don't. It's that simple. The information on how to do it, for the most part, is available on line. If it isn't, then as Bob says, get off your ass and figure it out. Guys like Bob ands I started detailing BEFORE the internet was invented. And being from Canada doesn't help. We used to call suppliers in the US for info and they'd hang up when we said we were from Canada. Is it a lot more work to produce results like Bob, Barry, Clark etc? Damn straight it is. But thats what separates them from the herd. They are willing to put in the time. Man I'm getting old and cranky.

 

^^^^ this..


One thing I forgot to mention, just because Bob charges $2000.00 a car, does not mean he is uber rich (maybe he is, who knows) the point is, overhead (insurance marketing, supplies etc) and real estate in the bay area is some of the highest in the nation, rent a one bed room apartment for $2,000.00 a month IF that. so a shop of his size in a good to decent area could easily run $5-$15k a month, so yeah, average mortgage pushes again $5,000.00 and up and that's for a small home in east San Jose, that is not Orinda, Walnut Creek or Blackhawk Palo Alto, Menlo Park etc where its 3xs that.

...... its not just about the fancy cars, and the money he charges that we all see. Its smart business, its making your mark in a shit economy and he has developed a name for himself in a social circle that thrives in that area.

Honestly, Im glad I don't do exotics all day...... my back would be just destroyed.

 

Same here Ken. And honestly, I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would!:thumb:

 

I haven't posted much in awhile and I am no more than a weekend warrior when it comes to detailing but I think you guys hit on every point necessary to make such a good argument. I think it extends beyond just the detailing business but it is prevolent in the "detailing economy." What I mean is young people of my generation, and other generations too, have this belief that a pot of gold is going to land in their lap without any effort to get it. People like Bob, Ken, Phil and so forth all made extreme sacrifices to get where they are today. People like Dave, Jeff, Marc, Eric are a few of a dying bread of people are still willing to make sacrifices to achieve that overall "greatness" of what the detailing industry would consider which is detailing higher end cars for more "potential" money, having an extended network of clients who can vogue for your work, and having a network of fellow detailers who support you as well. What do people think that a Ferrari owner is just going to knock on their door and say "hey here's some of my life savings and hard work, have at it"? Hell No.

What I am saying is that people (some not all) just don't care to work hard to get places anymore and people shouldn't bash or demean what others have obtained when the road they took to get there wasn't paved in gold and lined with roses. I see it in my industry everyday and its sickening. So I give props to you veteran detailers like Bob, Ken, Phil, Barry and such that talk the way you do because people need to wake up and realize you actually have to work to get places in life.

Its a shame what these days have come to, so many senses of entitlement, lack of respect, lack of work ethic, the lack to have goals, and the lack to aspire to be something and enjoying the hard work it takes to achieve.

Sorry for the rant, been an odd day and I felt compelled to be a little bold although I have probably just reiterated everything already on this thread.

 

there are a lot of guys that worked many years to be an overnight success. It takes drive, motivation, persistence, patience and a willingness to survive. Lists are just lists, they are nice to get your name on them but who cares if it's not. And you have to deliver consistently for a good period of time to earn the reputation you deserve in life and in business.