The Mindset of a Professional Detailer

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

Originally posted on ShowCarGarage on 11-08-2005, 11:45 PM


The Mindset of a Professional Detailer


When it comes to detailing cars for profit there are three general camps,

• Production work
• High-end work
• Show Car Detailing

A lot of detailers start out doing production work and as their skill level increases and they begin to establish their reputation, they are able to move up to high-end detailing where they are able to offer higher quality work which usually includes a multi-step paint polishing process and thus a higher price. In some cases doing production work can be more profitable because you an work faster, do less to the car and your customers expectations are not going to be as high because of the price you're charging.

Generally speaking, (but not always), the people doing production work are either just starting out, or working for someone else and often times both. Because they are paid by the hour or by the car, they often times don't have the monetary incentive to pour their heart and soul into their work, nor are they able to experience the self-satisfaction and pride that comes from a job well done. For this reason, over time every car becomes just another car. There is no connection, there is no reason to give it their all, every car becomes an exercise in speed, as in how fast can they get the job done, not how well can they do the job.

Another category of detailing is what you would call Show Car Detailing. This would involve doing your best work for typically special interest vehicles where the owner wants and expects a show car finish and understands that to achieve this kind of finish, it requires the person doing the work to have a high skill level and a excellent working knowledge of what I call the 3 P's, Paint, Products & Procedures.

Of course the owners of special interest cars understand that professional quality work also comes at a premium price. At the end of the day, the value is in the results achieved, but if you want to drill down a little deeper, then what the customer is really paying for, (and in other words, the real value), is the peace of mind the owner obtains knowing that their car is in the hands of a skilled professional. It is this confidence the detailer provides the owner, that enables the owners to hand them the keys and walk away without fear.


Besides confidence, a professional detailer also brings to the table their soul, by this I mean a true craftsman of the art of polishing paint brings to his craft the human elements of care and passion.

The human elements of caring about the quality of your work, and having a true passion for the craft, is a mindset. This mindset is a way of thinking that is an unconscious reflex similar to breathing. By this we mean, just like none of us ever have to think about breathing because it's an automatic reflex that is a part of our physiology, for the craftsman, doing their very best work for every car they touch is an unavoidable reflex... it's in their blood.

For myself, when I work on another person's car, I mentally adopt the car as if it were my own. After making this intellectual commitment and emotional attachment towards both the vehicle and the owner of the vehicle, everything else, (the work to be performed), becomes second-nature, I simply treat their car exactly like I would treat my own car, because at some level, it is now my car.

This is the mindset of any true professional no matter what their profession. It's never about the money… it's always about the passion.

When it comes to polishing the paint on special interest vehicles, there is no room for error. This is because automotive paints are a thin, delicate film coating; they are easily dulled and easily swirled and scratched, once they are dulled down or instilled with scratches, it requires the right products and techniques to remove the defects and restore a show car shine. You are limited to what you can do by how thick the working film-build of the paint is, this is why we always say,"It's all about the paint".

There is a point of no return when working on paint. Once you've gone past this point, the only true solution is to apply more paint and this can be quite expensive, especially when it's someone else's car we're talking about and not your own!


If you're reading this and you're looking to learn more about the art of polishing paint, then you have come to the right place. Autogeek Online isn't just another detailing discussion forum… (there's plenty of these to choose from), no… Autogeek Online is a place you can learn more about the art of polishing paint.

Hang around, read the forum, assimilate the information… adopt the mindset of a professional…


"It's all about the paint"

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

Just to note, this was actually a one or two page chapter out of a book I wrote in 2000 called "The Art of Polishing Paint"' and self-published for a run of about 1500 copies.

[bulldog shine]

where do you find your book?

[GMC83]

Sometimes a lot of my customers with daily drivers only want production work, as in Wash/Clay/ AIO and dress the tires. I do not work for anyone nor have I just started out but I try an offer all three types of detailing work you have listed above

Seems like its all about the customer and what they want

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

Originally Posted by bulldog shine

where do you find your book?

I only published 1500 copies and sold them all at the Portland Swap Meet in one weekend. After that I decided to re-write it and never put it back together again.

Sorry...

[TheDodgeGuy]

Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek

I only published 1500 copies and sold them all at the Portland Swap Meet in one weekend. After that I decided to re-write it and never put it back together again.

Sorry...

Well, not that you don't have enough on your plate already...we'll be waiting

[SpyHunter]

Very nice read, thank you!

[Gary Sword]

Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek

The human elements of caring about the quality of your work, and having a true passion for the craft, is a mindset. This mindset is a way of thinking that is an unconscious reflex similar to breathing. By this we mean, just like none of us ever have to think about breathing because it's an automatic reflex that is a part of our physiology, for the craftsman, doing their very best work for every car they touch is an unavoidable reflex... it's in their blood.

Nice mindset Mike!

Great train of thought and it applies to many things besides detailing and being a professional. Some people always do the best they can while others just do what it takes to get buy or what's expected of them.

[Buckskincolt]

I'm thinking AutoGeekOnline needs to get into the publishing business.

[PaintPolisher]

Mike Thanks for posting up The Mindset of a Professional Detailer. It was a great read then and it still is today.

This article was the inspiration for me to change my company name [after checking for web site availability-another of Mikes great write ups!] to the PaintPolisher.

We Polish Paint.

al