Dealing with "hack" detailers

[Red Hawk]

it really is amazing.. all the misinformed people and their techniques. I find it entertaining.

Agreed.

[Red Hawk]

I was speaking with a gentleman at a car show a few weeks ago, explaining to him the merits of using a clay bar. The guy parked next to me overheard the conversation. He walks over & tells the guy I was talking with, that he shouldn't fool with that clay stuff. It takes the paint off, real slow, so you don't notice. I replied, "Really? My car is a 2002 model, bought new, & clayed at least 4 times a year, followed by wax. (I am addicted to how slick that makes the car feel.) How come I haven't rubbed through the paint yet?" He responded that I probably wasn't doing it right, I was lucky. Gee sir, thanks for letting me know before it was too late. I told the 1st guy later not to pay any attention to what the fool said. He laughed & said he didn't.

[DetailKitty]

How do people get these ideas in their head???

[Don M]

How do people get these ideas in their head???

I blame TV and those violent video games.

[DetailKitty]

i blame tv and those violent video games.

lol

[tuscarora dave]

It was great meeting you Dave...

I think somewhere I have a picture of you and me and also a picture of ShawnD

It was great to finally meet you too Mike! I would have loved to have sat and talked shop for a few, but I realized how in demand you were to keep to your scheduling, so I didn't want to be clingy. With my sister's friend living only 5 minutes up off of Kanner Highway, perhaps I'll have a chance to visit another time where your time isn't in such demand where we might be able to actually chat for a while longer. I would love nothing more.

The Caveman was definitely a character, kind of reminded me of Bobcat Goldthwait.

Would like to see the photos if you use them on the forum somewhere.

Shawn D was a super nice guy that I really enjoyed talking to, and he and his wife have the most beautiful dog too.

[KMG]

I find that car shows typically tend to be the worst place to talk to people about their cars for some reason. Most of the shows in my area are filled with cars that are totally swirled out due to people addiction to using a crusty MF towel and detail spray all the time. Most of the time people will get quite defensive if you try to point out that they are not doing something correctly or if there is any type of flaw on their cars.

Very rarely do I ever bring up detailing cars unless someone asks me about it as I typically have one of my business shirts on while walking around. We do have quite a few hacks in this area also, and you need to love when someone calls you and when you give them price for something, they respond with "XXXX is really good and is a lot cheaper". That's nice then why are you calling me.

[tuscarora dave]

Very rarely do I ever bring up detailing cars unless someone asks me about it

It was funny to me, Steve (Swanicyouth) and I were walking and talking at Detail Fest. We stopped to look at an older gentleman's nice MGB Midget he entered in the car show. The car had PA tags on it so we got to talking about PA, detailing and the different car shows in our area. He was asking a few questions about detailing processes, products and technique. I started going pretty deep into explaining how certain things work in paint correction, and I got on a roll with it as I sometimes am known for doing. The old fella was very receptive to what I was saying and quizzed me as I talked, so that he could further understand.

This is definitely rare to have a car show entrant so humbly searching for the best way to do things. I guess as I talked, he saw how I was building a mental illustration for him to follow with me so he could really take home some good info. I stopped myself and looked at Steve and humbly said, "I tend to get on a roll sometimes." Steve said "Shoot, I learned a thing or 2 as well."

I guess the moral of the story is, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

[Red Hawk]

True that, but how often does a 'real' student come along? More often than not, it's the guy who wrote the book, instead.

[Direct Deposit]

Okey Dokey. Here's the rest of the story. lol

Hi everyone just wanted to write a post about my experience at my first autoshow as not just a spectator but a detailer.

First time? OK. What are the chances you were surrounded at your first show by professionals that have made cars cherry for 10-20-30+ years?

Just some random incidents that stick out in my mind:

1.) Most detailers believe a 2 bucket wash is the worst way to wash a car

Sometimes it is wasteful. At times three buckets are needed. Other times you need pressure or hot water. There are even 'waterless' methods.

2.) Most detailers don't actually know how to use a polisher and hand polish everything

You can't hand polish everything and get optimum results on every job. However, if the car is maintained to the highest standard, it's finished by hand. Some cars have no visible defects. In this case especially upon owner request, the only guy using power equipment with the added risk incurred is the hack. He won't get hired in the first place on some cars. Part of this business is doing it to elevate it as an art form and not just the science. There's money on both ends of the spectrum and also where the art meets science. The top performers are doing something they love.

3.) (this one was the best and really made my head spin)....

You may have made the old guy's head spin also.

4.) Another detailer saw me air drying my vehicles after 2 bucket washing them, and said that was one of the dumbest things he's seen and that I have to dry using microfibers.

More than one way to skin that cat. Were you using compressed air or a blower? If clean microfiber is scatching the paint job, something is wrong with the paint. If I had to have my car done and some kid blew contamination all over my paint that is fugitive in the condensation in the tank, his supervisor would get his bell rung. It can be done properly though either way.

Anyways this was just my experience at my first autoshow being a detailer with my own business; where I realized there really are many "experts" that have no idea what they're talking about. All I replied with was "okay" for the most part when they would critique my work.

Keep an open mind.

How do you guys deal with hack jobs?

Lead by example. Look for the good in others and make them feel worthwhile. If you are as competent as you think you are it will show in your work.