The Reason Jose Fernandez of Superior Shine is My Mentor

[Detailing by M]

When I first heard of Jose Fernandez of the World Famous Superior Shine I immediately wanted to shadow him so I could find out how to run a successful Detailing business and not just a mobile car wash. I'm proud to call Joe my mentor and especially my friend.

Here's an recent article on my friend Jose Fernandez:
CHECK OUT THE LINK TO SEE THE PICS
http://detailers-digest.com/index.html

A Superior Shine For A Man Of Faith

Joe Fernandez III grew up in Atlanta, GA where his Dad had a body shop. "After school, on weekends, and during Summer Break, when other kids were out playing, I was working, and it wasn't an option," Joe explains. "My Dad taught me automotive mechanics, how to paint a car, fix the brakes, work on an engine. I got into the automotive field because of my father, absolutely."

People of faith like Joe Fernandez of Superior Shine Mobile Auto Detailing are fearless about sharing how God's Hand has guided every step of their success.

"I am completely not worthy of where I am, but He has blessed my business beyond my wildest dreams," he says.
In 1986, Joe joined the U.S. Marine Corps. While stationed in Japan, he continued light mechanical work on cars but since he was car less himself, he added automotive detailing work to his resume and worked a deal with pals in which he could use their car to run errands off base, but bring it back clean and shining like new. That service served him well and prepared him for his future.

Later stationed back in the Los Angeles area, he took a job with the renowned Hill and Vaughn Auto Restoration Shop after discharge from the military in 1989. It was under his boss, Phil Hill, the only American-born driver to win Europe's Formula One World Drivers' Championship, that Joe was exposed to very rare and historically significant vehicles.

Joe says it was the Lord's intervention that first made it possible for him to detail cars for L.A.'s many celebrities, and opened the door for him to become both an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certified auto mechanic and automotive paint re-finisher.

"On May 1, 1992, I went full time detailing on my own, targeting small auto body shops that didn't have dedicated detailers.

By the late 1990s, I began really targeting the affluent community," he says.

Joe considers himself "self-trained" because he has never attended formal detailing training, but mentored under the tutelage of Phil Hill probably grandfathers him in. Los Angeles is a very competitive market, but Joe more than holds his own.

"There are a lot of detailers in my area, but when it comes to doing the highly specialized work with fancy high-end luxury cars, exotics, car shows, and car collectors, that narrows the field significantly. I have a large and very loyal cliental base. Some of my clients have been with me since the early 1990s."

For a prestigious operation, Joe has only two mobile units on the road with one full time employee and two part-timers. He says they will go anywhere in the world for an additional fee and in reality, they do. He has several regular clients four hours away in Las Vegas who only use Superior Shine for maintaining their vehicles.

"A lot of car collectors don't know a thing about the mechanics or how to maintain their collection. As an exotic detailer, I have an eye for imperfections that others can't see. You would be surprised at how - to me - beat up some of them are." Joe says after a few levels of paint correction, what was beautiful before is exquisite when he finishes.

"To give you some perspective, myself and two of my team will take about three hours detailing an airplane. A daily drive takes about four hours; but we can put 50 to 100 hours into a show car."

When Joe isn't working on an exotic or rare classic, he still works primarily on luxury vehicles for upper income clients. As much as he enjoys classics and exotics, he says his best customer is the upper middle class car owner with a luxury vehicle who can afford it, wants to keep it immaculate, but... it hurts just a little to own it!

"Super wealthy clients who have several cars, even a collection, really just want them shiny." A funny reaction to this reality occurred when Joe took a young apprentice out on his rounds one day.

"This one client's garage looks like a car museum. He pays me $30,000 a year to wash his cars every Friday. They are never very dirty, but he expects them to be perfect when he drives them. After we finished and were driving away he said, 'I don't know whether to thank you or lose respect for you, Joe. You just taught me how to dust off a perfectly clean car for $600 a week."

Joe's proudest work is for Bugatti North America. "We have been the preferred detailers for Bugatti for the past three years and do all of their detailing in the southwest region of the U.S.

Last August during Car Week in Pebble Beach, we maintained 10 Bugatti Veyrons and a 1928 Bugatti Type 37A owned by Jay Leno."


In the spirit of Luke 12:48: To whom much is given is much required, Joe loves charity work. Because his services are too expensive to market to the everyday driver, that doesn't mean a struggling single Mom with kids can't use a break. On many occasions, he has helped out a soccer Mom with a sticky SUV. He has cleaned several cars for people who needed the help and the good feeling he got from doing so far outweighed any monetary value.

"It's funny," he says. "We recently had an opportunity to do some Internet videos and we did one with luxury cars, another about my work with Bugatti North America and their $1.3 to $2.65 million dollar Super Cars, but we also did one aimed at every day drivers some people call 'soccer moms'. The videos for Bugatti got about 3,000 hits. The video for soccer moms got over 30,000!"

Superior Shine also details a lot of aircraft. "We are especially proud that we have shined rare WWII Bombers, polished the bare aluminum skins of the B-17 Fuddy Duddy - one of only ten that are still flying, and polished the paint on a B-24 Witchcraft, which is the last one still air worthy. We have detailed several more historic aircraft, as well as RVs, and motorcycles."
This past year, Joe won Professional Car wash & Detailing's 2012 Most Valuable Car washer of the Year award. A huge promoter of Meguiar's detailing products, Joe helps them with product development by testing new formulas. His tinkering with an old Dodge of his own gives him the perfect opportunity to try new things.



"I owe my success to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," he says. "Because Christ asks it of us, we donate our services for raffles raising money for children charities; detail free of charge aircraft owned by volunteer pilots that participate in Angel Flight West; and we will soon be starting a ministry that offers free training to homeless and /or recovering substance abuse persons in the craft of auto detailing."

CONTACT_INFORMATION:
Joe Fernandez of Superior Shine
936 West Badillo St, Covina, CA 91722
phone 626 964-0808

Email: superiorshine1@verizon.net; or visit online: www.superiorshine.com.

[Evan.J]

Very nice article Mario you are very lucky to have Joe as your mentor! One if the best people and very down to earth.

[Iron400]

Great read! Thanks for sharing.

[evo77]

I used to post and frequent the MOL forum years ago and I recall he used to post there.

He once responded to a thread regarding wheel washing that he only uses car wash soap and water for wheels and that anything else used is product waste. Don't know if he's changed his ways but from that day I have followed that same process.

[hernandez.art13]

This is a truly inspirational and great read. Thanks for it and congratulations on your current and future success.

Art

[Woob]

Joe is awesome and a stand up guy!

[Shane731]

I got to meet Joe last time I went to Detail Fest. Super cool guy with a heart of gold!


Plus, if you're friends with him on Facebook, he posts some pretty entertaining stuff! Rock on Joe!

[javip2k]

I love your story

[Billy B]

Joe is a pioneer in this business and he represents the art as well as anyone. He has been very kind to me. Thanks Joe

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using AG Online

[Detailing by M]

Your all welcome I shared this story. I had to, Joe has given so much to me, I had to spreed the word.

For the few that do know him, your fortunate.
Joe's always there for me and others.

Joe is the epitome of a good man, a great detailer.
I'm proud to call him my friend.
If you don't know him, do. You'll be a better person.