Rupes Detailing Classes at Autogeek!

[Mike Phillips]

I see a lot of people step up and plunk down the money for the class and gift card but can someone really learn everything they need in a single session?

Great question and Let me answer it by sharing the comments from two people that attended the last class. The first guy Fos is a Rocket Engineer for the Raytheon Company, his actual title is,

Sr. Principal Multi-Dis Engineer

I'm very honest on this forum, in life and in my class, take note of the bold portion below as this is how I start EVERY class.

First of all, I would like to thank everyone at Autogeek.net (Meghan, Nick, Andre, Bryan, and of course Mike) for the best time I have ever had in Florida (and I’m a golfer).

The Auto Detailing Boot Camp was even better than I imagined. New Products to try, new procedures to utilize and a hundred helpful tips were just part of the take away, from the weekend.

I have never been exposed to Auto Detailing before Boot Camp, except as a very uneducated consumer. I’m 58 years old and have never had a DA polisher in my hands, let alone safely utilizing this equipment on paint.

Mike and his team had me polishing a 2002 Tahoe (headlights) in the first hour of the class.

Mike stated two things in his opening comments, and I will try to paraphrase;

(1) I cannot make you a detailing expert in two days, but I can give you the confidence to safely detail a car/vehicle paint.


(2) I will give you 100% effort for the next two days.

My comment, to those statements are done and done!

I would recommend this education to anyone that wants to keep their second most important investment in the best shape possible. The best way for me to describe this course is, if Autogeek.net will have me back, I would like to enroll in another Boot Camp Weekend next year!

So, whether you are a novice like me, or have been detailing for profit, you will learn new techniques and test the latest products, during your next Auto Detailing Boot Camp experience.

Fos

I cannot make anyone an expert in two days. What I can do is flatten out the learning curve and increase a person's confidence level faster, much faster than if they were to try to learn everything we go over on their own.

Just to note, I don't know of another single instructor in this industry that does promise to make someone an expert after attending a class. I start the class out with an honest statement and an honest promise and keep the promise from start to finish.

I'd encourage you to read through the testimonies, my students will tell you what they think based upon what they experienced.

I know a lot of people are scanners, not saying you're a scanner Roger but most people are and I included a lot of first hand testimonies in post #5 of this thread from this class.



Here's a challenge...
Try to find as many picture of people using polishers or any tools and first hand testimonies on the Internet from ANY other class, forum, website or Facebook. Try. I post more pictures of my class in action and their comments than anyone. Always have... always will as it's the best way I know to document what really takes place at these classes.


Here's another testimony that answers your question...
I had two gentleman attend from Safari Car Wash in Metairie, Louisiana, these guys own a brick and mortar Car Wash and Detail Shop, they've been detailing cars professionally for years if not decades...

Check out what they wrote...

Hello Mike,

Took a bit of time to get back to the computer to sign up for the forum, as we hit the ground running, after attending the Detailing Boot Camp last week. So I've decided to take the time for a few thoughts.

Firstly, I would like to extend my gratitude and thanks to you and the rest of the Autogeek crew for an informative, professional, and encompassing program.

When we set out to resurrect our detailing department,which has been in-operational since hurricane Katrina, I knew we needed something that would give us the edge over our competitors.

Simply saying that you can detail a car is just not enough. Our clientèle are high-end production autos, a number of high-dollar SIV's such as Ferrari, Porsche, etc, and a very demanding customer base. We actually have Bentley's come through our tunnel! So there is no room for error.

Our customers maintain high expectations and demand explicit attention to detail. Simply put, we have to be the best! And weeks of research led us to attending your class.

With expectations as high as ours, you would have expected some sort of disappointment. Quite the contrary, our expectations were surpassed!!

You have given us the tools, knowledge, and experience to return home with a program specifically constructed towards our customer base. We have no time wasted in attempting to provide services, or products that we don't need, or our customers don't want.

Probably the most important thing covered in your class, also something i have always preached:

Know your limitations, and match them to your customers expectations.

Instead of 30 or more products in our inventory we will never use, we now have about 6!! Coupled with a standardized procedure for evaluation, communication, and work-process, we are confident that we are launching the very best detailing service department this area has to offer!!

We have minimized risk, cut our process times, and will be able to deliver a product that will simply blow our customers away!!!

Thank you Mike, for sharing your passion and experience with us. It shall be carried on by us, with every car we put our hands on...

Many Thanks, and God Bless....

Tyron Benoit
Safari Car Wash

I can dig through all the threads I've created and post first hand testimonies all day long as to what people say about what they learn at my classes and I probably will, but not today as I have some hot projects with tight deadlines and I still have pictures from the cool cars I worked on at My Classic Car to get posted.


You asked a great question and I'm always happy to give an honest answer to questions like yours.

[Klasse Act]

Well the 2 testimonials are pretty well written and surely from the heart, as they should be. I guess you just have to be there to experience it all, I'm on the outside lookinng in and its why I spoke about my concern earlier. I also know you never said the people coming out of the class would be an expert, sorry if I may have made it sound like that. Its just that at our detail day we had last year body parts were brought in by a great fellow member (not sure if he's comfortable with bringing up his name so I'll leave it out) and the hood had a scallop and I ended up touching it a bit too much and burned through the paint, sorry I forgot the machine because I tried about 3 different ones but I know this, as of now, I'm very comfortable with my GG 6" RO over the machines I used, although IIRC we were also using wool pads too. See this is what I would wanna get out of a class, any class, be able to be as comfortable with a faster, more powerful machine, using wool pads that I am when using my GG 6" R0 and foam pads.

Its great that people have disposable income to fly from around the country and come down there for the classes, more power to them but for me, its just not possible. Based on the 2 reviews its well worth it for sure.

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online

[Justin M.]

Hi Mike, is the Rupes training just going to be a segment in the normal 2 day detailing class, or is there a separate class? I notice on the boot camp website there is no mention of Rupes training or polishers used.

Thanks.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Mike, is the Rupes training just going to be a segment in the normal 2 day detailing class, or is there a separate class? I notice on the boot camp website there is no mention of Rupes training or polishers used.

Thanks.

Hi Justing,

The Rupes class is a segment of the two day class. This is why I bring in MULTIPLE HUGE CARS. Each car is dedicated for a specific segment.

It's actually a lot of work on my part just to get 3, 4, 5, and sometimes 6 cool cars here for the guy to work on but it's important to me to have the perfect learning car and for it to also have a high "Cool Factor" to add to the fun and excitement of these classes.

As for the web page, we need to update it ASAP and I'm working on that. The copy on the store website is something i wrote before the Rupes polishers were available and after one class passes one of the web admins for the store simply changes the "date" on the existing page.

So I'll get the new copy up as fast as I can.

I did send the link to this thread to about a half dozen people at Rupes so they are can see first hand how their tool is being showcased as well as taught here at Autogeek.

(They also get to read everyone's comments).

[Justin M.]

Thanks for the reply Mike, that is a great addition to the class. I am trying to work out details to make a trip out there next year to attend one of them.

[Safari Car Wash]

I see a lot of people step up and plunk down the money for the class and gift card but can someone really learn everything they need in a single session? I'm not doubting the instructor and certainly not the Rupes machine, would never think of doing that but just asking? The reason I ask is because when we had our own little detail day I tried a number of machines and certainly didn't master anything in one day, seems to me this would take a couple weeks and a lot of hands on experience, not just one car one day. It would take time because you'd have to work on old paints, new paints, soft and hard paints, etc and this would take some time IMO, atleast to come out being compitent anyways.

I'm not bashing this class but simply asking a question or two.

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online

Hello Klasse Act,

Just a few comments on your questions....

Can someone really learn everything in one class, well, you're probably right. However, the amount you retain from this class is really up to your ability to absorb.

Because the amount of information and technique covered in this class is unrivaled in any other program we have investigated.

And we did an extensive amount of research before spending our money and, more importantly, our time away from our business to attend such a class.

Hands Down, Mike Phillips' instruction will give you the tools to build confidence in your detailing endeavors, whatever they may be. And confidence will lead you through experience.
And experience to expertise.

It is rightly named, "Auto Detailing Boot Camp" because from opening until close, you will be learning through short briefings, then you are going to get up and Do The Work.
This is the essence of it all!!

Your value retained from this experience is directly proportionate to the amount of time you put in. Sure you can sit in the back and choose not to participate, but it won't be long before Mike will call you out and put a polisher in your hand, and put you to work!!

No One Escapes!!!

I assure you and everyone else, it is not just one car, one day.
Just go back and look at the photos of the different vehicles covered in September 2013's class.

Ordinary driver, High-end auto, and some of the coolest Special-Interest-Vehicles you may ever get to work on!!!

What other class, or potentially when will you ever get to work on a 59 Dodge Royal, or a 63 Ford Galaxie?!?!?!

Now I would say that pretty much covers new paints, old paints, soft paints, hard paints, etc. And the paints or situations we did not experience, or did not have an actual example of, right there in front of us, Mike Phillips was either quick to mention it, or it was brought up in discussion, and again Mike was always open to discuss those topics at length, or at least until everyone was comfortable enough to move on with understanding what was discussed.

My own personal experience, I have had alot of experience around powertools, machinery, etc. but never worked or knew anything about detailing.

This class was going to be the quintessential "point of contact" for the techniques and products that would later become the premier auto detailing facility in our metro area.

With all of that expectation, we were certain we would be wasting our time and money, too!! But I must tell you, in just a short period of time, our Detailing Department is completely booked!!

And the word is not even out yet, as we are now deciding not to advertise at all. We don't have the man-power to keep up with the work coming to us as it is, by word of mouth.

We simply started doing vehicles using Mike Phillips knowledge and Autogeek products, just like we were taught, and the word spread like wildfire!

I am in the process of training my staff the same techniques we learned, yes, in just two intense days!!

You can check out the latest vehicle we did in the "Show and Shine" forum.

I hope this lends some support to your decision to take the leap, and immerse yourself in this class.You will not regret it.

Well, I know we didn't.....

Now i must go, as we have a Porsche 911 waiting to be waxed!!!!

Good Luck to you Klasse Act!!! I wish you well....

Tyron

[Mike Phillips]

Hello Klasse Act,

Just a few comments on your questions....

Can someone really learn everything in one class, well, you're probably right. However, the amount you retain from this class is really up to your ability to absorb.

Because the amount of information and technique covered in this class is unrivaled in any other program we have investigated.

And we did an extensive amount of research before spending our money and, more importantly, our time away from our business to attend such a class.

Hands Down, Mike Phillips' instruction will give you the tools to build confidence in your detailing endeavors, whatever they may be. And confidence will lead you through experience. And experience to expertise.

It is rightly named, "Auto Detailing Boot Camp" because from opening until close, you will be learning through short briefings, then you are going to get up and Do The Work. This is the essence of it all!!

Your value retained from this experience is directly proportionate to the amount of time you put in. Sure you can sit in the back and choose not to participate, but it won't be long before Mike will call you out and put a polisher in your hand, and put you to work!!

No One Escapes!!!

I assure you and everyone else, it is not just one car, one day. Just go back and look at the photos of the different vehicles covered in September 2013's class.

Ordinary driver, High-end auto, and some of the coolest Special-Interest-Vehicles you may ever get to work on!!!

What other class, or potentially when will you ever get to work on a 59 Dodge Royal, or a 63 Ford Galaxie?!?!?!


Now I would say that pretty much covers new paints, old paints, soft paints, hard paints, etc. And the paints or situations we did not experience, or did not have an actual example of, right there in front of us, Mike Phillips was either quick to mention it, or it was brought up in discussion, and again Mike was always open to discuss those topics at length, or at least until everyone was comfortable enough to move on with understanding what was discussed.


My own personal experience, I have had alot of experience around powertools, machinery, etc. but never worked or knew anything about detailing.

This class was going to be the quintessential "point of contact" for the techniques and products that would later become the premier auto detailing facility in our metro area.

With all of that expectation, we were certain we would be wasting our time and money, too!! But I must tell you, in just a short period of time, our Detailing Department is completely booked!!

And the word is not even out yet, as we are now deciding not to advertise at all. We don't have the man-power to keep up with the work coming to us as it is, by word of mouth.

We simply started doing vehicles using Mike Phillips knowledge and Autogeek products, just like we were taught, and the word spread like wildfire!


I am in the process of training my staff the same techniques we learned, yes, in just two intense days!!

You can check out the latest vehicle we did in the "Show and Shine" forum.

I hope this lends some support to your decision to take the leap, and immerse yourself in this class.You will not regret it.

Well, I know we didn't.....

Now i must go, as we have a Porsche 911 waiting to be waxed!!!!

Good Luck to you Klasse Act!!! I wish you well....

Tyron

Just found this reply Tyron....


Thank you for taking the time to write out your experience after attending our Detailing Boot Camp Class.



Just heard there's only a few spaces left in the upcoming January class and the May class is starting to fill up.