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  1. #1
    Mike Phillips
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    Who attends a 3-day class at Autogeek at $1,495.00?

    Who attends a 3-day class at Autogeek at $1,495.00?



    You know, I'd say most people think the people that attend our classes are detailers. But that's not true. Sure it's natural to think that but 60% of the people that attend ANY of our classes are simply people that love to detail their own cars (or boats), and want to get real-world, hands-on training before they invest hundreds of dollars, (sometimes thousands of dollars), into

    1. Tools
    2. Pads
    3. Products
    4. Towels
    5. Equipment (steam machines and hot water extractors
    6. Supplies



    Let me share a real-world example that may surprise you and may also convince you that any of our classes are THE best option on the market today.


    Meet Louise

    This is Louise. She flew from California to Stuart, Florida simply to learn how to work on her daily driver, a 2014 Mustang Convertible. She is a Psychiatrists with her own practice and is a Professor at a College. She is NOT a detailer. She was like most the people that attend our classes, passionate about making cars shine!

    The below pictures were taken at one of our September 2017 3-day classes here at Autogeek. We hold these completely hands-on 3-day classes three times a year here at Autogeek. The schedule is ALWAYS the same BECAUE we know people often time save up their money and schedule their lives around making the trip to Florida to take this class. I'd say off hand that 50% of the people that take this class come from other states or other countries. The primary reason why they travel so far to attend this class is due to the QUANTITY of high caliber cars they get to train on, (not demo hoods), and to the overwhelming quantity of tools, pads and products they get to train with.

    The class detailed 13 cars in 3-days! The ONLY way this can be done is if they are on their feet working, not sitting in a chair listening to someone drone on and on and on....


    Let me share the story behind the pictures below for just ONE of the cars this class detailed. This happens to be one of the cars I used to teach the RUPES paint polishing system. Each type and brand of tool gets it's own set of 2 and sometimes 3 cars for the class to train on. The other car you see behind us that the class trained with the RUPES paint polishing system is a REAL (not a tribute car), it's a real 1970 AAR Cuda.


    Now the story....


    As we work through cars, I walk around and watch people. I study their technique. If they are doing everything right I let them know. If I see areas where I can tweak their technique to improve they style, I politely stop them and show them different ways to accomplish the procedure they are currently practicing.

    For Louise, in this first picture I find Louise buffing on an edge right next to a raised body line. So I stop her and explain whey it's not a good practice to buff on an edge or a raised body line, (the paint will tend to be thinner on these areas and if you're not careful you could buff through the paint).




    I share that RUPES is NOT a tool - it's a SYSTEM. You match the pad size and the tool to the size of the panel to be buffed.

    So for the large flat sections of a car you can use the BigFoot 21. The 7" diameter pad makes quick work of removing swirls, scratches, water spots and oxidation from the larger flat panels of cars, trucks, SUVs and even things like expensive clearcoated RVs.





    I also shared how it's important to hold the tool in such a way as to maintain the flat surface of the pad flat to the panel.




    The Ghosting Footprint
    In the picture below, I'm explaining the term I coined called the ghosting footprint. This is a characteristic of long-stroke orbital polishers. Here's my article on this topic.

    The ghosting footprint and the actual footprint - Long Stroke Free Spinning Orbital Polishers


    I don't explain what the ghosting footprint is when it comes to long stroke orbital polishers, I also explain why it's important to understand this characteristic when it comes to removing swirls next to and edge or raised body line. And this is where smaller tools come into play in order to remove swirls and scratches next to edges or raised body lines. Or... using a different technique....






    Switch tools, switch pads --> get small.

    After learning how to use the BigFoot 21, next I shared with her how to knock out the sections of paint along the edge of the hood and fender and also next to the raised body line.

    How?

    For doing edgework Louise switched over to the RUPES Nano Long Neck in rotary mode with a 1" RUPES blue coarse foam pad. This made it easy to work next to the edge and the raised body line without the fear or risk of buffing through the clearcoat.











    How to turn a 7" pad into a 1" pad

    On page 64 of my RUPES how-to book, I share how you can go up on edge with the RUPES BigFoot 21 and a 7" pad and the isolated pressure to only a small section of the edge of the paint will cause the pad to REVERSE ROTATE but --> maintain pad rotation, as in NOT stall out.

    Once you understand this unique characteristic to this free spinning long stroke orbital polisher you discover this enables you to buff the paint along an edge or buff out a thin section of paint between a raised body line and an edge.

    This technique is NOT for the timid. This technique is not something you want to learn on another person's toy or expensive car. I discovered this unique characteristic while buffing out the 1998 Ferrari 355 F1 Spyder shown on the cover of the RUPES book and discussed in the book back when I detailed this Ferrari for this project back in in 2014.

    NOTE: It is vitally important that if you choose to use this technique that the Velcro on the backing plate and on the back of the buffing pad is NOT worn out. If the velcro is worn out, it's possible that when you go up on edge and put increased pressure to a small portion of and edge of the face of the pad that the force can cause the attachment between the two velcro surfaces to let go and the pad can fly off. It's happened to me and after it happened one time I always test the attachment strength of the two velcro surfaces before attempting this technique.


    Going up on edge with a RUPES BigFoot 21







    Not the hand positions to hold the tool

    If you have a copy of my RUPES book you've seen and read about hand positions. Sometime, the last thing you want to do is hold the hand grip at the head of the tool as it block your view of what the pad is doing and where the pad is touching.





    Focused attention....





    Eyes on the target...






    If she can do it.... anyone can do it.

    And while you can read this article and look at the pictures, when you come to one of our classes.... I'll show you in person,

    How to make any polisher dance on paint.



    See all the pictures from this class here,


    Pictures & Comments from the September 2017 Competition Ready Detailing Class



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  3. #2
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: Who attends a 3-day class at Autogeek at $1,495.00?

    Continued....


    And here are the results!
















    Nice.....


    Pictures from the class Louise attended can be found here - note I never have time to get ALL the pictures taken of ALL the cars - it's just too overwhelming. But there are a lot of pictures in this write-up.



    Pictures & Comments from the September 2017 Competition Ready Detailing Class



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  5. #3
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: Who attends a 3-day class at Autogeek at $1,495.00?

    Continued....


    Information about all our classes can be found here,


    Autogeek's Car and Boat Detailing Classes



    Remember, you don't have to be a part-time or even full time detailer to benefit from our classes... if you like making things shiny.... you'll love any of these classes.... and best of all, there's very little sitting... they are almost completely, out of your chair, on your feet hands-on immersion training.


    Hope to see you at a future class!







  6. #4
    Junior Member Deep18's Avatar
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    Re: Who attends a 3-day class at Autogeek at $1,495.00?

    Good lord that Mustang is dripping wet.

  7. #5
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: Who attends a 3-day class at Autogeek at $1,495.00?

    Quote Originally Posted by Deep18 View Post

    Good lord that Mustang is dripping wet.

    That's the RUPES P808 Protective Sealant after a 2-step RUPES correction and polishing.


    Here's the rest of the story....

    After we detailed this Mustang, about a week later it was hit. It's been repaired and some body panels repainted so it might be back again for a warm-over.




  8. #6
    Super Member PaulMys's Avatar
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    Re: Who attends a 3-day class at Autogeek at $1,495.00?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Phillips View Post
    That's the RUPES P808 Protective Sealant after a 2-step RUPES correction and polishing.


    Here's the rest of the story....

    After we detailed this Mustang, about a week later it was hit. It's been repaired and some body panels repainted so it might be back again for a warm-over.



    Nooooooooooo!!!!
    It is no coincidence that man's best friend cannot talk.

  9. #7
    Junior Member
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    Re: Who attends a 3-day class at Autogeek at $1,495.00?

    Every time I read one of your threads I learn something new.

    My friend had a very similar dark blue '66 Fastback that he lost in the Santa Rosa fires. That is a beautiful example and I'm sorry to hear it was hit.

    Hopefully they can bring it back to new again.




  10. #8
    Super Member ScottH's Avatar
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    Re: Who attends a 3-day class at Autogeek at $1,495.00?

    Yay Louise!!!

    Way to go!!!!!

    ScottH



  11. #9
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: Who attends a 3-day class at Autogeek at $1,495.00?

    Quote Originally Posted by PaulMys View Post

    Nooooooooooo!!!!
    It’s all good - the Mustang is back on the road!



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  13. #10
    Super Member firecorgi's Avatar
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    Re: Who attends a 3-day class at Autogeek at $1,495.00?

    Thanks for sharing Mike. As someone who just “graduated” from the most recent class, it was great to work, side-by-side, with others of various experience levels.

    Since moving south and retiring , I had always said I would attend. I finally had the chance. The hours spent were hard work but fun and educational. I can speak for the folks in the class when I say using all the different machines was a thrill. I always wondered about using them and I can now say I have.

    There were some folks in the class that had bought stuff but waited to use it so they could learn how to use the tools.

    To hear Louise’s story is very cool.

    Now, just gotta get thru Hurricane Michael so I can attend the boat class in February...LOL!

    Big Thank you to you Mike, Andre, and Autogeek for making this happen for all of us.

    Steve

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