How do you guys work smarter in your detailing process?

[UltimateDetail]

What are some ways, techniques or products, that help you guys work smarter and more efficiently during your detailing and correction process?Feed back please:xyxthumbs:

The reason I ask is because I find that some parts of my process are more of a endurance and hard work challenge, and I figure it was a perfect topic for a new thread!:dblthumb2:

[UltimateDetail]

:bump:

[KillaCam]

You can never have too many brushes. Buy good products that will help make everything easier. I'm sure many will chime in with their techniques they use.

[UltimateDetail]

You can never have too many brushes. Buy good products that will help make everything easier. I'm sure many will chime in with their techniques they use.

Thanks! Yeah, I really want to get this one brush I keep seeing people use, it looks like a really thick oversized paint brush. They use it in the washing step? :confused:

[AutowerxDetailing]

One thing I have started doing is taking everything out of the truck (I am mobile) and lining all my tools and equipment on one side of the vehicle. I keep everything in totes so it doesn't look trashy at all... This eliminates me needing to climb in and out of the truck just to get one specific tool. With everything lined up on the side of the car I have easy access to all my supplies. I then clean up the tools tote by tote as I finish with them. This saves time on cleaning up at the end of the job so I can focus more on customer service.

[brawl]

Thanks! Yeah, I really want to get this one brush I keep seeing people use, it looks like a really thick oversized paint brush. They use it in the washing step? :confused:

It may be the Swissvax brush.

[UltimateDetail]

One thing I have started doing is taking everything out of the truck (I am mobile) and lining all my tools and equipment on one side of the vehicle. I keep everything in totes so it doesn't look trashy at all... This eliminates me needing to climb in and out of the truck just to get one specific tool. With everything lined up on the side of the car I have easy access to all my supplies. I then clean up the tools tote by tote as I finish with them. This saves time on cleaning up at the end of the job so I can focus more on customer service.

I thought about lining up all my stuff in sections, with certain things for each step of detailing. Like one section of the table would have all the tire wand wheels products, tools and towels, then another with the carpets stuff, etc... I like your idea of having totes! That might make it easier and save space!:xyxthumbs: I never thought about how I would go about picking up everything either, but the totes would also solve that problem! Thanks man! That was a huge problem, because at the end of detailing I am always trying to do a million things and run out of time trying to pick up too.. Got any recommendations for what totes I could buy?

[UltimateDetail]

It may be the Swissvax brush.

That's it! Thanks!:dblthumb2: I had forgotten what the name was. Yeah, that brush does wonders though!

[brawl]

That's it! Thanks!:dblthumb2: I had forgotten what the name was. Yeah, that brush does wonders though!

It's quite expensive to me, but people say that it is really a good one. :props:

[UltimateDetail]

It's quite expensive to me, but people say that it is really a good one. :props:

Yeah, I can't find it on autogeek, but I saw it on amazon for $15 bucks, that seems worth it to me, but I saw a lot of reviews that say it doesn't last long. So I'm a bit worried it might be a waste of money.. I get sick of spending money on things that don't work out.:mad:

[BobbyG]

Efficiency is one of the keys to detailing. What I mean by that is plan your work so you're not redoing anything that you've already completed.

We all have our own ideas that make sense to each of us and work, otherwise why do them. I approach most details in the following order. Without going into a lot of detail, this is sort of a high level but I think you can see my thought process.


Interior - I like to clean the interior first. Everything is cleaned and treated including the door jambs.

Engine Compartment - A thorough cleaning, rinse, dry, then I apply a dressing to everything to give it that new look.

Trunk - Vacuum and organize.

Tires & Wheels - I'll clean each wheel, barrel, tire and wheel well. These are done before the body so that harsh chemicals and water do not come in contact with a freshly waxed finish.

Exterior Wash - Thoroughly wash the exterior paying particular attention to those smaller areas. Wash & rinse from the top down. Use small brushes to clean and decontaminate trim, emblems etc.

Clay - Clay each panel thoroughly before moving on to the next.

Compound & Polish - I'm not going to go int this step by step but this is where this belongs in my process. If I'm not correcting the paint I'll at a minimum use a paint cleaner or 1-step product like Meguiar's D151.


Open hood, trunk, and doors to wipe any water that might have accumulated.

Wash & Dry - I rewash and dry to remove any splatter that may have resulted from the compound & polish phase. This gets rid of these tiny spots while they're still soft.

Sealant & Wax - What ever protective coat you choose to use belongs here.

Glass - Clean all glass surfaces and ensure they're streak free

Trim - Use a quality trim treatment that give plastics and rubber components that new rich look.

Tires & Wheels - Apply a treatment to these and the wheels wells.

Inspect everything to ensure that you haven't missed anything... that's all folks...:props:

[JRIGGS2]

Bobby,
Do you dry the vehicle before you clay? Also... Do you guys tape every tiny piece of trim or just the areas that could be trouble if wax or sealant got in there? The reason I ask is I am new to detailing. I just bought a new black Toyota Tacoma and I really want to take care of the paint. I've watched all of Mikes videos and bought plenty of good tools and products including a pcxp and the gg 3". I figured I could hand apply in those tight areas that I don't want to tape. Just trying to see what you pro's do to save time.
Thanks guys!
Johnny

[statusdetailing]

I usually tape. Taping is easier than removing residue from trim. It's never a good idea to use a rotary without taping.


I like to apply trim and tiring dressing right after applying the wax. I then remove the wax, which removes any dressing that may have got on the paint. Also, I like to do door jams right before washing the car. I spray them down with super degreaser and then power wash them out one at a time.

Once you get the hang of it, it's super fast and with proper technique it will only get minimum water overspray onto adjascent panels.

My order is:

engine
wheels/wells
door jams
tar removal
wash/clay
towel dry and air blast door jams
etc

[statusdetailing]

Efficiency is one of the keys to detailing. What I mean by that is plan your work so you're not redoing anything that you've already completed.

We all have our own ideas that make sense to each of us and work, otherwise why do them. I approach most details in the following order. Without going into a lot of detail, this is sort of a high level but I think you can see my thought process.


Interior - I like to clean the interior first. Everything is cleaned and treated including the door jambs.

Engine Compartment - A thorough cleaning, rinse, dry, then I apply a dressing to everything to give it that new look.

Trunk - Vacuum and organize.

Tires & Wheels - I'll clean each wheel, barrel, tire and wheel well. These are done before the body so that harsh chemicals and water do not come in contact with a freshly waxed finish.

Exterior Wash - Thoroughly wash the exterior paying particular attention to those smaller areas. Wash & rinse from the top down. Use small brushes to clean and decontaminate trim, emblems etc.

Clay - Clay each panel thoroughly before moving on to the next.

Compound & Polish - I'm not going to go int this step by step but this is where this belongs in my process. If I'm not correcting the paint I'll at a minimum use a paint cleaner or 1-step product like Meguiar's D151.


Open hood, trunk, and doors to wipe any water that might have accumulated.
Wash & Dry - I rewash and dry to remove any splatter that may have resulted from the compound & polish phase. This gets rid of these tiny spots while they're still soft.

Sealant & Wax - What ever protective coat you choose to use belongs here.

Glass - Clean all glass surfaces and ensure they're streak free

Trim - Use a quality trim treatment that give plastics and rubber components that new rich look.

Tires & Wheels - Apply a treatment to these and the wheels wells.

Inspect everything to ensure that you haven't missed anything... that's all folks...:props:


Hey Bobby, I noticed that you clean door jams while doing the interior. As mentioned in my above post, I use a power washer to clean the jams, but what have you found the best method to be? Thanks

[swanicyouth]

That's it! Thanks!:dblthumb2: I had forgotten what the name was. Yeah, that brush does wonders though!

Raceglaze sells similar brushes for less money for a set. I've been using them a while and the quality is pretty good

http://img.tapatalk.com/c6e4c8a1-1a8c-431c.jpg

Auto Geek also sells a brush like that for a great price

http://img.tapatalk.com/445449b6-1b0f-c488.jpg