Coach Steve
10-29-2013, 04:52 PM
Okay, the actual purpose of this post is probably nothing more than me venting to a captive audience who, if nothing else, will at least understand my frustration and feel my pain. With that said...
This past summer, business was particularly good when compared to those since the economy took a dump. In addition to servicing my regular clients more often than the past few summers, I also serviced a lot of new clients who were referred by regular customers for the most part. It was that increase of new clients' vehicles that made me aware of just how lousy a job other detailers are doing when it comes to... well... the detailing part of the job.
And while the amount of crud in the crevices varied wildly from one car to the next, all of them had it. Door jambs, window molding/seals (especially the rear window), side mirrors, handles.... you name it. Anywhere there was the slightest space between two pieces, there was crud. That in and of itself wouldn't bother me nearly as much as it does learning that the majority of the crud's makeup is wax left behind by previous detailers.
If I delivered a car to a customer that had 1/10 the amount of debris in the crevices as some of the cars I serviced, I'd expect to have to refund the customer's money. Maybe I'm just being overly critical, but to me... it's unacceptable. And of course, the darker the vehicle, the more it stands out. Case in point: I got a black Mercedes in a couple of months ago that the customer had just purchased from its original owner who had "just had it detailed" to attract more buyers and hopefully more cash. There was so much wax in every crevice of this car (and I swear I'm not making this up...) it looked like it had had some sort of custom paint feature done to it that trimmed every line in white! What's even more aggravating is that these customers are obviously not inspecting the work prior to paying the detailer - either that or they're just oblivious to it in which case it begs the question of why they're having the vehicle detailed to begin with when they could get just as lousy of a job at the local drive-thru car wash!
I have a set of wallpaper brushes that I use specifically for this purpose. The length of the brush makes it very quick and easy to follow an entire seam, seal, crevice, etc.
http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj628/jrnyman1978/WALLPAPER_BRUSH_zps7d2c178f.jpg
If you're going to call yourself a detailer, at least make sure you're paying attention to the details!
Anyone else feel the same way or share this frustration with me?
This past summer, business was particularly good when compared to those since the economy took a dump. In addition to servicing my regular clients more often than the past few summers, I also serviced a lot of new clients who were referred by regular customers for the most part. It was that increase of new clients' vehicles that made me aware of just how lousy a job other detailers are doing when it comes to... well... the detailing part of the job.
And while the amount of crud in the crevices varied wildly from one car to the next, all of them had it. Door jambs, window molding/seals (especially the rear window), side mirrors, handles.... you name it. Anywhere there was the slightest space between two pieces, there was crud. That in and of itself wouldn't bother me nearly as much as it does learning that the majority of the crud's makeup is wax left behind by previous detailers.
If I delivered a car to a customer that had 1/10 the amount of debris in the crevices as some of the cars I serviced, I'd expect to have to refund the customer's money. Maybe I'm just being overly critical, but to me... it's unacceptable. And of course, the darker the vehicle, the more it stands out. Case in point: I got a black Mercedes in a couple of months ago that the customer had just purchased from its original owner who had "just had it detailed" to attract more buyers and hopefully more cash. There was so much wax in every crevice of this car (and I swear I'm not making this up...) it looked like it had had some sort of custom paint feature done to it that trimmed every line in white! What's even more aggravating is that these customers are obviously not inspecting the work prior to paying the detailer - either that or they're just oblivious to it in which case it begs the question of why they're having the vehicle detailed to begin with when they could get just as lousy of a job at the local drive-thru car wash!
I have a set of wallpaper brushes that I use specifically for this purpose. The length of the brush makes it very quick and easy to follow an entire seam, seal, crevice, etc.
http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj628/jrnyman1978/WALLPAPER_BRUSH_zps7d2c178f.jpg
If you're going to call yourself a detailer, at least make sure you're paying attention to the details!
Anyone else feel the same way or share this frustration with me?