Calling mike phillps

[Ncs0816]

I'm a student at George mason university. Im a college student that details. I like cars and I have had a passion for them for a while. I have to write a report for my summer class. I would like to interview you


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[Evan.J]

I would send him a PM but he is out for the Country right now

[Mike Phillips]

I would send him a PM but he is out for the Country right now


Hi Even,

I'm back. Safe and sound, just playing catch-up and working on a new project in the studio today with Yancy.

Taking a brief lunch break and then back to the studio.


Posted this from my desk here at Autogeek this morning.

Teaser shots taking inside the Rupes Manufacturing Plant in Milan, Italy (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/81930-teaser-shots-taking-inside-rupes-manufacturing-plant-milan-italy.html)


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/watermark.php?file=77572


:xyxthumbs:

[Mike Phillips]

I'm a student at George mason university. Im a college student that details. I like cars and I have had a passion for them for a while. I have to write a report for my summer class. I would like to interview you


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Give me a call next week to discuss. Kind of busy today as it's the first day back into the office after being out of the country. Have a hot project to knock out in the studio today and then lots of pictures to go through from Italy.


:)

[Ncs0816]

Awesome. Thanks mike.


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[Ncs0816]

Dear mike. If you could answer these questions that would be excellent!

1. What made you get into detailing?

2.where are you from?

3. What is a typical days work of work for you?

4. In you own words, describe what detailing is?

5. How many books have you written?

6. Do you work for autogeek or did you start autogeek?

7. What type of person do you have to be to be a detailer?

8. How does one succeed in the auto reconditioning and detail business?

9. How would one start a detailing business?

10. What kind of detail do most daily drivers prefer?

[Ncs0816]

Hey mike. Have you got a chance to look at the questions

[StangFan25]

Hey mike. Have you got a chance to look at the questions

He told you to call him. Did you call? Sounds like that's what he'd prefer....

[Ncs0816]

He told you to call him. Did you call? Sounds like that's what he'd prefer....

He didn't leave me his number

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

He didn't leave me his number

Dial 1-800-869-3011. Then press 8 for the employee listing. When Mike's number is mentioned, enter the three digit number and wait for Mike to answer or leave a message. :xyxthumbs:

[Mike Phillips]

Dear mike. If you could answer these questions that would be excellent!

1. What made you get into detailing?



I've worked doing most every segment of the car hobby from rebuilding engines, restoring cars, doing all the mechanical rebuilding and restoration mostly on classics, 4-wheel drive trucks and a few boats and here's the deal.

I really like turning wrenches on cool projects, things I either own or helping buddies with their projects. For example last week I helped my friend Jay adjust the valves on his 454 BBC. A few years ago I wrote a how-to booklet titled,

How to adjust the Chevrolet Valve Train using the E.O.I.C. Method by Mike Phillips


My boat engine builder for my title holding Sanger Drag Boat taught me the E.O.I.C. method which comes in real handy if you're a car guy and now I share it with other car guys because it's important to have the valve train correctly adjusted and most guys don't know how to do this type of work.

Each one teach one...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/watermark.php?file=77608

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/watermark.php?file=77609

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/watermark.php?file=77610


Here's some pictures from my own truck project where I rebuilt the brakes and I have to say, I've NEVER seen a set of brakes so full of mud and sand like these brakes on a 1-Ton 14 Bolt Corporate Rearend.

From this...

http://www.showcargarage.com/gallery/files/1/Project78PavementPounder032.jpg


To this....

http://www.showcargarage.com/gallery/files/1/Project78PavementPounder048.JPG


And here's what I found out about myself, while I really like turning wrenches and take a lot of satisfaction in doing this type of work all by myself, I really prefer the paint polishing segment of this industry.

I've met thousands of guys over the years all working on some type of project and in most cases the area they are struggling with is getting the paint to look perfect. If you read enough of my posts on this forum you'll come across something I type all the time that goes like this,

I have two passions as it relates to this industry,

1. I like to polish paint, that is take a diamond in the rough and turn it into a glistening gemstone. That's my quote by the way and it's in my how-to book.

2. I like to show other people how to polish paint to help them get the results they hope for and dream about for their project and do it right the first time.


Here's probably the coolest car I've ever detailed....

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/715/RotaryBufferBatmobile1.jpg


I'd put Scrape right at the top too.

Scrape, Terry Cook, Chip Foose, Christoper Titus and the Titanic (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/off-topic/40619-scrape-terry-cook-chip-foose-christoper-titus-titanic.html)



So what made me get into detailing was my own passion for what is both a craft and in my opinion an art form because I enjoy it more than turning wrenches for a living or anything else for that matter.

At age 53 I don't plan on leaving this industry to do something completely different. Something else I've typed often on the forum is

I'm in this for the long run...

I've see a lot of people come an go in this industry, sort of the flash in the pan idea, but I'm in it for the long run.





2.where are you from?


Oregon, lived in Albany, Cottage Grove and Seaside most of my life.

Moved to Californial in 2002 to work for Meguiar's a second time. While I was there here are a few of my accomplishments,


Started their Detailing 101 and 102 classes coordinated via discussion forums.
Brought up the MeguiarsOnline.com discussion forum from scratch.
Started the Thursday Night Open Garage or TNOG classes. (Originally they were on Wednesday nights).
Started their Extreme Makeover Classes.
Started their Road Show Classes.
Was an Instructor at the first two NXT ti classes along with Kevin Brow, Jason Rose, Mike Pennington etc.
In 2003 I wrote a 65 page report called "The Zaino Case Study" of which all of Marketing was ordered to read to learn how marketing of car waxes worked in the discussion forum world.
NXT Tech Wax - On page 31 I wrote the solution to the problem outlined in the Zaino Case Study report and that was to bring out an all synthetic product which then became NXT Tech Wax. This wax went from ZERO sales (because it was brand new), to the NUMBER ONE selling wax in August of 2004 in the United States and nothing like this has ever been done before in the retail car wax market.
That's the major things, I did a number of other things and still have a typed-up list of accomplishments that I gave to Barry Meguiar when I resigned from my position at Meguiar's.


In 2009, Autogeek invited me to teach the Detailing 101 class I taught for Meguiar's at the 2009 Detail Fest show and after teaching that class the President and CEO of Autogeek made me an offer I couldn't refuse to step down from Meguiar's and join the Autogeek Team where upon I moved from Apple Valley, California to Stuart, Florida and this is where I currently reside.






3. What is a typical days work of work for you?


Either working in the office, usually typing in a project, I have over a half a dozen new books in the works. If not in the office then I'm in the studio either testing products, buffing out a car or boat or making a video. My job also includes traveling, this year alone I've traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina where I taught a two day class on detailing and this last week I traveled to Milan, Italy where I was a guest speaker for the 2014 Rupes International Sales Meeting. Both very cool events and Pinnacles in my career.

I've also worked on 6 TV shows including being a regular guest on "My Classic Car" with Dennis gage for the last 4 years and our 5th year is coming up in October. The TV shows including two years of our own TV show include,


What's in Autogeek's Garage - Me
My Classic Car - Dennis Gage
Chasing Classic Cars - Wayne Carini
Two Guys Garage - Bryan Fuller and Kevin Byrd
Motorhead Garage - Dave Bowman and Sam Memmolo
Truck U - Bruno Massel and Matt Steel
TV shows include not just the traveling aspect but there's a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into a TV show that I've documented on this forum in various threads.

I much prefer the studio time over the office time but my job is a perfect balance between the two.




4. In you own words, describe what detailing is?


To keep it simple because this is a pretty open-ended question, for me personally, I'm a paint polisher so to me detailing is about taking a car's finish to it's maximum potential. This can include restoring antique single stage paint, removing the swirls out of a clearcoat finish or doing the wetsanding, cutting and buffing to a special interest vehicles.

I have three related articles you can check out....


The Mindset of a Professional Detailer (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/20551-mindset-professional-detailer.html)


"Taking your car's paint to it's maximum potential" (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/27081-taking-your-car-s-paint-s-maximum-potential.html)

It's the person that does the wet-sanding, cutting and buffing that makes or breaks the paint job (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/wet-sanding-cutting-buffing/28707-s-person-does-wet-sanding-cutting-buffing-makes-breaks-paint-job-mike-phillips.html)


And this article is actually the only one like it in the world and restoring the paint on barn finds and wetsanding cool cars are probably my two favorite types of car detailing projects.

The Secret to Removing Oxidation and Restoring a Show Car Finish to Antique Single Stage Paints (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/25304-secret-removing-oxidation-restoring-show-car-finish-antique-single-stage-paints.html)






5. How many books have you written?


Two that are printed, 4 that are e-books, three of the same title but in different versions, one other e-book on how to use detailing clay, (See my Signature Line), and then three more that are written and edited but not public yet and I'm working on at least half a dozen more for this year.




6. Do you work for autogeek or did you start autogeek?


I work for Autogeek. I am an employee and I have what I would call a "Dream Job" and that's not only because I get to work in the car world but it's also because of the people I work with at this company. As the President and CEO Bob says, this company is like a wheel and we are all spokes in the wheel. So everything here is team effort I just get a lot of face time due to my responsibilities.





7. What type of person do you have to be to be a detailer?


Crazy hard worker. You cannot be afraid of hard work because detailing cars is hard work. You have to be part sales person to sell yourself to your customer and that starts with believing in yourself and you also have to be part educator as you need to educate your customers as well not just buff out their cars.




8. How does one succeed in the auto reconditioning and detail business?


Find your passion and then give it all you've got. You can't jump from one segment to another segment in ANY industry. IF you want to be happy, find out what it is that makes you happy and get good at it and then stick with it. Live it, eat it, breathe and sleep it.

See what I wrote about this topic here,

Do you want to have a career in the car industry? (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-make-money-detailing-cars/27130-do-you-want-have-career-car-industry.html)






9. How would one start a detailing business?


First I'd recommend joining a top notch forum like this one and become a member and then start asking questions. We all learn by asking questions. So get head knowledge first.

Second start detailing cars, start with what you have. When I used to teach the Meguiar's classes because I started the class by teaching people how to work by hand here's what I would say,

God gave you two hands and today I'm going to show you how to use them"

After showing people how to polish paint by hand then I would teach them how to use the G110v2. Teaching people how to work by hand is the best sales tool for selling a machine because when people see how much grunt work it is to work by hand on a modern clear coat and how easy it is to work by machine they always buy the machine.

So read, post and do.

I'd also recommend attending my detailing class here at Autogeek. My classes are great and that might sound like I"m bragging but I'm not my classes really are great and I can back it up.

"It ain't braggin' if you can back it up." -Dizzy Dean (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/off-topic/29124-ain-t-braggin-if-you-can-back-up-dizzy-dean.html)


I know a few others guys in this industry that teach detailing classes and they are all great guys, great detailers and great teachers and I encourage everyone to attend their classes too but I don't think you'll ever go to any class like mine. It's too unique to me and I've been doing this all my life now. Plus I always have cool cars for you to learn on and that alone makes my classes fun and unique. Most of my classes include wetsanding a real car and polishing the paint on real show cars. Where else do you get to do this type of learning?


Besides the above, get Renny Doyle's book and read it 3 times. Besides Renny Doyle you'll find segments in the book written by Jason Rose, Joe Fernandez and yours truly.

Also get a copy of my book, the second edition and read it from cover to cover, it's very in-depth and a great way to flatten out the learning curve when it comes to exterior car detailing.


How to Start a Home-based Car Detailing Business (http://www.autogeek.net/car-detailing-book.html)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/Rennys_How_To_Book.jpg



The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine Paperback Book by Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/80828-complete-guide-show-car-shine-paperback-book-mike-phillips.html)


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1313/Show_Car_Shine_Book_01.jpg







10. What kind of detail do most daily drivers prefer?


The basics. Wash and wax using a one-step cleaner/wax. See these two articles,

A few tips on starting a part-time detailing business (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-make-money-detailing-cars/27827-few-tips-starting-part-time-detailing-business.html)
Match your services to your customer

The difference between a swirl and squirrel (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/off-topic/23142-difference-between-swirl-squirrel.html)




Good talking to you on the phone today Nick, hope the above helps you with your project.


:)

[sproketser]

Wow , such a great gesture from you Mike !

[Ncs0816]

Thanks again mike. It was great talking to a professional on the phone

[feslope]

Wow , such a great gesture from you Mike !+1 No "Detail" spared.

[b0b]

Cool read and gesture!!

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