Are detailer's anal and critical??

[Don M]

My medicine helps a little.

You too? LMAO

Being a detail person as a hobby, I have Instituted what I call the “wife” test… If my wife can’t tell a difference in something that I just did, that I usually don’t do it again. Because as a detailer, you can see streaks, imperfections, and anomalies that really don’t mean a damn bit of difference in the grand scheme of things.

I use the "wife test" a bit differently (ESPECIALLY when I detail HER mother's car). Truthfully, after I've spent a full day + on a car (I'm famous for taking up to 2 full days for an exterior wash, one step polish and wax and an interior vacuum, wipe down & windows), I literally CAN'T SEE if I've done a GREAT job, or an acceptable one. So I will call the wife outside and have HER look the car over. She's great at seeing things I may have accidentally missed due to my focus being elsewhere and does not hold back when/if she finds a less than acceptable area.

I've even started thinking about my wife when I'm finishing up an area and am about to move on. I'll give it a quick visual 'once over' and ask myself if what I've done is of "Wife Approval Quality," before actually moving on. It ends up saving a lot of embarrassment from having my Non-detailing, Non-car person wife from pointing out my shortcomings.

Back to the OP's original question:

Yes, we are all screaming lunatics. Unfit for (whatever passes for) normal society.

[Wknd Dtlr]

Among many of my OCD quirks, I still curse the day I learned the barrels of wheels are supposed to be cleaned. Which means way more time to clean them, and of course, a huge assortment of "wheel brushes"

Also, If I'm doing a thorough cleaning, I like to drive up on wood boards so that I can clean and dress the entire tire without having to move the car.

However, I have been prescribing my own therapy to offset this disease over the past year. Since I am an enthusiast and don't do a lot of this, I am on a kick to see how minimalist I can be with products and processes for cleaning and detailing. I was amazed at how much "stuff" I have accumulated over the past 14 years that I no longer use. Most of these products were premium items back in the day but our detailing world has advanced so much there are much better options now so I gave away what I could and tossed the rest.

[Paul A.]

My doctor suggested that if i was gonna wash my hands 231 times a day i should get a hobby.

[PA DETAILER]

Yep, we’re all sick. I wish I were like the majority of people out there and didn’t give a crap about cars. Life would be way easier.

[PouncingPanzer]

Picky. Critical. Obsessive.

All traits of a good detailer, I think.

[Willbeen]

I'm just an old-geezer enthusiast who gave up on polishing because it took too much time and effort to get it right. Now I pay for the polishing service and have resorted to reading too many posts on this forum and "pretending" what I would buy if were a detailer. All the while learning about what I need to buy next to maintain that car. Oh yeah... I have an array of clothes, brushes and accessories to foam, clean, get those darn wheel barrels cleaned, and after that's done, I need to be sure to soak up the last drop of water from the mirror and license plate housings. Perfection is is not easily achieved...but I got the best-looking vehicle in the neighborhood :-)

[Big Dave]

Also, If I'm doing a thorough cleaning, I like to drive up on wood boards so that I can clean and dress the entire tire without having to move the car.

I've never thought of doing that, it's so obvious now, and sometimes I park so close to the edge of our driveway that an inch or so of the tire is hanging over the edge, and I never realised. Thank you, now I have to go and buy some wood.

Also, I only do the barrels if I have the wheels off the car, so most of you guys are more nuts than me.

Sent from my motorola edge 20 fusion using Tapatalk

[Wknd Dtlr]

. Thank you, now I have to go and buy some wood.

I just used some 2x6 scraps and cut an angle at one end. Here's a before and after. Makes cleaning the whole tire much easier. Plus when you dress the tire you're above any water on the driveway that can get your applicator wet when applying to the low side of the tire.

[dgage]

Also, I only do the barrels if I have the wheels off the car, so most of you guys are more nuts than me.

Are you sure?

The annoying thing that got me this past year was Klasse commenting about my wheel wells being dirty and DFB showing the EZ Detail brush…and now I clean my wheel wells with every wash dammit.

[dgage]

I used to put my tires up on wood initially and then thick plastic that I ordered specifically for my wheels but they kept sliding so I bought some low profile ramps and place them such that my tires hang over the edge. Much easier to clean and dress now.