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  1. #1
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    323 Pictures - Autogeek's Hands-On Roadshow Detailing Classes!

    323 Pictures - Autogeek's Hands-On Roadshow Detailing Classes!





    Over the weekend of August 12th & 13th, Autogeek held their first official roadshow detailing class in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin in the training garage of Lake Country Pad Manufacturing.

    Because I know that most people have no idea what they get to do, what tools they get to use and the topics covered, we took a LOT of pictures at this class to document visually what attending one of our classes is like.

    1: The first thing you will notice is these are HANDS-ON classes. If you prefer to sit in a chair and listen to someone speak then you don't want to attend one of these classes.

    2: The next thing you'll see as you scroll through the pictures is that you get to use ALL the popular tools and paint polishing products and systems. NOT just a single brand of tool, pads and products. That's how ALL our classes are at Autogeek, whether they are the roadshow classes or the 3-day classes at Autogeek in Stuart, Florida or our boat detailing classes.


    We sell everything and we show everything and that means >you< get to use everything and then you can make up your own mind what's the best.


    Over the years I've fine-tuned the flow of the class and the order of the topics and tools covered. There's a rhyme to the reason. The pictures below are in fairly chronological order. The class actually starts in the classroom with a Power Point that walks everyone through some basic head knowledge, there's no pictures of the classroom portion from this class and there's also NOT pictures of everything we covered. Can't share all the secrets. But there are enough pictures to show you that when you sign-up for an Autogeek Roadshow Detailing Class - you're in for a fast-paced fun and educational experience from start to finish.


    Take a look...


    The real experience
    I'm known for the high level of quality cars I bring in for the class to learn on. I can't guarantee each and every class will be as fortunate as this class to get this many cool cars to work on but I try my best to get great learning cars for each class. The cars are more for a fun experience, there's nothing like learning show car detailing on a real show car. It makes the experience REAL. That said, I can teach you show car detailing techniques on a 2004 silver metallic 4-door Toyota Camry, it's just not going to be the same experience as learning show car detailing on a 1969 GTO Judge in Hugger Orange. Make sense?


    For this class, with the help of Mike Drees and David Patterson, plus a few people in this class that have already attended my class at Stuart, Florida, we were able to put together a GREAT collection of cars for the first day - the day we cover Show Car Detailing. Show car detailing is where you learn to create the most perfect finish out of what you have to work with. You learn to remove as many of the above and below surface paint defects is as humanly possible (safely), while squeezing every little drop of gloss and shine out of the paint



    Here are the cars for this class...


    1969 GTO Judge

    This is the real deal. This is easily a six figure collector grade muscle car. This restoration has a modern basecoat/clearcoat finish. The paint had HORRIBLE scratching from a car cover that had beat against it plus had a super rough feel to the paint indicating it had some form of contamination.





    1968 Dodge Dart GT

    This is local quarter mile race car with a magazine quality build. This car has a modern basecoat/clearcoat finish. This car had the normal swirls and scratches you would expect to see in a race car.





    1969 Chevy 396 Big Block Chevelle SS

    This too is the real deal, this is factory big block survivor car. This car has a modern basecoat/clearcoat finish. The paint on this Chevelle was completely swirled-out and contaminated.





    1967 GTO

    Pristine condition survivor car with a modern basecoat/clearcoat finish. This GTO probably had the nicest finish of all the cars in this class. It had very light swirls from normal maintenance.





    1939 Chevy Streetrod

    This beautifully built streetrod has a basecoat/clearcoat finish. The paint on this car had been recently clayed and the claying left marring throughout the finish.





    1965 Ford Econoline Van

    This 60s era van still has shag carpeting in it from the 1960s but it is sporting a modern basecoat/clearcoat finish on the body sides but the roof is single stage. This groovy van had holograms throughout the finish from the abuse from a rotary buffer.





    1976 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible

    This car luxury land yacht only has 50,000 mile on it but it has been repainted and has a basecoat/clearcoat finish. This car had also been buffed out by a troglodyte using a rotary buffer and had holograms throughout the finish.





    1969 Chrysler Newport Convertible

    This classic cruise has an older, antique single stage metallic finish. Even though this car did not have the original single stage paint it had an older single stage re-paint that had oxidized to the point of turning chalky. This was an unexpected BONUS as it gave me the opportunity to teach the class the technique for restoring antique paint using the #7 Rub Down Technique. This was a rare opportunity for a "Detailing Class" and to date, I think I'm the only guy that teaches this technique in the detailing industry.





    1982 Jaguar - V12 Edition

    This car had rotary buffer swirls or holograms throughout the entire finish. It also had some form of contamination throughout the finish.





    2011 Ford Mustang

    Not in bad shape but needed to be brought back to factory new condition. You'll see pictures of this car bleeding read when it's is chemically decontaminated.





    2012 Ford F-250 Super-Duty

    This is a daily driver in rough shape all-around.





    Again... each class we teach will have different cars. This is also what makes each class unique for the students and unique in the industry.




  2. #2
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: What it's like to attend an Autogeek Roadshow Detailing Class - Lots of pictures!

    Continued....


    For years now, people have been asking us to bring our Competition Ready Detailing Class that we teach here in Stuart, Florida on the road.

    My guess is - most people don't know what that means?

    That is, what it means to PACK and SHIP all the tools, pads, products, towels and even extension cords that you would get to use here if you travelled to Autogeek in Stuart, Florida, got a hotel and a rental car for a few days and attended the class here.


    Well it's a lot of stuff...

    Here's some of what we ship and pictures still don't do it justice...


    Boxes and boxes of multiple types of microfiber towels, plus Guzzler drying towels, plus cover-up towels and even microfiber gloves.






    RUPES compounds, polishes and pads




    RUPES tools - and lots of them....





    Camera shot from the other side of the 8' tables...





    RUPES iBrid Nano - Both Long Neck and Short Neck - SCANGRIP Sunmatch Swirl Finder Lights





    FLEX PE14 Rotary Polishers - and lots of them!




    And from the other side....





    FLEX 3401 and XFE7 Polishers and yes... LOTS of them!






    And from the other side of the tables...




    Here's the FLEX PE8 Rotary Polishers
    And just so the class can feel what a FULL SIZE rotary buffer is like to work with I'll bring a Makita and a DeWALT





    Griot's 6" DA Polisher - 3" DA Polisher - BOSS 15 and 21 Long Stroke Orbital Polishers
    And yes, there's a few on the table....




    From the opposite side....




    Griot's BOSS pads and products






    Scads of all the needed products...





    Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner and Tire Coating, RaggTopp, 303, Nanoskin tools...






    Most classes you only get to use one brand of tool, (and one brand of products), and a lot of time just one TYPE of tool.


    In order for you to use all the tools that are currently popular right now in the detailing world you either have to travel to Stuart, Florida and attend on of our 3-day classes, ($1,795.00 plus your travel, hotel, rental car and meal costs), or attend one of our roadshow classes, which is $995.00 - you save $800.00 PLUS all your airline ticket costs, hotel costs, rental car costs and meals-on-the-road.



    And of course, after the class, we have to pack and ship everything back to Stuart, Florida...


    There's a LOT of logistics to make a pro-grade detailing class happen in another state.



  3. #3
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: What it's like to attend an Autogeek Roadshow Detailing Class - Lots of pictures!

    Continued....


    The tools, pads, products etc. in the above pictures don't walk to your State.


    There's some logistics involved...


    First you pack the individual items into totes...




    Then you pack the totes...






    Here's Yancy closing the door....





    There are 11 huge totes filled with tools, pads and products....




    All wrapped up, shipping processed and ready to be picked up...




    Dave Patterson called me yesterday, (Monday), and told me the two pallets arrived safe and sound!


    Total weight = Approximately 1000 pounds

    Shipping cost = Approximately $1600.00 2-ways (there and back)



    For anyone reading this into the future thinking about attending one of Autogeek's Roadshow Classes, you can see by these pictures... you're in for a 5-Star experience.


    We guarantee it.




  4. #4
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: What it's like to attend an Autogeek Roadshow Detailing Class - Lots of pictures!

    Continued....

    What happens next?

    Yancy and I clear our schedules to be out of the office for 4-5 days. We need to fly-in to the hosting site's city two days before the class. One day to travel and one day, (Friday), to set-up the class and stage the cars.


    Setting up for a hands-on detailing class...

    When you showcase as many tools, pads and products as we teach in our classes - you need some tables! Luckily for us, Lake Country had some long, sturdy tables to hold all the tools, pads and products. Whatever we couldn't get out of a tote and onto a table Yancy marks the side of the tote to note what's inside the tote and/or puts the word Sunday on the side of the tote so we know the contents of a Sunday tote are not needed on Saturday.


    There's also an order in which I teach both tools and techniques and the tools, pads and products are laid out accordingly to match the flow of the class. (this isn't my first rodeo)




    Griot's 6" DA Polisher and Pinnacle Paint Polishing System


    Simple 8mm Free Spinning Orbital Polishers
    First up are simple or entry level tools. For our classes we showcase the Griot's Garage 6" DA Orbital Polisher. This is a free-spinning orbital polisher with a 8mm orbit stroke length.

    Tools like the Griot's 6" DA Polisher are the EASIEST to learn how to use and master, (that's two things), and also a great tool to get the class warmed up first thing in the morning.


    $200,000.00 worth of training cars
    The GTO is valued between $125,000.00 and $150,000.00 and the Chevelle is valued at around $60,000.00 so that's approximately $200,000.00 worth of cars that class will be STARTING out on.


    Top shelf abrasive technology
    For this tool and this class I showed how to use the Pinnacle line of compounds, polishes and waxes. Pinnacle uses top notch abrasive technology that works with ANY tool and any paint system. When working on other people's expensive cars we only use products that use Best in Class abrasive technology and Pinnacle is top shelf all the way.



    Here's the tool the class warms-up with...

    Griot's Garage 6" ROP -






    Pinnacle Compounds, Polishes & Waxes





    On this first table, (reading around the garage from left to right), you can see,

    Pinnacle products

    Lake Country 5.5" Flat Foam Pads

    Lake Country 5.5" ThinPro Foam Pads

    Mother's Clay Bars

    Griot's Garage 6" DA Polishers

    Pad Conditioning Brushes







    And if you look - you can see there are plenty of tools, pads and products so EVERYONE can have their own tool, pads and products for the most hands-on classes on the Planet Earth!





    Setting up continued....



    Griot's BOSS Tools and Paint Polishing System

    The next tool sets and polishing system the class will train with is the Griot's BOSS tools and paint polishing system.

    So the table just to the right of the table above has everything we need for the next two training cars.






    The Complete Griot's Garage BOSS System

    Griots Garage BOSS G21 Long-Throw Orbital Polisher

    Griots Garage BOSS G15 Long-Throw Orbital Polisher

    Griots Garage Waterless Spray-On Car Wash 35 oz





    Setting up continued....


    RUPES BigFoot Orbital Polishers and Paint Polishing System

    I would say most people think RUPES is a tool. They're close... it's a paint polishing SYSTEM. It includes a LOT of tools, pads and products. For our classes you get to work with and use the complete line of RUPES tools, pads and products.

    As we move to the other side of the garage, the tables in the back on the right hand side have all the RUPES tools, pads and products for the class to use.















    All RUPES Tools, Pads & Products

    RUPES BigFoot LHR21 Mark II Random Orbital Polisher

    RUPES BigFoot LHR15 Mark II Random Orbital Polisher

    RUPES LHR 12E Duetto Random Orbital Polisher

    RUPES LHR 75E Mini Random Orbital Polisher

    RUPES Bigfoot Nano iBrid Short Neck Kit

    RUPES Bigfoot Nano iBrid Long Neck Kit

    RUPES M606 Rapid Cleaner Detailer

    RUPES P808 Protective Sealant

    All RUPES Foam Pads

    All RUPES Compounds and Polishes





    Setting up continued....


    FLEX Power Tools - FLEX 3401 and FLEX XFE7

    FLEX is famous for their gear-driven orbital polisher the FLEX 3401 aka the BEAST! Before getting to use the FLEX 3401 the class works through all the free-spinning orbital polishers. For the FLEX class we cut or compound with the FLEX 3401 and then finish out with the FLEX XFE7 aka the FINISHER!.

    FLEX polishers are not finicky when it comes to products as long as the products use GREAT abrasive technology. For the FLEX class we use all SONAX compounds and polishes plus the CC36 Ceramic Coating. For pads we use the Lake Country Force Hybrid Foam pads.


















    All FLEX Tools

    FLEX XC 3401 VRG Dual Action Orbital Polisher

    FLEX XFE7-15 Long Stroke Orbital Polisher

    Lake Country Force Hybrid Foam Pads

    All SONAX products

    SONAX CutMax

    SONAX EX 04-06

    SONAX CC36 Ceramic Coating

    SONAX Brilliant Shine Detailer



    And the above is all for the FIRST day!

    (if we don't get through all of the above tools sets and all 8 cars, we pick up where we left off on Sunday)





  5. #5
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: What it's like to attend an Autogeek Roadshow Detailing Class - Lots of pictures!

    Continued....

    So as you can see so far, at these classes you get to use multiple tools and multiple paint polishing systems.


    Griot's

    Griot's Garage 6" DA Polisher
    Griot's Garage 3" Mini Orbital Polisher
    Griot's Garage BOSS 21
    Griot's Garage BOSS 15
    Griot's BOSS Paint Polishing System (matching pads and products)



    RUPES

    RUPES iBrid Nano Long Neck
    RUPES iBrid Nano Short Neck
    RUPES BigFoot 21 - both Legacy and Mark II
    RUPES BigFoot 15 - both Legacy and Mark II
    RUPES Duetto 12
    RUPES Mini 12
    RUPES Paint Polishing System (matching pads and products)



    FLEX

    FLEX XFE7 15mm Free Spinning Orbital Polisher
    FLEX XC 3401 8mm Gear Driven Orbital Polisher
    FLEX XFE 7-12 80 - 12mm free spinning orbital mini polisher


    Makita

    Makita PO5000C


    That's a LOT of tools to get to use in one detailing class. 14 by my count.

    Plus a lot of other pads and products.


    Now lets see what the flow of the class to see what you get to do when you attend one of these classes.

    Note there's no pictures of people sitting in chairs.




  6. #6
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: What it's like to attend an Autogeek Roadshow Detailing Class - Lots of pictures!

    Continued....


    After the brief classroom session we move to the garage and the first thing we go over is

    HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

    How do you do this? Simple. Inspect the car, locate, identify and mark down PRE-EXISTING DAMAGE.





    Being a REALLY expensive car, the last thing we want to do is pay for damage that we didn't cause. So I show the guys where to look (especially on NON-robot built cars), for pre-existing damage.


    Here's the rear deck lid spoiler on the 1969 GTO. Any easy to buff areas and any raised body lines are going to be prone to burn-through.




    Yep.... here's paint burn-through or strike-through as my friends across the pond like to call it on the raised area of the spoiler.




    Chances are some other hack detailer buffed too long and too hard on the top of the curved portion and burned or ground off the paint.





    Body panels don't normally fit perfect on cars like these like they would on an Acura where body panels are designed by a computer and assembled by robots.

    As a professional detailer or even a savvy enthusiasts, you just have to know where to look... like any where the hood closes and comes close to the body panels.




    Here's a chip in the inner top of the front right fender and a crack on the front nose of the car.





    Tape-off, cover and protect
    After identifying any known or pre-existing damage, then you can either tape these areas off to protect them or place a piece of tape next to them as a VISUAL REMINDER or even place tape around them.

    For the fine vinyl lettering on the air scoops we don't want to put tape ON the lettering as pulling the tape off will pull the lettering off. So instead we'll place a thin strip of 3M Blue Vinyl Tape AROUND the lettering as a visual reminder and barrier to not buff into the lettering.







    Sorry for the small pictures but you get the idea - we tapped off AROUND the lettering, not ON the lettering...







  7. #7
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: What it's like to attend an Autogeek Roadshow Detailing Class - Lots of pictures!

    Continued....


    TEST SPOT and Technique

    After inspecting both the 1969 GTO and the 1970 Chevelle, (we detail two cars at a time so EVERYONE has plenty of room to work and gets LOTS of HANDS-ON time with the tools), it's time to go over how to do a Test Spot and WHY and at the same time I share all the important techniques a person needs to know to correctly use an entry level polisher like the Griot's Garage 6" DA Orbital Polisher and also the Griot's Garage 3" Mini Polisher (which is a 5mm orbit stroke length polisher.


    Yancy may have pictures of the portion of the class where I show how to do the Test Spot, so far all I have had time to do is go through the pictures I personally took on my iPhone during the 2-day class.


    After doing the test spot and going over proper technique, it's time for the class to get busy and do what they came to the class to do and that's get hands-on time behind all the various tools starting with the simplest and easiest tools to use first.

    The class working on the 1969 GTO












    The class working on the 1979 Chevelle

























    Results

    Here's the after shots of the 1969 GTO and the 1970 Chevelle



















    First tool on the first day of class

    That's $200,000.00 worth of iconic muscle cars being transformed into jaw-dropping show cars with a finish that matches their mystique using a tool that costs around $150.00






    Griot's Garage 6" Random Orbital Polisher -



    My comments...

    For some people, the above tool is all you need to either take care of your own car or car collection. For others, you can run a successful detailing business with this entry level tool.

    The important thing though is by attending this class you learned it's capabilities and also it's weaknesses and you're going to be able to draw from your hands-on experience with this tool as we MOVE FORWARD in the class using more and more tools.




  8. #8
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: What it's like to attend an Autogeek Roadshow Detailing Class - Lots of pictures!

    Continued...


    Next up we moved onto the Griot's BOSS System. The class will learn how to use the Griot's long stroke orbital polishers as well as the BOSS compounds, polishes and BOSS pads on two more INCREDIBLE cars.

    1968 Dodge Dart GT






    1967 Pontiac GTO




    Here's the tools, products and pads...







    For this portion of the class we also covered how to use a Waterless Wash using the Griot's Spray-On Car Wash you see in the pictures above.








    After getting the cars clean, we then used Nanoskin Towels to mechanically decontaminate the paint. (sorry no pics)





    TEST SPOT and Technique

    After cleaning, decontaminating the paint and then inspecting both cars for pre-existing damage, I again demonstrated how to do a Test Spot using the Griot's BOSS System and then went over the correct techniques for using the Griot's BOSS 15 and BOSS 21 Long Stroke Orbital Polishers.

    Next up - hands-on learning. Note again, no pictures of anyone sitting in chairs.









    Because the new FLEX Mini Polisher is NOT available at the time of this class and the only one available in the United States for people to test out is my Prototype, the class was encouraged to use the FLEX Prototype at anytime and on any car even when the focus of the class was on a specific tool brand, in this case Griot's BOSS System.








    Not a lot of pictures of the Griot's BOSS System being used on the 1968 Dodge Dart so use your imagination...





    Even though the Griot's 3" Mini Polisher has a 5mm orbit stroke length and is NOT a part of the BOSS System, it's perfectly okay to use it where and when it's needed in our classes, for example the THIN panel on the tops of the fenders.

    We do use it with the BOSS pads and chemicals during the BOSS portion of the class.









    Results

    And here are the beauty shots...




















    Comments....

    At this point of the class, everyone has spent plenty of time using 8mm, 5mm, 15mm and 21mm free spinning orbital polishers as well as two brands of pro grade compounds, polishes and waxes.

    We also covered lots of techniques that simply don't show up in a picture, like inspecting your microfiber towels before wiping polished paint etc..

    The only way to learn so much information while re-enforcing the information with real-world, hands on learning is by attending one of these classes.


    Also, by now the students in my class know how the class rolls. That is, cars come in, we clean using one of 4 methods of cleaning a car, visual inspection, mechanical decontamination, VIF form, Tape-off and cover-up, Test Spot, demonstration of correct technique and then time to learn by doing, not listening to me talk.

    So now everything goes faster...

    These classes are dialed-in. I've been doing this as long and in most cases longer than anyone breathing. Read the testimonies from the people that have attended one or more of these classes.

    These classes are fun and that's important but they are also intensely educational.



  9. #9
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: What it's like to attend an Autogeek Roadshow Detailing Class - Lots of pictures!

    Continued....


    Next up are the RUPES tools and the RUPES paint polishing system.

    Including,

    RUPES iBrid Nano Long Neck
    RUPES iBrid Nano Short Neck
    RUPES BigFoot 21 - both Legacy and Mark II
    RUPES BigFoot 15 - both Legacy and Mark II
    RUPES Duetto 12
    RUPES Mini 12

    The RUPES Paint Polishing System which includes the matching RUPES pads, compounds, polishes and LSPs.

    As a professional courtesy to all my friends at RUPES and any company that offers a complete system, when I teach how to use their tools I also teach how to use their system. It's the right thing to do and service to the people that attend our classes wanting to learn about not only a specific brand of tool but the rest of the companies' line.


    For the RUPES class I have two really cool cars... and HUGE cars so everyone gets TONS of hands-on time with the tools.

    HOWEVER

    Before we move onto the RUPES tools and paint polishing system the class was in for a real treat. One of the cars in the class has old, even antique single stage paint. I am the ONLY guy in the world with multiple articles on how to correctly restore antique and original single stage paint.

    So when I have a car in one of my classes that has oxidized, chalky antique or original single stage paint I share with them what I call,

    The #7 Rub Down Technique

    At the end of this post I'll include the link to all my articles on using the only product on the market today that was on the market at the time the Ford Model T was around. (This means the only product on the market today that was around when car paint was invented).


    Here's the car, a 1969 Chrysler Newport Convertible





    And here's the bottles of #7 I packed and shipped to Wisconsin for this class. You can also see other items that were packed and shipped for one of our roadshow detailing classes. You want to have some fun and learn a lot? Then when you see one of our classes coming to your State, don't hem and haw... get signed up.


    How to restore neglected single stage paint with Meguiar's #7

    First we wiped both cars for the RUPES class down using the RUPES M606 Rapid Cleaner Detailer. We basically used it as a waterless wash.

    The SECRET to applying #7 and restoring antique singles stage paint is NOT using abrasives but instead using 100% cotton terrycloth and elbow grease you supply.

    I am always teaching people that fibers are a form of abrasive. When you cut with a wool cutting pad on a rotary buffer or a microfiber pad on a dual action polisher, part of the abrading action taking place is the FIBERS of these types of pads CUTTING the paint.

    When it comes to SAFELY restoring paint that is important to you or your customer, instead of using abrasives, I teach people to use fibers in the form of a piece of terry cloth plus the trade secret oils found in the #7 as both a lubricant and the magic juice that brings out the full richness of color in the pigments in single stage paint.

    The results are usually incredible considering the paint and the approach.



    Here's the clean trunk lid....





    Here's some #7, some terrycloth and some elbow grease...




    Before




    After





    Now it's time for hands-on learning. This is such a rare experience. Where else are you going to learn this technique?










    The application is done and now the class is wiping the #7 off the paint.





    This was mostly a lesson on "how to do it" so if any of these people are requested to restore antique paint in the future they will have, the experience the knowledge, the skill and most important... the confidence to tackle the project.


    After showing how to restore antique paint now it's time to move on to how to use the RUPES Paint Polishing System.

    At our classes there are always more than enough tool so EVERYONE gets their own tool of choice to learn and practice with. Note again, no chairs.
















    TEST SPOT and Technique

    First I show exactly how to do a test spot using the RUPES paint polishing system. Then I go over the techniques for using the various RUPES tools.






    Paint correction and polishing with RUPES - 1969 Chrysler Newport Convertible

    After that it's time for the students to learn by doing, not listening to someone talk or watching someone else run a buffer...
















    Paint correction and polishing with RUPES - 1976 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible























    Seal the deal

    After all the correction and polishing work is completed it's time to seal the deal using RUPES P808


























    Results...

    And here are the results....

























    Comments...

    By now the class has used a LOT of tools, pads and products and pumped out 6 cars!

    There's always a lot of interest in the RUPES tools and products I can guarantee you from the feedback I hear, everyone loves all the hands-on time they get with the RUPES system.




  10. #10
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: What it's like to attend an Autogeek Roadshow Detailing Class - Lots of pictures!

    Continued....


    FLEX Power Tools Detailing Class

    At this point of our class, we have detailed 6 cars and are moving on to numbers 7 and 8 and for these two cars the class will be starting with the gear-driven FLEX 3401 and then finishing out with the FLEX XFE7 15mm Free Spinning Orbital Polisher.

    At this time FLEX does not offer their own line of compounds and polishes as their tools are meant to work with any quality brand of compound, polish and wax. For this FLEX class we'll be using the SONAX CutMax for our compound and the SONAX EX 04-06 for our polish and then sealing chemically stripping the paint with Blackfire Crystal Coat Paint Prep and then sealing the paint with the SONAX CC36 Ceramic Paint Combo.


    Here's the training cars for the FLEX class


    1965 Ford Econoline Van





    1939 Chevy Streetrod





    How to wash a car?

    For all the cars you've seen so far we've used one of these options,

    Spray Detailer
    Waterless Wash
    Rinseless Wash

    (We'll get to traditional wash methods when we get into production detailing, right now we're covering show car detailing)


    For the Van and the Chevy Streetrod when went over how to use the Wolfgang Uber Waterless Wash. You can see the bottle of concentrate on the Grit Guard Universal Detailing Cart in the picture below.






    Mechanical Decontamination
    After getting both vehicles clean the next step was to mechanically decontaminate the paint. Mechanical decontamination means to remove above surface bonded contaminants, these would be the contaminants that don't simply wash off. Things like,

    1. Overspray paint
    2. Industrial fallout
    3. Traffic pollution
    4. Tree Sap Mist



    For the previous 6 cars we used,

    • Detailing Clay
    • Nanoskin Towels



    For the FLEX class we're going to use Nanoskin Autoscrub Pads on the FLEX tools to remove the overspray paint on both cars.


    Nanoskin Autoscrub Pads

    Machine decontaminating the paint on the 1939 Chevy Streetrod


















    Machine decontamination to the 1965 Scooby Doo Van





















    TEST SPOT and Technique
    Next up is learning how to do a Test Spot using the FLEX 3401 with SONAX CutMax and Lake Country Force Hybrid Foam Cutting pads.

    After performing the test spot, next we went over the correct techniques for holding and using the FLEX 3401 and the FLEX XFE7 for both paint correction, (removing swirls and scratches), and then machine polishing to maximize the gloss and clarity of the paint.


    Correction work using the FLEX 3401 aka the BEAST and SONAX CutMax












    Polishing with the FLEX XFE7 aka the FINISHER and SONAX EX 04-06












    Correction work using the FLEX 3401 aka the BEAST and SONAX CutMax












    Polishing with the FLEX XFE7 aka the FINISHER and SONAX EX 04-06





















    How to apply the SONAX CC36 Ceramic Paint Coating

    After the compounding and polishing step the next step is to learn how to chemically strip the paint to remove any residual polishing oils off the paint so they don't interfere with the bonding of the ceramic paint coating. For this I brought the BLACKFIRE Crystal Coat Paint Prep.





    I bring special microfiber towels for both the chemical stripping step and the final buff of the coating to remove high spots...




    And of course, plenty of CC36 Coating and applicators so everyone gets to apply the coating.





    Applying SONAX CC36 to the 1939 Chevy Streetrod











    Applying the SONAX CC36 Ceramic Paint Coating to the 1965 Ford Econoline Van










    Results

    And here are the beauty shots of the finished work...


    1939 Chevy Streetrod corrected with FLEX and SONAX and sealed using a ceramic paint coating












    1965 Ford Econoline Van corrected with FLEX and SONAX and sealed using a ceramic paint coating














    Comments....

    The 1939 Chevy provides a great lesson on how to buff out curves as it has a lot of curvy panels. It also has a rain gutter rail that the students need to learn how to buff around without damaging.

    The Scooby Doo Van was probably the most popular vehicle here for this class and while the panels were large and flat there were still plenty of areas that require focused attention to avoid mistakes.

    I think the class really likes getting to use so many free-spinning orbital polishers before working their way to the gear-driven FLEX 3401 and seeing just what it's like to go from free spinning to gear-driven.

    Switching back to the FLEX XFE7 - a free spinning 15mm long stroke polisher - AFTER using the gear-driven FLEX 3401 is also a great learning experience since it's both extreme options when it comes to power tools.


    After detailing these two cars the class has now successfully detailed a total of 8 cars and used over 14 different polishers and a huge selection of different types of products and pads plus LSPs.


    There is simply no other car detailing class like the classes offered by Autogeek at their corporate office in Stuart, Florida or their roadshow classes coming to city near you.

    The important thing to know is that for the Roadshow Detailing Classes - YOU MUST sign up 4 weeks out from the date of the class.

    You cannot wait until a week or two before the class because if too many people wait and we don't have 15 people signed up before the 30 day mark - the class will be canceled and that's how the cookie will crumble.

    Just saying... people been asking me to bring our Stuart class on the road for years now... and now that we're doing it it's time to put your money where your mouth is and get signed up early.



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