How to use the Flex 3401 for Show Car Detailing

[Mizzoutiger]

Another great book Mike! Packed with high-res pics, step-by-step instructions, product recommendations and best practice techniques and procedures. Love your "Mike's comments" and showing difference between a squirrel and swirl.

[Mike Phillips]

Another great book Mike! Packed with high-res pics, step-by-step instructions, product recommendations and best practice techniques and procedures.

Love your "Mike's comments" and showing difference between a squirrel and swirl.

Thank you for the nice comments...

Most of the cars in the book I personally detailed using the Flex 3401. There's a few what I call "Fluff Shots" that Yancy inserts that are just beauty shots of cars he's taken pictures of to add color to a page.

The Squirrel and Swirl article is probably one of the most fun or popular articles I've ever written because it's funny and it's funny because it's true.


This book was very well received at SEMA I'm happy to say... I signed dozens of copies including a copy for John D'Agostino....

[SilverRebel]

Any chance this will be coming out in an ibook?

[davey g-force]

Very nice work Mike! The "indoor-no-flash" after shots are just jaw dropping!

[LRC3]

Great job on the correction.

Those flame are absolutely INCREDIBLE, props to the painter..

[Mike Phillips]

Any chance this will be coming out in an ibook?

Best thing to do is just get the paperback version. No time-table for turning it into an ibook.

Very nice work Mike! The "indoor-no-flash" after shots are just jaw dropping!

Thank you. I've worked pretty hard on my photography skills over the last 13 years of sharing my work on discussion forums. Besides writing articles on how to detail cars I also write articles on how to take pictures and make them show up in a thread on a forum.

How to photograph and capture swirls in the sun


How-To capture swirls, scratches, etchings and other surface defects with your camera


Let there be light...
(when inspecting the condition of your car's paint)

Great job on the correction.

Thank you. When I was growing up I bought all the books on the market on car detailing and car painting and to be honest I don't ever remember learning anything in the book that actually helped me when I went out to the garage to work on a car. So I try to write in a way that actually helps people.

I also do all my own work. I don't sit back and type about how to detail cars, the cars I use in my how-to books are cars I have personally detailed.

Those flame are absolutely INCREDIBLE, props to the painter..

I agree.

[Richardt929]

Just curious, when would you use a buffer such as a Makita instead of the Flex 3401?

[Mike Phillips]

Just curious, when would you use a buffer such as a Makita instead of the Flex 3401?

Hi Richard,

I use rotary buffers all the time. It just depends on what I'm trying to do. Over the weekend I buffed out a brand new 2015 Ferrari 458 Spyder and for this car I used a simple Porter Cable 7424XP.

This Sunday as a part of my detailing boot camp class I'll be showing people how to,

Block sand by hand
Wet sand by machine
Use rotary buffers to remove sanding marks
Use Flex 3401 to remove swirls left by wool pad on rotary buffer
Machine apply wax using Porter Cable 7424XP

Here's their training car....





So it's all about using the right tool for the job. I still have my original Makita Rotary Buffer I purchased back in 1987 and used it till the gears wore out. I keep it around now days to show people in my classes how I wore the sand cast aluminum smooth like chrome from buffing out hundreds, possible thousands of cars.

I don't know of anyone else that has a rotary buffer that has wear marks like mine. I'm not saying they don't exist I've just never seen anyone post pictures of a rotary buffer they've used so much they have these types of wear marks.








If a person wants to learn how to use a rotary buffer it's a good idea to learn from someone that has used one.

[davey g-force]

Wow, that rotary has seen some use for sure!

I'm pretty sure Ive seen some photos posted by Joe (Superior Shine) that show a rotary or two with similar external wear.

[Mike Phillips]

Wow, that rotary has seen some use for sure!

I wore this polisher out from buffing out hundreds and even thousands of cars. I fed myself and my family with this Makita rotary buffer.

Right now it's on display in my office. I pass it around in all my classes for my students to see and inspect first hand.

Then I tell them,

"If your going to take a detailing class on how to use a rotary buffer it's a good idea to take a class from someone that's actually used one."


You come to one of my ACR 3-day classes and I'll show you how to make a rotary buffer dance on the paint.