How to use a one-step cleaner/wax to maximize profits

[Dougw4355]

Your process mentioned using cleaner wax and same pad as used for applying wax,,to buff the chrome?

[Mike Phillips]

Mike good Information, this is something I have to keep in mind, thank you for the information. I have been using your audio set "the art of detailing". I'm refining my approach to a detail job.

Good to hear, getting both head knowledge plus time behind the buffer is the best way to grow...

Mike always great & helpful

JAZAKALLAH

Thank you sir...

Thanks for the write up Mike, great info!!!!

Thank you sir!

I have been considering using cleaner wax's more often to maximize my profits as well..Instead of all the extra steps

The key is to use both quality products and try to use foam pads to finish down nicer instead of cutting pads either foam or fiber PLUS don't promise the moon for doing production work with one-steps.

Your process mentioned using cleaner wax and same pad as used for applying wax,,to buff the chrome?

Yes. Think about it... the paint on this car was neglected, oxidized, contaminated and stained with dirt. Paint gets dirty, that is dirt embedded "on" the paint and "in" the paint, see my article here,

How to remove stains and embedded dirt out of paint



Paint Staining
Sometimes you'll hear the word stain or staining when talking about the condition of the paint. Another term would be embedded dirt.

So where does the dirt come from? It's embedded in the microscopic surface imperfections of the paint. Here's a brand new white foam polishing pad next to the single pad I used to machine apply the Optimum GPS.







By the time I buffed out all the paint the single pink foam polishing pad I was using was toast. It was a torn up and dirty, perfect for buffing out chrome. I should have taken a picture of it.


Tatty Pads for Rough Work
Point being, safe your tatty pads for doing rough work like polishing old chrome bumpers like this car had, in places the chrome was pitting, for sure the pitted areas would chew up a NEW, NICE foam pad so don't waste a good pad for doing rough work.

Chrome on Classic Cars
If you haven't buffed out lots of classic cars with chrome bumpers, here's a little insight, often times the chrome on the lower side will become rough with pitting or the beginning of pitting and this will chew up foam. Wool pads are great for buffing out old dirty, stained chrome and because the fibers that make up a wool cutting pad are COARSE (as compared to foam), they do a great job of abrading the chrome surface to clean it up.

Wool Fibers Cut (there's supposed to)
I didn't want to do a one-step using a rotary buffer or a wool pad because there were already some thin spots on high points from the other guys that have buffed this car out in the past and wool fibers by themselves are a type of abrasive and can remove a lot of paint very quickly. For the same reason a wool pad offers greater and faster defect removal, (it's aggressive and abrasive), these characteristics also tend to leave cuts in the paint, that is each of the individual fibers that make up a wool pad will cut the paint and the wool pad by itself can leave holograms in the finish.

This article is to share with you the "idea" of,

• Reducing time by only doing one thing to the paint after normal protocols.
• Use a softer "polishing" foam pad instead of a cutting pad, (foam or fiber).
• Reduce the risk of instilling holograms from the fibers of a wool pad.
• In this specific example, reduce the risk of burning through thin paint on raised body lines.

[Mike Phillips]

One of the classes I'm teaching at this year's Mobil Tech Expo is titled,


Detail Faster with the Flex XC3401


One of the key points Ill be going over is the importance of reducing your time on the paint polishing aspect of any job.








While it's fun to do multiple step procedures for show car results you need to match your services to your customer's needs.

See this article for more information...


A few tips on starting a part-time detailing business
Match your services to your customer

[zckid]

thanks for sharing Mike most appreciated.

i've been struggling to find a pricing strategy for detailing services in our small island. Most people here are unaware of what detailing is. The best for me is to take the one-step cleaner/wax route.

i've created my facebook page. Here it goes.

Got some inquiries, they all ask about price, not waht can be done to their cars.


Thanks again for your invaluable help. God bless u.

[Mike Phillips]

thanks for sharing Mike most appreciated.

No problemo...

I would recommend reading this article too...

A few tips on starting a part-time detailing business
Match your services to your customer



If you get and read Renny Doyle's book on how to start a detailing business you'll find Renny, Jason Rose and myself all say the same thing in this book and to paraphrase what we say is to NOT get all caught up into doing multiple step show car detailing work for people that own daily drivers as it's not going to be profitable for you and it's really a disservice to the customer as most people don't know the difference between a squirrel and a swirl.

The difference between a swirl and squirrel

[TundraPower]

I agree with this 100%. I would say almost all of my customers are thrilled with a car that looks "really nice". They don't know and can't see the difference between "really nice" and "off the charts". Even if they did they wouldn't want to pay for it. All-In-One products rock. Everyone wins!

[zckid]

yea u r right

[DaC]

I'm having a hard time learning this lesson, anyway... already got some D151 here with me, and now I guess it's just meet my work to my client....
I can say some people won't consider giving their cars to me because they think I'm trying to sell the same job the guy on the corner does for 1/4 of the price.

[Mike Burke]

Mike ,

just qureouse about your choice to use the CCS pad.

Is there an advantage useing these pads ?

Thanks

[Mike Phillips]

Mike ,

just qureouse about your choice to use the CCS pad.

Is there an advantage useing these pads ?

Thanks

I used the CCS because at this time this foam formula is not available in a flat surface design. If it were available in a flat surface or flat pad design I would have opted for it over the CCS but that' just because I'm a flat pad guy...

Both work. If you go to the CCS page on the AG store it lists many benefits to the CCS design.