can i start competitevely detailing...

**Bullitt AK** · 07-22-2010, 10:15 PM

without polishing? i do great work at everything else and i will be ordering a flex 3401 soon and a PTG but i want to get some decent experience with it first before i start adding it in..do most people usually get their cars polished? atleast their first time...or should i just wait till i get good with the flex then start doing the whole deal

cause i dont want to start then a cust. ask me if i can polish their car and i look stupid/inexperienced because i cant

**tuscarora dave** · 07-22-2010, 11:33 PM

Originally Posted by Bullitt AK

cause i dont want to start then a cust. ask me if i can polish their car and i look stupid/inexperienced because i cant

You may have answered your own question here. Call it car washing instead of detailing and when you learn to do paint correction add swirl removal to your menu of services. If you have a market for what you are doing now go get that money don't wait. Just my 2 cents.

**nittyv12** · 07-28-2010, 07:37 AM

Originally Posted by tuscarora dave

You may have answered your own question here. Call it car washing instead of detailing and when you learn to do paint correction add swirl removal to your menu of services. If you have a market for what you are doing now go get that money don't wait. Just my 2 cents.

get it how u can. market yourself how u see fit until u can go all out.

**Wax Gorilla** · 07-28-2010, 07:42 AM

You can correct paint by hand ! Anyone that has been doing it for more than 25 years or like myself 37 years remembers that there was not always a buffer available. With Megs 105 / 205 you can do some correction without harm to the vehicle by hand. That being said it will take a very very long time to do even light correction on a small vehicle. Best of Luck !

**SeaJay's** · 08-10-2010, 12:32 PM

I do detailing on the side and I do not offer paint correction. Most of my customers are not even interested in paint correction, but just want a nice clean car with a good coat of wax.

I have had a couple customer's ask me about it, but I just explain that I have very little experience with it and that I wouldn't want to test my skills on a customer's vehicle.

I'm making pretty decent money with this just working on the weekends and just offering interior packages, wash and wax packages, etc.

**PAR Detailing** · 08-10-2010, 12:37 PM

Most people you run across don't know what a swirl is much less what a car can look like without swirls. I wouldn't stress about not offering paint correction yet. Learn more and then you can get into it. A aio is prob the best way to start with offering polishing

**Vjeszczi** · 08-10-2010, 12:56 PM

The people I have been doing ar co workers that are just interested in having a clean car inside and out. I tell them that I don't do paint corrections, and they look at me funny. They think their cars look great afterwards, till I show them the swirls in their paint and inform them that a good paint correction would take care of that.

Once I get a DA and get my DD and my wife's DD done and can get some good before and after shots done of them both, I will likely start offering it. I think the biggest hurdle to offering pain correction will be the amount of time it adds to the job, as it is taking me 6-8 hours for interior and exterior cleaning without any sort of pain correction.

**rwright** · 08-10-2010, 12:57 PM

Experience first. If you are making good money now, continue but practice polishing. Later on incorporate it in your list of services. Keep a test panel handy, such as black, and describe to the customer what service you can offer and explain what the service is. Don't just say "I can do this for X dollars". I'm with Wax Gorilla, you can do correction and spot correction by hand. Yes it does take longer but it is possible. Grab some M105/M205 and some microfiber pads and towels and clean up door handle areas. You would be surprised how effective it is.