Pictures: February 2020 - 100% Hands-On Detailing Classes

The class was extremely hands-on, informative and valuable to increasing my knowledge in auto detailing.

Mike is an absolute pro in his craft and does a tremendous job teaching us students. He makes the class fun and entertaining. I want to thank Mike for hosting these classes and I want to also thank Andre and Marcus for their contributions to the class. You guys were all fantastic.

I have been wanting to take some sort of formal auto detail training for quite sometime now. I've been into detailing my own cars since I started driving 20 years ago and I picked up my first polisher 10 years ago or so. I started occasionally doing details and paint corrections for friends and family and found passion in the results.

I've been purchasing detailing supplies from Autogeek for about 10 years now and saw they offered detailing classes. I've worked in the electrical distribution industry for over 13 years now and have dreamt of going full time but one of my biggest hang ups in my skills is how long it takes me. I can easily spend 15-20 hours doing a paint correction and detail on a car and even doing this on the side, isn't profitable for my time spent.

I was able to learn how to speed things up and just get the job done using the correct tools, products and techniques. I've stayed away from ceramic coatings but Marcus taught us how they aren't nothing to be concerned about and how easy they were to apply.

The cars themselves were a complete blast to work on and when Mike says bucket list cars, I couldn't agree more. All the classic cars we did along with the Ford GT were just unbelievable.

Overall the class was extremely valuable and I would highly recommend it if you are on the fence trying to decide.

It's unfortunate that their building management wont allow washing cars outside any longer. As simple as washing is, that is one area that I struggle with living here in Colorado. Between our cold snowy winters that leave salt, sand and other road grime all over your cars exterior.

We have sunny hot summers with little to no humidity. We are located at over 6000' in elevation and water basically evaporates before it hits the ground. So to say the least, washing cars outside is a challenge. I personally try to wash our own cars before the sun comes up or after it goes down but when thinking about doing this full time, I dont think mobile is an option.

I'm hung up on how to proceed with my desire to go full time. Getting into some sort of commercial lease seems daunting. The rinseless and waterless washing techniques were fantastic but feel like they are reserved for pretty clean vehicles to begin with.

Any suggestions or guidance that would assist me in my full time interest would be appreciated.


:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shawn D

Thank you Mike for a great detailing education class; the course was fantastic and comprehensive; thanks to you and Andre for all your help

Shawn D

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Thanks for attending Shawn, it was a real pleasure to have you in the class.

I wish you much success with your detailing business moving forward and I hope your experience here will help you to be more successful and more profitable.


:dblthumb2:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MountainBound

The class was extremely hands-on, informative and valuable to increasing my knowledge in auto detailing.

Mike is an absolute pro in his craft and does a tremendous job teaching us students. He makes the class fun and entertaining. I want to thank Mike for hosting these classes and I want to also thank Andre and Marcus for their contributions to the class. You guys were all fantastic.

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Hi Jason,

Thank you for attending. Thank you for your trust in my name and Autogeek's name. This means a lot to me. There are a LOT of detailing classes and it seems like every time I turn around there's someone claiming to be an,

Instructor

God bless them and I wish them success. Me? I am truly passionate about sharing what I know with others and I like to photo-document all my classes dating back to when discussion forums were first invented. Way before Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. I can't find anyone that has better documentation for teaching car and boat detailing classes and the pictures to back it up.

So anyone wanting to take a class, a REAL class where you train on cars, not sit in chairs or watch someone else do a demo, then do your own research before plunking down your hard earned cash. Lots of wannabes, only a few of the real-deals.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MountainBound

I have been wanting to take some sort of formal auto detail training for quite sometime now. I've been into detailing my own cars since I started driving 20 years ago and I picked up my first polisher 10 years ago or so. I started occasionally doing details and paint corrections for friends and family and found passion in the results.

I've been purchasing detailing supplies from Autogeek for about 10 years now and saw they offered detailing classes. I've worked in the electrical distribution industry for over 13 years now and have dreamt of going full time but one of my biggest hang ups in my skills is how long it takes me. I can easily spend 15-20 hours doing a paint correction and detail on a car and even doing this on the side, isn't profitable for my time spent.

I was able to learn how to speed things up and just get the job done using the correct tools, products and techniques.

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Thanks for sharing the above. We appreciate your business.

One of the things I teach in all my classes is how to cut through the fluff and get right down to what's important and how to do it fast.

I detail cars FAST and I teach others how to do it fast - WHILE keeping your quality high. That is after all the primary goal unless a person is just working on their own car and doesn't care how long it takes them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MountainBound

I've stayed away from ceramic coatings but Marcus taught us how they aren't nothing to be concerned about and how easy they were to apply.

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It was great having Markus in the class to share his knoweldge on coating installation. What I really like is when watching how he teaches to install coatings it coincides with my own teaching and practices.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MountainBound

The cars themselves were a complete blast to work on and when Mike says bucket list cars, I couldn't agree more. All the classic cars we did along with the Ford GT were just unbelievable.

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Thank you for point this out. I work hard at getting GREAT cars for my classes. Try to find this with ANY other class AND find the pictures of the cars you'll work on BEFORE the class. Everyone can do things the way they see best but if I were to pay for a class - I would want to FIRST see what I get to train on. And if the class was mostly sitting in chairs or practicing on demo hoods - I'd take my class instead.

No one else on Planet Earth does this,

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d3c8bfd1ff.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MountainBound

Overall the class was extremely valuable and I would highly recommend it if you are on the fence trying to decide.

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:cheers:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MountainBound

It's unfortunate that their building management wont allow washing cars outside any longer.

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I agree. It's completely out of my control. Apologies.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MountainBound

As simple as washing is, that is one area that I struggle with living here in Colorado. Between our cold snowy winters that leave salt, sand and other road grime all over your cars exterior.

We have sunny hot summers with little to no humidity. We are located at over 6000' in elevation and water basically evaporates before it hits the ground. So to say the least, washing cars outside is a challenge. I personally try to wash our own cars before the sun comes up or after it goes down but when thinking about doing this full time, I dont think mobile is an option.

I'm hung up on how to proceed with my desire to go full time. Getting into some sort of commercial lease seems daunting. The rinseless and waterless washing techniques were fantastic but feel like they are reserved for pretty clean vehicles to begin with.

Any suggestions or guidance that would assist me in my full time interest would be appreciated.


:)

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Being mobile is a lot more profitable than having a fixed shop. Having a fixed shop is a lot more convenient than being mobile. It's a tough nut to crack. I've done both and while I much prefer to have a shop, it's better to start out mobile and make sure this is for you before you start investing a lot of capital into a brick-n-mortar store.


:)

For anyone considering attending one of the future sessions offered by Mike at the Autogeek site, here is my reflection on the Feb class.

The class instructed by Mike Phillips was a full 3 days of hands-on technique, product review and interesting (often humorous) historical perspective on the detailing industry.

As mentioned in several of the other reviews, there was no sitting down, in fact the only time there was any use of a slide deck was when we needed a background pic for the certificate handouts at the very end of the class. Every hour of each day was spent using the various equipment and detailing products to work on one of what was a wonderful assortment of vehicles, each with specific issues to address through our detailing work.

We dealt with a variety of challenges: single stage paint, the finish of a true 'show car', clear coat scratches and swirls, neglected finishes, paint protection film, vinyl surface decals, excessive orange peel, severely oxidized headlights, a cheap-o paint job, (could go on and on).

Each day was well organized with a focus on a particular vendor's tool set and a particular line of detailing products (some matched to work specifically with the detailing equipment).

Towards the end of the 3 days, students were free to make use of whatever tools and products they wanted to complete the assigned work. I particularly liked that Mike had an industry rep there (Markus Parsley from IGL Coatings) to go into the deep technical details of his company’s line of products including their ‘pro’ line of ceramic coatings and how they work.

In summary, the value of the class is unquestionable.

It sounds cliché but it's hard to imagine a more complete and hands on class with work on real vehicles put on anywhere.

Mike and his assistant, Andre’s constant presence offering advice on technique and the access to a very broad selection of tools and products makes for a truly enjoyable 3 days of work that literally flies by.

Thanks, Mike, for organizing the class and arranging for all of the vehicles we had access to. Shameless Spinal Tap reference:


Mike’s detailing class star rating goes to 6.


:xyxthumbs:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by halexande

For anyone considering attending one of the future sessions offered by Mike at the Autogeek site, here is my reflection on the Feb class.

The class instructed by Mike Phillips was a full 3 days of hands-on technique, product review and interesting (often humorous) historical perspective on the detailing industry.

As mentioned in several of the other reviews, there was no sitting down, in fact the only time there was any use of a slide deck was when we needed a background pic for the certificate handouts at the very end of the class. Every hour of each day was spent using the various equipment and detailing products to work on one of what was a wonderful assortment of vehicles, each with specific issues to address through our detailing work.

We dealt with a variety of challenges: single stage paint, the finish of a true 'show car', clear coat scratches and swirls, neglected finishes, paint protection film, vinyl surface decals, excessive orange peel, severely oxidized headlights, a cheap-o paint job, (could go on and on).

Each day was well organized with a focus on a particular vendor's tool set and a particular line of detailing products (some matched to work specifically with the detailing equipment).

Towards the end of the 3 days, students were free to make use of whatever tools and products they wanted to complete the assigned work. I particularly liked that Mike had an industry rep there (Markus Parsley from IGL Coatings) to go into the deep technical details of his company’s line of products including their ‘pro’ line of ceramic coatings and how they work.

In summary, the value of the class is unquestionable.

It sounds cliché but it's hard to imagine a more complete and hands on class with work on real vehicles put on anywhere.

Mike and his assistant, Andre’s constant presence offering advice on technique and the access to a very broad selection of tools and products makes for a truly enjoyable 3 days of work that literally flies by.

Thanks, Mike, for organizing the class and arranging for all of the vehicles we had access to. Shameless Spinal Tap reference:


Mike’s detailing class star rating goes to 6.

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Hi Hugh,

THANK YOU FOR THE SPOT-ON REVIEW!

In my unbiased opinion, I think you have written one of the best descriptions of what my class is accurately like from start to finish. Thank you. Not to say other reviews are not also accurate, but you wordsmithed a very accurate description of the class from the start on Friday morning to the end of the day on Sunday.

And I think it's great you picked up on the Spinal Tap reference for tool speed.


:dblthumb2:

Been there ... done that! :buffing:

I never get tired of seeing the threads from any of Mikes classes & never get tired of reading folks thoughts that have partaken in those classes. I struggle to ever recall reading any comments that were negative .... maybe perhaps if someone stepped up to the plate & tried one of Mikes Crazy Sauces there may be a few disgruntled taste buds but in term of the class experience NO.

There is NOTHING that comes close to a Mike Phillips class anywhere in the World & I doubt there ever will be. (I’m keen to try though ... ) I know for sure that I would love to attend one again & I hope some time I will.

Congratulations to all of the 2020 Alumni. :props:


Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:

Hi, this is Cristabel and I completed Mike's 3-day Autogeek Detailing Boot camp.

I have detailed for a while now about 9 years , I started by learning the wrong way in dealerships but this was something I knew I liked from the start, I became obsessed with learning more and more. Soon I was picking up things as time passed by. I tried many things out but life always brings me back to detailing.

Meeting Mike Phillips was on my bucket list, Mike taught me more about detailing through all those years of being on the forum (since 2012) than anybody else did.

I have read many of his articles, books, videos and loved his thorough explanations etc. He was my teacher before he was my teacher. So to me there were no other detailing classes to compare to what Mike's class could offer me.

Mike's class was an awesome experience, It's extremely hands on and full of tips, tricks, and techniques.

To know how to detail you don't only need to know how to do it, you need to have hands on experience and believe me you will get it here. I wish I took this class many years ago, it would of saved me a lot of time and money.

If you are new to detailing take the shortcut I didn't take believe me you will learn so many things in 3 days that can take you years to figure out on your own.

Even if you don't plan on making a business of detailing but love cars it's worth it, you will learn everything you need to know.

If you already have detailing experience trust me you will still love the experience, and will pick something new up. If you are an over-thinker like me you will learn about time management, how to speak to customers, customer expectations, try out new products, tools etc., you get to learn from Mike and be around people that speak the detailing language.

Detailing can be a money pit sometimes, I don't know how much I've spent just on trying things out.. a new polisher, polish, compound, products, tools etc.. most of the time I don't even finish what I buy, because I'm on to the next :laughing: .

Imagine if you got to try out thousands of dollars worth of the best machines, products, pads, tools etc. for every level of detailing before choosing what you like! I don't know where else you get to do that!

We worked our way from entry level DA's all the way to rotary's, for some cars we had-free-for-all which we got to try out the machines we wanted, I got my hands on the new Griots, Rupes Nano, Flex Cordless machines etc.

Marcus Parsley from IGL was nice enough to educate us on ceramic coatings and we applied them to a few cars.

We worked on amazing cars which we wet sanded by hand and by machine, compounded, polished, did one-step polishing, did headlight restoration, steam cleaned, used the carpet extractor, did engine bay cleaning etc.

Are you guys still reading this? :laughing:

lol I don't know if I'm getting my point across but we did a lot in 3 days and it's money well spent!

Don't pay to sit down, you can do that at home for free.

I don't want to end this review without thanking the man the myth the legend Mike Phillips. Thank You for everything you do, for taking your time to Help and educate us in the industry, you make the world a better place, and most of all for offering this class that has helped me gain the confidence to elevate my detailing to a higher level.

I could keep going but as Mike would say

"You could've spent all of that time working on a car" lol


:)

Hi Cristabel,

Not only do I love your review, but I love your story. I had know idea you have been reading and following my work on this forum for 8 years!

That is a true and impressive compliment. Thank you for your trust.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Detailchick

I could keep going but as Mike would say

"You could've spent all of that time working on a car" lol

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Ha ha...

I could tell by talking to you during the 3 days that you were like a sponge soaking up the information as well as the experience, but quoting me like you did above truly shows you were not only listening, but taking what I talked about, that is examining what you're doing and cutting out the fluff and going right to what's real and what's actually valuable when it comes to your TIME.

Thank you so much for attending this class. It was a genuine pleasure meeting and working with you. I really appreciated watching you hand wetsand and then machine wetsand some other guy's streetrod!


:dblthumb2: :dblthumb2: :dblthumb2: :dblthumb2: :dblthumb2:

Continued....


Click here to sign-up Or call Andre to sign-up over the phone

1-800-869-3011 x1244




What do others say about our detailing classes?

https://youtu.be/_jxvTJJwJ64



See you here!



:)

:bump:


If you click to the first page of this thread - you can get a real good idea of what one of my detailing classes look like.


Two things you don't see?

1. People sitting in chairs.
   
   
2. No hoods or fenders on stands but the real-deal.
   

What do you see?

People on their feet having fun learning all aspects of car detailing with multiple, multiple tools.


I used to teach my classes with power points and people sitting in chairs listening to me talk as we work through all the slides. Nothing wrong with this type of learning. The problem is - because I show so many tools and techniques - there's simply no time to learn and use all the tools if we're sitting in chairs looking at the wall.

And one thing I know - the kind of people that my classes attract are also the kind of people that learn best by doing - not sitting in a chair listening to me blather on and on and on.

So my classes went through an evolution and now instead of having my class sitting in chairs for most of each day looking at PICTURES of the tools or bullet point lists of features and benefits - I put the same tools and product you would look at in a power point slide into your hands and teach you on real cars.

That's my technique.

If you're wanting to learn more on how to detail cars then PLEASE - do your own research. If you learn best by listening, looking and taking notes - there are lots of great classes that offer this. If you learn best via hands-on immersion style learning - then take my class. You will not find a more hands-on class on Planet Earth - I guarantee it.


:)