Mike, I am new here so forgive my ignorance. How does one see if their vehicle could be one for the classes? I have a 2015 F-250 crew cab short bed. It is lifted with 22" wheels as a FYI.
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Mike, I am new here so forgive my ignorance. How does one see if their vehicle could be one for the classes? I have a 2015 F-250 crew cab short bed. It is lifted with 22" wheels as a FYI.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Campy
Good question, thank you for asking. You start by sending me a picture and telling me the condition. Here's what I need, here's what I look for.
Number of cars
For each 3-day class I need 12 cars for Friday and Saturday. We go through 6 cars a day. At this time I cover 5 tool for multiple step or show car detailing and also cover production detailing (one-step), and IO need 2 cars for this session. Each tool set gets two cars. For example, FLEX tools are a tool set. RUPES tools are a tool set. We sell a LOT of tools here at Autogeek and since I came to work here in 2009 we started with 3-4 tools and now we're over 20 tools. So as the company brings more tools in and the class offers to cover them, I need more cars to enable everyone to get some real hands-on time with each tools set.
Then on Sunday I need 1 to 3 cars. If I have a REAL custom car with a fresh custom paint job we use it for teaching wetsanding. If I don't have a custom car with a fresh custom paint job then we use rental cars.
Type of cars
To teach "Show Car Detailing" or multiple step detailing, this would be paint correction, polishing and sealing, I prefer to use Special Interest Vehicles, that is SIVs. This is what separates our classes from all the rest. Instead of a demo hood you train on the real deal.
An SIV is pretty much anything cool. It doesn't have to be a classic muscle car it can be a new car but it has to have the cool factor working for it. Fact is, now days most cars are what I call Bic Cars. That is most new cars are like Bic Lighters, you use them till they are used up and then trade them in. No one is restoring a 2013 Honda 4-door Accord. People are restoring cars like the 1970 Chevelle, see the difference?
I am a monster truck fan having built my first monster truck when I was 21 and just recently sold my last monster truck. I tend to like old school trucks to own personally, this means anything with a front straight axel, like Dana 44 or Dana 60. But I like them all so your truck would meet the criteria for an SIV.
Paint condition
Cars for our classes MUST need paint correction. So many experts on Facebook always make the snide comments about how the cars I get for my classes already look good, problem is - they are not here to see the cars in person, so their opinions never matter. But this is important, I can't teach paint correction on a car in good condition.
That's off the top of my head, hope it helps. Here's my e-mail if you want to send me a picture of your truck
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek.net
Also - for incredibly large vehicles like yours I tend to show how to use a one-step cleaner/wax. It's a time issue. It takes a LOT of time to go around a truck like yours 3 to 4 times,
- Compound
- Polish
- Wax
Or
- Compound
- Polish
- Chemical stripping
- Ceramic paint coating
Versus
- One-step Cleaner/wax like BLACKFIRE One Step
Doing multiple step paint correction to things like School Buses is great in the enthusiast or retail detailing world but for a 3-day class where we're going through 12 to 15 cars, it's a pure time killer. Been there, buffed that.
:)
The condition of the paint to me is quite good. I see some “orange peel”, but that might just be me. It is originally factory paint. The vehicle was detailed two months ago. Here is a picture.
Attachment 65001
Quote:
Originally Posted by Campy
Wow!
That's one nice looking truck!
https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ac88dd6621-jpg
To be honest, doesn't really look like it's in bad enough condition for a class on paint correction. Maybe drive her down to scrappy condition and then get a hold of me.
As for orange peel, I don't recommend people wetsand factory paint to remove orange peel, at least not the horizontal panels and especially if they live in a "sun state" like Florida. The risk for clearcoat failure is to high and not worth the work, expense and risk in my opinion.
Remember, the factory clear layer of paint on a new vehicle is thinner than a common Post-it Note.
:dblthumb2:
Thank you for the compliment. I was going to drive over on the 29th to visit the business and ask for some product recommendations, is the class being held at the same building? Maybe you can take a look at it in person and give me your professional recommendation for what products to use. I want to put ceramic coating on it.
Mike, would you be interested in doing the one step process in the class? I can be there Saturday or Sunday.