My First Gig: Black 2004 Cadillac CTS-V

[PurpleTowel]

So I have been detailing cars—my own cars—most of my adult life. Trial and error throughout the years has taught me a ton, and this forum has been a huge help, too. By day, I sit behind a computer and lead a team of very talented creatives at a marketing agency, but for the last year or so, I have been contemplating starting a side gig on the weekend detailing cars. I enjoy it, and if I can make a bit of extra cash on the side, that helps in so many ways.

So this past weekend, I had my first opportunity to do a paid detailing gig. The car that was dropped off early Saturday was a 2004 (first generation) Cadillac CTS-V 6-speed in black. The car isn't a DD and it only has 17,000 miles on the clock, so it wasn't a total basket case to begin with. Lots of swirls in the paint, plenty of oxidation in the clear and more than a few scratches throughout the car, just from being around kids and parking lots.

Total time spent was just a tick under 12.5 hours. It was a full wash outside, paint decontamination, wheels and barrels cleaned and waxed, paint correction, polish and wax/sealant. Windows were decontaminated and polished, engine was detailed, carpets scrubbed and the exhaust tips were polished. I probably don't work nearly as fast as most of you guys, so I'm not really working at peak efficiency. My rental house garage and facilities are sub-par by my standards, being cramped, dark and with terrible airflow, but I make due.

I'm happy that it went so well. The owner was blown away, telling me the car never looked this good when it was rolled off the showroom floor. The results couldn't have been better, though I was shocked at how hard the Cadillac clearcoat is. Even with a maroon Meguiar's pad and M105, it still refused to cut some of the heavier scratches. I've never worked on a car with paint this hard.


Still, thrilled with the final product. Happy that the first one is out of the way. Now, to find more jobs.

Before:

[PurpleTowel]

During:

[PurpleTowel]

After:

[PurpleTowel]

After:

[DETAILROOKIE]

Congrats on the first paid gig!! Great work! The car looks brand new!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Autogeekonline mobile app

[Paul A.]

Nicely done, upon3!

[392hemi]

Great job looks great! Did you use a PC 7424? What was the LSP you used?

[Calendyr]

Congrats, nice work. And welcome to the pro detailing world.

I am sure you will have plenty of questions with time. As a pro detailer you will come across issues you have never dealt with. Don't hesitate to ask for advice. A lot of people here like to help.

[Dan Tran]

After:

Beautiful work!

Ps:

Talk about a timeless look with Cadillac.

I recently did a CTS-V myself, but a 2014....

Only seems like a few tweaks to the grill and bumper and a few things here and there...

But for the most part, still a great looking car for its time being a 2004 vs. 2014.


Sent from my iPhone using Autogeekonline mobile app

[Joe@NextLevelDetail]

You did a great job, Thanks for taking the time to share.