Detailing

Chris(NJ)

Well-Known Member
Ok I guess I'll throw this up there. Although I officially sold the business a couple years ago I still get requests to work on people's cars and I suppose I've warmed up to the idea of doing the occassional job here and there again. I'm not trying to get back in to the full surface correction scene again and not going back in to product sales...wayy too time consuming and shit lol. I'll still do interiors and standard exteriors though (including 2 step paint)..if it's something like hazed lenses, I might need a heads up depending on what they're like.

Anyway, heres a few links...kinda like a resume I suppose:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-brag/109044-aston-martin-db9.html?highlight=

http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-brag/122981-2007-tbss.html

http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-brag/107683-black-trailblazer-ss.html?highlight=

http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-brag/112254-2006-silver-lexus-is250.html

http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-brag/110929-nissan-titan.html

http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-brag/112253-2007-black-subaru-wrx.html

http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-brag/109101-2007-toyota-fj-cruiser.html

http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-brag/100624-porsche-cayman.html

http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-brag/96699-porsche-boxster.html

And everyone always seems to love this one...one of the first interior jobs that I had :eek:
http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-brag/91996-just-when-i-thought-id-seen-worst.html

Theres plenty more threads that I can link to but I think this gets the point across :)
 
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Chris(NJ)

Well-Known Member
No idea you did detailing work.

I've been doing it for years but only on my own vehicles.

Sure do :)

I got hooked on it when I detailed my twinturbo z for the national z convention. Been doing it ever since and owned glimmerglassdetailing for almost 5 years before selling it and watching the new owner run it in to the ground. :mad::(
 

shrpshtr325

Infinite Source of Sarcasm
Team MTBNJ Halter's
wow man, looks good.

iv been doing mine for myself since i started driving, but i dont think i do as complete a job as you do (and i thought i did pretty good)

i give it a full clay and wax once a year, and shoot for waxing it 3 times a year, wash it as often as i can (used to be weekly, now its more like monthly)
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
What does something like this cost? I usually do little more than wash and vacuum my GTI but it really needs to be cleaned up nice.

555268_3573951589416_683741236_n.jpg


-Jim.
 

Chris(NJ)

Well-Known Member
wow man, looks good.

iv been doing mine for myself since i started driving, but i dont think i do as complete a job as you do (and i thought i did pretty good)

i give it a full clay and wax once a year, and shoot for waxing it 3 times a year, wash it as often as i can (used to be weekly, now its more like monthly)

Thanks :)
You're still doing a good job by maintaining the paint! It does a lot of justice to the vehicle's appearance to wash, clay and wax, even at the intervals you're doing...especially in the long run :cool:

What does something like this cost? I usually do little more than wash and vacuum my GTI but it really needs to be cleaned up nice.

555268_3573951589416_683741236_n.jpg


-Jim.

Could be a lot, or a little less than a lot :p But seriously, depends what you're looking for. In general, if you tend to just wash and wax occasionally, I'd recommend this at minimum:
Wash
Clay
Rewash
Polish
Wax
I'd need the car for most of the day. Even jobs like this can take easily take 5 hours for exterior alone. If it's never been done, claying and polishing make an enormous difference.
If you wanted a little heavier polishing, it can add in another hour to hour and a half.
Interiors, again, depends on what you're looking to have done and depends if you have leather or cloth as well.
I'll shoot you a pm w/ $$ info.
 

Dr Superb

Active Member
Wow, that's some nice work there! I'm not really a car person, and I am a consultant - always on the road, so my car takes a lot of abuse. I had my car "detailed" a few years ago, and all it did was make it smell like sh1t for a few weeks. I was overall happy with the work because I didn't have the motivation to do it myself.

Does this type of work go over we'll on white cars? You didn't post up a white car.
 

Dictatorsaurus

Active Member
Some people detail for protection, some people for appearance and some people for both. Personally I do it to protect the vehicles for the long run.

White cars don't stand out as much as darker color cars after a full detail job, but you can definitely notice the difference and does a lot for the car removing the contaminants embedded in the pain, paint correction then sealing the paint with wax or sealant.

Chris you must be fast if it takes you a day. It takes me a whole weekend and some...
 

Chris(NJ)

Well-Known Member
Will trade 8 billion pictures of you racing for detailing my black car.

:hmmm: Sounds legit :cool:

Wow, that's some nice work there! I'm not really a car person, and I am a consultant - always on the road, so my car takes a lot of abuse. I had my car "detailed" a few years ago, and all it did was make it smell like sh1t for a few weeks. I was overall happy with the work because I didn't have the motivation to do it myself.

Does this type of work go over we'll on white cars? You didn't post up a white car.

Thanks!
A lot of "detailers" use some rather..umm..inappropriate products lol. They'll use glazes and fillers on the paint to make it look like they did something but when it rains and washes away all of the oils, you're usually left with a lot of hazing from improper use of the machine and a car that looks worse than when they started. And interiors should NOT have scents added to them lol. The only "scent" that may be uncomfortable for a little while would be if someone used an ozone machine as a last ditch effort on the interior to remove pre-existing odors. But that wouldn't even be found at the majority of "detail" shops. Finding a proper guy to work on your car makes a huge difference and typically well worth any increased cost :)

White cars dont have that "wow" factor. They can't produce the same depth as black. It's an unfortunate side effect of the color ... which sucks b/c I love white vehicles lol. White still benefits just as much from a good detail though. Removing the contaminents from the surface is important as well as other things like keeping the brake dust from baking on to the wheels, etc. Heres 2 white vehicles for ya:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-brag/108448-2008-5-mazda-3-a.html

http://www.gmfullsize.com/forum/showthread.php?t=172309

A couple silvers..not white but close:
http://www.gmfullsize.com/forum/showthread.php?t=128845

http://www.gmfullsize.com/forum/showthread.php?t=164050
 

Chris(NJ)

Well-Known Member
Some people detail for protection, some people for appearance and some people for both. Personally I do it to protect the vehicles for the long run.

White cars don't stand out as much as darker color cars after a full detail job, but you can definitely notice the difference and does a lot for the car removing the contaminants embedded in the pain, paint correction then sealing the paint with wax or sealant.

Chris you must be fast if it takes you a day. It takes me a whole weekend and some...

Like anything, the more you do something you just develop a routine that ultimately speeds things up.
And yea, as for white, I always prefer a sealant over a carnauba when working on white. I always thought it gave better results. Especially if the paint has any flake in it...sealants really make them pop vs a carnauba which mutes the pearl effect.


That BMW :cry: ... I feel so bad for it ...

Think how I felt! lol. I'm the one who thought I'd catch a disease from working in it :puke:
 

shrpshtr325

Infinite Source of Sarcasm
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Thanks :)
You're still doing a good job by maintaining the paint! It does a lot of justice to the vehicle's appearance to wash, clay and wax, even at the intervals you're doing...especially in the long run :cool:

yea its about all i have time for, i have been using synthetic liquid waxes on mine (and doing it by hand) since they seem to bead water much longer, im actually do to get a winter coat on it to protect it from the road salt to some extent.

this is the most recent image i have of the truck, if you could shoot me a quote id consider having it done professionally for a change if the price was right (either now or in the spring after the snow is gone)

DSCN1521.JPG


mine is the green one
 

Chris(NJ)

Well-Known Member
yea its about all i have time for, i have been using synthetic liquid waxes on mine (and doing it by hand) since they seem to bead water much longer, im actually do to get a winter coat on it to protect it from the road salt to some extent.

this is the most recent image i have of the truck, if you could shoot me a quote id consider having it done professionally for a change if the price was right (either now or in the spring after the snow is gone)

mine is the green one


sure thing..I'll send a pm your way now...
 

743power

Shop: Bicycle Pro
Shop Keep
Good stuff Chris. I detailed professionally for 5 years and it's hard but rewarding work. When I stopped, there was a lot of clients that I wanted to continue working for on weekends, but it turned out to be too much of a commitment. I still have bins of way $$$$$ products that I never use anymore. Detailing is a sick workout too! I was the leanest I ever was when I was detailing.
 

Chris(NJ)

Well-Known Member
Good stuff Chris. I detailed professionally for 5 years and it's hard but rewarding work. When I stopped, there was a lot of clients that I wanted to continue working for on weekends, but it turned out to be too much of a commitment. I still have bins of way $$$$$ products that I never use anymore. Detailing is a sick workout too! I was the leanest I ever was when I was detailing.

lol, it is a lot of work! Definitely time consuming but rewarding! and I too have a bins and bins of product still

Its not detailing work but u think u could help me lift my jeep?

Sure. Once you get all of the parts compiled let me know and we'll lift it.
 

DownhillR3

Well-Known Member
Great to see another car detailer in the bike world. I myself detail on the side and do my own vehicles religiously.... it sucks having OCD. I've come to be a huge fan of Adam's products personally.


743power, what massive amounts of product do you have? I'll take it off yours hands depending on what it is, PM me.
 

Chris(NJ)

Well-Known Member
Since it's the time of year to get a winter prep detail in, I thought I'd post up yesterday's job.
This car was pretty hammered. Hood was resprayed after an accident and the quality of the respray showed when it came time to getting it to shine up like the rest of the car. It had a dull appearance that refused to improve, short of probably wetsanding it.
The rest of the car had damage from impacts with other cars/objects, a broom or ice scraper did some damage on the roof and trunk.
Basically? This car was a disaster, but I did what I could!

Befores:
















Soooo many swirls!





And I don't think I've clayed a vehicle with this much fallout on it...
 
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