Bub Abraham's Certification Article.

[detailbarn]

For those who have a subscription to Professional Carwashing & Detailing, what is your opinion on the article in the September issue titled "Is it time for certification?" Written by Bud Abraham.

[buda]

What is your opinion of the article and the subject of certification?

Bud Abraham

[Mike Phillips]

I haven't read it, could you post a synopsis?

The detailing industry has a lot of turn-over at the entry level aspect as well as brick and mortar shops and mobile set-ups that are here one day and gone the next.

The problem with certification is always going to be that there is no control over the attitude of the detailer and attitude is an important factor. A person might have the skill, but if one day they have a poor attitude towards their work, towards the employer, or even the car they're working on, the quality will suffer regardless of whether or not they are certified.

Attitude can be affected by all kinds of things, for example money. If you're a young guy working for a shop and you don't feel the owner/manager is paying you enough, you might be certified, but that will not make you care about your work.

Some aspects of detailing a car are pretty straightforward such as cleaning and dressing a tire; however when it comes to polishing the paint, we're talking about a thin, delicate coating that is easily dulled-down and instilled with scratches if not worked on using the proper products, tools and procedures.

Another factor is product choice, some products are better than others and the end-results will clearly show this, (no pun intended). What happens when a person is certified but switches to inferior products, or the shop he's working in switches to inferior products? Some detailers have no control over the products and tools they use.

Here's an example...

Each one, teach one... Ferrari Fiorano 355 F1 Spider

The young man in the above thread works for a detailing company, he uses the products they supply for him. His attitude was great, his desire to do the best work possible was stellar, but the products and tools he was supplied with were archaic to say the least and the before shots of the Ferrari show this.

The topic and problem of certification needs to be discussed in this industry, but a solution may be difficult to agree upon.

[buda]

Cannot agree with your logic on this point because if what you say is true then why have certified mechanics; bodyshop techs; licenced doctors or dentists?

Of course attitude and overall competency is an issue, but what certification does is tell the customer that this person has passed a certain accepted level of competency for this trade.

For example, how do we judge a doctor or dentist's competency? By the doctor's bedside manner and personality and by the dentist's chairside manner and if the filling stays in your mouth.

See the point? You need to have certification in all areas to at least establish some type of competency, in my humble opinion.

It is only the mediorce detailers that fear certification.

Bud Abraham

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by buda
Cannot agree with your logic on this point because if what you say is true then why have certified mechanics; bodyshop techs; licenced doctors or dentists?

Well as I said Bud, some things are pretty straight forward, for example bolting an intake manifold onto a small block Chevy engine.

Polishing paint is an art form and requires the human elements of care and passion, if this were not true, we wouldn't see all the swirled-out and botched buff jobs that we constantly see.

[stealth]

Certification is a double edged sword. The debate could go on ad infinitum. Usually the certifying authority is a great $$$$$ maker & it doesn't really matter in the long term scenario. Results does.

[Mike Phillips]

As I said, I haven't read his article but I am having a copy of the magazine sent to myself.

Mike Pennington shared this with me today, I-CAR already offers ASE Certification in detailing. Meguiar's helped to create the criteria for the class and one of our Area Sales Reps is an I-CAR instructor.

Detailing - REF04

[mirrorfinishman]

Here's a copy of Mr. Abraham's article, 'Is it time for certification?' from the September 2005 edition of Professional Carwashing & Detailing magazine.

http://www.carwash.com/article.asp?IndexID=6635573

[Superior Shine]

It is only the mediorce detailers that fear certification.

No wonder I am shaking in my boots!

[Mike Phillips]

Thanks Frank for posting the link, I searched for the article on Carwash.com but was unable to locate it within a few minutes and became busy with other tasks.

Mr. Abraham's article is very good. He does a great job of making the case for different levels of certification and at the end of the article he even solicits anyone with ideas on how to do this to contact him. I think this was probably the best part of the article, that is he;

• * States the problems
  * Proposes some solutions
  * Admits that he doesn't have all the answers
  * Asks that we the readers, the people that are in the industry, to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

My first suggestion would be that any certification process needs to be designed in such a way as to include the world. While Bud lives in Oregon and I live in California one thing that working as an Admin on a forum like Meguiar's Online has really stressed to me is that because of the Internet and forums like ours, just as no man is an island, no country is an island.

If possible, and model for certification should be constructed in such a way that detailers around the world could participate in it.

Just an idea...

[Dragpakmach]

Just because you maybe certified doesnt mean your good at what you do.It just means you can pass a test.Example ASE certication for automotive techs,I have some only because my boss thought it would look good hanging in the waiting room.But youd be suprised how many techs have all the ASE certs. and run around the shop with meat cleavers in their hands.All lines of work have the example I gave above.

[Beercan31]

Dragpakmach
touche,
Very well put, you took the words right out of my mouth.

I have a great desire to bring the level of my detailing skills to the next and beyond. A piece of paper does not prove that I am good at my trade......repeat customers do.

[buda]

Always amazes me how many detailers get defensive when the subject of certification comes up.

Of course the certification proves something. It proves that you have some basic knowledge of detailing because you went through some type of training program. That is all any certification program does.

There are good certified mechanics and average ones and others who are at the bottom of the scale, but they are still better than one who has had no training in my mind.

To say a customer is a good judge of one's compentency as a detailer is faulty logic. They do not know what a good or bad detail job is. They only see what you did.

But as we all know, a detailer can do excellent coverup work and make the car look great.

They can swirl the hell out of the paint and cover the swirls up with wax and make the car look great.

They can one step the car with a cheap one step product and make the car look great, but in reality the customer should have had and did pay for a 3 step paint finish process.

We have developed a detail knowledge test that I would guarantee 95% of the detailers on this forum could not pass.

Why?

Because few, if any detailers have had any formal knowledge training.

I am not naive, while I speak of certification I know that as long as the detail industry is at the level it is today nothing will change.

Regards
Bud Abraham

[detailbarn]

Bud two questions for you what do you think of I-cars program? Second what would be your outline of a proper certification program. Who do you think should run such a program and how would it operate? Thanks for your insite and thanks for everyone else who posted as well.

[Beercan31]

when one sets his or her goal to excellence and piece of paper proves nothing.


remember the ole' saying he has more degrees that a rectal thermometer and not enough smarts to wipe his own ___ you fill in the blank.