Battling the fatigue

[AccessDEANied]

I was planning on doing a full detail today, but ended up only vacuuming the interior, dusting the interior, and then washing and polishing the car. I was going to clay bar but the hood was smooth enough for me, so I went on to the polishing. The trunk was very bumpy, meaning dang, I should've clayed. Then I skipped waxing cause it was getting hot.

What do you guys do (asking mainly the non-professional types) so you can last a whole day working on your car? I think a canopy would be best, and then a stool or something so I can just sit on my butt while working on the lower parts of the car.

I still live the poor college lifestyle at home, so my budget for these "comfort" things is lower = better. Plus where would I go to buy these things.

[SL1CK]

Hard work and elbow grease is all it is. Well, where are you working? In a garage, or just working in a driveway out in the sun? Try having some water bottles outside with you, maybe a fan (if theres an outlet near by and if ur in a garage), and if u have more than one day to detail a car, TAKE YOUR TIME!!

[Top Down]

You also don't have to do the whole car at once. Since I'm busy a lot, I will do all the steps on just the hood one day and then the trunk another day and then front quarter panels, etc etc. That way, my car will eventually get the full treatment and no steps will be skipped.
If you really want to do it all in one day, make sure to eat and drink and take lots of breaks. Also, you didn't mention it but what tools do you have? A G100 saves lots of time and effort. Since you are on a budget, a cheap orbital probably costs $20 (not really sure) and this will be sufficient enough to just spread product like waxes. Mind you, it won't be strong enough for swirl removal, but it all depends on what you want.

[Murr1525]

I cut down my number of steps using ColorX.

[TSR6]

I know i tend to drink A LOT of bottles of water, and I work in the shade, sometimes with a fan on!

[AccessDEANied]

Yeah, I work outside on the driveway and by hand. Maybe I'll try that fan idea. =P It's a cul de sac, so there isn't much breeze, even though the ocean is only a few miles away.

If you do it over a series of days, wouldn't you have to re-wash the car?

[ueb0258]

I work in a garage and sometimes my heart is just not in it and I get tired quickly. I only do work on my own cars and friends so if I dont do my 100% best it is alright since I am not recieving money for the service but I find as soon as I start getting tired my focus slips and I dont do as good a job. The best thing to do is space the work out over a few days as suggested. Work until you get tired or fed up or whatever and put it down for a while or come back to it the next day.

[Murr1525]

Yeah, you would at least want to QD the car the next day. But if it is a real dusty/dirty area, then it is best to rewash.

[MaxImage]

Originally posted by AccessDEANied
Yeah, I work outside on the driveway and by hand. Maybe I'll try that fan idea. =P It's a cul de sac, so there isn't much breeze, even though the ocean is only a few miles away.

If you do it over a series of days, wouldn't you have to re-wash the car?

If at all possible, try to do your car inside the garage. But if that is not possible, and it must be done outdoors, then may I offer these suggestions:

1) in the afternoon when the sun is at its lowest, and at a time where there is about 2 hours of sunlight left. You can wash your car outside and dry/wax inside.

2)Wash and dry outside; clay inside a garage; moving it back outside to wash; then moving it back inside to wax. Sounds like a lot of hassle, but it's really not too bad.

Since you live by the ocean, there is often an onshore breeze that inevitably brings salt with it. I too have very similar conditions at home as you do and if I do not wax my car within 2 hours of washing it, then it is not worth it because of the salt film that covers my car. My garage is not completely enclosed either, which allows a breeze to come through, but ideally, you would want to wash your car, or the portion of the car you plan on working on, if this process occured over a few days. Many things are able to settle on your car's finish, as cars passing by, or turning around in your cul-de-sac can kick up minute particles of dust that can even get past a garage door.

[capitolason2]

It's hot here in eastern North Carolina. The heat index is forcasted to be around 105 today. I am scheduled to do a complete detail on an F-150 for a client tomorrow. I have an open carport that will affort me shade and hopefully a little breeze. I can also manufacture some breeze witha fan. I also have an enclosed garage but it is too hot to work in it after 9:00 AM. Some of my clients allow me to keep their cars overnight in the fall and winter so the garage is great then. I am a teacher and am out of school this time of year so I have some flexibility for my own vehicles. I like to get up at 6:00 AM and work on my vehicles while it is cool. I usually do some detailing on one or the other of my vehicles nearly every day so that I can stay on top of things and not get worn out.