New and Used Car Deliveries - couple questions.

[glucosegrin]

How you all doing?

I deliver sold cars at a dealership for a living, and I've just recently taken to the task of showroom car detailing as well. I got a few little questions for the experts out there...

First off, I have no idea where to buy Meguiar's professional products here in Calgary, ab, Canada. Our detail bay uses product supplied by Car Brite, but they change their supplier all the time, and I'd like to stop using our detailer's supplies all the time.

After the cars are "detailed" here, I usually spend 10 minutes to an hour touching them up, cleaning what they missed, hand polishing scratches, dressing tires, or sending the cars back to detail if they're too ugly to deliver.

I'm using a body solvent to clean up glue lines from the paint guard film, tar, oversprayed undercoat, sticker glue, etc, Tire dressing for the tires, wheel wells, exterior unpainted plastic, under the hood, rubber seals and stuff, and Glass cleaner for the windows, mirrors, and on the paint to get rid of fingerprints, solvent streaks, water marks, and to get rid of the excess tire shine on everything. And I use the same kind of "rag" for everything.

I'm sure I'm using the wrong stuff. I also need to get a hold of the proper tools. I need to be able to clean in and around liftgate hinges, the rubber seals around windows, the grooves between interior trim panels, all that sort of thing.

So my question ends up being -
What products and tools SHOULD I be using on these beand new and freshly detailed used cars to make them as close to perfect before they roll?
What should I be using on these new showroom cars that can be used every day to clean up after customers climb thru them and lick all the windows?
Where can I get the right stuff?

I'd appreciate any insight you guys can give me! Thanks!

[Detaillab]

Re: New and Used Car Deliveries - couple questions.

Okay first a note on body solvent. In most cases it is removing the wax (if any is on the car) so if you want wax on these cars (and I hope you do) you may consider re-waxing, or useing something different. The other big thing I would consider is useing a high quality microfiber towel on the painted surfaces. I like to keep some dedicated MF towels just for painted surfaces, and rags for everything else. As for the interior cracks and details on the exterior you may find a paintbrush useful ( I like to cut mine down for less flexible bristles ) or even a toothbrush. Again dedicate one for painted surfaces, and use another for everything else. I hope this is helpful.

[glucosegrin]

Re: New and Used Car Deliveries - couple questions.

Rarely do cars leave our dealership waxed. In fact, part of the pre delivery inspection clean is "de-waxing" the cars to remove the wax that holds on the plastic that covers the paint in shipping. Unless a customer buys the protection package, or the vehicle needed to be polished, none of our new cars have any wax on the paint. Our detailers here get 1.5 hours total to get a car from fresh off the truck, covered in plastic and rail dust, to "clean for delivery", so other than peeling off plastic and a quick inside/out clean, there's not a lot of time for them to be waxing cars. They'll usually loose time on black SUV's just rinsing it off.

What I'm trying to do is pick up the slack between what they can do in an hour and what a brand new car should look like, five times a day. Plus trying to keep 12 showroom cars spotless.

I will be getting myself a microfibre cloth and a set of brushes ASAP! the rags we have here are pretty much like diaper cloth, cleaned by a laundry service, but they do scratch, which you can see on black and dark blue vehicles.

[johnyB]

Re: New and Used Car Deliveries - couple questions.

You need Final inspection 'the big jug' spray bottles slidelock brush triple duty brush scratch X and as many micro fiber cloths you need for a days work plus whatever else you use. I would also find some sort of bag you can load up with these products and can cary from car to car.

[glucosegrin]

Re: New and Used Car Deliveries - couple questions.

You need Final inspection 'the big jug' spray bottles slidelock brush triple duty brush scratch X and as many micro fiber cloths you need for a days work plus whatever else you use. I would also find some sort of bag you can load up with these products and can cary from car to car.

THat's exactly the kind of answer I was looking for Thanks a lot!

[the other pc]

Re: New and Used Car Deliveries - couple questions.

I'd just like to commend you for what you're doing.

In an industry where the vast majority of players just want to take the money and shove the product out the door it's terrific to see someone who really wants to do quality work for the customer.


PC.

[johnyB]

Re: New and Used Car Deliveries - couple questions.

Your welcome

[Mike Phillips]

Re: New and Used Car Deliveries - couple questions.

Here are some suggestions,

While the Final Inspection is a great mist and wipe quick detailer, we have another mist and wipe product targeted for keeping showroom cars looking showroom condition, it's in our Detailer line called Last Touch.

If you have tape residue or any kind of residue to remove, a little ScratchX with an applicator by hand will take care of most of this and because it's a creamy liquid it will give you good product placement control, (no overspray), and leave the paint looking polished.

We offer a number of aerosol tire dressings that offer a high shine, ease of use and customers buying new cars like to see shiny black tires, we also have gels but it's hard to beat the aerosol application especially for grooved surfaces.

If you want a fast wax for the body we have two spray-on waxes in our Consumer Line and our Express Wax in our Detailer Line which you can also pour into a generic spray bottle.

Simply mist a clean microfiber with one of these and work your way around the car; when you get to your starting point, simply follow your path of travel and wipe it off, they will leave the paint clear, shiny and with a little protection. A spray-on wax, Last Touch, an aerosol tire dressing and a pile of high quality microfiber polishing cloths and you should be able to quickly gloss up these cars to a showroom condition while keeping it simple.

[giantbunnyhead]

Re: New and Used Car Deliveries - couple questions.

I'd also like to know where to buy Meguiars Professional products in Calgary? I've been looking for Meguiars M8032 Speed Glaze locally for what seems like forever and still haven't had any luck.

I travel to the USA quite often too and have looked for it at Advanced Auto Parts, Autozone, PepBoys, etc ... with no luck.

The shelves of the stores in Calgary (Mopac, Napa, AutoValue, Parts Source, Canadian Tire, etc ...) have the EXACT same Meguiars products all the time (07, 09, 26). I have visited MANY of the places on this list as well - http://www.meguiarscanada.com/index.php?_room=16 with no luck.

Is there ANYWHERE in Calgary that carries more than just the few standards, including foam polishing pads? If there isn't, then I'll likely just buy another product that is readily available.

[Mayur]

Re: New and Used Car Deliveries - couple questions.

Question here. If these are brand new cars then shouldnt you wait for the paint to cure? Waxing would be out of the question right?

[cnfowler]

Re: New and Used Car Deliveries - couple questions.

There is no cure time for factory finishes. They are baked on at the factory so that when they leave, they are good to go. There is no problem waxing a brand new car.

[glucosegrin]

Re: New and Used Car Deliveries - couple questions.

I'd also like to know where to buy Meguiars Professional products in Calgary? I've been looking for Meguiars M8032 Speed Glaze locally for what seems like forever and still haven't had any luck.

I travel to the USA quite often too and have looked for it at Advanced Auto Parts, Autozone, PepBoys, etc ... with no luck.

The shelves of the stores in Calgary (Mopac, Napa, AutoValue, Parts Source, Canadian Tire, etc ...) have the EXACT same Meguiars products all the time (07, 09, 26). I have visited MANY of the places on this list as well - http://www.meguiarscanada.com/index.php?_room=16 with no luck.

Is there ANYWHERE in Calgary that carries more than just the few standards, including foam polishing pads? If there isn't, then I'll likely just buy another product that is readily available.

I'm also looking for a local supplier. I found Auto Value had the most (NE location, on 32nd ave by 36 st NE, I was just there Sunday) but they didn't have very much. A couple gold class products, quick detail, clay kit with QD, cleaner wax, some polishes. Canadian tire had ScratchX, final inspection, vinyl cleaner, and a bunch of consumer products (none of them in the right place, with no prices). I want to get a PC for the shop here, but that won't be for a while.

I'd like to get my mitts on some Last Touch, but can't find it here. I also had to go to 3 stores to find microfibre cloths this time of year.

I like spray on tire dressing (we have car brite "brite shine" here in a spray bottle) but it makes the showroom tile all slippery unless I put rags down, so I might start using an applicator type dressing. The stuff makes it's way through the valves in the squirt bottles and ends up running down the trigger too. Yuck.

I also need a better vacuum. I'm running a 12v dustbuster that dosn't work well, but I can't haul the big shop vac through the showroom. Any ideas on something small + good + cheap?

Thanks kids!

[sneek]

Re: New and Used Car Deliveries - couple questions.

I'd also like to know where to buy Meguiars Professional products in Calgary? I've been looking for Meguiars M8032 Speed Glaze locally for what seems like forever and still haven't had any luck.

I travel to the USA quite often too and have looked for it at Advanced Auto Parts, Autozone, PepBoys, etc ... with no luck.

The shelves of the stores in Calgary (Mopac, Napa, AutoValue, Parts Source, Canadian Tire, etc ...) have the EXACT same Meguiars products all the time (07, 09, 26). I have visited MANY of the places on this list as well - http://www.meguiarscanada.com/index.php?_room=16 with no luck.

Is there ANYWHERE in Calgary that carries more than just the few standards, including foam polishing pads? If there isn't, then I'll likely just buy another product that is readily available.

I have done all the research. So heres the 411, Speed Glaze can be ordered from NAPA. You can also order most products online, it is usually cheaper. You have to ask the guy working at NAPA to order it for you. It helps if you have a the part numbers.

As for AutoValue, they have #85, but you probably don't want you use that unless you are familiar with a rotary, and a wool pad.

I have heard that some body shop supply stores carry Meguiar's stuff but all of these are in really awkward places so I haven't checked them out yet.


Hope that helps

[giantbunnyhead]

Re: New and Used Car Deliveries - couple questions.

Yes, that does help! Thanks.