New to detailing, need some help.

[kevin ac]

hello, a while ago one of my teachers (im 16 and a jr in highschool) mentioned a student that over one summer, detailed cars for money. This idea seems good to me since even if I only detail my car ( black 2002 firebird with many sand scratches on it) it would be money well spent, and detailing others would just be profit.
I would like to know what products I need to start off a small car detailing gig. I have boght about 60$ worth of stuff (a 30$ DA buffer, turtle wax rubbing compound, polish and some other final stage wax) dont flame me for not having meguiars, the store I was at had almost none and I plan on getting meg's over internet. I have acces to a shop vac, towels and armor all. Keep in mind im only 16 and make 7$ an hour and get about 150$ a week spending money after car insurance.
The products I have now dont seem to be getting the deeper sand scratches out of my car, but they do seem to be helping. so i need some courser grit compund? The way im compounding is probably wrong, so tips are appreciated.
sorry for wall of text, basicly I need links and lists of products, precedures, tips, and what I could charge people for a detail. All help appreciated.

thanks.

[redhotchevy2000]

Re: New to detailing, need some help.

you shouldnt need rubbing compound for most applications. its late here so i will let someone chime in with more detailed information but a good list of things to get for "conventional cleaning products" would be

Gold class shampoo
Gold Class wax (or NXT 2.0)
microfiber towels
Meguiars polish set - name escapes me, its late
Swirl remover/scratch remover
Ultimate quick detailer
some sort of tire shine
all-wheel cleaner
your favorite window cleaner.

we wont flame you for not having meguiars products. everybody finds something they like. if you get serious with the side gig, its profitable to an extent. however you may want to look into the detailer line, or the professional series. most people here use them you will notice it because you will see #00, #9, #80... numbers mainly they are great products.


hopefully others will be more helpful than i.

welcome to the obsession!

[jmakado]

Re: New to detailing, need some help.

Hold out for a little while until Ultimate Compound, ScratchX 2.0 and SwirlX come out. You should have no problem finding them locally at places like Wal-Mart and Target. Your DA, what brand is it? If it's a large orbital or a smaller underpowered unit be on the lookout for a used Porter Cable or Meg's G100 or G110. Best money you will ever spend! Figure in a few pads for your machine, some NXT, clay, and a good wash routine and you will be set. Take a look at the hot topics and list O links pages. You will have days of reading material that will shorten your learning curve a lot.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: New to detailing, need some help.

I agree, try to find a G100 or a used pc7434. It will be a great time saver. As your business grows it would be nice to do paint correction also. Get some extra pads. After the first of the year, some of the new products will be showing up. Get them and you will be on your way. Good luck.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: New to detailing, need some help.

I would like to know what products I need to start off a small car detailing gig. I have boght about 60$ worth of stuff (a 30$ DA buffer, turtle wax rubbing compound, polish and some other final stage wax) dont flame me for not having meguiars, the store I was at had almost none and I plan on getting meg's over internet.

Most the posts on this forum from people using most compounds on the market are usually horror stories, so before you use ANY abrasive type product, FIRST test the product on the paint and make sure it's not scouring the paint.

We don't want to see a future post from you asking for help in undoing a mistake.

I have acces to a shop vac, towels and armor all. Keep in mind im only 16 and make 7$ an hour and get about 150$ a week spending money after car insurance.

The most important tool you have is your brain, instead of starting out investing money, start out investing time by getting as much head knowledge as you can and the best place to start is by clicking the link below and invest a week or so reading and digesting the threads listed... if you do this you will know more than most detailers that have not read those threads and there's a TON of hardcore information contained within this site.

List 'O Links 2.0

The products I have now dont seem to be getting the deeper sand scratches out of my car, but they do seem to be helping. so i need some courser grit compund? The way im compounding is probably wrong, so tips are appreciated.

Are you talking about sanding marks or just random scratches? The Orbital Buffer you have is useless for removing deeper scratches, click the link below and see my reply to this other member and click on the threads provided to him and read them as I addressed this topic you brought up in his thread.


****Newbie with a few questions****

sorry for wall of text, basicly I need links and lists of products, precedures, tips, and what I could charge people for a detail. All help appreciated.

We don't mind lots of questions but the below is on the forum homepage as a way to help our members help themselves to getting better answers...

Friendly Tips...
How to write a great subject for your message!
The Number 3 - Try to limit the number of questions in a single message to three...

[kevin ac]

Re: New to detailing, need some help.

thanks.