How good is good enough?

[CieraSL]

I originally posted this on Autogeek the other day and thought I would re-post it here.

I was thinking about this thread earlier - I have a different mindset now... - and it got me to thinking, how good is good enough? What I mean is, I know I'm not nearly as good as some of these guys: Mike Phillips, Nick Chapman, Joe Fernandez, David Fermani, Todd Helme, Rasky, and the list goes on and on (sorry if I didn't mention more names - those were the only ones I could think of off the top of my head, and if you have something against somebody I mentioned, be kind enough to keep it to yourself), but looking at some of their writeups makes me feel bad. I would like our cars to be 100% factory perfect looking all the time, but with my limited knowledge and experience I know there is only so much I can do. Even when doing cars for money (which I don't get to do very often), I know that I can't turn out a rolling piece of art. I mean, I think I do a pretty darn good job at detailing, but if our white 2000 Honda Odyssey does have a few swirls in it, is that OK? What if I missed a spot doing the interior, or I don't scrub every little nook and cranny, does that make me a hack? So tell me, for an enthusiast or hobbyist such as myself, how good is good enough? I guess another way to ask this question would be: What separates a professional detailer from an enthusiast from a hack detailer? Not referring just to buffing and holograms either, but overall.

[HCAD]

Re: How good is good enough?

I think, you'll find that what's runnning through your mind Shane, is the same thing that runs through most of our thoughts. Definitely mine! TIME is the operative word for your answer I think. Whether and enthusiast or a professional, you only have the luxury of so much time to do a job. Unless you become independantly weathly somehow and time spent detailing the car doesn't matter.

There's just no way to be perfect. But the better we become, the closer to perfection we will be. That is, unless we just don't care about it. In which case you may fall into the "hack" category. Keep striving to get better, never stop striving to improve, and one day maybe we'll both be in that exclusive list of detailer's like you just mentioned.

[Bunky]

Re: How good is good enough?

You have to live by your own standard and not by someone else's standards.

The fact is if you take care of your car properly even with swirls it will still look better than 99% of any car in any parking lot. That can be satisfaction enough for many people who detail their own cars.

There are some that will say if you just do wash/wax jobs is not a professional detailer. This elitism is in most every aspect of life so if it does not worry you, it does not matter.

[akimel]

Re: How good is good enough?

I have that my expectations have declined considerably over the past year. I suspect that my wife would say that they have finally become reasonable. You're absolutely right, Shane. I lack the skill, energy, time, and commitment to produce a flawless work of art each time I work on my car. Just yesterday when I washed Luthien, I know that I did not get the wheels perfect. I just wanted to get the job done as quickly as possible. She looks better than 99% of the cars on the road, but I know I still could have worked on her longer. I simply wasn't in the mood to be meticulous. And as far as swirls ... I've given up on them. I do my best not to inflict them upon my car, and I will buff my car once a year and seek to remove them; but I know that there's nothing I can do to prevent them from returning. I'm not going to keep my car in the garage 24/7. I like to drive her, which means that she is exposed to the elements, which means that I eventually have to wash and dry her, which means ... tadaaa ... swirls! Swirls are as certain as death and taxes. To live in the world means accepting finitude and imperfection.

[DetailFreak517]

Re: How good is good enough?

Cross-posting my reply from another board:

Here's my take.... and it's not any kind of "personal attack" against any of the guys you mentioned, it's just me making an observation. I really don't think that ANY detailer, no matter how high profile they may be, ever achieves 100% perfection. When you're detailing a car, regardless of what level of experience you may have, you're always bound to miss SOMETHING along the way.

And, you have to remember, a professional detailer is bound in large part by the owner of the vehicle they're working on. If they aren't willing to allow the detailer to go all-out and take as much time as necessary to reach as close to perfect as can realistically be expected, that detailer has to live with the fact that there are going to be things they miss due to having a limit placed on their contact with the vehicle.

That said, if you're looking to make a clear distinction between a hack, enthusiast, and professional, I think what you're really looking for is this: A hack is someone who doesn't know how to do their job properly, doesn't care about doing their job well, and has extreme limits placed on the amount of time they have to do the job. An enthusiast generally knows what they're doing, but since they're not as experienced and accustomed to detailing day-in and day-out may take longer to do the same job as a professional and/or may not possess all of the professional grade equipment that a full-time detailer has and uses on a regular basis. Not to mention that since most enthusiasts aren't earning a living on their detailing alone, they too must limit their time with the vehicle and simply "live with" a few things being less than 100% perfect.

In the case of the high profile professionals you mentioned, I think the primary reason that they impress others both inside and outside of the detailing community as it exists is that they know how to market themselves well -- which is the key to success for anyone trying to run a professional business. These guys are able to convince owners to let them go all out on a vehicle and pay them enough to allow the use of the highest end products and equipment, and they also use their photography and writing skills to present the work in a manner that creates notoriety.

The reality here is that no professional, be it Mike Phillips, Paul Dalton, or any other big name you can think of in this industry, is doing anything that anyone else who cares can't do. It all comes down to time, money, and presentation.

"I can tell you a funny joke, but that doesn't mean I'm a stand-up comic."

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: How good is good enough?

I seem to remember, people on this forum, taking about achieving 90-95% correction. If we can achieve this level. We are doing a great job.

[Shawn T.]

Re: How good is good enough?

On my daily driver I am satisfied with 75%.

[JoeDirt]

Re: How good is good enough?

As was stated, it's all personal preference Shane- I'm incredibly OCD about my cars. When I wash I remove my license plate so I can wash behind it. I remove it from the clear plastic cover to wash the plate, the backside of the plastic cover, etc., etc... Or at least I used to. Not anymore.

I think maybe once a year I really, really clean my cars. Like heavy vac, spot treatments, clean carpets, etc-

The rest of the time, I'm perfectly happy just washing really well, and maybe some UQW. I don't even wax like I used to. Maybe 3-4 times a year if I'm lucky. I guess after so long priorities change. 6 years ago I would have been in the garage on a Friday night, cleaning something on one of my cars, it was a priority. This is my priority now:



I haven't cleaned the backside of a rim in years now. There is only so much time in a day. Doesn't mean I think those that can balance it all miss out on stuff, because everyone's different with different schedules, and different stuff to do. I just can't do everything I guess. It doesn't mean I'm a hack, it doesn't mean you're a hack either. I think you do really nice work! :thumbsup:

[Tuck91]

Re: How good is good enough?

I have done some jobs where I thought it came out "okay" but the client was blown away.

I just do what I am getting paid to do.

[k3ith]

Re: How good is good enough?

I think...

A hack is someone who does it only for the money, cutting corners wherever possible. An enthusiast is someone who does it for no money, rather for the enjoyment. A professional is good at it, takes pride in their work, and enjoys getting paid for it - maybe enjoys the work.

Also, I have found in entusiast detailing there is never "good enough" only "good enough for today." But, like others have said, our "good enough for now" is better than most cars on the road. For professionals, I don't imagine good enough or perfect is even relevant, it's more about the appropriate work for the compensation of the job.

[JoeDirt]

Re: How good is good enough?

Very well said k3ith...

[the_mighty_bucket]

Re: How good is good enough?

what if there's a deep scratch , 3/4 inch long on your driver side door? ... ( you know, it happens..no matter how careful you drive/park the car..)

respray? put a sticker over it and pretend it never happened?

[DetailFreak517]

Re: How good is good enough?

what if there's a deep scratch , 3/4 inch long on your driver side door? ... ( you know, it happens..no matter how careful you drive/park the car..)

respray? put a sticker over it and pretend it never happened?

Polish out what you can, fill the rest with a few coats of brushed-on touch up paint until the repair is taller than the rest of the surface. Wet or damp sand it back to level after it cures, and polish back to gloss.

[mattya802]

Re: How good is good enough?

Polish out what you can, fill the rest with a few coats of brushed-on touch up paint until the repair is taller than the rest of the surface. Wet or damp sand it back to level after it cures, and polish back to gloss.

Wouldn't you have to clear coat over that tho?

[paulcr39]

Re: How good is good enough?

I think...

A hack is someone who does it only for the money, cutting corners wherever possible. An enthusiast is someone who does it for no money, rather for the enjoyment. A professional is good at it, takes pride in their work, and enjoys getting paid for it - maybe enjoys the work.

Also, I have found in enthusiast detailing there is never "good enough" only "good enough for today." But, like others have said, our "good enough for now" is better than most cars on the road. For professionals, I don't imagine good enough or perfect is even relevant, it's more about the appropriate work for the compensation of the job.

Amen. As an enthusiast I am never satisfied, there's always something more I can do....