What would you have done....

[russell336]

Ok, this past weekend I spent some time detailing a black 94 Nissan Quest for a lady I work with and while there was a big improvement I thought I could have done more. I literraly had to force myself not to do more than I was being paid for.
Now I am not a pro by any means and have just started charging for my services so I ask the real pros, "What would you have done in this case?"
She was paying to have the following done:

1 - Wash and Clay
2 - Wax
3 - Interior Vacuumed and dash and other surfaces cleaned.
4 - Tires and other molding dressed

Total Cost was $75

Here is what I did:

1 - Wash and Clay
2 - DACP to hood (couldn't stand to see the swirls!)
3 - Swirl Free Polish to hood and rest of vehicle
4 - ColorX to entire vehicle
5- Interior cleaned and vacuumed
6 - dressing applied to tires and molding

Like I said, there was a big improvement but there were still many noticeable swirls and marring that I think could have been removed.

Oh yeah, in returning the vehicle, my wife, who was following me, ended up wrecking the mustang.

I will post pictures of the van tomorrow or later tonight.

Thanks,

[Tim Larson]

It sounds to me like what you are doing is right on. I would just take a little bit more time with M83 if it seems like it still has swirls in it. And I would Also consider switching from using ColorX to NXT Generation tech wax. ColorX is a cleaner wax and although it will help eliminate swirls and make the car shine, it will shine much better with NXT.

Keep up the good work.

Tim Larson
Meguiar’s
Customer Care Rep
1-800-854-8073 ext. 169

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[scrub]

Sorry to hear about the Stang.

How does the saying go?... Under promise and over deliver. I think you did just that.

How long did the work take? My problem when I started was giving too much time. Last year it was a hobby and I didn't want to charge anyone. But after the long days for a few $'s /hour I learned

a) most people won't take care of my work
b) most people won't do it themselves
c) most people will pay for quality work

If I detail on my days off from my real job, when is there time for family? I feel better charging for my time due to that aspect.

Its up to you and how much time you're willing to give away. Learn a bit more, get a few more products, speed up your times, and earn what you deserve.

Good luck

[russell336]

I spent a total of about ten hours on this job. Most of the time was spent polishing. The paint on the hood seemed to be really hard, I ended up going over it twice with the DACP and it still had some swirls.

Here are the pictures. I apologize for quality but most were taken in my garage using halogen lighting.
Before (after washing):


reflection in which I tried to capture the swirls under sunlight but clouds came rolling in:


Here is a close of the hood under halogen lights:


Here is a close up after working on part of the hood with DACP. You can see where I worked the DACP vs. untouched:


Here is a good shot showing the oxidation:


Here is the same panel after using Swirl Free Polish wih PC at speed 5:


Here is a close up of a section. You can see where I cleaned with the swirl free polish vs. the untouched portion:

Finallly, the finished product (taken the next day prior to delivery):


Another shot:


Last one:


Thanks for looking and any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated.

[scrub]

very nice write up of your process with pictures. Big improvement.

Was the owner impressed? I would have been.