Why I got into Detailing: 01/01/2019
This story actually begins in 2012 I had just got out of the military after 4 years and I was back to civilian life. You would think military vet he should find a job pretty quick...I was wrong! After a year of job hunting,it's now 2013, I was approached by a good friend of mine, he offered me a job to work with him at a metal polishing shop. It was a gritty job everyday we were responsible for polishing aluminum metal on Semi-trucks. This included removing wheels and steps, fitting in uncomfortable areas, and getting dirtier then ever thought imaginable. From head to toe cover in black polishing rouge, kicked back by a hard cloth wheel spinning at 6,000 rpm's, all well masterfully polishing matte aluminum to a mirror finish. It was a tough job, but there was something satisfying about taking something old and making it new again.
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That wasn't the only thing we did there, we also detailed and polished cars, trucks, SUV's, and RVs. One slow day we had 1 customer all day so they sent a couple guys home, so it was just me and my buddy who got me the job. About 30 mins after everyone leaves a nice classic chevy pulled up asking for a polish on his green paint. It was the first time I had ever touched a rotary polisher, I was always warned that you can easily burn through the paint of a car. I was wary, I'm not gonna lie, but I was never really scared to try new things so I went to work. First was the cutting compound, as I got rid of the majority of scratches I was astonished at the difference! An over-whelming sense of satisfaction over came me as I felt the surface of the paint and it was smooth, friction-less almost. After came the polishing/refining step and even then I was astonished at the depth of clarity, like looking into a 4k television for the first time.
I was hooked anytime we needed a car polish I did it.
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Move forward about 6 months, now a year in, my skills became more refined and well-rounded around the shop. My boss calls me into his office and asks me, "How do you feel about your performance here?", I responded, a little bit arrogantly I will add, "I think I'm the best here." Which he looked at me like, who do you think you are, kinda look. To which I added, "I do everything, I've done full projects alone." He agrees and the conversation continues, and the topic of a raise came up, "how much do you think I deserve?" he asked, "if it was my decision, I'd raise a dollar at least.". At this time minimum wage was $9/hr, so I'm asking for $10/hr. He looks at me and says, "I was thinking $0.25.". I was taken back a bit in my mind. I asked maybe $.50 and he turned me down. I resented him after that, all the work and extra hours I would put in coming in 2-3 hours early to finish projects, and all I was worth was a quarter? Easy to say I wasn't happy, my morale dropped dramatically, my work slowed and my drive just wasn't there anymore. We eventually had a meeting to discuss production, when the subject of building moral and a sense of urgency. I had the comment to reward those who put in the most work. He looked me dead in the eyes and told me, "Vince, I think I know more about business then you do?". At that moment a fire was ignited in my heart, I was determined to prove this man wrong! I continued to work there for a few more months when a friend wanted me to polish his car, a 2000 Honda Prelude. I told him it's cheaper to buy the stuff and let me do it. So he did!
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That weekend we went out and bought all the equipment. Bought a Dual Action polisher from Harbor Freight, grabbed some cutting and polishing compounds as well as wax. I went to work the next day, and the car came out looking amazing! I couldn't help but think to myself I can do this for a living.
Mad Skillz Auto Detailing was born. I have been on my own now for about 4 years, although its been rough and even had to step a way a few times I always came back, Now going on 3 years of full time detailing I am happy to say this is my job and my passion.
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Thank you for reading I hope you enjoyed it and much as i enjoyed writing it,
have and amazing day, and BE SAFE!
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The Importance of a Detail: 01/14/2019
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A proper detail
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STOP DOING THIS IT MAY BE RUINING YOUR VEHICLE: 01/18/2019
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If you are using any kind of dish soap to wash your vehicle, then please put the bucket down throw the wash mitt away and read this!!!!!!
Dish soaps are a great soap for just that Dishes! Dishsoaps have degreasers in them that help cut through the grease and oils stuck on the pan and it works amazing for that!
But when it comes to washing your car It's not as forgiving.
The paint on your vehicle is comprised of 4 layers, bare metal, primer,color coat, and clear coat. The clear coat is used to protect the color coat from the sun and other hazards.
In the clear coat there are tiny particles known as UV inhibitor, which help deflect harmful sun rays. Over time they raise to top of the clear coat which are then eaten by the sun. This is more common in vehicles that use a softer clear. Other ways the Uv inhibitors are removed, Dish soap, the degreasers easily strip your paint of its natural trotection.
When the clear coat is stripped of its protection it will begin to dry and flake!
The ways to prevent that are:
First: Buy a premium car Shampoo, don't cheap out but don't break the bank. Meguiars makes a fantastic car shampoo that you can buy at any Wal Mart or Auto parts store.
Second: Coat the car in a good quality wax!
The wax will apply a layer of protection on top of your clear coat which will help your clear coat last much Longer and gives it a great shine, most detailers use higher quality waxes to ensure the maximum amount of protection and Shine!