now that seems a little too easy.

I have prima hydro that I use inbetween washes and love that stuff because it cures and lasts long but I really wanted to offer something for that customer that wants the car to not have hair scratches all over it.

my friends are really leaning on me about trying not to try so hard to make every car perfect because it takes too long and most people in my area either dont know me or they know I am starting up so dont want to pay a new guy a few hundred dollars for a full detail.

wash spray and wax would wash off in a few days as it rains in the washington state area all the time. looking for something that will take me 2 to 3 hours and their car will be really protected as well as presentable again.

I have two options that I am leaning on right now.

wash
clay
glaze - either cg ez-creme or menzerna's final polish glaze. will know after trying out cg ez-creme on a girl's car from work.
seal - using either FJM or CG 109 (both of which should last 4-6 with a solid shine months
spray wax - prima hydro will go nicely ontop of the FMJ and I do not believe that it will mess with the curing process of the FMJ or wipe it off at all

second option might use

wash
clay
Einszett Paint Polish
Spray Wax

I do not think the second method will cover up and hide the defects and scratches as well as using the glaze/sealant/spray wax method though.

on another note, I will be educating my customers on what I am doing when I give them the "Eco-detail". dont want any of you thinking I am totally ripping customers off and leaving them to belive that I am doing a full polish to their car. times are tough and I need to have more options for my customer that do not have the money to spend on a full detail.

any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated.

marcus

 

^or you could just post a list of services with individual pricing as well as package deals and just let your customers pick what they want.

seems like that would be the easiest way. i do commend you on your willingness to provide cheaper alternatives for people who dont want/cant afford a full high quality detail though

 

right now my business is strictly through word of mouth and i work out of my garage at home so there really isnt any way for me to post my services and options. I am considering getting business cards soon as I recently came up with a business name that I am willing to work with.

still have a full time job and do cars when I get home. I think I am learning as I go with this. did my boss's car at the casino about a month ago and after eight hours of polishing down his car with a rotary followed up with the pc I decided to sit down next to the car and saw myself looking back and popped a picture of what I saw for fun on my cell phone. sent it to him via sms. he was at work when he got it and could not belive how he say my flip flops and buffing pads and could even read my "menzerna" polish on the table next to me.

went to work that night and everyone saw the pic and I was like a celeb or something and they all wanted my business but backed down when they heard how much it was and that I prefered keeping the car for two days to allowed the sealants and swissvax to cure properly.

it just was not affordable nor was it practicle enough for those that are not car enthusiasts but still want to pay to have their car look nice.

dont want to be a cheapo detail shop but there has to be a way to get respectable results for the customer with budget in mind.

marcus

ps, that pic I sent to my boss....the car was not sealed or glazed or waxed yet. just the end result of a really good polish job.

 

the only issue is if I have to fly you to Bahrain its not going to be a cheap job...

 

the "Eco-detail" is just for all those potential customers out there that want a quickie detail and something to make them feel good. I prefer long extensive details that take a couple of days.

example. my friend has a little brother with a black acura integra. it was scratched every where. clearly never waxed or washed properly. I could tell he takes it through the car wash all of the time.

spent two day polishing it.

finished it with one coat of menzerna glaze to make it really rich black. sealed it three times with menzerna fmj which took 36 hours because I waited 12 hours each time before sealing it again. applied 2 coats of swissvax concorso on it. sealed the wheels with AIO sealant.

when I brought it back they....just....could...not believe how bad it use to be.

fly me out to Bahrain huh? maybe in ten years I will be that guy that people request for from other states or even countries and that is only assuming I start doing this every day for each of those ten years.

 

Bahrain is only 6800miles east of NYC :-)

 

yea 6800 miles most of which are ocean

 

its just a pond

 

thanks for the feedback.

I was curious if you use this often on customers cars by request or on low end details. I found your suggestion the most helpful thus far and have ordered the ez creme. I already have menz glase but wanted to try something with more fillers in it.

do you have any suggestions for good sealants? am leaning towards FMJ and/or 109 except both of them take around 12 hours to cure, and if I am looking to do quick jobs and apply a wax on next that might be too time consuming.

do you know if I apply the sealant can I right away apply say Prima Hydro (spray on wax) right on top of the freshly applied and buffed sealant. wanted to make sure this would not negatively affect the sealant while still adding a great shine and doing all of this in a short time while offering a very low competitive price.

 

Take a look at Jeffs Werkstatt Acrylic Jett Trigger. It is a great spray-on wipe-off sealant that only needs 30 minutes between layers. Put 2 or 3 layers on, and you really won't need a wax.