I just got a job detailing cars and start tomorrow. Anybody got

Don't pee on it.

Wax on, wax off

Towels (even microfiber) leave streaks without lubrication. Drying a car with a dry towel is the work of Satan (if he were real and a bad guy). You'll probably be told to do it to every car though.

Start at the top, go down.

It's all about the details.

https://www.youtube.com/user/autofetishdetail
https://youtu.be/CFXfSBR5Q9w

File: 2017-05-15_22.21.45.jpg (3MB, 2578x1450px) Image search: [Google]

3MB, 2578x1450px

Start with the least aggressive abrasive possible

>>17211618
>that creepy smile in the background

File: 2017-05-15_22.22.24.jpg (2MB, 2041x1321px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 2041x1321px

>>17211625
Work your way up until you start seeing results

File: 20170515_174331.jpg (3MB, 4032x3024px) Image search: [Google]

3MB, 4032x3024px

>>17211630
And CLAY. YOUR SHIT. FIRST.
SO IMPORTANT.

Brace yourself for poop and period stains in seats.

>>17211663
is this real?

>>17211630
Nice rebadged nissan

>>17211686
My sister's car is literally stained from top to bottom. Guess the color

>>17211645
you have nice hands, can you paint you're nails and jerk me off?

>>17211560
Don't rub in a circle, rub in straight lines. Much less likely to swirl, and circular scratches catch light in all directions so they'll be much more visible than a straight scratch.

Drag your microfiber in a side to side motion, NEVER SWIRLS

If you drop your microfiber towel on the ground, THROW IT AWAY

DONT POLISH UNLESS YOU KNOW HOW TO, OTHERWISE YOU'LL GO THROUGH THE CLEAR COAT AND DAMAGE THE BASE LAYER

A power washer with a foam lance males everything 10 times easier

Pre-soak, then wash with a chenille microfiber glove, then dry, then clay bar WITH LUBRICANT, then seal/wax

Use two buckets, one for rinsing your not, the other for loading it up with suds

Buy a grit guard for your bucket

Buy waffle weave drying towels, it'll make everything 10 times faster

Make sure EVERYTHING IS DRY, there is nothing worse than water spots

Don't forget those door jambs!

Wash your microfiber with a good, mild detergent with zero bleach and zero fabric softener

Don't cheap out on chemicals

Wear nitrile gloves to avoid getting handprints all over the newly-washed car and to protect your hands from the chemicals

Use a different microfiber towel for the wheels, since you don't want to get grime from the wheels and drag it across the paint

Work from the very top of the car to the very bottom

Buy a decent orbital waxer, it's so much easier to use than your hands

Watch car detailing videos, a good channel is Car Cleaning Guru

Enjoy your job and put a lot of work into it!

Go above and beyond, and the customers might tip you

Never use a squeegee on anything

Leave paint correction to the pros unless you're trained in it

Remember to only clean the exterior of cars in the shade or when it's cool out side to minimize water evaporation

Don't detail engine bays unless you know where all the connections are and if you have the time. It's very time consuming.

t. Been doing car detailing for a few years, best job I've ever had.

>>17211737
I wait to do the wheels after I've done the whole car so I don't have to worry about grinding brake dust into my paint at all. I still use a separate microfiber towel, but it's easier than switching back and forth often.

Don't drop the clay

>>17211690
Nice regurgitated meme. Whats it like being a copycat shitposter?

2/2 of car detailing, interior edition

Armor-all sprays do jack shit

Buy a vacuum with rubber attachments. The hard plastic ones can scratch the plastic inside of a car.

Again, work from top to bottom

Don't just shake out the floor mats, take them out and vacuum them, then get some detergent and a brush and REALLY work out any stains

A collection of detailing brushes will be your best friend

Use low lint paper towels

Try to use softer chemicals on interiors

Bring a few little trees with you. No one wants to get into their clean car and smell chemicals

Always overstock on consumables (i.e. if you think it'll only take you 1 paper towel roll to do a car, bring two)

Again, go above and beyond and they'll tip you probably

Contact your customer first and ask them about their interior before you go to the job, since leather interiors need different chemicals and tools than upholstered interiors

Bring some wrenches with you just in case you want/need to pull out seats to really get in there

Don't rush the job, you're gonna be spending a good 4 or 5 hours if you're working by yourself

Bring some headphones or earbuds to listen to music, since the drone of vacuum cleaners isn't very pleasant

Hopefully you do well OP! Remember, if you go above and beyond their expectations, you're gonna get repeat customers and even references. If you're working for someone else, then you're going to be getting promotions and raises earlier. Good luck!

>>17211733
This is basically a myth desu...car cleaning guru made a good video about it.

Use brillo pads, cleans grime faster than towels.

>>17211793
From one detailer to another, have you ever used a Tornador black? sounds like you don't use one and you really should if you do detailing professionally. It will pay for itself in just a week or two.

>>17211847
Nope, haven't used em yet. Truth be told, I still use a cheap eBay foam lance that I bought for like $30 (mostly because I'm a poorfag). Works like a champ (despite the unsettling Chinese instruction book)

>>17211793
Thanks for the tips anon. Luckily I'm going to be working with the owner, and he'll be providing all the supplies. I'll be getting $50/car on weekdays and $10/hr + tips on weekends

File: ss5.jpg (53KB, 630x551px) Image search: [Google]

53KB, 630x551px

Try to be as detailed as possible.

>>17211873
Well it's essentially a tornado gun of air and chemical that cleans anything; seats, headliner, carpets, floor mats, wheels, anything rubber, etc. It basically destroys any stain in 3 seconds, better than a steamer too. You need a good air compressor for it though.

>>17211737
I am surprised how complicated cleaning your vehicle actually is.

I only own a motorcycle, what are the basic cleaning products and tools you would recommend for washing it monthly?

>>17211560
Rotary brush carpets and mats after spraying them with an upholstery cleaner. Then use an extractor (sprays water and vacuums it up at the same time) to get first and chemicals out.

Scrub leather with a brush and leather cleaner then condition it.

For something as nitty gritty as a motorcycle, definitely get some detailing brushes. Make sure they're built for just that, detailing. You'll want to get into all the crevices of your motor and in-between your body parts. Get some good microfiber towels of course, and use some meguiar's gold class. That soap has always been my go-to, and it has never let me down. Get a clay bar since I'm sure that after riding on the road for a while your paint will be absolutely contaminated. Definitely get a sealant to protect the paint after you wash it. I don't believe you'll need an orbital waxer to apply the sealant, so just get some microfiber pads. As for what kinds of sealant to get, search around. I use ChemGuys Jet Seal. If you want to get that carnauba wax shine, you can put a layer of carnauba over the sealant.

You should only have to seal it once every few months, since the sealant is pretty tough. The steps of washing a motorcycle are pretty similar to washing a car. The only real difference is the amount of time that you use the brushes instead of the microfiber towels.

>>17211936
Meant for >>17211893

>>17211936
>>17211946
appreciate it, thank you

>>17211560
Always use paper towels, especially if you're in a hurry, as they are cost effective. On darker cars, put more pressure when you're wiping with them; also going in a circular motion.

>>17212004
shut the fuck up, no one wants you here

>>17211895
>scrub leather with a brush
get out

File: tenor.gif (407KB, 250x250px) Image search: [Google]

407KB, 250x250px

>>17212004

>>17211560

When vacuuming the interior of a car with beige/white/light coloured leather seats, watch the black plastic hose! The biggest fuck-up I had working as a detailer was cleaning the interior of a week-old range rover with cream leather everything, and the vacuum hose left visible black streaks over everything it touched. Looked worse than when it came in, owner was furious

>>17211837
this

>>17212024
fuck you

File: smug2.jpg (6KB, 250x230px) Image search: [Google]

6KB, 250x230px

>>17212004

These methods certainly give the paint some detail.

>>17212024
Fine, if you do want to spend the extra money, get some Magic Erasers. They'll take any spot off like magic (even water spots).

File: rupes polisher.jpg (15KB, 600x375px) Image search: [Google]

15KB, 600x375px

>>17211737
>t. Been doing car detailing for a few years, best job I've ever had.

is a RUPES polisher worth it? or is it just a meme

>Muh italian engineering

File: IMAG0360.jpg (699KB, 2368x1332px) Image search: [Google]

699KB, 2368x1332px

>>17211560
Actual detailer here, it's easy work but wear sunscreen and a hat if you're gonna be out in the sun for 8+ hours. Speaking from experience, blisters on your shoulder and a peeling forehead hurt. Bring an extra pair of socks and maybe a T-Shirt too.
>pic related, my work

>>17212582
Hey Jose why the fuck do you leave water spots, I even tipped you good

Not worth it pham, hard work and shit pay. You'll be lucky to make more than 15/hr in few years

>>17211590
>Drying a car with a dry towel is the work of Satan
well what do you use then

>>17212582
can you answer my question
>>17212546

>>17212689
I'm not
>>17211737

>>17212607
Now I know you're lying, because our place has a bodychecker that uses the APC to clean all the water spots.

>>17212635
-Drive my car immediately after washing.
OR
-Use air blower nozzle on my air compressor
OR
-Let it dry naturally, do you dry your car every time it rains? I don't even notice water spots and they do less damage than scraping a dry towel across paint / clearcoat.

>>17212546

Rupes is worth every cent, just depends if you want to pay that much.

>>17211793
>Bring a few little trees with you. No one wants to get into their clean car and smell chemicals

Just use products that smell good, I use Chemical Guys leather conditioner and it smells fucking brilliant inside the car when I'm done.

>>17211709
Kek, thanks?
I don't bat for that team though.

You can pay me to detail your car and make a bunch of gifs of my hands doing things, then do with them as you please.

just go watch ammonyc stuff

File: IMG_3036.jpg (2MB, 3264x2448px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 3264x2448px

i just quit detailing after 3 months becauss the pay was fucking shit
got to drive some real nice cars though

>>17213258
>>this

Detailers at major dealerships near me pay minimum wage. I think that's b.s. considering how easy an amateur can mess paint up. Or just working on a car that's value is above 40k, you should be paid something a bit better.

>>17211569
>he doesn't pee on it

>>17213258
>>17213422
If you're not working for yourself in detailing you're stupid.

>>17213422
It's simple manual labor..

File: IMG_2796.jpg (385KB, 720x1280px) Image search: [Google]

385KB, 720x1280px

>>17213422
yup they made about 200 euros per car yet i earned about 20 euros per day lmao.
eastern europe problems

File: IMG_2803.jpg (2MB, 3264x2448px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 3264x2448px

>>17213592
on the plus side I got to detail my car for free. I could use all the expensive chemicals and wax, now my car is shiny as fuck for the season

>>17212827
Do you not own a black car? Water spots look like shit after it rains

>>17213637
Not true in the slightest. Water is clear and blends right in

>>17213722
(you)

>>17212850
yeah? can you explain more? i currently own a TORQX polisher which i bought from chemical guys. i watched a video on which polisher is best for beginners and i felt TORQX was the right choice. as much as i like it i felt i should have just gotten a higher end model instead

>>17211560
Its customary to drop 10 mentos in to the owners gas tank after service. A refreshed customer is a returning customer.

>>17212827
You don't see water spots after rain because rain has almost no minerals, whereas tap water is in most places hard water which has high mineral content. When the water dries it forms limescale spots, as a result of those dried minerals.

>>17211837
>Use brillo pads, cleans grime faster than towels.
Shut up Musashi