Ok well so I kinda feel into my own part time detailing buisness after detailing a 1957 Corvette. I used Zaino on the vette and it looked great but I don't want to do that to every car, not everyone cares about there paint that much, most just want their cars extremely shiney. I was going to use P2S1 for people who just care about shine and not protection. Where is the best place to get this stuff and what is the best way to use it. I read on some website that they said to use Klasse under the wax? Also what are the average rates for detailing cars. I got $400 for detailing the vette but that was a serious detailing (I only wanted 200 but the guy was so happy that he said he'll double it ).

 

I used to detail a lot of cars at my house, I bought bulk cleaning supplies in gallons from places like Auto Magic, and Pro, and Superior. They delivered it to my house, a gallon of wax was like 20 bucks and would last forever. All of the stuff was loaded with silicone and shine like a mother, of course the shine only lasted a short time as the waxes where not top quality but the little old ladies and truck owners did not care that much, just so long as it was clean at the time.....

 

I'm not sure if i'll need gallons of the stuff since I leave for school in 15 days, thats why I was thinking of the P1S1 b/c its super shiney and I don't have to buy it in bulk

 

Actually I was thinking what would be better for blinding shine and covering swirl marks.....P21S or Formula 113?

 

Since 113 has lots of oils, cleaners, and 21s is not really a cleaner wax, 113 would be better suited for mass cleanups of non show cars....

 

Wow, good job with the Vette!

Anyhow, there are several types of options you could offer the customer as far as detailing the paint, but if you are looking for a quick easy one step polish and protectant, I would recommend Klasse All In One. It is suited for use on anything from new cars to much older paints that need some cleaning and polishing work. Leaves a very smooth surface too that would impress just about anyone. If the customer wants to pay more, add S100 wax on top of the AIO and this will give a great temporary shine. BTW, the S100 wax is nearly idential to P21S but it is $10 cheaper and available locally. Since these are premium products you should be able to command a premium for detailing the cars/trucks. If the customer wants to go the cheap route, just slap on some other cleaner wax, like Mother's, Meguiar's, Liquid Glass, etc..... Depends on how involved you want to get in the detailing, but you could also charge for clay barring, swirl removing, etc, but these are the areas that will take most of the work.

For a simple combo the AIO and S100 would be a winner. Both products are extremely easy to use as well, when used as directed.

 

Alright I will probably go with the Klasse and S100. When using both these products what is the best way to fill in the swirl marks. I have the 3M SMR, would I just use that before the klasse and S100.

This is what I think i should do for a good detail job

1.)Wash car
2.) clay car and wash again
3.) Swirl mark remover (by hand not machine)
4.) klasse
5.) S100

Is there anything else that would help with the shine like a glaze or polish or does the swirl mark remover do the same thing?

Also for the above mentioned wash along with a carpet shampooing and interior cleaning+ metal polishing how much would you charge. I know I will probably never get $400 from any other person. I was guessing my prices should range from 50-100 dollars....is that about right?

 

Yes, your order is completely correct. I personally would not use a glaze for mass detailing, but that's up to you. They can be hard to work with and the Klasse would remove the glaze anyway, since it contains a polish and cleaner. I guarantee you that the Klasse + S100 would produce a shine that is better than any glaze anyway, thus I would not need a glaze. The 3M should remove most light swirls, the AIO will help slightly with very light swirls, and the oils in the S100 would help cover any remaining micromarring.

If you are talking about doing a multiple step job on the paint, plus a full interior job, and metal working, I would charge at least $100-$200, maybe more, but that's going to be up to you and your clients. Realistically, that much work should command about $300-$400+.....

 

...you may want to check out a place in West Springfield, MA (seeing you are from CT) called CAR Products Inc, down a side street across from the Big E fair grounds

120 Bosworth St
West Springfield, MA 01089-3503
Phone: (413) 781-1516

They are a detailing store and supplier of many shops and dealerships. They carry a full line of Meguires and 3M products as well as their own mixes of tire, wheel, and vinyl protectant/conditioning products, and etc. They sell by the bottle, gallon, and drum depending on need. They also offer classes on how to use a buffer correctly and such... I am in no way affliated, as I am a Zaino user, but I use their tire cleaner, and vinyl/plastic/rubber dressings and buy all of my brushes and applicators from them. -Jeff

 

i have problems with my paint on my car. there are spots from where bugs were at that seem to be in the clear coat. is there anything that can be used to somewhat hide these spots?

i detail cars but don't get as involved as your talking about. i just remove bugs, tar, etc. i then just use a regular mothers cleaner wax and clean out all of the inside. i do shampoo if they want it done. i charge somewhere around $75 per car. i live in a small town so i would never be able to get much more than i get.