After spending the last 30 minutes or so reading through some of these threads.

95% of this is process, not product. Learn the proper way to use the products of your choice, then use them.

Most of the time when you are having issues with a product the correct answer for fixing those problems is improving the process with the product you currently have, not running out an buying a new one. (assumming you are using a good quality product)


Jack of all products, master of none. That is not the nickname you should be striving for. imho.

Just a little advice for those of you just starting out.

 

Really well put, Gip.

To add, some products will be easier to work with than others but, most all of the product brand lines that are mentioned here will have a dud or two within the line that you may not ever get to work right. When that occurs, really consider your technique and applicaton that you're utilizing it for and further assess to see if it's the best choice of product for your situation.

Nothing that anyone does here in the detailing realm is rocket science; far from it in fact. You're typically using a micro-abrasive to trim off a ultra-thin layer of clearcoat material in order to either get to the bottom of a swirl, scratch or the oxidation that you're dealing with...

I've said it a million times and it was hammered home by guys who helped me along the way (like Intel486, Boss, and countless others over at autopia, MOL, DC, and other detailing sites)...

Any Joe-Blow can smack a coat of wax on a vehicle; it takes a serious car care nut to do the preparation steps to really make a vehicle be set apart from the rest. Plus, once you're there with your preparation, common sense can maintain that high-end look that you've achieved by using good washing techniques and, again, a lot of common sense when touching your paint.

Everything that everyone in this forum has accomplished can be accomplished by even the greenest beginner with a tad of patience, common sense, and technique.

-RP-

 

Agreed. Time and patience are key, but nice products sure do help. Disagree slightly with you RP though. I wouldnt trust putting a newb with a makita some edge pads, some SIP on the soft ferrari paint. (yes pics will come shortly)

 

I'd be nervous hitting the Ferrari with soft paint with a Makita and any type of pad...

 

Once your hands stop shaking, it gets a lot better. Much easier after you get the first one under your belt.

 

They better be!!!

Honestly, I would have to be up front with a Ferrari or Lambo or similarly expensive car owner-- I would tell them that I need to learn about their paint, then that I hadn't ever worked on it before. Then I would probably go through the hand shaking you described earlier...

My hat's off to you since you did a Ferrari Detail. It would scare the CRAP out of me...

 

Very well put. Just as prep is more important than LSP.