What has the Ask A Pro Blog done for you?
by Todd CooperiderWe’ve always received a tremendous amount of response and feedback from the readers of the Detailed Image Ask A Pro Blog, and it’s always great to hear stories like the one below. As authors of the blog, we continually put out new information in hopes of educating both detailing enthusiasts and professional detailers alike. Sometimes we hear directly from the readers, and sometimes people come back on a regular basis for new information yet we never hear from them.
The other day I received a few messages from a blog follower named Hugo in Miami, and the message was so strong I wanted to share it with the other blog authors and all of the readers.
Todd, I want to thank you and the rest of the professionals who contribute to the DI website with their expertise. I have been reading your blogs constantly for the past months and am delighted every time because the response to my questions always exceeds the needs of the answers. I am in the process of starting an auto detailing/restoration business in Miami, my hands on experience is minimal and even though I am not afraid to go on and start off with the little experience in me.
When we receive that kind of feedback, we know that all the long hours of writing and responding to comments and questions (usually early in the mornings, late at nights, and on the weekends when we’re not detailing) haven’t fallen on deaf ears. I replied to Hugo, thanked him for the positive feedback, and wished him well. On his follow-up email, I received this message:
I appreciate you reply. I am here to reiterate my gratitude to all the contributors at Detailed Image, the arsenal of information in it is simply invaluable, easy to put into practice, and if pursued with discipline, can very possibly take one’s level of knowledge and performance to the master stage.
I’d say that’s a pretty solid testimonial to the wealth of information shared here on the Detailed Image Ask A Pro Blog! Thank you Hugo, and with a positive outlook like that, we’re confident that you’ll do just fine in the business of detailing.
Now for all the other regular readers of the AAP Blog, please take a moment and comment below on some of the knowledge and information you’ve gained from the comprehensive collection of detailing training and reference information we have provided over the years…
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Always great to hear feedback from the audience: it truly helps to know that people are enjoying the articles and finding them useful. That type of motivation makes it much easier to spend extra time to create more articles, and I’m glad to hear of the feedback in this case in which the diverse article selection is helping people in a well-rounded type of way.
Thanks for sharing his Todd! I agree with Marc/Jacob that this type of feedback really motivates me to get out there and do more articles. Keep the feedback coming in AAP readers! 🙂
I purchased an ’04 Infiniti G35 a couple years ago and thought that I needed to do my part in the auto community keeping its appearance looking nice now that I owned a decent car. I tested some products and processes that I found on YouTube using my Chevy Suburban as a test vehicle. Things didn’t go well. So I scoured the internet for any leads that could help me do this stuff for real. I stumbled on Ask-a-Pro, started following it religiously, taking notes, working out what I think my process should be on the Infiniti, studying, studying, studying.
My car’s paint was beat up. But after about 18 months of study and purchasing the tools and products to do this right I was ready to dive in. I can say reading about this is one thing. Doing it is another. If the detailers who write here are the bar, I think I accomplished 60%-70% of their results. I’m okay with that. What an awesome learning experience. I now have the confidence to do this. And I also have a much better understanding of what can and can’t be corrected at certain levels of tools and products. To get to 80%-90% I need additional products. To get >80% I need experience. I’m moving on to leather treatment, engine bays, and interior and understanding how the products work there.
After posting my before and after pics to facebook I’ve had multiple offers from people who want to pay me to help them with their cars. While I’m not looking to start a business I will take them up on their offers in order to gain experience – while setting reasonable expectations with them regarding the outcome. This process has been therapeutic for me. I consider it well-spent down time as well as a skill that makes me unique among my friends.
I think I am going to sound almost exactly like Andy above. I purchased an 09′ Infiniti G37, due to my inexperience when I first purchased my car, I allowed my dealership to detail my fresh new car. When I noticed the holograms, haziness, and swirls I decided to put in a claim to Infiniti headquarters, after they wouldn’t comply with any of my requests I decided to use my head and research detailing and take it into my own hands. I started looking into products at detailed image about a year and half ago, I never realized what the Ask-a-Pro blog was until I started digging deeper into the older articles. I used the detailing guide along with about 70% of the articles on the blog to read through and really learn background information and finer details about detailing. After purchasing close to $2000.00 in supplies and tools, I can say that I have a great start to a detailing arsenal. I began by completing details on relative’s cars that were less glamorous, this worked great to give me some experience of using the porter cable. My proudest moment came after I finally gave “my baby” a full detail, it took me about 24 hours of detail, it took so long because I went meticulously slow in order to prevent mistakes, however, I did complete a full leather detail, interior, and 3 stage polish correction. I think I was able to correct about 50% of the swirls and scratches, I think my problem was the fact that I needed to have some more aggressive polishes and pads. My experience it pretty good, but my comfort level using more aggressive methods isn’t too high.
Like Andy, a couple of my neighbors and friends have noticed how hard I have worked on my car and my family’s car, that they would like me to do theirs and say I could start a business, I do have a lot of hesitations about it, simply because in my eyes I haven’t perfectly corrected a car yet, each time I finish a car I realize afterward that deeper work could have been done, seeing that I am not comfortable with my experience level at the moment I think a business will be on hold for now, I think I would love to start a business because I am starting to grow such a passion for the beauty of paintwork and cleanliness.
I think my research and interest in detailing from the Ask-a-Pro blog has spark a new hobby and new lifestyle for me, I am really glad that I started to gain an interest in detailing and I am proud of myself for taking it upon myself to learn a new trade.
Thank you Contributing Professionals, AKA Detailing Gods!
Practice makes perfect!!!! Keep at it and keep evolving your skills and you will be able to take things to the next level should that be what you want to do!
I encourage everyone to keep reading and following the blog to always learn something new and/or refine something you already do!!!!
I got this reply to an article on Surbuf and 105 I did:
“A message of thanks to Greg Nichols. I e-mailed you approximately 3-4 months ago to ask your opinion of a product that I was considering for my car and your reply led me to using the Megs 105/205 combination with 5″ Surbuf pads. You recommended the Meguire’s products and I decided upon the Surbuf pads and polishing techniques shown by Todd Cooperider in his excellent video. The results I got using your advice were simply outstanding! With my limited experience in detailing I could not have hoped for a better result, and I attribute it to the help I received from you and your encouragement. My heartfelt thanks for the time you took out of what I know is a busy schedule to reply and encourage a stranger.”
Cheers,
GREG
As the other authors have mentioned–this type of feedback really motivates all of us! Sometimes us pro’s need that little extra kick in the pants to get more and more articles published. To Hugo, Andy, and Adam (thus far), thanks for the feedback and comments. It’s the fuel that keeps this never ending train of knowledge and experience moving!
My pleasure! You guys deserve the kudos.
As an aside, I also do all my own maintenance (bleeding lines, brakes, clutch, ball joints, hubs, power steering, etc.). I want to know these cars inside and out.
Andy
I’m so glad I stumbled upon this website several months ago. The first article I read was how to wash and dry your vehicle properly and I was amazed at how much I was doing wrong. I’m very embarrased to even say how I used to wash a car before. As I dug further into the website I was amazed at the wealth of info here. I left my “day” job as a call center agent to pursue building a premium detailing business after reading Todd’s article where he basically did the same thing. I think it was the last thing I needed to see or hear in order to make that decision for myself. It’s been a few months and I still have no regrets. So, thanks to all the blog authors for influencing me as a detailer and business owner. All of you have helped me to strive for greatness in detailing.
Kris Metje
The Gloss Boss, LLC
I couldn’t agree more, you took the words out of my mouth!
I came upon your website a couple months ago when looking for detailing products. Needless to say I have little experience with detailing but had began to like to keep up my own vehicle and my friends noticed and some of them asked me to do there’s. With a wild hair a lot of faith and stupidity I began buying supplies from your website. I have not detailed many vehicles but I feel your sight has helped me very very much on the ones I have done and enabled me to get customer satisfaction at the level experience I have right now. If things go well I look forward to growing my business and continuing to learn with Ask A Pro being my knowledge base for when I do get hands on experience. I appreciate you guys very very much and keep up what your doing! Thanks:)
Yes, I’ve learned that a persistent and methodical approach to solving detailing issues can be leveraged into excellent results by regularly studying the information on these blogs. Where else can you get professionals sharing their techniques, experiences and comments about auto detailing? I buy my detailing supplies through Detailed Image because they sell great stuff, and out of loyalty, because I’ve learned so much through the blogs, and derived a lot of value from the information. Please keep up the good work!
I first visited this site about 5 months ago when I decided to purchase a porter cable to attack the paint on my 2007 G35. Unfortunately i was too eager to just get the machine and just go and attempt to restore my cars paint before reading any of these blogs. Boy was that a huge mistake.
My first attempt, although it was a small progress, did not show the results i was expecting. I was deffinitely able to restore the paint a little bit but was not able to reach the full potential of the machine and products i had purchased.
Soon after, I began to check out different detailing forums in hopes of finding more information on how to use the products I had purchased to their fullest. I wish I had looked at this site a little bit better to realize the blog section. A lot of the other forums are not very helpful. The dont have members who are active on a daily basis, they do not review a large assortment of products, and many of them seem to care more about making money through advertisements than really helping out the members.
Once I found the blog section on here I was blown away. There are extensive reviews on a great variety of products, there are tons of how to use product blogs, and blogs showing you the basics of caring for your car (washing, drying, etc.).
I have detailed a few family members and friends cars since I have read through a good amount of the blogs on the site and all i can say is WOW!. I can see a HUGE difference in the effectiveness of the same products I tried to use with no knowledge, now that I know how to actually use the product. With that said, I would like to thank Todd, Greg and all of the other Pro’s out their for all of your help. I really do appreciate this site and all of the help that it provides.
-Pat
Great article Todd! It’s definitely a pleasure to write the articles and share the knowledge, and that much more enjoyable when such feedback is received.
As you said, big thanks to all the readers and all the positive responses. The AAP Blog is definitely a learning experience for both the writers and the readers, and I’m more than happy to be a part of it.
As others, I have received quite a few emails/messages and quite a few times I have picked up something I didn’t think of through a conversation with a blog reader.
Again, great article and let’s keep it going strong, both authors and readers.
Hello to everyone,
Completely agree with all the good stuff written already. Inspiration, answers, guidance and amazing photos are just few of the things all you good people have given to so many of us.
Everytime I can I give fellow enthusiasts in other forums links from here to bring everyone to the light.
Thank you again!
K
It’s great to see all of the comments on this article from both the readers and the authors. I’ve been here since day 1 of the blog, and have read every single comment made (thousands) on every single article. I recognize those who have commented on this particular article, and have watched them grow in their knowledge of detailing in the types of questions they’ve asked over time. Now to read that some of them have turned hobbies into careers really makes me (us) feel like we’ve made a significant contribution to their dreams and goals. Congratulations to all of you!
Thank you all again, and we’ll continue to provide information that everybody can benefit from.
And for others just reading this article for the first time…please share your blog experiences with us as well.
I bought a 2005 Lotus Elise about a year ago and even though it only had 6000 miles, the previous owner had turned it into swirl-mark central through improper washing techniques. But thanks to the Ask a Pro blog, those swirls are a thing of the past.
Following the articles on this site I performed an 18+ hour detail on the car, eliminating all of the swirls and getting a finish that I was really proud of. (I first practiced on my wife’s Acura TL — so she got a nice detail too but it wasn’t 18 hours.)
Not only that, but I also learned about the proper two bucket washing technique as well as the “sheeting” technique to help dry the car at the end. I’ve applied this technique now to all my cars and won’t let anyone else wash them. So far, this is helping to keep them swirl free. My wife and my father think I’m insane but I keep telling them that the details matter — doing things right gets results!
I am extremely anal about my cars and I’ve learned a ton from this blog. I’m by no means a professional detailer but I already get better results than most of the local “wash and detail” shops that I’ve taken my regular cars to in the past. More than just that, I’m not afraid to tackle projects like this anymore. Yeah it can be a lot of work but I enjoy it and at least now I’m not afraid of damaging a nice car.
Thanks for putting together such a great resource!
Vince,
Here, here! I find myself still reading the how to wash a car post over and over. The sheeting step is one of those nuances you may not try the first time but really helps. I still find myself introducing a few swirl marks but much less than before and still improving. I don’t yet have the final buffing step down well. That’s taking me some practice.
Andy
The sheeting method helps big time you need the gilmour shut off valve that helped so much, my worst part of detailing is the drying step, even with waffle-weave towels I still cannot get it down, pat drying is very slow and i feel like I can never get the vehicle completely dry and using Dodo Juice Time to dry really hasn’t helped I feel like that product leaves a little haze, I really would like to get better at the compounding stage of polishing just so I could prove to myself that I can correct swirls and scratches, they way I have been detailing I feel like I am just shining up the deeper swirls and scratches
I also would like to thank you guys for all the great info. I check the ask a pro blog every single week hoping on finding new writeups. the information here is incredibly valuable. Thank you to all that contribute !
,
Michael
After being turned onto DI by my friend Rich (a fellow car fanatic, and reviewer for autospies), I scoured the Ask-A-Pro Blog for months. I’ve always been obsessed with keeping my cars in good condition, but was blown away with seeing what REAL detailing can do.
Two weeks ago, I bought a Porter Cable RO and got to work on my ’07 NBP Acura TL-S. The results were remarkable. Through reading the blog, I felt beyond prepared to get started on stepping up my detailing game. I look forward to developing as an amateur detailer.
Thanks Todd and all the other contributors to DI for making this site a wealth of knowledge.
-Kurt
I was just becoming interested in serious detailing and was reading the detailing section of a few forums (Acurazine, appropriate since I have a 03 Acura CL TypeS 6 spd) when I was linked to some of Todd’s articles over here on DI. I then proceeded to read at least 90% of the articles posted on this blog over the course of a week or two. Through this knowledge, I was about to see patterns between these pros as to which methods, tools, and products they were using. At this point I felt comfortable enough to make a purchase (which now has turned into multiple purchases over the past few months) and begin working on some friend’s cars as well as my own. Things have been going great thus far. Just using the knowledge I have acquired from reading these blogs I have worked on the following cars over the past few weekends: my 03 Acura CL-S (red), 07 Honda Civic (grey), 04 Acura TSX (white), 06 Toyota Tundra Double Cab (silver) , and my most recent an 07 GMC Yukon (black). Special thanks to Chad’s article he did a while back on a black Cadillac, as this Yukon had granite hard black paint on it as well. Compounding was done with the 5.5″ Surbuf pads and M105, and it still was hard work!
In summary, this blog has been an amazing learning resource for me. Even though I have been lurking on the comments until now, I want to say thank you to each and every one of you guys for the hard work putting these posts, videos and write ups together. I believe I speak for the group when I say “keep the posts coming!”.
-Mike G in Pensacola FL
My thank you to the professionals here(in particular to Todd and Greg @ DI) is long over due. I’ve been reaching out to Todd and Greg for every help/advice on process or product use through emails for a long time, but never came out to the blog to recognize their support.
A little background in to how I got in to the detailing scene and especially DI. Last year, one weekend, I took a trip up to Phily in May and when I came back, my car was fully covered with bug splatters. I took my car to a local touchless car wash, but that did not get the bugs off. So I decided to hand wash the car with the usual OTC products. I was aware of the basic rules of washing to not induce swirls or not to wash in the car in direct sun light. After the wash, I was ablt to get another 80% of the bugs. After the wash, I started to dry the car and realized that my car had a lot of water spots. I never had this problem before because my car was always parked in a garage (at home and work) until few months ago when I bought a toy car. So I started parking my DD (couple months old car) outside. It was caught in the rain couple times and I guess that caused the water spots. I freaked out when I saw the water spots on the car and tried to wash and clay the car again and that did not get rid of the water spots.
Immediately, I googled ‘water spots’ and found a lot of articles and reading though them, I stumbled upon Todd’s article @ DI on how to avoid/remove water spots. I looked up Todd and his website(Esoteric auto detail) and found out that he was only a couple hours from me. So, I emailed him to see if he can detail my car and I also called him up after couple hours (on a Sunday) and left him a VM. Can you imagine how scared I was with the water spots and the bug splatters. Todd called me back the next day and he assured me that it can be easily taken care of with few basic products and there was no need to make a long drive for a wash. I spoke to him for about an hour on the phone asking all sorts of questions and he was patiently answering them. He also emailed me a lot of links to the blogs on DI and also gave me some info of a local detailer.
So, I started reading up all the articles on DI and started placing orders after orders, buying tonns of stuff. This is like a never ending ordeal. My garage and house is full of polishes/LSP’s/Microfibers….. I had tried atleast 40 to 50 % of products that are available on DI and I can tell you one thing for sure, DI has some of the very best products in the market, competitive pricing and more importantly, a very good technical support for both process and products.
I started detailing cars on the side now and I always have lot of questions before deciding on a plan to tackle the job. I always send emails to the professionals here and the the response time from the DI team is awesome. Every time I email Todd/Greg, I get a reply very quickly. My emails/questions are never short and Todd/Greg takes a lot of time/patience to reply/answer all my questions in detail.
I am regular reader/lurker of the ASk a Pro blog (don’t post much) and I check the blog atleast few times a day to read any new articles/product reviews and also revise bunch of old articles. Can you say that I am a ASk a Pro holic (if there is a term) :). My wife complains all the time about how much time I spend on the DI website and ofcourse money :). This pretty much became my background on the laptop.
Before concluding my long winding post, I just want to emphasize that I really appreciate how wonderful the Ask a Pro blog community is and all the efforts from the Ask a pro blog team. Thanks to the team for taking the time out of your busy schedule to educate us.
Not sure what else I can say here that hasn’t already been said, but I too am very grateful for the advice.
I’ve only been hanging out here a few months and I’ve already learned A TON.
Each article is both super informational, teaching me new techniques and explaining how things work and how to get the best performance, and each article is typically very inspirational too – seeing you guys transform a neglected, marred, dull looking car into something that looks better than new is just crazy!
I feel like my car gets cleaner and cleaner every time I read a post 🙂
What has this blog done for me…
This blog has for the most part taught me everything that I know about detailing automobiles. And thanks to this website I have gained the confidence to start my own small detailing business a create a small source of income to offset the price of products. This blog has also made me into a true fanatic about detailing, I started research just one year ago at the age of 16 and look where I am now, half way there to having my own successful business. Without this blog I would be stuck marring paint and using crappy OTC products! This blog is great and has greatly increased my interest and knowledge of detailing. GO Detailed Image!
PS- you really need to make local pickup an option living only 10 minutes away from you guys doesn’t justify spending $14 on shipping.
Along with the endless amount of praise I have for the pros on DI, I too am learning a bit everytime I read one of their great articles.
Detailing is a full-time gig for me now, so I send my customers to the DI site for various articles. Not only do they learn, but it comforts them knowing I am going about the process correctly.
Keep them coming guys!
You learn alot from the articles here beginners or advance users alike. Also the customer service is top notch!
Detailed Image set me off to start up my own car detailing business. I figured it would be a great alternative job for a high school student (instead of flipping burgers). I also wanted to restore my car’s paint and train my eyes to pick up on detail.
I first started reading Todd’s article on the Acura TL detail and became rather interested in automotive detailing. What really pulled me in was how much effort it took to actually clean a car. In Colorado everyone uses automatic car washes and there aren’t too many places that offer a quality hand wash for cheap. I wanted to fix that by offering low cost and high quality hand washes. Sadly it turns out people don’t care too much about their cars, which is rather annoying because I charge incredibly low prices.
I will continue to detail cars and read AAP’s Blog but specifically AAP has taught me the importance of car care. Everything from washing with the two bucket system to the whole concept of every car paint is different.
Todd and Crew –
Your input and advice is priceless!! I appreciate the honesty of your product reviews and your responses to the comments attached. You folks truly are passionate about detailing and your passion is contagious. I had recently purchased a 2009 GTS Blue w/white stripes Dodge Viper Vert and wanted to give it it’s first detail. As you well know, there is a myriad of sealants/waxes/et al out there and I was looking for something that would really make that GTS blue metallic really “POP”. I had heard about the Black Diamond products (glaze/polish, sealer and carnauba topper) and purchased the “trilogy” after reading your excellent review. I’d love to send in a picture of the finished product!! My wife was saying “you have been rubbing that Viper in the garage for the whole week”! She was amazed when she saw the result (as was everyone else). Thanks again Todd and crew!!
I have a restoration and custom car shop. Over the years I have produced a number of award winning paint jobs. Every time I read tech info here I will see a technique that I have not tried or that I think will improve my show paint work. After trying several of the articles I have read here I have been abe to step up my level of paint perfection. I still have a few more techniques to try and am anxious to try them and obtain the ultimate in paint perfection. Guys please keep up the great work in sharing your vast amount of knowledge.
Thanks, Mike
I finally have the time and a place to properly thank the Ask a Pro Bloggers and the people at Detailed Image all at once.
I found Detailed Image and Ask a Pro through Todd. I actually was able to meet him at a local car show in our area. I had followed his work on other websites and when I found out at the auto show Todd told me about Detailed Image. I came to this site and was really impressed with the thoroughness of the Detailing Guide. I mean, it was all there, product suggestions (with a highlighted link), demonstrations and photographs. I use the pad, polish and polisher suggestions as a reference guide.
I have been soaking up all this information like a sponge. Based on the reviews and recommendations I’ve read I decided to change a few of my own procedures. I have added the 4” head and Lake County Pads to my arsenal. I know how to use Menzerna polishes and the M105/205 combo without fear of screwing up a job. I also feel much more comfortable with my rotary machine than I ever did when I first started using it 14 years ago at a dealership. I have both a flex and random orbital machine that I use. Because of this site I have confidence to use all of these machines not with fear; but, a healthy understanding of how to get great results.
I am now in charge of a shop and training detailers on the proper methods of detailing a car. We are getting high praise from a lot of our customers. They respect the knowledge we have and the recommendations we make. My knowledge comes from the pros on this site and their write ups. I was recently given the opportunity to detail and provide paint protection on a 1987 Lamborghini Countach. The owner of our facility told me after the car was done that he was amazed at the confidence I had and the results we got on this car. My confidence had come from refining the techniques I had learned on the DI Ask a Pro Blog. Well, and Todd’s specific write up on detailing this fine vehicle. I hope to someday be one of Pros on the Ask a Pro Blog. Sorry this is so long. It needed to be said. Thanks again, Tim.
This website has really helped me a lot when i have any question about the proper way to detail my car. Any question is answered spot on. and the product is always exactly what it says it is. I have never ordered anything from here that i regret buying always pleased with my order. If u want to know how to keep your car looking pristine you have found the right place. Thanks Detailed Image!
Thank you all for sharing your knowledge with us.I have learn alot from you all .Thanks
After a number of years out of the detailing game, I’m grateful I stumbled upon this site to get me started back on the right track. After soaking up the information from the Detailing Guide, I realized that there was the entire ask-a-pro blog too! And replies from the author addressing individual issues no less! Needless to say, this site is an excellent resource. My only wish might be to include discussion on products you don’t carry on the store. Say like Iron X, Collonite products, and steam cleaners? Though I understand why you don’t.
But honestly I can’t really think of any other possible improvements! Thanks and keep up the great work guys!
I purchased my first BMW almost 2 months ago, a 2003 330i ZHP and became a part of the ZHPMafia community. It was there where I learned about Detailed Image and about professional detailing products. Before then I had washed with cheap auto store supplies. I asked around on the forum for advice and direction for detailing products. Detailed Image was there to help. I exchanged several emails back and forth and spent time on the blog building a kit to purchase and all of the products I would need to begin detailing my car properly and I’m hooked! I wash my car at least once a week now and fully detail it once a month. The people who run Detailed Image are amazing and their willingness to help out newcomers blew me away!
As with Adam B above, I have to “thank” my BMW dealer for the motivation to find the DI Blog. Light holograms on delivery followed by deep scratches from their automated carwash sent me to the web in search of solutions. (Their carwash kid even left a handful of nacho-cheesy pork rinds on the floor boards the one time I let them wash it – true story!)
The primary advantage of the DI Blog is the fact that all the information is good – it’s the best there is. I initially started reading a manufacturer’s forum, but was dissatisfied with having to sift through the chaff to find one or two tidbits of good information. As a novice, that was especially difficult.
I’ve been reading the DI Blog avidly for a couple years now and I’m a full-on junkie! I check it daily and read every post. As a result, my inventory of skills and products continues to expand.
Where else do great products like these come with this level of support?
At the risk of exceeding a PG rating, I’ll answer the specific question, “What has the Blog done for me?” After a full-day inside (Leatherique) and out (wash, one-step polish/seal/wax, dress), detail on my wife’s SUV this past weekend, she was, “especially appreciative.”
So, the Blog has introduced me to great people, products and procedures; gave me a new hobby; made my work colleagues think I’m crazy for parking three blocks away; and even improved my home life!
Shebang!
-Eric H.
I’m currently on my 4th vehicle; it was my first brand new one as well as my first black one. I knew the pitfalls of black paint so before I even touched the paint, I did A LOT of research on how to avoid swirls and keep new paint looking new. Out of the entire www, this is where I keep coming back to reference old articles and learn about new ones. Your articles are great; they’re well written and the pictures are very helpful. Thanks to all of the information and products you make available, I’ve been able to keep my Brilliant Black Crystal Pearlcoat Grand Cherokee swirl free for over a year and a half!
The best detailing site out there bar none!!! I am so pleses with the service ,and all my questions get answered , just by reading the blog, great stuff!!!, My cars look like new , I am soooo in too detailing now , I love this site you guys ROCK!!!I look forward to detailing my cars with all the great products , and how to use them!! it’s a hobby for me now, and I get better all the time, thanks again for your website!!!!! keep up the great JOB !!!!WOW!!!
Corey
It has been fun reading everyone’s comments but I have a simple one that really does make a good point about these forums!
I have browsed many of the topics but one that I will never forget and literally use now EVERY time I wash my car is the sheeting method of drying. I had never done this prior to reading the guide but wow has it stuck. Not only does it cut down the number of towels I have to use but it makes drying the car way faster. It is the little things in the “ask a pro” blog that really do make a difference for all of the do it our self detailers out there. I have consistently come back to detailed image for great products and advice and plan to do so for many vehicles to come.
My 09 Pontiac G8 GT in Liquid Red has never looked better since I started reading and following the advice on here and it will continue to look its best as long as I own it!
Thank You everyone involved!
Bronson
Love Ask-A-Pro, before i assumed just a simple wash and wax was all i needed. After reading all the guides and blogs I found out there was much more to do! Started with my Lexus SC400 had beat up paint before and i just did a simple clay bar, sealant, and a top coat of wax using the techniques laid out here, and it really brought back the paint to life and I continue to use those techniques on my new G37s 09′. After reviewing what needs to be done for a full polishing i am confident that i can polish a car now, just need to buy the equipment.
Todd, after exchanging some emails with you about the right products to get for the beginner (me) I’ve been on a constant “infatuation” with detailing. I practically went all in and bought what you told me, knowing that I couldn’t have faith in a better person. Just so you know, I gave the Shelby its first well-needed round of correction just this week. The car recently was sitting in the dealership for four months, collecting dust–it was in bad shape when I got it back. The swirls were just nasty because of the improper care that it received, and the improper “detail” that the dealership gave it before handing it back to me. The M205/105 combo just worked great this time around (I overcame the learning curve on the Toyota), topped with the Chemical Guys EZ-Creme glaze and BWD. There isn’t a hint of a scratch no matter where it sits in the sunlight now!
So hey, here’s a public “thank you.” The Shelby looks like new, to include the paint, the engine bay (I get repeated compliments and “how did you do that??”), and the interior.
– Gabe
Reading Mark, Jacob amd Todd’s posts on other forums and posts made by other professional detailers, such as ScottWax, RickRack, Mike Phiilp, Richard Lin and too many others to mention ( I am new to Detailed Image) is a continuation of the learning process as it relates to the art of detailing.
You pump me up Ron! Thanks for the kind words!