advice starting out

[VR6_ROB]

hi all I am looking into getting in to the detailing side of things alot deeper
I am a valeter by trade and the products I use are cheap and nasty I would say
I have a good bit of knowledge on cleaning but detailing is another story
I have only used the clay and meguiars 3 stage stuff

currently my car is in the bodyshop but I want to look after it alot better
what do I need I am happy with the products I have for the interior
so its mainly exterior

so far I have got the following

micro fibre cloths
wash mitts
meguiars clay kit
meguiars paint cleaner
meguiars polish
meguiars wax
black wow

what else do I need I would like to learn about removing light scratches
do I need a buffer?

oh yeah my car is white

thanks
rob

[stealthwolf]

A lot of megs products. You get  a discount or something! 

Have a look over on detailing world. There's a tutorial on polishing and swirl removal.

For scratches, you have two options:

1. Fill them in. Use Autoglym SRP for this. Best thing about AG SRP is that you can use it by hand and it will give a far superior finish to any other handworked product.
2. Reduce them by reducing the amount of clearcoat. For this, you need a machine polisher, ideally a rotary.

[Envy Valeting]

Hi Rob,
You have a nice lot of products and some good ones too.
Its not an easy thing to start up and takes time and patience to get to a point where you can rely on it for an income, especially in this climate and time of year. Is the valeting you do a job or hobby? You need something you can earn from whilst you get going in my opinion.
Decide where you want to aim your business. Cheap and cheerful and you will be busy but flogging your guts out for a small hourly rate, or to provide a good reliable VFM service and keep hold of customers and go for the quality approach?
Scratch removal/reduction is often in the realms of the smart repair guy. If its generally deep enough to get your finger nail in its too deep. Shallower scratches you can wet sand, then polish out mostly.
You will need a machine polisher for the business. Start with a Dual action (or DA) and learn how to use it on scrap panels, then progress to the rotary. Its a more powerful tool and can work harder for you but the scope to F it up is bigger.
I hate to think what all my gear adds up to but I use most of it all the time, what I dont use I thin out. You'll need a lot more gear than you have so far but if its what you want then go for it

Tim

[VR6_ROB]

valeting is my job been doing it for just over 5 years I work for a hire company I want to learn detailing for personal use mainly on my golf
and friends cars as they like my work but i know i can do better I just not heard of most of the detailing products
such as waxes and that foam wash you can get I have valeted peoples cars in the past who keep asking me to do them again
would be nice to learn more and make there car even better as a weekend job bit of pocket money

people at work decide its good to wash a audi r8 with a brush full of grit mud etc they are black cars and look terrible now I have been
given the go ahead to sort them out but I aint no pro in detailing and i dont fancy using G3

[Envy Valeting]

Ah sorry, I misunderstood
You dont need to hit cars with G3 to make a difference. Pre wax cleansers cam make a massive difference to cars appearances such as Zymol HD Cleanse, Swissvax CF, Dodo Juice do 2 lime prime and lime prime lite. I favour the dodo based on cost and my consumption!
Lime Prime on older less pristine cars as it contains microabrasives and will improve the paint no end
Lime prime lite has no abrasives and I use on good condition paint, and follow these by waxing.

As a start you can try washing and claying a car, then cover with something like Autosmart Platinum.
You can wash, clay, cleanse then use AS Platinum before you delve into expensive waxes and sealents....there is a whole world out there!

The basic detail procedure though is wash, clay, cleanse, and seal be it a wax or sealent. You will read people say they have a "100 step process" but it boils down to the basics above

Tim

[VR6_ROB]

thanks for your help
I will try them techniques when I finally clean my car its getting paint at the moment though
whats the best polish to get for my car its white I want the best shine

also for the interior what do you use for stains etc I have always used a product
called G101 and I also TFR cant remember what strength it is its red but it can work wonders
just curious to see if they is anything out there better

[Envy Valeting]

G101 is a very good product from Autosmart.
I use a lot of stuff from Espuma and they have a similar product called G202. Its twice as strong but the same price so goes a bit further.
I've never used a TFR inside but use the G101 or G202 and Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner (APC)

Shine wise what have you got already in your product portfolio?!

[VR6_ROB]

I only have the meguiars stage 2 polish
and I have a bottle of mer
autoglym super resin polish


I want something decent going to get everything i need before
I get the car back

I was also going to buy some collinite 476 is that good gear for light cars

[Frothey]

if you're not wanting to get into machine polishing (yet  ) then SRP followed by the collinite is a good place to start. you've got access to loads of decent products as a valeter from autosmart etc - most of the "boutique" products aren't really that much better when it comes to tfr, t&g remover, apc's etc.

remember - the finish is 95% prep, slapping some zymol royalle on poorly prepped paint wont make it an amazing finish.....