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Game-Changing New Detailing Technology Revealed!

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As with many other industries and lines of business, the detailing world typically makes small, incremental advances in technology as it evolves and adapts to meet the demands of the marketplace. Sometimes these small advances are simply to introduce a new product to the market (growth through new product introduction), and sometimes through product development we actually find ways to make an existing product better.

But every now and then however, major changes happen that completely change the way the game is played. Think of how the forward pass changed football…or how the internal combustion engine changed transportation, or how the computer changed, umm, everything!

With the exception of a few tools and products, detailing and paint correction has been a straightforward process for many years now. It’s pretty simple really…level the paint, make it glossy, and you’re good to go!

In factories, body shops, dealerships, and even some detailing outlets, the process was to hit the paint hard and fast with a heavy-cut wool pad and some compound, and then use another wool pad with some hand-glaze to finish with. Sure, the use of wool for both tasks left swirls and marring, but that’s what the glaze was for…to fill those in and create a nice, level surface!

Thanks to the detailing world’s new breakthrough technology, we can now properly finish down after compounding to where the surface is truly flat, smooth, and defect free! Compounding swirls, wool-induced defects, and hazy-finish will be a thing of the past. That car that just got out of the body shop, or through the detailing department at the pre-owned car lot will still look good after a couple of washes! Holograms will no longer exist, and future generation detailers and buffer operators will not even know what that term means!

I know…it all sounds too good to be true, right? How can we possibly have such a breakthrough in paint refinement technology that would allow us to to finish down a painted surface so fine that even after completely cleaning it with a solvent or Isopropyl Alcohol that we see nothing but pure, clean, and completely defect-free paint?

Before I become the first in the industry to announce this technology, let me show you an example of what I am talking about. These photos have not been manipulated other than to re-size and add a stylish border. This is proof positive that this technology finally exists!

In this photo, you will see that the black Corvette paint is badly swirled from years of improper washing, drying, and general care. You can see that it’s in bad shape…just like about every car you see in the sunshine.

Now take a look at this photo after the car has been finished with this revolutionary new technology. This is like the photos of Bigfoot or Nessie…you can’t argue with photographic evidence!

How can it be? Whatย kind of products or techniques have been suddenly released to the market that can actually do this? I mean…taking a black car, performing heavy compounding, and then taking it a step further to where the finish is actually like new again? Without temporarily filling them with heavy glazes? You mean I can actually produce QUALITY work now? Please, please…tell us what it is!

OK then, I’m happy to be the very first person to announce this breakthrough technology. Perhaps it’s because of the sheer amount of detailing articles that I write, or because of the 50K plus blog followers per month, or maybe the industry felt that I have become the voice of the detailing industry…regardless of the reason(s), I am honored!

So this breakthrough new technology that will allow manufacturers, body shops, “speed detailers”, and auto dealerships to produce high quality work is…

Finishing Pads, Finishing Polishes, and Slow Arm Movement!

No longer do they need to “finish” their work with wool and glaze…no longer do they need to hide the defects with glaze…the new revolution is here!

We now have soft foam finishing pads that when combined with ultra-fine finishing polishes, produce a true finish that rivals, and sometimes exceeds the purity of fresh, untouched paint! And when you use controlled, slow arm movement with proper steps in buffer speed (900-1200-1500-1200-900), you’re sure to finish down completely hologram-free! This is AMAZING!!

So to the factories, you no longer have to deliver $450,000 exotics with paint that looks like this:

And to the pre-owned car dealership, you no longer have to sell cars that after a couple of washes look like this Ferrari 612:

Or to the body shops, you no longer have to “fix” cars like you did with this Porsche 911 Turbo:

This is a wonderful day in detailing history…one that will be remembered alongside some of the greatest technological breakthroughs of all time! Taking the time, using the proper techniques, and utilizing the latest finishing products to perform paint correction to truly restore the finish to its original condition or better…WOW!

OK, so those of you in the know realize that this article is filled with as much sarcasm and poor examples of humor as it gets! I’m just trying to get my point across…

So given the fact that finishing products and technologies have been out for quite some time now, why do we professional detailers continuously see this kind of work day in and day out? It comes from the factories, it comes from the body shops, it comes from the dealerships, and it comes from what I call “speed detailing” (those who claim to do a full correction and finish down a car in just a handful of hours). Do they not know? Do they not care? Do they simply want to spit out as much work as possible with no respect to quality? All you have to do is walk in to the places that produce this kind of work and you’ll see the same “detailing” setup…a huge, dirty wool pad or two, some old-school compound, and a bottle of glaze.

By contrast, walk into a reputable professional detailer’s shop to see what you’ll find. When you look at their selection of buffers, pads, and polishes you’d think they’re in the distribution business. They realize that every car and paint is different, which requires them to be prepared with whatever scenario they’re faced with. When they’re doing major paint correction, their goal is to produce the finest finish possible, and they’re going to work with different combinations of tools, pads, and polishes to ensure that they deliver just that.

Yes, my fellow professional detailers and I make a great living fixing the horrors produced in the examples above, however we would like to see more skill and pride out there in the business.

I would love to see this article get in the hands of the technicians performing this kind of work, but I know that it won’t happen. If they were continuing to do research on the internet to find the latest and greatest technologies and techniques, they wouldn’t be producing the kind of work they are now! These technologies and products have been out for a long time…this is nothing new (although I did have fun pumping it up like I was part of the select few who actually knew this!).

The moral of the story here is simple. Always continue to improve upon your own skills and knowledge regardless of what you do. If you’re in sales, learn how to be the best salesman you can. If you’re a computer technician, then always continue to learn more about the trade. If you’re head of research for the “Find Bigfoot Foundation”, then make sure you’re using the latest technology in oversized footprint impression molds! Never stop learning…

I hope you had as much fun as I did, and thank you as always for following along!

Todd Cooperider Esoteric Auto Detail
Todd Cooperider
Esoteric Auto Detail
Columbus, Ohio
EsotericDetail.com

19 comments on Game-Changing New Detailing Technology Revealed!

  1. Aaron says:

    Thanks for posting this. It drove me crazy that I was the only one who’d start a car early morning then finish it late afternoon doing it the two step way (compound/heavy remove + finishing polish).

    I think with detail shops, if the result is the same or nearly the same initially, it’s easier to make money. Return customers will assume that the “new” swirls are just caused by themselves.

  2. Tim H. says:

    I really enjoyed reading this post. I had intitially thought about the counterpoint of, “Hey there’s obviously a market for the quicky speed details.” I still think there is a market for the $125 interior and exterior details. People want their cars cleaned up and not everyone has the time, know how or resources to pay for top of the line show car work. Then I read the article again and that wasn’t your point. What I took from the article is, it’s not that hard to learn how to do it right. The information is out there.

    Back when I worked for a dealership and “detailed” cars we really didn’t have any idea what we were doing. Do it quick, do it cheap and use the stuff we get off the truck. It isn’t rocket science, it’s the entry level job at the dealership and you are compensated and trained accordingly. Most of the detailers didn’t last a month so why spend time training them. We installed a lot of swirls and holograms for sure.

    I think you guys and some of the other forums are a valuable resource that we all needed. Detailed Image sells great products and has great how to articles that show how to use these products.

    I think detailing suffers from the same problem as the home and office cleaning industry. Everyone thinks they can do it. There isn’t any sort of oversight and most consumers can’t understand why it costs so much. It’s just cleaning after all. The national, brand name companies and dealerships offer the service and they are some of worst offenders. It’s the same in the office and house cleaning business.

    Sorry for the rant. I really like the work you guys do and strive to provide the same results. Thanks for the information.

    Tim

  3. JIN says:

    i thought i hit the jackpot haha thanks for this i enjoyed it.

  4. DJ Mayo says:

    Awesome article, Todd. The stories that some of the cars provide us with just have us thinking…”what was this person thinking”. The sad part about it is, there will always be business for both the quantity and quality side of things due to budgets and people just not knowing what quality really is. Is there money in doing 50+vehicles per week with several employees? There sure is. Even when a handful of them complain, as long as 80-85% of the customers don’t complain and come back for there “$125 full detail” then they are on top. To me, that makes all the difference in being a private detailer, 85% just doesn’t do it. I rather do 100-125 cars per year, but know that each car was taking to the next level by doing the best of my ability for the job I was hired to do. At the end of the year, seems like we should send a thank you letter to some of these places for continually bringing us work to fix. Whatever job you are doing weather it be a simple cleaning or a full restoration, take pride in your work and do your best, that alone will take you to new places.

  5. Great Article Todd! I definitely enjoyed reading it! ๐Ÿ™‚

    LOL! Actually when I first saw the title of the article posted on Facebook I thought maybe I missed to boat or something! Good to know that I didn’t! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Rasky

  6. Tim H. says:

    Right on DJ.

    I don’t understand why they have to use the wool pad to install the swirls on these low cost details. A two step polish and sealant would be way safer on these cars and just as cost effective. On top of that, no ruined paint.

  7. Keith Duplessie says:

    Todd,

    Your article caught my eye. I hear so much of this every day, despite the fact that foam pads, fine compounds, and quality polishes have been out there in our industry for more than 10 years. The tools and materials are available from reputable suppliers and can be easily obtained to produce the results you have illustrated here. Why wouldn’t you seek them out, really is the question?

    Your comments are exactly the reason the International Detailing Association was founded – to give a voice to you, the professional detailer – and to help further educate other detailers and the general public that there are quality professionals like you out there doing quality work. I invite you to join us, and help our profession continue to improve it’s repuation and professionalism.

    Keith A. Duplessie
    Supplier Vice President
    International Detailing Association

  8. Garrett says:

    Great article Todd. As I am new to the detailing game and am picking up new clients here and there in mid michigan I find that people will wait for solid work. While I have yet to tackle a 10+ detail job most of mine run 6-8hrs. When people see their cars they instantly forget about any kind of wait they had to get the quality that I provide. I agree with DJ I would rather be known for only knocking out a small amount of cars per year and providing awesome work than a large amount with mediocre work.

  9. Eugene says:

    Funny but true.

    When I bought my last new vehicle I explicitly requested that the dealership NOT prep the car in any way other than just washing it.

    Another great article Todd.

  10. Thanks everybody for your participation, and I’m glad you enjoyed the sarcasm.

    But on to the topic of the “quick detail” market…I have no problem with this, and there is actually a bigger market for this level of detail than there is the restorative detail that I spend most of my time with.

    Having said that though, there is NO place for the rotary and wool in the quick detail! I have a service that I provide with a full interior/exterior detail including a light machine polishing and sealant application that only takes about 3 hours by myself. This is done with the Porter Cable, and a product like Optimum Poli-Seal.

    If you’re doing a quick detail, then once again you should be using the proper tools and techniques!!

  11. Richard says:

    Thanks,
    I was looking for some new technique or product. Makes me glad to know that I am running my business properly. Still reading and learning.
    Showroom Shine Auto Detailing LLC

  12. Josh Herzberger says:

    So, let me see if I understood. You have to use the correct products, processes and procedures and then you have to take your time and do hard work to accomplish your goal?

    BOOORING…I need a paste that I can spray on and hose off that will melt all the scratches away and wax in one step. Actually, if I could do it without hosing it off it would be much better use of my time. Work on that for me… ๐Ÿ™‚

  13. Scott Myers says:

    Great article! I agree that there is a place and time for both the speedy detail and the restoration detail. There are unfortunately too many untrained or incorrectly trained detailer around causing many of the issues you mention. And like someone else mentioned I sometimes just wonder what was this person thinking?! I have tried to build more comraderie with detailers in my area just because as I was starting out I had a couple of guys I could call and say “how in the heck do I do this!?” But a lot of them would prefer to butcher the cars and bad mouth all the other detailers in the area. Thanks again for the article and always like seeing these informative discussions.

  14. vince says:

    Amazing read, Amazing work, Amazing writers. Thanks for all your hard work and time. For those $125 polishing jobs, it’s just a waste of time.

  15. Louis says:

    Very interesting article, I have a mobile detailing company with 22 years experience. I prefer to use an orbiter buffer while using Ardex Labs compound and a Nano Polymer. I find most people that are driving the Avg 40,000 vehicle will spend 150 dollars twice a year for the Speedy Detail as a matter a fact I named it Speedy Detailing. I spend 4 to 6 hours on a vehicle and charge 150 to 200 dollars. But a very interesting article

  16. Andrew says:

    In my neck of the woods 125 is a full detail. I run my own company and I am from Florida. We moved to virginia 3 years ago. I tried charging my normal 250. But as business started to dwindle thanks to coal mines closing and companys going out of business I have had to resort to the 125 full detail. That being said I still use my chemicals such as low ph soap and poly-mer sealant. I chose qaulity over quantity and I only do maybe 160-200 cars a year tops since we moved. Now keep in mind I only work 8 months a year. Any suggestions wiuld be great as to how I could increase a little bit on sales. I don’t advertise my clientele is all word of mouth.

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