The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is blessed to have one of the best professional detailers right in their back yard, Kevin Hamill, owner of GTA in Detail. I originally came in contact with Kevin when we started sponsoring an auto detailing section of a popular G35 car forum he frequented under the handle “Picus”. I quickly noticed how he took the time out of his busy schedule to answer questions members were asking, put together how-to guides, and educate others on how to improve their detailing skills. I always respected Kevin’s input as he would always tell it how it is, with no fluff or hype. Over the years, Kevin quickly became one of our best customers and his reputation sky rocketed as the goto detailer in Toronto, Canada.

This summer, I had the opportunity to head up to Toronto to see GTA in Detail in action. When I arrived, Kevin welcomed me to his home and we had some great conversation about cars and auto detailing. The next morning, I knew I was in for a long day of detailing as Kevin booked 3 cars, all with some level of paint correction. Personally, I’ve never corrected more than 2 cars in a day, so I was very interested to see how this was going to pan out. The first car was a black BMW 325i and it was in desperate need of Kevin’s help. Here’s what we saw once we put it under the halogen lights. (Click on any picture to view a larger version on Kevin’s website, http://gtaindetail.com)

Kevin quickly got to work on finding the best combination of polish and pads to use on this neglected BMW. I was thoroughly impressed with the speed and precision Kevin was able to work his rotary buffer. As many people know, using a rotary buffer can potentially be more dangerous than using a random orbital, but in the right hands, it can correct more imperfections in less time and the end result is a deeper and more reflective finish since you are able to properly break down the polishes. As Kevin finished up that panel, the once marred, swirled and scratched panel turned out perfect.

We wrapped things up and the car looked stunning. Here’s a link to some of the finished pictures of this BMW. The owner couldn’t believe his eyes with the end result. He was full of compliments and praise.

The second car was a G35 that was well maintained but had some light imperfections that needed to be buffed out. Kevin also debadged the emblems on the trunk and touched up a nasty scuff that was on the rear bumper. Kevin was able to remove the light imperfections on the soft Infiniti paint with the help of Menzerna’s PO106FF polish. The end result had tremendous depth and gloss and really made the pearl white paint pop. The customer was very impressed and was proud to say he has never seen his G35 look so good.

The third car was another BMW, a blue 335 convertible. Unfortunately, we were in a rush to get the third car finished, we weren’t able to take any pictures. Kevin performed a two step polish, touched up a couple scratches, and I helped do a quick interior detail. The owner didn’t tell us he was bringing the car to a potential buyer later that night. Needless to say, the person who looked at the car bought it on the spot and commented on how incredible the condition of the vehicle was. Quite the day, over 14 hours of detailing!

The next day was more laid back, we only tackled 1 car, but were able to do some product comparisons and testing. This was a great learning experience for me.

Day 3 in Toronto, Kevin gets a call from a small dealership that deals with high end vehicles. They told him there was an Aston Martin DB9 in dire need of his services. Kevin and I made the trip down there to find out that the dealership paid another detailer (a good amount of money) and they completely hacked up the paint. Here’s what we walked in and saw.

Needless to say, the paint was in HORRIBLE condition. Of course Kevin worked his magic and was able to transform the paint back into beautiful showroom condition.

Here’s a link to more pictures on the DB9 transformation.

Needless to say, while I was in Toronto I confirmed what I already knew, Kevin is an amazing detailer. It wasn’t any surprise when I asked him what his favorite step of the detailing process was and he replied, “Definitely compounding”. Kevin is a master on the rotary and does so effortlessly and efficiently. You can tell he has 1000s of hours clocked working on the rotary if you get the chance to see him in action. I asked him what his favorite car he detailed was and Kevin replied, the 1939 Plymouth.

Another thing I noticed while working with Kevin for several days is his personality. Kevin is very easy to get along with and is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about cars, detailing, and lots of other interesting topics. Many of his customers stuck around to chat and pick his brain while he worked his magic on their vehicles.

If you are in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) or are willing to travel there, GTA in Detail gets my personal recommendation. Not only will you be extremely pleased with Kevin’s results, but your car will be easier to maintain in the future and you’ll definitely increase the value of your vehicle (by many times the cost of the detail). If you’re interested in contacting Kevin, you can do so via email or by phone 647-203-5164