# Mindset of a Detailer - taken from Mikes book



## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

The Mindset of the Professional Detailer

Originally posted on ShowCarGarage on 11-08-2005, 11:45 PM



When it comes to detailing cars for profit there are three general camps, 


Production work 
High-end work 
Show Car Detailing 
A lot of detailers start out doing production work and as their skill level increases and they begin to establish their reputation, they are able to move up to high-end detailing where they are able to offer higher quality work which usually includes a multi-step paint polishing process and thus a higher price. In some cases doing production work can be more profitable because you an work faster, do less to the car and your customers expectations are not going to be as high because of the price you're charging.

Generally speaking, (but not always), the people doing production work are either just starting out, or working for someone else and often times both. Because they are paid by the hour or by the car, they often times don't have the monetary incentive to pour their heart and soul into their work, nor are they able to experience the self-satisfaction and pride that comes from a job well done. For this reason, over time every car becomes just another car. There is no connection, there is no reason to give it their all, every car becomes an exercise in speed, as in how fast can they get the job done, not how well can they do the job.

Another category of detailing is what you would call Show Car Detailing. This would involve doing your best work for typically special interest vehicles where the owner wants and expects a show car finish and understands that to achieve this kind of finish, it requires the person doing the work to have a high skill level and a excellent working knowledge of what I call the 3 P's, Paint, Products & Procedures.

Of course the owners of special interest cars understand that professional quality work also comes at a premium price. At the end of the day, the value is in the results achieved, but if you want to drill down a little deeper, then what the customer is really paying for, (and in other words, the real value), is the peace of mind the owner obtains knowing that their car is in the hands of a skilled professional. It is this confidence the detailer provides the owner, that enables the owners to hand them the keys and walk away without fear.


Besides confidence, a professional detailer also brings to the table their soul, by this I mean a true craftsman of the art of polishing paint brings to his craft the human elements of care and passion.

The human elements of caring about the quality of your work, and having a true passion for the craft, is a mindset. This mindset is a way of thinking that is an unconscious reflex similar to breathing. By this we mean, just like none of us ever have to think about breathing because it's an automatic reflex that is a part of our physiology, for the craftsman, doing their very best work for every car they touch is an unavoidable reflex... it's in their blood.

For myself, when I work on another person's car, I mentally adopt the car as if it were my own. After making this intellectual commitment and emotional attachment towards both the vehicle and the owner of the vehicle, everything else, (the work to be performed), becomes second-nature, I simply treat their car exactly like I would treat my own car, because at some level, it is now my car.

This is the mindset of any true professional no matter what their profession. It's never about the money… it's always about the passion.

When it comes to polishing the paint on special interest vehicles, there is no room for error. This is because automotive paints are a thin, delicate film coating; they are easily dulled and easily swirled and scratched, once they are dulled down or instilled with scratches, it requires the right products and techniques to remove the defects and restore a show car shine. You are limited to what you can do by how thick the working film-build of the paint is, this is why we always say,"It's all about the paint".

There is a point of no return when working on paint. Once you've gone past this point, the only true solution is to apply more paint and this can be quite expensive, especially when it's someone else's car we're talking about and not your own!


If you're reading this and you're looking to learn more about the art of polishing paint, then you have come to the right place. Autogeek Online isn't just another detailing discussion forum… (there's plenty of these to choose from), no… Autogeek Online is a place you can learn more about the art of polishing paint.

Hang around, read the forum, assimilate the information… adopt the mindset of a professional…


"It's all about the paint"


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## muzzer (Feb 13, 2011)

For myself, when I work on another person's car, I mentally adopt the car as if it were my own.


I do this as a matter of principle, it isn't mine but someone was kind enough to entrust their vehicle to me so the least i can do is treat it like i would my own. Okay i only ever clean mine and the wifes cars but it's still the same principle, she is spending her hard earned(very very hard earned) money on the car so i treat it with respect.


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## Ultra (Feb 25, 2006)

That's pretty near to how it is, but in these days ( god i feel old ) many skip the production work ( Basic valets ) and go straight in at the high end level without any time spent gaining knowledge of how to and why, but that's a rant thats been going on for years, muzzer mention treating a customers car as if it where his own ( No dis respect ), but i don't see that as a good thing, i treat customers cars better than i treat my own, i sure many will agree that with your own car you won't be as fussy


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## CivicTypeR. (Aug 15, 2010)

well i live in n ireland and iv seen guys offering a full restoration 4/5 stage compound and polish for £70 lol now i personally would love to see them doing it and the end result under lights r sunlight. i personally find it tough going to do a single stage enhancement in a day. but again give some people a DA polisher and there a professional. thats my rant over. :wave:


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## Cookies (Dec 10, 2008)

If I wanted someone to do a full correction on my car, I's know pretty much who I'd want to do it as their reputation counts for a lot. I'm sure there are loads of folk out there who would be very happy with the 70 quid job. While it's advertised as a full correction, I think it's safe to say we all know it really isn't. It's just not for us lol. So I'm out 😁

I agree totally with muzzer and UD above. If anything is entrusted to me by someone else, not just cars, I look after the item to a far greater extent than if they were mine. 

Must have a look at autogeek.

Cooks


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