I noticed that all the pro detailers use those flood lights you can buy at Lowes or Home Depot to detail after dark. So I bought one and used it tonight in my garage whle I was drying my car after a routine wash. It worked great to illuminate my garage so that I could finish up after the sun went down. BUT it exposes ALL of the imperfections that you can't see in just regular light. I thought my paint was around an 8 or 9. But now I can see that it is probably more like a 6! I can't believe all of the spots and fine scratches I could see under the focused light. It kind of depressed me . . .

I guess there are some tricks that us DIYers shouldn't try.

Moe to the rescue in mid August with a paint correction and tech session!

 

Then don't even think about buying the Brinkmann haha...

 

Welcome to our world! Now if you really want to depress yourself as well as quadruple your detailing time, in addition to the halogens, buy a car lift.

Matt

 

Matt, we're going to drive these DIYers bonkers.... pretty soon we'll have to DA (Detailer's Anonymous) meetings. Hi. My name is Barrister, and I cannot stop wiping my paint down with Isopropyl Alcohol to see ALL the imperfections.

 

Moe you joke, but I wonder how many of us are already showing warning signs of Detailaholism?
It's a small wonder more and more DIYers have a whole garage full of products and begin to neglect their significant others/loved ones for some "quality time" spent with said products in the never ending war against clearcoat and paint imperfections...

 

Now that's ! I would be willing to be someone's sponsor. Then I guess one of the 13 steps would be to apologize to all the cars you took to the automatic car wash before.

Matt

 

I think it is stuff like that which makes the pros job easier rather than harder. I have had more than a few people tell me that they thought that the proliferation of the DIYer would be the end of the pro detailer, and I think it is exactly the opposite.

It might be a little bit of a shift, from simply a detailer to an educator, but I think that is a really positive movement anyway.

Hi, my name is Jon and I am a detailer... I used prepsol, and floodlights, and 225 lumen LED flashlights......... I'm so sorry.....(sobbing)....

HA HA HA.

 

I completely agree with you on the DIYer vs. pro detailer, which is why I've always pushed the educating part when dealing with clients... I mentioned it in another thread that I've had many people, for who I personally ordered a starter kit for $300-500 (with their money of course) and spent multiple hours teaching washing, claying and mostly polishing, come back saying they'll keep the kit for waxing the car every now and then, but still want me to perform the main 2-3 details per year because it just takes a lot of time and attention to detail, which they simply don't have time for and/or cannot do... I do think your statement that there would be shift from detailer to educator is a bit wrong, since I believe being an educator is part of the job

Oh I'm not coming to DA (Detailers Anonymous)... no therapy can fix what I've been through in only 3 years