Mike Phillips
Feb 15th, 2006, 01:49 PM
What makes for a great demonstration car? (http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11093)
Hi everyone,
There's no way we can effectively teach a "How-To" class focusing on proper techniques and at the same time detail everybody's car in one session. So instead we want to choose 1-2 Demo Cars to teach,
How to evaluate the finish
Product selection
Proper techniques to achieve professional results the first time
Below are some criteria that make for a good demonstration car,
A clear coated black, or dark colored car - not a truck, van or s.u.v.
This is because a car has at least two panels that are flat and that people can look down on as they stand over it. It's important to be able to not only see what you're working on, but to also see changes as you're working and after you're done working.
The hood on a truck, van or s.u.v. is usually to high for everyone standing around to look down on or work on easily. Also, trucks, vans and s.u.vs, often times don't have a deck lid to work on. This then limits your low-to-the-ground horizontal panel to the hood only.
Black or dark colored cars
Black or dark colored cars are best because the human eye can see before and after better on dark colors and as an aside, cameras can usually pick up before and after changes better.
A Car in which the paint is in bad condition
A car in bad condition, but not so bad it cannot be saved by Meguiar's products or any company's products. For example we can't use a black car in which the clear coat is peeling off or maybe it's been repainted and there are sanding marks everywhere in the finish because the paint shrunk back into the surface prep sanding marks. In cases like this, no product will fix the problem so it won't make for a good demo car.
A car in bad condition would be a car that is black or dark blue, green, gray, even brown. The car will be a daily driver that is parked outside all of the time. The car will never have been clayed and possibly never or rarely maintained as far as cleaning, polishing and waxing goes.
No wrecks
No cars with huge dents in panels or sections that have been hit and are mashed in. While the other panels may be perfect for working on, there is no picture value in a car like this. The wrecked portion draws your eyes away from the demonstration area and overpowers the focus of demonstration especially when shared online.
Washed, clean and dry
We need the car to be washed, clean and dry. Besides all of the above, the car must be clean, as in washed and dried. We can't take the time to wash and dry a car so that it is clean when we go to work on it, it takes too much time and then depending on the work area, you may have a big wet mess to stand in during the demonstration as well as standing water in all the cracks and crevices.
It's best if the candidate car is thoroughly washed and clean the day before the class starts, this mean cleaning the wheels and tires too, but not dressing the rubber or exterior trim on the car.
Miscellaneous Factors
Little things like no wings as this takes of too much of the flat space and no vinyl or other types of graphics as these things make it very difficult to work on the paint.
The above criteria is what makes for a good training vehicle. That said, if the class is for vans they we will certainly be apt to use a van for the demo, if the class is for trucks then we'll certainly be apt to use a truck for the demo. We try our best to choose club members cars that match the theme of the class.
If you think your car will make a good demonstration car, please wash the entire car thoroughly the day before the class so that when it's time to start the hands-on portion of the class we can immediately begin to work on the car.
Thank you!
p.s.
Remember if your car is chosen, your friends and peers will be working on, (touching), your car, so keep that in mind.
Hi everyone,
There's no way we can effectively teach a "How-To" class focusing on proper techniques and at the same time detail everybody's car in one session. So instead we want to choose 1-2 Demo Cars to teach,
How to evaluate the finish
Product selection
Proper techniques to achieve professional results the first time
Below are some criteria that make for a good demonstration car,
A clear coated black, or dark colored car - not a truck, van or s.u.v.
This is because a car has at least two panels that are flat and that people can look down on as they stand over it. It's important to be able to not only see what you're working on, but to also see changes as you're working and after you're done working.
The hood on a truck, van or s.u.v. is usually to high for everyone standing around to look down on or work on easily. Also, trucks, vans and s.u.vs, often times don't have a deck lid to work on. This then limits your low-to-the-ground horizontal panel to the hood only.
Black or dark colored cars
Black or dark colored cars are best because the human eye can see before and after better on dark colors and as an aside, cameras can usually pick up before and after changes better.
A Car in which the paint is in bad condition
A car in bad condition, but not so bad it cannot be saved by Meguiar's products or any company's products. For example we can't use a black car in which the clear coat is peeling off or maybe it's been repainted and there are sanding marks everywhere in the finish because the paint shrunk back into the surface prep sanding marks. In cases like this, no product will fix the problem so it won't make for a good demo car.
A car in bad condition would be a car that is black or dark blue, green, gray, even brown. The car will be a daily driver that is parked outside all of the time. The car will never have been clayed and possibly never or rarely maintained as far as cleaning, polishing and waxing goes.
No wrecks
No cars with huge dents in panels or sections that have been hit and are mashed in. While the other panels may be perfect for working on, there is no picture value in a car like this. The wrecked portion draws your eyes away from the demonstration area and overpowers the focus of demonstration especially when shared online.
Washed, clean and dry
We need the car to be washed, clean and dry. Besides all of the above, the car must be clean, as in washed and dried. We can't take the time to wash and dry a car so that it is clean when we go to work on it, it takes too much time and then depending on the work area, you may have a big wet mess to stand in during the demonstration as well as standing water in all the cracks and crevices.
It's best if the candidate car is thoroughly washed and clean the day before the class starts, this mean cleaning the wheels and tires too, but not dressing the rubber or exterior trim on the car.
Miscellaneous Factors
Little things like no wings as this takes of too much of the flat space and no vinyl or other types of graphics as these things make it very difficult to work on the paint.
The above criteria is what makes for a good training vehicle. That said, if the class is for vans they we will certainly be apt to use a van for the demo, if the class is for trucks then we'll certainly be apt to use a truck for the demo. We try our best to choose club members cars that match the theme of the class.
If you think your car will make a good demonstration car, please wash the entire car thoroughly the day before the class so that when it's time to start the hands-on portion of the class we can immediately begin to work on the car.
Thank you!
p.s.
Remember if your car is chosen, your friends and peers will be working on, (touching), your car, so keep that in mind.