What is Detailing to you in your own words?

[scrub]

In a late night stupor (stu·por noun 1. dazed state: an acute lack of mental alertness brought on, for example, by shock or lack of sleep) I came up with this Q and A. What is detailing? To some its washing cars. To others its a means to earn a living. And to others its more.

Here's my latest take on detailing.

"Detailing is a state of mind. Its choosing to accept a staggering list of problems head on and systematically solving them within 4 to 6 hours."


Enough of this useless banter. Good night.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: What is Detailing to you in your own words?

Originally posted by scrub
What is detailing? To some its washing cars. To others its a means to earn a living. And to others its more.

A few thoughts on detailing...

Spending a Saturday afternoon washing and waxing your pride and joy is a rewarding pastime not only practiced here in America, but all around the world by both serious auto enthusiasts as well as weekend do-it-yourselfers. Meguiar's has been a part of this hobby ever since the car became a part of our daily lives back in the early 1900's.

Having fun
The key to having fun is getting good results. This is where Meguiar’s comes into the equation. One of the strongest reasons why professionals use Meguiar’s on their own cars as well as their customers cars, is because they know they're going to get first class results the first time... and every time.

When it comes to washing and waxing your car, there is nothing more disappointing than to wipe-off the final application of somebody’s polish or wax only to reveal a finish that only marginally looks better than before you started, and in some instances, worse!

Different strokes for different folks
There are two primary camps into which a majority of people can be placed in the car world. The first camp is the Practical camp, the other is the Fun camp.

The Practical Camp
The people in this group look at their car merely as a means of transportation. They are mostly interested in learning how to best protect their investment. They recognize the Meguiar's name as a reputable brand of car care products and they want to learn how to both choose and use the right products for maintaining and protecting their car’s finish as well as other interior and exterior components.

The Fun Camp
The people in the fun camp look at their car as an extension of their personality. They view the time they spend on their car as an escape from the daily grind of living in a complicated world. They have a passion for polishing their car’s paint, as well as detailing all of the other components that make their car the unique vehicle that it is.

The people in the fun camp are what Meguiar’s calls Car Crazy. These people take polishing the paint on their car as serious as a heart attack. People in the fun camp want to know everything they can about the products they’re using and how to get the best results possible from their

• • Time
  • Money
  • Efforts

The term second best is not in their vocabulary.


Like many things, polishing paint can be taken to extremes. When done correctly and with passion, polishing paint becomes an Art form. To get a flawless finish you need to know a lot more than what the directions tell you on the back label of a can or bottle. There is more to it than simply wiping wax on and then wiping it off, like the line from the “Karate Kid�, wax-on, wax-off. To get show car results, you need to combine knowledge and experience with the right tools, products and the human elements of care and passion. Best of all, Meguiar's products enhance and showcase the the results of anyone no matter what their experience or skill level.

[mirrorfinishman]

Being able to take cleaning, polishing and waxing up to a higher level. That is what detailing is to me.

[scrub]

mirrorfinishman that's good stuff

[Airborne Ranger]

Detailing in my own words is the process of refinishing a cars paint and other areas of it bringing it back to it's full potential and it's inner beauty.

I like to think they call it detailing for a reason. To get the details, the little things and areas that are alot of times overlooked by the owner and some other people. But I think that's what sets apart between a car that is professionally done right and just cleaned up nicely. Just my $02,,,,,AR

[rusty bumper]

Detailing autos is a way of life for me...I enjoy seeing the finished product, and especially seeing the look in people's eyes after working on their car for 8 hrs. or so.

I want to be efficient in my efforts, but I will not cut corners if it means compromising the results.

[scrub]

Mike thats some deep stuff. I wonder why I waited so long to get started and what I did to feed this side of me before I got started.

Airborne Ranger, Rusty Bumper

That's the kind of stuff I'm talking about.

Have you noticed when someone finds out you're a car detailer they have all sorts of how to questions? How do I get this out? How do I remove this stuff?... I like that.

Thanks for keeping the thread alive.