IAIA

I've polished my daughter's car, color sanded my wife's scratched bumper, and done minor polishing on my vette during the past year including some underside color sanding, a little buffing here and there, and several coats of Zaino. But this 4-day weekend has been dedicated to finally doing the entire regimen, soup-to-nuts.
Holy crap. Even with the Flex, some areas require 2 passes with SIP....usually that's all but a couple times, 3 passes. It took me all day to Dawn wash, clay, wash, and then machine the car with SIP. Thought I could do the Final Polish step today, too...but Noooooo.
My back's breakin' and I'm only 1/2 through with the prep, let alone Sunday with the sealant.
You guys rock. You work fast, you do great work, and you deserve every dollar you ask for. My car is looking GREAT and I haven't even FP/ZPC jeweled it yet......but I am definitely not cut out to be a professional detailer!
So to all of you......cheers!

ajnavo61490

maybe being 18 has something to do with my endurance

agentf1

Lets see some pics once you are done.

capevettes

Don't consider myself a professional detailer at the level of many on this forum, but I do detail cars for people. I detailed a 93 ZR-1 for a friend this summer and he hung around to watch. He said he got tired just watching. People don't realize how much labor is involved detailing a car, especially when there is alot of corrective work to be done.

My hat is off to the guys that do this every day for a living

derty01

I wonder how they even stand up after doing this day in and day out because I know half way through a detail my back does not want to straighten up.

daddoe

detailers earn their money for sure

vetteship

I believe they must enjoy what they do, giving the attention to details and the work involved, it does take talent and lots of know how. BTW, thanks "IAIA" for the help on the phone today regarding my paint repair.

IAIA

No worries. Sorry I couldn't invite you over....with the rain and dinner plans, I had my hands full trying to finish my weekend project. Call me tomorrow to let me know how that touch up is going.

JoshVette

You definately have to love cars and detailing/paint polishing to last in this business.

Josh

Silvern

It's definitely alot of work. Especially on the corvettes having hard paint and being so low that it's tough on the back. I worked on my brothers corvette which was about 18 hours of work. Took up all weekend and still didn't get it to where I wanted it to be. I detail cars on the weekends. So my hat goes off to those that to full on paint polishing everyday.

IAIA

Yeah, my back's just recovering from the 4-day weekend. And I still need to do 3 coats of Z2 following the 2 coats of Z5 which were only finished at 11 pm on Sunday night! Lucky I got that done, though, since this is my DD. (Looks goooood, though, even without having done the CS and Z8 yet!)

GoFast908Z

Its nice to be appreciated for the hard work. It really does take a lot out of you.

Silvern

Amen to that

holden_caulfield04

I love the sentiments in this thread. Detailing (and particularly paint polishing) is extremely rigorous, and to be honest, I don't think I could do it daily. It's simply too rigorous. After about four days straight, I'm burnt out and need 2-3 days rest. Cheers to all the other pro detailers in the world.

picus

What a nice thread!

I actually find I work better when I can go non-stop, like 100+ days in a row. You get into a groove. I took a Christmas vacation now I am all sore after my first day back detailing hah!

rydawg

Great thread!

Detailing/polishing everyday is a ton of work, especially if you want it done right.

I have had a few clients watch me work on their car and they can not believe what is involved to make a car perfect.

One day last summer I worked from 10AM to 1 Pm the next day straight just to meet a crucial deadline. That does not even include the 20 hours I put into it a few days before that.

I was so to go 27 hours straight like that.

Alaskanpilot

I think it's important to not only recognize just how rigorous and involved Detailing is, and to appreciate the skill possessed by those who ply this trade...

We should also give our tremendous thanks to those of them who take time to share their secrets and guide the rest of us along. I thought I was good before; now I see I'm vastly humbled... even though I've grown in knowledge tenfold since hanging out here. I had no idea how much I didn't know... and I currently have no idea how much I still don't know.

Regarding the back pains...

Along the way, I have learned some tricks to ease my back pains... I have assorted stools across a range of seating heights. 6, 8, 10, 12 inches. I have kneepads, blankets, etc. to kneel or sit on. And, when necessary, I jack up the section of the car I'm working on so I don't have to lean over so far. When I did my lower doors, I jacked up that side of the car 12 inches and had a much easier time polishing the area. I jacked up the front of the car when doing the bumper. It makes life SO MUCH EASIER!

to the pros!

stig-zzz

man oh man some well deserved comments in this post they are some hard working people, if a client just stood and watched a true pro detail there ride just to get an understanding of how involved and the skill level it takes to achieve a finely detailed ride better the new finish .The money that they charge is very well earned and truly deserved my hats off to them.

IAIA

As an amateur, I found jacking up the car really helps, too...but somehow I get too lazy and just crouch down or kneel or sit on a step stool with the buffer down low.

But I find one of the hardest areas is that spot right in the middle of the hood. Dang. My back hurts when I lean over to do that part.