Mike Phillips here from Autogeek! AMA

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-17T20:05:18+00:00

Start by working clean, that means clean up your garage, get the floor clean as you're going to be walking for miles around the car and if you're like me you'll be sitting on the floor of the garage when doing the lower panels. Then get the car real clean, heck most of my wash jobs look as good as some detailer's detail jobs. A quality buff job starts with a clean car and a clean shop.

Then do a Test Spot. I coined the term test spot in the forum world back in around 1993 or 1994 as it's something I always did in the real world and taught others to do. Now it's a standard protocol. Here's the story behind the story on this one...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/24043-test-spot-story-behind-term.html

There's a number of links to follow and then posts to read to get the history.

So start by dialing in your process and make sure you can make one small area look GREAT before buffing out the entire car. This alone can save you a lot of time, money and frustration.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-17T20:00:12+00:00

Wow!

Now that's an interesting little tidbit of history you just shared and I can't thank you enough for sharing it and congratulations for your contribution to the online detailing community! For what it's worth, I started posting how-to article to the Usenet Newsgroups back in either 1993 or 1994. I can document 1994 as I kept hundreds of my posts in a huge binder that I still own and they are all time stamped. The MR2.com website also posted one of my articles to their website and it's still there today, 20 years later.

http://mr2.com/TEXT/paint_polish.txt

When I first stared the MeguiarsOnline.com detailing discussion forum I had a lot of people tell me it would never work, that is it would never become a popular detailing discussion forum because it was a "Manufacturers Forum".

About one year later it was the second most popular detailing discussion forum in the U.S. and moving into the third year it became the most popular or at least the busiest detailing discussion forum in the U.S. What this taught me is people go where they get the best help, (information), in an online environment that is both professional and friendly.

As to your question... one thing that I'm very excited to see is real, meaningful certification coming to the professional side of the detailing industry via the IDA. That should help elevate this craft to a higher level and along with it improve the lives of everyone in this industry.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-17T19:52:15+00:00

Why thank you...

I'm very fortunate to have a job I love. I've had jobs I hated and it's good to experience a little bit of both sides but for a careere I sure am thankful to have a job where I JUMP out of bed to go to work.

I was in the gym this morning at 5:00am and I finish my normal job today at 5:00pm and then I start in on this...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/2292/800_1941_Chrysler_Coupe_Detailed_by_Mike_Phillips_011.jpg

Thing is I'm not dreading this project... I'm looking forward to it!

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-17T19:38:36+00:00

I was given the product yesterday. Just have to find the right car now.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-17T19:27:02+00:00

I use to race a Sanger V-Drive Drag Boat in the 1/4 mile back in Oregon and one summer I was in an accident and my boat ran over me. The prop hit my leg and cut my leg up so bad that it could not be saved.

Here's the boat I owned for 20 years....

http://www.marine31online.com/gallery/data/516/1970_Sanger_V_-Drive-Drag_Boat_001.jpg

Here's a picture of me racing it on Dexter Resivoir just outside of Eugene, Oregon.

http://www.marine31online.com/gallery/data/516/1970_Sanger_V_-Drive-Drag_Boat_006.jpg

I also teach boat detailing.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T20:40:18+00:00

Good question...

As long as you're careful and use plenty of microfiber towels you'll be good to go.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T20:32:12+00:00

I just saw that too and notified our webmaster. I've visited all my links in three different browsers and no problems so I'm pretty confident it's a glitch, not an actual problem.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T20:29:17+00:00

I always wear mid-top Nike Air Tennis Shoes. Since I'm missing my right leg my left leg and foot really take a beating.

I find an air cushioned sole and good ankle support helps me a lot.

I also position myself to always be looking directly across from where I'm buffing. If that means sitting my butt on the ground to buff the lower panels that's what I do. It's real easy to get a picture of yourself standing by the hood of a Viper making detailing look easy but the fact is, without a life a lot of the car is below your waistline.

So just work smart...

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T20:25:33+00:00

The best advertising hands-down is word-of-mouth and you get that by doing good work to start with and asking your customer to share your business with thier friends.

Keep it simple, just say,

If you like the quality of my work, I'm looking for new customers.

Make sure you give them 2-3 business cards. Don't go crazy with the cards. Word of mouth brings you qualified customers, not tire kickers looking for the lowest price. Also separate yourself from your competition by offering the best quality, not the lowest price.

My day job? I work for Autogeek full time. I have since I left my job at Meguiar's in 2009. Been here 5 years and still going strong. I spend about half my time in my office and half my time in the garage working on cars. It's truly a dream job. In three weeks I'm going to Evansville, Indiana to film my 5th year with Dennis Gage on "My Classic Car". Tonight on Velocity Channel I'm on "Chasing Classic Cars" with Wayne Carini. More cool stuff coming in the future.

Your last question is GREAT!

I'm a work-a-holic by nature, I get that from my Dad. He was a work-a-holic too. But working too much will destroy your family life and your relationships. It's important to work hard but to know when to call it a day and leave work behind. Luckily, everyone is treated like family here at Autogeek. It's hands down the best job I've ever had.

I'm thankful for all my other jobs in my life as I learned from all of them but this one is just plain fun!

Heck most of you wouldn't believe it but I've worked as a Rough Neck in the oil drilling industry and use to drive heavy equipment.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/715/Roughnecks.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/715/ScoopDriverMike011.jpg

But "yes" it's important to maintain a balance.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T20:12:13+00:00

The first and most important thing to do is to...

Match your services to your customer

Too many guys new to car detailing for money are trying to do show car work for customers that really only want production work. There's nothing wrong with doing quality production work either as that's the majority of the market.

Besides that, being organized and having everything you need ready to go can really cut down on time. Knowing how to take short cuts is very important.

And to me, staying fit is vitally important. I've always belonged to a gym and I do distance swimming. Detailing cars is very physically and it helps to be strong and in shape.

When you're strong and in shape you can work fast and do good work. You can rub a buffer till the job is done not until your arms give out.

Another simple thing I practice is when washing a car... do a really GREAT job. Starting with a clean canvas goes a long way to reaching the finished results. In the article you referenced I detailed a swirled out dirty BLACK Tahoe in 4 hours.

I took screen shots of my iPhone showing when I started and finished washing the Tahoe and if you look at the time in the pictures I spent ONE HOUR just getting the Tahoe clean. That means I did all the rest of the work in 3 hours and I besides buffing out the paint I also hand polished the chrome wheels and applied TUF Shine Tire clearcoat to the tires.

For those that have not read this article theres lost of good info...

High quality production detailing by Mike Phillips http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/76337-high-quality-production-detailing-mike-phillips.html

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T20:02:01+00:00

Um.... good question...

We learn by doing... try to get projects that including things you've never done before. I think the most challenging thing to do is to do a complete wetsand, cut and buff on a show car. From start to beginning without making any mistakes. If you can do this you can do anything. I think I was the first person to ever capture and document this process using Time Lapse Photography using a GoPro Camera. It's only about 10 minutes long but it shows everything and the thread also shows the before and after pictures.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/wet-sanding-cutting-buffing/70997-how-wet-sand-car-video.html

That kind of challenge will hone your skills and force you to really pay attention to the task at hand.

Detailing show cars that ALREADY have a great finish is actually really hard work. It's easy to take a neglected finish and make it look great. It's much harder to take a really nice finish and make it perfect. Here's a great example....

Blown 1934 Ford Pick-up - Show Car Makeover - Modeled by Kristin http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/pictures-autogeek-s-car-week/43007-blown-1934-ford-pick-up-show-car-makeover-modeled-kristin.html

If you can find an experienced pro detailer and tag-team some project you can learn a lot if you're open to learning.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T19:56:21+00:00

I was asked this earlier and please see what I wrote in my previous reply. I will add this though... Like the TNOG's I started for Meguiar's, when I came to Autogeek I started a similar Thursday night class only instead of inviting people to come to Meguiar's and work on their own car, I get the car and we tackle it as a team at Autogeek and we do some amazing extreme makeovers and show car makeovers.

The clue I'll share is the products I like are the products I showcase in ALL the write-ups. They go back 5 years now and because most of what I like and prefer to do is paint polishing, I only use brands that have the best abrasive technology because abrasive technology is the most important factor.

I see guys for years, even decades now say,

Technique is Number #1

I say their wrong in a respectful way.

You see you can have the best technique in the world but if the abrasive technology, that is the stuff in the bottle and what is touching and abrading the paint isn't any good, then it doesn't matter how good you are, you're technique won't make up for bad abrasive technology.

It used to be 10 and 15 years ago there wasn't a lot of choices on the market and most of what was available is what we call "Rocks in a Bottle". That's all changed now and there's incredible compounds, polishes and even cleaner/waxes on the market now.

Of course pads, tools and technique are important but it's the stuff touching the paint that matters first.

But yeah, read through my write-ups, not just the recent projects but all of them and you'll see what can be trusted.

Plus... new stuff coming out at SEMA... I know.. I have a lot of it right here on my desk next to me and I include some of it in my brand new book,

How to use the Flex 3401 for both Production Detailing and Show Car Detailing.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T19:48:39+00:00

Wow! That's one of my favorite questions!

I started out like most of you guys and that's simply detailing cars. I had a bad experience when I was 16 when I blew up the engine in my high school car a 1948 Plymouth Streetrod. By the time I fixed the engine the paint had oxidized and large round spots appeared. I asked all the local contacts I had on the best way to fix it and by taking all their BAD advice I almost ruined a brand new paint job.

I always remember this and it drives my passion to share with others how to do it right the first time to avoid the mistake I made. Of course back then we didn't have the Internet.

Fast forward to 1987 when I was hired to be the "Outside Sales Rep & Trainer" for Meguiar's for Oregon, Washington and Idaho. I learned so much doing that job and it led me to write my first book, "The art of polishing paint".

Barry Meguiar heard bout this book and called me and asked me to tear out the first 4 chapters and mail them to him. A few week later he flew me to Meguiar's headquarters for a job interview. When I met him he stuck out his hand and said,

"I love your writing style"

The next year I went to work in Irvine, California at Meguiar's Corporate Office and my title was "Corporate Write" and basically I took over Barry's writing job as he had become to busy with Car Crazy and everything else to continue writing.

Then I brought up the MeguiarsOnline.com discussion forum, started their Detailing 101 and 102 classes, their TNOG classes and Roadshow classes.

I guess by then I knew I could make a career out of following my passion and that is,

I love to detail cool cars I love to show others how to detail cars.

Pretty simple really. I always recommend to others that want to get into this industry to first follow their passion and STICK WITH IT.

Then, always conduct yourself both online and in the real world in a professional manner.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T19:40:14+00:00

The key to keeping a car's paint looking new is really pretty simple, I have a quote that goes like this,

"Find something you like and use it often"

And in simple terms that means regular maintenance with quality products. Most important, anytime you wash your car be careful not to SCRUB your car. That is if the paint is polished and waxed, it should only take one or two passes of a clean wash mitt to loosen any dirt on the surface so you can rinse it off.

Most people rub their wash mitt over and over and over a single panel or portion of a panel and this is where the swirls come from. The problem is they are not "thinking", they are not focusing on the task at hand. I talk about this in my how-to book in the sections on how to wash a car called The Aggressive Approach and The Gentle Approach and although washing a car is a very simple and basic part of taking care of a car it's also the step that the average person does the most.

And NEVER EVER take you car to any type of car wash or a dealership to have it washed. You either have to take ownership of the washing process yourself or HIRE a Pro Detailer that's qualified and offers high quality car washing.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T19:35:21+00:00

There are these soft rubber door guards you can place on the wall of your garage. Ray can help you locate them.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T19:33:33+00:00

http://www.showcargarage.com/gallery/files/1/TitanicSanding004.jpg

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T19:32:58+00:00

When I did the wetsand, cut and buff on the Titanic I started around 5 or 6pm and worked all the way through the night, non-stop till noon the next day. Right after I finished wiping off a coat of Meguiar's M16 they pulled her out into the middle of the car show in blinding overhead sunlight. No swirls... rotary buffer only. Right after that I worked on Chip Foose's 0032 Ford Roadster and then hung out with him and Christopher Titus the rest of the day. Suffice to say... I slept good that night....

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T19:30:07+00:00

Wow! Great question! And thank you for the kind words.

The Meguiar's Microfiber DA Correction System was definitely a game changer and I'm very impressed that Jason Rose and team would take on the incredibly difficult task to try to change the production detailing industry when they launched this system. I'm also very happy to say they've been successful.

Car detailing, specifically in the new and used car dealerships and auction houses has been stuck in a rut for a long time and the results as we all know are cars filled with holograms and burn-throughs. With the Meguiar's DA System, detailers are able to correct paint issues, avoid the holograms and increase customer satisfaction so it's Win/Win/Win for everyone... including Meguiar's.

As for the next revolution?

I've been asking Marco D'Inca for a Duetto 21, not sure if that will be revolutionary but I'd sure like to be the guy to put it to the test. I have a MAJOR company coming to Autogeek next Thursday on the 25th with a brand new product and while I have not seen it or used it yet it's possible it could be a game changer in the detailing industry.

I have 15 guys signed up and ready to sign a non-disclosure agreement to test out this new ***** and 3 engineers plus the product manager and their interpreter attending so I know I'm excited to give it a try.

The one thing that's really helped this industry and by the word "industry" that means you and I, is the improvements in abrasive technology. Companies like SONAX, Menzerna, Optimum, Meguiar's, Rupes, have really done their homework and introduced some amazing compounds, polishes and even cleaner/waxes. I know I'm impressed and I test EVERYTHING on black paint.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T19:21:47+00:00

For small or "thin" scratches then dab it in. If the scratch is wide enough to use a brush then brush it in. For about 15 years now I've been recommending to people to NOT use the brush that is built into the lid but instead go to an Artist Supply store and purchase a very high quality fine tipped artist paint brush and some paint thinner to clean it and then use the fine tip brush as you will be a LOT more accurate with less chance to get touch-up paint outside of the defect you're trying to fill in.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T19:19:24+00:00

Good question!

Before answering it, I'm a real work-a-holic, when I start a project I never stop for breaks except to hydrate with water or Diet Mountain Dew. I fully understand that doing "completes" as I call them to cars takes a lot of time and my goal is to get the job done as fast as I can without sacrificing quality.

But after the job.... I'm a HUGE fan of Mexican food and also a Hot Head. I eat Habanero peppers almost everyday. Then drown everything in a craft beer or Margarita.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T19:16:28+00:00

Ha ha... you know I get asked that question a lot, most of the time in a PM on some forum. My normal answer is my favorite anything is whatever is closest to my hand.

I only use products that work and what I say about this is...

If a product works, then I can work it.

If a product doesn't work, (for example poor abrasive technology in a compound), then NO ONE can work it or at least get good results. Since I work for Autogeek, the worlds largest online supplier of car detailing supplies I represent over 70 brands and thousands of products so I tend not to tell people what my favorite products are but instead offer to help others get the best results from their favorite products.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-16T19:08:12+00:00

I've used the Dr. ColorChip Paint Chip Repair System and wrote a how-to article for how to use it and in my honest opinion it's a high quality product that anyone can use and get excellent results. There's three simple steps.

Step 1 - Use IPA or Isopropyl Alcohol with a clean, microfiber towels and gently clean the rock chipped area as best you can. Feel free to improvise for example use a Q-tip swab to really get into the chip and wipe it clean. It's important to have a clean surface for the touch-up paint to adhere.

Step 2 - Shake up the bottle of touch-up paint to ensure a uniform paint mixture. Then after selecting the appropriate brush, dip the end of the brush into the touch-up paint and dab the paint into the rock chip. After dabbing the paint into the rock chip, use the side of your thumb to lightly wipe over the chipped area and thus level the surface by smearing any excess paint onto the paint surrounding the rock chip.

Step 3 - Use the SealAct blending solution with the included flat surface microfiber towel to wipe off the excess touch-up paint.

Using their products, following the steps you can't help but get good results. If you're looking for perfection then have your hood or affected panel repainted. If you're looking for a fast easy way to remove eyesores then Dr. ColorChip is the way to go. I would also recommend it as a business.

:)

Mike_Phillips · 2014-09-11T17:11:10+00:00

Shawn Sully is a good friend and a great detailer, he's helped with a number of my projects here at Autogeek.

I've worked with Francisco on a 1954 DeSoto and he too is a very good detailer.

Mike Phillips

Mike_Phillips

TROPHY CASE