Han Kim
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No body work necessary… Ha! Maybe you should have painted it as is?!
Yeah, I wouldn’t use the Universal on this one either. Unless, he was willing to pay a little extra!
Did you tell him the sanding and buffing is extra too? 🙂[quote]If the groundcoat is making a difference, there’s not enough paint on it.[/quote]
Very true. With a sealer, you’ll also have better color hold out (or should).
But at $2500 anything is possible!
Ah! Ok. That would be even faster and cheaper!:)
3M owns Meguiars too!
RatStang,
The new Meguairs professional line, namely M105 and M205 are excellent and getting great reviews.
These two products like to be worked at lower speeds around 1000-1300 rpm. It seems slow but
is actually faster for me with better results. You also want a variety of foam pads, Lake Country is
the ticket here. I use 1 wool pad and 3 different foam pads depending on the job. The quality of
the Lake Country pads are very good (3M waffles are not even close).Do spend some time on Autopia.org and check out the “Pro details Before and After,” section.
It’s going to take many months to get accustomed to the lingo and acronyms.BK, i don’t see why you cant get the base done in one session. How about shooting the yellow 2K then
follow up with white then your actual color? And clear the following day or in a few hours. This would
be more like “production” work that most of us do. Maybe getting the base done early in the day and clearing
at night could be efficient for you. This is how i normally tackle larger projects of weekends.I actually enjoy detailing! It really is an art with lots of methods/techniques.
3M is OK, but there are much better products not well known in this field. But better known by professional detailers.
Here’s my go-to setup:
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/zsolo/Polishing/P1010102.jpg[/img]I have a few more latest-and-greatest products on the way.
Here’s a great forum: Autopia.org
Meguiars: meguiarsonline.com
There are many tips for ya! Actually, detailing deserves a section all it’s own. It is quite involved with
a slew of products and techniques that can’t be covered well in one thread. However, and in time,
i do plan on doing a thorough write-up for the body shop guys; products and techniques that I find
to be efficient.Agreed.
I think i have a solution. And the type of estimate i write will be determined by attitude/approach.
Basically, it will either be done on my computer thoroughly or not so thorough by hand but still
in the ball park…[quote]I’ve been had from various types of people for time wasting estimates. After completing one I had a girl tell me she has no intention of getting her car ever fixed, just wanted to go after the other party…I just bit my tongue.[/quote]
If they are up front about then i don’t mind. It’s absolutely their right to do as they wish with the check.
And there are times when i do suggest to keep whatever they get. Family and bills come first…Doright, this happens to me all the time. Sometimes, all day long with the same axx kissing rhetoric. They’d
say things like, “Write it as high as possible so that you can make a good profit.” And many variations there of.
I’ve heard them all… Still, i treat them all the same. I write my estimates with enough cushion just in case
they do repair the car with me. But knowing that my odds are low (100 to 1) for one particular group, I’m
very tempted to charge just this group only. And here in lies the danger. A moral/ethical dilemma…It’s only one particular ethnic group that “uses” me so that they can collect whatever for themselves…
Sometimes, i just scribble nonsense on a piece of paper. It might say something like, “Repair and refinish left
side of car for $1200. Cash only.”I don’t need to sell each estimate/job, odd as that might seem. I encourage folks to get many estimates
and i do let them know that i’m not cheapest nor the fastest around. In a nutshell, i choose the customers.
It’s not an elitist thing at all. Rather, it’s about working with sincere and respectful individuals…Ding, i’ve done that in the past. But without a sign.
I understand the implications but there are so many wasting my time almost everyday. Year after year…
There are some decent looking makeshift booths on AB101. How long does it take you to sand polish? Though i’m much more efficient now,
this would still take me around 20 hours; this is one aspect that MANY shops seem to overlook.If not a full booth, i’d remove as much from the garage as possible or cover them up. And maybe rig something up around the garage door
opening. So, you’re basically making one wall. And it looks like you’ll need to have the intake and exhaust on that wall. This would be much
quicker than dealing with all 6 sides.And minor dust nubs are easily sanded out with 2000. Making it easier to polish too.
How do you normally paint in the garage?
With the economy the way it is, I keep my fingers crossed. Most of my recent business are old
customers and a few referals. They came all at once. Almost as if they’ve planned it.It’s obvious we all have our hands full one way or another. There’s always something to deal with.
Life is tough and it’s hard to plan ahead with business being so fickle.Well, no matter how bad the economy gets, folks will still drive and bang up their cars.
Do any of you network with other businesses? I do, in a way. The tire shop down the street sends
me the type of work i like. I’ve gotten to know the owners very well and have worked on their
vehicles (family friends as well). The liquor store owner across the street is regular too. The gas station
owner down the street sends work to me as well. And a few others.Sorry to hear about your grandma.
Yeah, $2500 is rediculously low. I hope the owner understand this and doesn’t expect you
to work on his other vehicles at such a discounted price. Keeping a log book to track your
time and expenses will be extremely helpfull.And they way you do your work, the materials are much too good for this job. Even if they’re
left overs. I’d reduce the Universal 15% and shoot 2 coats and call it done. Well, then there’s
the cut and buff to consider.BK, What are you charging for this job?
You do excellent work! Very nice! I’d love to spray in a booth that clean. I need to clean mine up and put
some hangers.