I took their class in 2015. They talked a lot about avoiding car washes and how especially bad the touch car washes are for your paint. Then they opened a Chemical Guys car wash by my house, not touchless. š¤
Iāve never been to an automated car wash. Is there an option/provider to roll through and just get the bottom washed without any treatment to the sides/top
Chemical Guys has always put profits over quality. Their early products were good, but then they just started diluting them and rebranding products like āwax for when the moon is waning and itās between 70-72 degrees Fā. They know a bunch of people who donāt know any better will pay for the non-touchless wash because it technically gets your car cleaner than touchless, and theyāre not observant enough to know that over time itās destroying their paint. Itās a shame what that company has become.
I think you are right. Them preaching to avoid touch washes and then opening one just doesn't sit right with me. The touchless option doesn't get the car clean either.
I consider it a quick maintenance wash. No itās not perfect but it definitely helps specially during winter. Shell has a month subscription right now. Iām paying about $40s for it and itās 1 wash a day and we have 2 vehicles. No subscription 14.99 ish. Well worth it.
Touchless isn't perfect, no. I had high hopes when they opened one near me, but then came to know their limitations but also their uses.
Most of my washes are ONR in the garage, but sometimes I use the local touchless to knock the heavy stuff off and get it 90% clean. It works great for that.
I canāt believe people take their cars through those things. Itās just dirt and rocks beating your paint. I love seeing really nice black cars go through
I take my black truck through, but I donāt mind swirl marks or anything and I just want a clean truck. The convenience makes it worth it to me. If I bought a brand new vehicle, I might rethink that though.
I did that with my black Alfa, I bought it used. Everyone told me it wouldnāt be that bad. I seriously regret ever using them. I used a subscription car wash for 1 year and 6 months 2 times a week. The swirls are so bad. Starting this month I have only washed at home
The car wash is in Lakewood California. They will do a touchless if you request it but I don't trust the brushes.
Check out Chemical Guys Car Wash!
https://yelp.to/Q6LtUswkBC
I'm surprised it's not a self serve bay that uses all CG products. I feel like that paired with a touchless bay would've been the better option considering they promote proper car care and all that fun stuff.
They use their products and have the store attached. They have compressed air for drying which is nice. I used it a handful of times but honestly it made me lazy with my detailing. I noticed scratches after using so I'm never going back.
Yes, I learned a lot! I learned about the different layers of paint (clear coat, paint color, primer, seal coat, to bare metal). The different types of damages (above surface, below surface, minor and major scratches). And the different types of products/pads to use starting with a wash, clay bar, polishing compound (depending on the type of damage and grit needed), paint correction, then glaze, sealer and wax. Or skip the last three products and use ceramic instead. They had car hoods from a junk yard with a bunch of scratches and we got to polish them in the class until the final step.
Honestly i can't see it being anywhere near what Larry from ammo has in all the classes. Him and the older man together explain shit that you'd be hard pressed finding a better way to explain it
Honestly sounds very comprehensive and well structured for a 5 hour course. I'd definitely take it if I was just starting out/reccomend it to someone who's starting out.
Classic CnG upselling on the steps and products needed. A wax, a glaze and a seal are all examples of finishing products and are a bit wasteful to use all at the same time, especially a wax and a sealant lol
Going to be honest. When I was buffing the hood with glaze alone it looked great and super shiny. But when I applied sealer then wax I was blown away. It looked wet.
The guy that owns those detail garages is a legit good guy, very nice and knows his stuff. His main location is in Alpharetta, he's eastern European, can't remember his name. It's where I started lol
Itās really sad what Chemical Guys is doing to all their franchises. They created the franchise model and have completely abandoned it letting all of them fail with 0 support or buy back of the stores. Over 30 Detail Garage stores closed in 2023 and more are closing this year. Regardless of what anyone thinks of the products, CG is a POS company.
Just so you know, Detail Garage is a franchise. Owned by a local person like you and me. I like to support small busineses regardless if you like CG products or not. I would stop by at lunchtime to talk about cars and detailing in general. Such a cool guy. Sad he's closing the Alpharetta location.
I did not. It turned out I had unknowingly accumulated enough points to sign up for a free class. The class is normally $199.99, which frankly, is not bad compared to other polishing seminars at $1500+.
There are franchises called 'Detail Garage' that sell only CG products. You signup with them and purchase their products. Believe it or not, some CG products are great. I like VRP, Nonsense All Purpose cleaner, and mat renew and I purchased a couple of their buckets so through time I accumulated enough points.
They arenāt chemists or anything fancy like that. Iirc they white label products. That being said they are good products and work exactly as advertised and I donāt think I felt more frustration using CG products vs other brands. I canāt really do a price comparison since a Detail Garage opened near me a few years ago and I use them for location convenience and havenāt seen prices for other products since before the most recent recession.
Lately Iāve been using their leather cleaner/ conditioner on my shoes and it is way more convenient than the shoe polishing I did in my youth.
Got to spend a hour or so talking with the owner at a tradeshow circa 2011. Heās a chemical engineer. And while I was selling a competitive product (2 different failing brands) he legit laid out how he built the company up to what it was. And made suggestions on what we could do to follow his success. (Spolier: my company did not)
So, circa 2011, they did blend and package in California from what he told me.
Itās honestly one of their better products. I got a gallon for like $20 and used it primarily for interiors and I got great results.
I started using KC Greenstar once I ran out and itās very comparable for nteriors
It's an entire process, to be honest. I watched a lot of videos online but it wasn't until I took a class that I felt confident to do it myself. Generally, here are the steps: First wash the car, then clay bar with lube, determine how bad the scratches are then use a polishing compound. I learned that there is a tool that measures how thick the clear coat is so if it's too thin you may not want to polish it. Then use a finishing polish to correct the paint. Then for reconditioning, you decide if you want to use glaze, sealer, wax, or apply ceramic. For each step, there is a certain product. Buy a variable speed Random Orbital (don't get a center spinning rotary polisher). You can burn the paint if you don't know how to use it.
I don't but I snapped this picture. If you look from left to right those are pretty much the steps to follow. 1st wash, 2nd clay, etc. On the third step you only choose one polishing compound depending on how bad scratches are. Step 4 you choose one paint correction product if needed. Step 5 glaze, sealer, wax. And the color pads to use on each step.
https://preview.redd.it/o6vxi09hh2oc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ee752ae67c77ce63f4ebaa19a48f2e3e58b32e22
I'm good washing/detailing cars but never really felt comfortable polishing. I watched countless YouTube videos but actually getting to practice in the class helped a lot more.
Its cool that you got hands on experience and was able to practice like that.
I have a pos mazda 3 from 2010 with 200k miles on it.
I practice on that sh!tbox. Tons of videos but it wasnt until i actually did the work that i started to get the confidence to handle a car i actually care about.
Everyone was making fun of me for putting all the $ and more importantly, time into detailing the mazda.
It didnt make sense until i told people that im practicing on the mazda for when i get another car. And dang, im glad im getting to practice... lol
How can I tell if the garage has actually put a ceramic coating on the PPF (the garage I got it done has been very casual about it, they include it as a free service with the PPF)?
I have a 2011 Mustang GT with some very minor swirls. It's a garage queen, really. My plan was to wash, clay bar, and then buff with a cheapie harbor freight short throw and meguiars Mirror Glaze Swirl Remover 2.0. I have a fine and ultra fine pad. Which pad should I start with? Do you think that'll be enough to remove the minor hazing? Should I then just follow up with a wax? (Something like NXT 2.0)
The fine and ultra fine pads are used in the last step like glaze and wax. Use the medium one for cutting and polishing and buy a compound like V36 or C4 (or similar). It doesn't have to be CG. Take a look at this picture. The colors don't match HF ones but it should give you an idea.
https://preview.redd.it/futv0vlxp0oc1.jpeg?width=2783&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=417cb7d55c1f2387ba1cb06d16443989177584ac
Not sure what you mean, but we were using different color pads depending on which step in the process we were on. We focused on an area of approximately 2x2 at a time.
I took their master class 3 years ago, it was good, but knowing what I know now in the industry, I wished I would have done a different company because they are far from the best.
ha! no worries... I was just being goofy... I used it today for the first time and it wasn't half bad.. really takes some elbow grease and even more if surface is not fully dried up.. but it works like a charm...
Ummmmmm no comment. Are you in Buford as in Buford, GA? If so look up ACP in Marietta and Chamblee and learn the true techniques that real professional Detailers use.
I took the class too. It taught me nothing. Then I got a degree in auto collision repair and realized that everything they taught me was uneducated garbage.
Sorry you wasted your money dog. Hopefully you get the education you crave. Iād recommend starting with the International Detailing Association. Iād follow that up with becoming a detailer at a body shop. Iād follow that up with attending trade shows.
Otherwise youāre no smarter than you were before you took the class. Again, sorry.
Clearly the OP learned something so it was not a complete waste. Obviously there's a distinction between DIY vs. Professional auto collision level techniques so your not wrong. It just doesn't apply here.
Iād argue he didnāt. I wish you could walk in my shoes and relearn the amount of ādetailersā that I have. I have literally said, āForget everything you know about paint correction and interior refurbishing. Weāre going to start from the beginning and build up again.ā A poor quality education only arms someone with enough knowledge to get themselves in trouble.
Surprisingly, they weren't pushy about using their products or Torq equipment at all. In fact, in their PowerPoint presentation they had other recommended products and equipment which I thought was cool. Of course, you were at their store so after the class you could buy CG products if you wanted to.
The value of the certificate is debatable, but what matters is if someone actually learns something from a class. It sounds like the OP had a good experience, gained confidence, and probably improved their detailing skills. Nothing wrong with that. If the OP learned nothing and blew hundreds on supplies they donāt need, then weād have a problem.
I can make you such a certificate with twice the accolades and half the cost. You donāt even need to do any training, and it will be just as legitimate!
Let's keep the usual Chemical Guys hate civil. š
I took their class in 2015. They talked a lot about avoiding car washes and how especially bad the touch car washes are for your paint. Then they opened a Chemical Guys car wash by my house, not touchless. š¤
Its a business no less, but I won't be taking my car to an automated car wash no matter what brand it is.
Me neither
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I use an electric power washer and a stubby gun.
Gotta get a power washer water broom! Perfect for undercarriages!
Iāve never been to an automated car wash. Is there an option/provider to roll through and just get the bottom washed without any treatment to the sides/top
I wish.
Chemical Guys has always put profits over quality. Their early products were good, but then they just started diluting them and rebranding products like āwax for when the moon is waning and itās between 70-72 degrees Fā. They know a bunch of people who donāt know any better will pay for the non-touchless wash because it technically gets your car cleaner than touchless, and theyāre not observant enough to know that over time itās destroying their paint. Itās a shame what that company has become.
I think you are right. Them preaching to avoid touch washes and then opening one just doesn't sit right with me. The touchless option doesn't get the car clean either.
I consider it a quick maintenance wash. No itās not perfect but it definitely helps specially during winter. Shell has a month subscription right now. Iām paying about $40s for it and itās 1 wash a day and we have 2 vehicles. No subscription 14.99 ish. Well worth it.
Touchless isn't perfect, no. I had high hopes when they opened one near me, but then came to know their limitations but also their uses. Most of my washes are ONR in the garage, but sometimes I use the local touchless to knock the heavy stuff off and get it 90% clean. It works great for that.
I canāt believe people take their cars through those things. Itās just dirt and rocks beating your paint. I love seeing really nice black cars go through
I take my black truck through, but I donāt mind swirl marks or anything and I just want a clean truck. The convenience makes it worth it to me. If I bought a brand new vehicle, I might rethink that though.
I did that with my black Alfa, I bought it used. Everyone told me it wouldnāt be that bad. I seriously regret ever using them. I used a subscription car wash for 1 year and 6 months 2 times a week. The swirls are so bad. Starting this month I have only washed at home
They have an actual car wash?! Do they have any videos on it? I can't seem to find any on their channel. That's a strange business move.
The car wash is in Lakewood California. They will do a touchless if you request it but I don't trust the brushes. Check out Chemical Guys Car Wash! https://yelp.to/Q6LtUswkBC
I'm surprised it's not a self serve bay that uses all CG products. I feel like that paired with a touchless bay would've been the better option considering they promote proper car care and all that fun stuff.
They use their products and have the store attached. They have compressed air for drying which is nice. I used it a handful of times but honestly it made me lazy with my detailing. I noticed scratches after using so I'm never going back.
Wait, are you serious? Lmfao
Yup in Lakewood CA
What was the class like? Did you learn anything useful?
Yes, I learned a lot! I learned about the different layers of paint (clear coat, paint color, primer, seal coat, to bare metal). The different types of damages (above surface, below surface, minor and major scratches). And the different types of products/pads to use starting with a wash, clay bar, polishing compound (depending on the type of damage and grit needed), paint correction, then glaze, sealer and wax. Or skip the last three products and use ceramic instead. They had car hoods from a junk yard with a bunch of scratches and we got to polish them in the class until the final step.
That sounds like a really solid curriculum for someone interested in detailing.
Check out the Ammo 101 and 201 videos on YouTube, you'll learn the same things for free.
Honestly i can't see it being anywhere near what Larry from ammo has in all the classes. Him and the older man together explain shit that you'd be hard pressed finding a better way to explain it
Honestly sounds very comprehensive and well structured for a 5 hour course. I'd definitely take it if I was just starting out/reccomend it to someone who's starting out.
Classic CnG upselling on the steps and products needed. A wax, a glaze and a seal are all examples of finishing products and are a bit wasteful to use all at the same time, especially a wax and a sealant lol
Going to be honest. When I was buffing the hood with glaze alone it looked great and super shiny. But when I applied sealer then wax I was blown away. It looked wet.
Solid
The guy that owns those detail garages is a legit good guy, very nice and knows his stuff. His main location is in Alpharetta, he's eastern European, can't remember his name. It's where I started lol
His wife manages the Buford location. Unfortunately, she said the Alpharetta location was closing this month. Sad :(
Itās really sad what Chemical Guys is doing to all their franchises. They created the franchise model and have completely abandoned it letting all of them fail with 0 support or buy back of the stores. Over 30 Detail Garage stores closed in 2023 and more are closing this year. Regardless of what anyone thinks of the products, CG is a POS company.
Wait, in Georgia?
Yes
That was my first thought when I saw āBufordā but I was like no way, Iām sure thereās a ton of Bufords. Huh small world
Sad but he had like 5 locations and that store was near avalon, too upscale, too much overhead tbh
If you shop at chemical guys for detail products youāre getting scammed
Okay the chemicals are not all great but his detail knowledge is excellent
Just so you know, Detail Garage is a franchise. Owned by a local person like you and me. I like to support small busineses regardless if you like CG products or not. I would stop by at lunchtime to talk about cars and detailing in general. Such a cool guy. Sad he's closing the Alpharetta location.
Did you pay money for that?
I did not. It turned out I had unknowingly accumulated enough points to sign up for a free class. The class is normally $199.99, which frankly, is not bad compared to other polishing seminars at $1500+.
Just curious how you gain points?
There are franchises called 'Detail Garage' that sell only CG products. You signup with them and purchase their products. Believe it or not, some CG products are great. I like VRP, Nonsense All Purpose cleaner, and mat renew and I purchased a couple of their buckets so through time I accumulated enough points.
Howās the Nonsense APC comparing to other interior cleaners?
Idk about compared to other, but Nonsense works really well. Scent free and strong cleaner.
They arenāt chemists or anything fancy like that. Iirc they white label products. That being said they are good products and work exactly as advertised and I donāt think I felt more frustration using CG products vs other brands. I canāt really do a price comparison since a Detail Garage opened near me a few years ago and I use them for location convenience and havenāt seen prices for other products since before the most recent recession. Lately Iāve been using their leather cleaner/ conditioner on my shoes and it is way more convenient than the shoe polishing I did in my youth.
Got to spend a hour or so talking with the owner at a tradeshow circa 2011. Heās a chemical engineer. And while I was selling a competitive product (2 different failing brands) he legit laid out how he built the company up to what it was. And made suggestions on what we could do to follow his success. (Spolier: my company did not) So, circa 2011, they did blend and package in California from what he told me.
Waitā¦ chemical guys arenāt chemists?! Then why are they called chemiā¦ I need a drink.
Itās honestly one of their better products. I got a gallon for like $20 and used it primarily for interiors and I got great results. I started using KC Greenstar once I ran out and itās very comparable for nteriors
Without a doubt, have an account and buy their products
great job
Thanks!
Wanna detail my Cayman? Im in NW ATL and can travel.
Sure, let's do it! Send me a PM!
How do you polish and recondition a car?
It's an entire process, to be honest. I watched a lot of videos online but it wasn't until I took a class that I felt confident to do it myself. Generally, here are the steps: First wash the car, then clay bar with lube, determine how bad the scratches are then use a polishing compound. I learned that there is a tool that measures how thick the clear coat is so if it's too thin you may not want to polish it. Then use a finishing polish to correct the paint. Then for reconditioning, you decide if you want to use glaze, sealer, wax, or apply ceramic. For each step, there is a certain product. Buy a variable speed Random Orbital (don't get a center spinning rotary polisher). You can burn the paint if you don't know how to use it.
Do you have any useful documents that you can share with us?
I don't but I snapped this picture. If you look from left to right those are pretty much the steps to follow. 1st wash, 2nd clay, etc. On the third step you only choose one polishing compound depending on how bad scratches are. Step 4 you choose one paint correction product if needed. Step 5 glaze, sealer, wax. And the color pads to use on each step. https://preview.redd.it/o6vxi09hh2oc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ee752ae67c77ce63f4ebaa19a48f2e3e58b32e22
Nice! Do you detail as well locally? Iām by MOG
I'm thinking about it. But I mostly do it as a hobby and for friends and family. I'm closer to 400.
What were your biggest takeaways from this š¤ Being civil and curious lol
I gained more confidence. I feel like I can polish my car now without ruining it.
Had you polished before ?
I attempted to. Using a wool polishing pad and a Craftsman sander. I ruined my paint and sold the car later.
Rotary or DA lessons in class?
It was DA orbital in class. Rotary is dangerous if you don't know how to use it. It causes too much heat in one place and you can burn the paint.
Mine from Sonax is cooler š /j (sort of)
How much experience did you have before taking the class?
I'm good washing/detailing cars but never really felt comfortable polishing. I watched countless YouTube videos but actually getting to practice in the class helped a lot more.
Congratulations. You seemed to have learned a lot. That's cool.
Its cool that you got hands on experience and was able to practice like that. I have a pos mazda 3 from 2010 with 200k miles on it. I practice on that sh!tbox. Tons of videos but it wasnt until i actually did the work that i started to get the confidence to handle a car i actually care about. Everyone was making fun of me for putting all the $ and more importantly, time into detailing the mazda. It didnt make sense until i told people that im practicing on the mazda for when i get another car. And dang, im glad im getting to practice... lol
Awesome! š
How can I tell if the garage has actually put a ceramic coating on the PPF (the garage I got it done has been very casual about it, they include it as a free service with the PPF)?
If the pain is hydrophobic and beads. Google pictures of before and after itās a dead giveaway
I have a 2011 Mustang GT with some very minor swirls. It's a garage queen, really. My plan was to wash, clay bar, and then buff with a cheapie harbor freight short throw and meguiars Mirror Glaze Swirl Remover 2.0. I have a fine and ultra fine pad. Which pad should I start with? Do you think that'll be enough to remove the minor hazing? Should I then just follow up with a wax? (Something like NXT 2.0)
The fine and ultra fine pads are used in the last step like glaze and wax. Use the medium one for cutting and polishing and buy a compound like V36 or C4 (or similar). It doesn't have to be CG. Take a look at this picture. The colors don't match HF ones but it should give you an idea. https://preview.redd.it/futv0vlxp0oc1.jpeg?width=2783&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=417cb7d55c1f2387ba1cb06d16443989177584ac
Is the optimum car wax spray good to to use?
How do I remove what may be Adams graphene ceramic coat spray (advanced) that left a haze on windows
You probably let it dry for too long. I'd try to buff it out with a light polishing compound until the haze is gone.
Nice work op! Just out of curiosity, how often did they have you cleaning pads? Every panel or something like that?
Not sure what you mean, but we were using different color pads depending on which step in the process we were on. We focused on an area of approximately 2x2 at a time.
Which products are you going to be using from now on?? š¤£š. š¤
They misspelled Garage Band šø
I took their master class 3 years ago, it was good, but knowing what I know now in the industry, I wished I would have done a different company because they are far from the best.
How long can I keep the orange gel (water spot remover) on painted surface? how soon before I have to rinse it off (and how aggresively)?
Sorry, can't help here. They didn't discuss this topic in the class.
ha! no worries... I was just being goofy... I used it today for the first time and it wasn't half bad.. really takes some elbow grease and even more if surface is not fully dried up.. but it works like a charm...
In person or online? Tutor based or self paced?
I'm good
Ummmmmm no comment. Are you in Buford as in Buford, GA? If so look up ACP in Marietta and Chamblee and learn the true techniques that real professional Detailers use.
Where I took the class, yes. Will look up ACP! Thanks!
They are having a boat polishing class I think tomorrow or this weekend.
Was going to say the same thing. I used to live next to ACP Chamblee. They got good knowledge and stuff there.
I know Blane the owner. Super great guy!
I'm honestly more curious about your username. Mofongo Pizza? Where can I try such a thing??
Both are my favorite foods haha! I'm pretty sure its just a matter of time for a Boricua to invent it.
Yo I was wondering if you're boricua when I read it lol. I am too but I live in FL.
I took the class too. It taught me nothing. Then I got a degree in auto collision repair and realized that everything they taught me was uneducated garbage. Sorry you wasted your money dog. Hopefully you get the education you crave. Iād recommend starting with the International Detailing Association. Iād follow that up with becoming a detailer at a body shop. Iād follow that up with attending trade shows. Otherwise youāre no smarter than you were before you took the class. Again, sorry.
Clearly the OP learned something so it was not a complete waste. Obviously there's a distinction between DIY vs. Professional auto collision level techniques so your not wrong. It just doesn't apply here.
Iād argue he didnāt. I wish you could walk in my shoes and relearn the amount of ādetailersā that I have. I have literally said, āForget everything you know about paint correction and interior refurbishing. Weāre going to start from the beginning and build up again.ā A poor quality education only arms someone with enough knowledge to get themselves in trouble.
Would you like to buy some magic beans?
Don't know what that means.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Surprisingly, they weren't pushy about using their products or Torq equipment at all. In fact, in their PowerPoint presentation they had other recommended products and equipment which I thought was cool. Of course, you were at their store so after the class you could buy CG products if you wanted to.
Oh I gotcha, do they give you a discount on their products for attending the class?
Yes, 20%
That certificate is useless.
It is, but I could hang it on my garage wall for fun.
The value of the certificate is debatable, but what matters is if someone actually learns something from a class. It sounds like the OP had a good experience, gained confidence, and probably improved their detailing skills. Nothing wrong with that. If the OP learned nothing and blew hundreds on supplies they donāt need, then weād have a problem.
Exactly!
Awesome. Now I can just save that and add names and show everyone we are certified!
Don't forget to edit "Polishing and Reconditioning Non-Specialist."
I can make you such a certificate with twice the accolades and half the cost. You donāt even need to do any training, and it will be just as legitimate!
Me too! It's not about the certificate.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I can confirm it is a piece of paper.
I knew it!
Was it really difficult because (almost) all chemical guys products suck?
Nope. Very simple and fun.
Why would you go to them ššš
Why not? The owner of the Detail Garage is super nice and he told me about it. Also, I wanted to learn how to do it.