In this book I’ll walk you through how paint works and how to work on it through all stages of the detailing process. For example how to wash a car or even wipe a car carefully using a spray detailer and a microfiber towel so you don’t accidentally instill swirls and scratches into the paint. These skills are just as important as knowing how to use any electric polisher because after you polish the paint to perfection you’ll still need to know how to expertly wash and dry it and then maintain it. (Or you’ll be back to square one).
I will walk you through the different types of electric polishers available and how they work and how to use them to create a show car finish on your own vehicles or for your customers if you detail cars for a hobby or for a part time or full time car detailing business.
Different strokes for different folks
Some of you may look at your car merely as a means of transportation. You are mostly interested in learning how to best protect your investment. Some of you may look at your car as an extension of your personality; you see it as an escape from the daily grind of living in a complicated world. You have a passion for polishing paint and you take it as serious as a heart attack. You want to know everything you can about the products and process you’re using and how to get the best results possible from your time, money and efforts. The term “second best” is not in your vocabulary.
Polishing paint is an art form
To achieve a flawless finish, you need to know a lot more than what the directions on the label of a can or bottle of wax can tell you. Like the saying, “wax-on, wax-off”, from the movie The Karate Kid, there’s more to it than simply wiping wax on and off.
You need to combine knowledge and experience, as well as the right products and tools with the human elements of care and passion. You need to genuinely care about what you’re doing and have a passion for the craft. When all these things come together, polishing paint becomes an art form as you truly create a work of art.
Information is the true secret to a show car finish
I believe you will find the information in this how-to book to be very different from anything else you have ever read in any bother book, magazine article or even on any website related to the topic of car detailing.
Over the years, I’ve helped thousands of people with their different paint polishing projects. While demonstrating at car shows or teaching classes, I’d explain how paint works, how polishing products work and the different types of procedures that go with them. Afterwards, I would always be asked the same question that usually goes like this:
“Hey Mike, is any of this information written down anywhere?”
Until now, the answer was always “no”.
Most of the information shared in this book is from my own experiences, gained from polishing just about every type of surface under the sun, in every imaginable condition.
Some of the information shared in this book comes from people I have met over the years including painters, detailers, do-it-yourselfers and the hundreds of thousands of friends I’ve made on detailing discussion forums and who have attended my detailing classes.
I’m confident that after reading this book, you will be ready to tackle any detailing project that comes your way.
Let the polishing begin!
Mike Phillips
