Archived Blog Posts for Auto Detailing Tools

The Perks of Using a Flex Dual-action Polisher

September 18, 2012|Category: Auto Detailing Tools, Exterior Detailing, Product Reviews|6 Comments

Nothing makes a Marine Corps rifle range instructor more nervous that a new recruit with an M16 rifle locked and loaded. That goes a long way in explaining why boot camp recruits “dry fire” the first week on the range. They just repetitively aim at the target and squeeze the trigger of an empty rifle. The theory is, if you don’t give them ammunition, nobody gets hurt.

Flex Dual-action Polisher

Same goes for professionals who operate their own auto detailing shop. The last thing they need is a new employee wielding a 3,000-rpm rotary buffer near their customer’s automobiles. That’s because a rotary polisher is one of those tools you can’t just pick up and start going postal on a vehicle’s paint job. It can be a dangerous tool without proper training and experience.

And that’s where the Flex XC3401VRG dual-action polisher comes into play. Rotary buffers can run between 600 to 3,000 rpms, which can easily burn through a car’s clear coat and paint — not to mention leave some pretty nasty swirl marks. But with the Flex dual-action polisher (a/k/a the Flex DA), there’s no fear of leaving swirl designs or torching your way through the paint.

This gentle beast is designed to protect your client’s paint while offering some light paint correction. There will be times when you need the impact of a rotary polisher to level the clear coat, but that’s why you have a powerful rotary — kept high on a shelf, away from the new guy. But in most instances, the Flex DA is perfect when you need to  Continue reading…

Must-Have Auto Detailing Equipment: Part I – Exteriors

August 31, 2012|Category: Auto Detailing Tools, Exterior Detailing|2 Comments

Having the right tool for the job is essential when you’re trying the build a successful auto detailing business. You might be tempted to say it’s not worth putting the money out for fancy equipment when you can do just as well by hand. But what’s missing in that justification is the fact that by using the proper auto detailing equipment, you can cut your labor time in half and also save you on product — and that means more money for you and your business.

The tools and equipment listed below — Orbital Polisher, Rotary Buffer, Pressure Washer, and Tornador Foam Gun — are what we here at Detail King consider some of the “must-have” equipment in order to get your professional auto detailing business off to a successful start. In particular, these must-have items relate specifically detailing the exterior of your client’s automobile.

And by the way…this is just the first in a two-part series on “must-have” auto detailing equipment (stay tuned for Part II in this spot in a week or two, when we’ll cover the top must-haves for cleaning the interior of your customers automobiles). For now, check out these four exterior cleaning must-have items every auto detailer should have in their toolkit:

Orbital Polisher: Orbital polishers are great for applying and removing waxes and sealants, and yes, they will cut your labor time in half. That’s because when applying waxes or sealants by hand you tend to use way more product than necessary. An orbital polisher will help to apply an even coat of product on your client’s vehicle without overdoing it.

The polishers we most highly recommend are the Porter Cable 7424XP, Cyclo Polisher and the Flex XC3401VGR Dual-Action Polisher. And if you don’t have any experience in using an orbital polisher and are afraid you’re going to ruin somebody’s paint job, no worries. An orbital polisher is designed to do slight paint correction without leaving any swirl marks or harming the paint.

Rotary Buffer: As an auto detailer you’re going to come across vehicles that need paint correction — a task that can’t be accomplished with an orbital polisher. That’s why God created rotary buffers. They’re designed to level any imperfections in the paint to assist in removing nasty scratches or swirls marks.

But a rotary buffer — unlike the orbital polisher described above — isn’t a Continue reading…

How Heated Carpet Extractors Save Auto Detailers Time and Money

May 31, 2012|Category: Auto Detailing Tips, Auto Detailing Tools|2 Comments

Hot water carpet extractors are among the most important tools in your auto-detailing arsenal, not only because a clean carpet gives customers an immediate sense of gratification, but because it gives you a bigger profit margin in your up-sell.

The carpet extractors available to auto detailers today work so much better than the old wet/dry shop vacuum of yesteryear. To tell you the truth, those beasts were never intended to provide a deep cleaning to automobile carpet, let alone remove all the dirty, soapy water afterward. In fact, when it comes to shop vacs, you’d be better off just sucking up the carpet through a straw.

What today’s heated extractors do is next to miraculous, immediately breaking down dirt, grease, grime, stale odors and most stains. And a good extractor will clean carpet with water that’s heated to up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. That feature alone reduces your labor time by 50 percent — which subsequently increases your profits by almost that much.

One of the things we recommend here at Detail King — in fact, it’s kind of a trade secret — is that you don’t mix any extractor soap in the solution tank of the extractor at all. Instead, we find it’s much better to spray a light mist of extractor soap directly onto the areas that will be cleaned a few minutes before extracting.

After the soap has been applied, follow up with the heated extractor, which will spray a uniform, heavy mist of hot water from the four-inch stainless steel hand tool deep into the carpet and upholstery fibers — simultaneously mixing with the extractor soap that you applied minutes earlier. The combination of the hot water and the extractor soap breaks apart the Continue reading…

Benefits of Using an Orbital Polisher to Detail a Car

April 23, 2012|Category: Auto Detailing Tools|2 Comments

For decades, the rotary buffer has either been the automotive detailer’s best friend or his or her worst nightmare. Using a rotary buffer is a scary proposition if you lack the experience or training to operate this sensitive auto detailing tool. That’s why a lot of detailers continue to polish by hand. It’s either that or switch over to an orbital polisher.

An orbital polisher is much safer and easier to use on a vehicle’s painted surface than the rotary buffer. In fact, the most difficult part of the process is actually selecting the best orbital polisher for your needs. Among the popular and reliable polishers that have been around for a while are the Porter Cable 7424 (or new model 7424XP), the Cyclo Polisher (or Model 5 Pro) and the Flex DA.

These machines are made for the auto detailer as well as the active car enthusiast who wants to safely perform a slight paint correction on a vehicle. Orbital polishers are very safe to use on Continue reading…

Best Chamois Combination!

April 5, 2012|Category: Auto Detailing Tools|1 Comment

Hands down, one of the most fantastic tools the Good Lord ever created for the automotive detailer is the chamois! If you’re detailing cars without one of these magic rags, then we really need to know what it is you’re using. Actually, don’t bother showing us. All we need for you to know is that chamois is king!

Because chamois has no abrasive properties, it can be used as a very effective — and very absorbent — drying material for any vehicle. And if you’re a big fan of doing your detailing by hand, then we’ve got a pair of tools that make drying a vehicle a walk in the park. And the results are stunning!

One of the first tools we recommend that you use in conjunction with a chamois is awater blade..This awesome item can be used to remove most of the water on your client’s vehicle. It can wipe away excess water from all of the larger areas with ease. And with a blade, the water disappears over the side of the vehicle, eliminating the time-consuming task of squeezing it out like you would have to do with a towel or chamois.

 Continue reading…