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CONTENTS<br />

IDA Column . ............. 4<br />

A Year of Firsts for the IDA<br />

Industry Dirt . ........... 10<br />

A Year of Firsts for the IDA<br />

Tricks of the Trade . ..... 18<br />

A Year of Firsts for the IDA<br />

Innovations . ............ 20<br />

A Year of Firsts for the IDA<br />

Dr Detail . ............... 22<br />

Safe and Clean: Outlining the<br />

necessary safety tips when using<br />

disinfectants and sanitizers.<br />

Nitty Gritty ............. 24<br />

A Thing of Beauty: Meet the team<br />

who detailed an extremely rare<br />

1947 Cisitalia Coupe.<br />

Cover Story . ............ 26<br />

The Pitfalls of Owning<br />

a Detailing Business<br />

Vol. 6, No. 3, Fall <strong>2021</strong><br />

Publisher: Jackson Vahaly<br />

Editor: Debra Gorgos<br />

Design: Katy Barrett-Alley<br />

Auto Detailing News is published 4 times per year<br />

and is independently owned by Jackson Vahaly.<br />

Web address is www.autodetailingnews.com<br />

All inquiries should be directed to:<br />

Auto Detailing News<br />

110 Childs Ln. Franklin, TN 37067<br />

jacksonv@autodetailingnews.com<br />

Copyright © <strong>2021</strong><br />

Two Dollar Media, Inc./Auto Detailing News<br />

All Rights Reserved.<br />

ONE MORE<br />

THING<br />

You’re ______ outta luck! Or… “SOL” for the kiddos. Both are words you don’t<br />

want to hear, but I have been hearing them both a lot lately.<br />

And it’s not a generational thing as I have been seeing it from all age groups. I would like to blame<br />

the pandemic and the strained workforces, but common decency and good manners should not be<br />

fair weather traits. A few weeks ago, on a hot summer day, I took my kids to Six Flags. We have those<br />

bottomless beverage cups and we were trying to fill them, along with a line of other people. The dispensers<br />

were out of drinks. I saw an employee walking by and politely asked him for help. Excuse me,<br />

these aren’t working. Is there something we should do? I was not asking him to hand deliver us drinks<br />

from the employee break room. I was not asking him jump behind the machines and fix it. A simple<br />

radio call to the appropriate person was what I was thinking I had implied. This was the response I<br />

got: “Not my job.” And… he then walked away. “They don’t care,” another mom said to me. Maybe<br />

so. But, to not care about thirsty people on a hot day says more about an employee’s character than<br />

anything else. Would they be this way if the park were fully staffed? If they were paid a lot more? Or<br />

is he just an indifferent, entitled human? Another time, I had to make an unplanned visit to the DMV<br />

because I had lost my driver’s license. I was flying out the next day and was in a panic (thankfully I<br />

do have a passport). I asked the woman at the counter what to do as I need my license to fly. “You’re<br />

SOL,” she literally said. Thanks, lady. I wasn’t expecting her to know TSA airplane rules or anything,<br />

but a little compassion would have been nice.<br />

Now, on the flipside, I recently had a medical emergency<br />

while on vacation.<br />

I needed a 24-hour pharmacy and for some reason, the<br />

entire Orlando area did not seem to have one. I started to<br />

panic. Each Google search came up empty. I called the<br />

front desk of our hotel. The woman said she didn’t know<br />

of any and would transfer me to Urgent Care, which led<br />

to a disconnected call. So, in a moment of urgency we<br />

called the Disney version of 9-1-1. Then hotel security<br />

showed up. Knowing I just needed a script and not emergency<br />

medical care (at least not yet), the EMTs and hotel security<br />

all got on their phones and started searching for pharmacies. It was a hotel employee who found<br />

an open CVS about 15 minutes away. He then arranged for a hotel driver to take me there. The night<br />

was saved. I was saved and all it took was a little compassion, time and extra care. That employee went<br />

the extra mile and it made all the difference and my family and I are forever grateful.<br />

We need more of that. I, with a cloud of embarrassment hanging over my head, took my minivan in<br />

for a detailing at Hoffman’s in Albany, NY. I was mortified at the condition of the interior. Sand, ice cream,<br />

sunscreen, mud, you name it, it was in there. I held my head in shame as I pulled up to the employee. “I<br />

am embarrassed by my minivan,” I said to him. “Not to worry,” he said. “We have seen it all, and we will<br />

make it all better.” No SOLs. Instead, it was more like “YIL” or You’re In Luck. Let’s get that trending!<br />

And one more thing before I go: I recently had the opportunity to appear on Renny Doyle’s<br />

podcast. It is episode 90. It was a lot of fun and so professionally done, I am so honored they felt me<br />

worthy of an interview. Renny’s podcasts are also on YouTube, so you can see us both talking back and<br />

forth. Please check it out if you haven’t already.<br />

That’s all for now, please enjoy this issue and I hope your day is full of “YILs.”<br />

Until next time,<br />

“We have<br />

seen it all,<br />

and we will<br />

make it all<br />

better.”<br />

VOL. 6, NO.3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong> | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 3


IDA<br />

COLUMN<br />

A Year<br />

of<br />

Firsts<br />

for the<br />

IDA<br />

We’re Doing<br />

Things a<br />

Bit Differently<br />

These Days<br />

By Erin Reyes<br />

IDA Communications Coordinator<br />

Over the past year-and-a-half, we at<br />

the International Detailing Association<br />

(IDA), like so many others, have had to<br />

find new ways to reach and engage our<br />

members due to the reduced ability to<br />

gather in person. Thankfully, due to our<br />

international nature, many of our activities<br />

were already optimized to take place<br />

virtually. However, there were still certain<br />

offerings – like events and education –<br />

that needed to be reconfigured to meet<br />

the changing needs of our members and<br />

the detailing industry. Since the beginning<br />

of the year, we have worked tirelessly<br />

to introduce new and first-of-their-kind<br />

initiatives, aimed to support not only our<br />

members and Certified Detailers, but the<br />

professional detailing industry as a whole.<br />

As in-person gatherings have slowly returned,<br />

the IDA has taken advantage of<br />

the opportunity to once again meet faceto-face,<br />

but we will also continue to devel-<br />

op programs geared toward an increasingly<br />

virtual world.<br />

• Coming Together<br />

Virtually to<br />

Recognize Industry<br />

Leaders<br />

Our signature event, the IDA Business<br />

Meeting and Awards Presentation, held<br />

each year at Mobile Tech Expo in Orlando,<br />

Florida, marks our largest annual<br />

gathering. The event has been experiencing<br />

steady growth over the past few years,<br />

garnering our largest crowd yet in 2020.<br />

So, when we received the news that Mobile<br />

Tech Expo Orlando had been cancelled<br />

earlier this year, we, of course, were understanding<br />

due to the circumstances, but<br />

disappointed that we would not be able to<br />

get together in-person and continue building<br />

that momentum. Thankfully, the IDA<br />

Tradeshow & Education Committee pivoted<br />

quickly and planned our first-ever virtual<br />

Annual Business Meeting and Awards<br />

Presentation, held on February 15, <strong>2021</strong>.<br />

This date was not chosen by accident – it<br />

coincided with our 4th annual Love Your<br />

Detailer Day. So, even though we all could<br />

not be together in-person to celebrate, it<br />

was easy to feel the love for our growing association<br />

and industry through the screen.<br />

While it was a different event format<br />

for us, we made sure that we were still<br />

able to cover all the usual bases, including<br />

providing an update on the status of<br />

the industry and the association, as well<br />

as recognizing the 2020 IDA Award winners.<br />

The award recipients were honored<br />

for their dedication to the profession and<br />

their many accomplishments throughout<br />

a challenging year. The 2020 IDA Award<br />

recipients were:<br />

• Detailer of the Year:<br />

Mike Karlen, CD (FastLane Detailing;<br />

Stanley, Wisconsin, United States)<br />

• Detail Supplier of the Year:<br />

PRO Products (John Bell; Tustin,<br />

California, United States)<br />

• Mobile Detailer of the Year:<br />

Magik Touch Detailing, LLC (Kendall<br />

Honore; Dania, Florida, United<br />

States)<br />

• Detail Shop of the Year:<br />

Classic Appreciation World Class<br />

Auto Detailing (Greg Swett;<br />

IDA Recognized Trainer Prentice St. Clair,<br />

CD-SV, RT, hosts an in-person certification event<br />

on Day 1 of the IDA Global Certification Week.<br />

(Photo Credit: Prentice St. Clair, CD-SV, RT)<br />

Rochester, Michigan, United States)<br />

• Outstanding Service Award:<br />

Rob Schruefer, CD-SV, RT (On The<br />

Spot Mobile Detailing; Annapolis<br />

Junction, Maryland, United States)<br />

During the meeting, we also inducted<br />

our sophomore class of the IDA Hall of<br />

Fame. Inductees to the Class of <strong>2021</strong> were:<br />

• Keith Duplessie, CD-SV, MC,<br />

RT (President, Duplessie Products;<br />

Portland, Oregon, United States)<br />

• Jim Goguen, CD-SV, MC (Owner,<br />

Jim's Auto Installations & Detailing<br />

Center; Ipswich, Massachusetts,<br />

United States)<br />

• Elmer Rich (Co-Founder, Simoniz;<br />

deceased)<br />

• Prentice St. Clair, CD-SV, RT<br />

(President, Detail In Progress, Inc.;<br />

San Diego, California, United States)<br />

• Greg Swett (President, Classic<br />

Appreciation World Class Auto<br />

Detailing; Rochester, Michigan,<br />

United States)<br />

Interested in being recognized by the<br />

4 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong>


IDA COLUMN<br />

IDA or know a worthy colleague that deserves<br />

to be honored? See the side box for<br />

more information on this year’s IDA Awards<br />

and IDA Hall of Fame nominations.<br />

• Investing in<br />

Detailers Working<br />

to Shape the<br />

Profession’s Future<br />

In 2020, the IDA introduced the IDA<br />

Founder’s Endowment Fund to grant<br />

funds to programs and projects that align<br />

with the goal of the Endowment Fund,<br />

which is to further detailing education and<br />

training for future detailers. Earlier this<br />

year, we had the pleasure of naming our<br />

first round of IDA Founder’s Endowment<br />

Fund recipients:<br />

• Bernardo Archibold (Monster<br />

Clean Panama; Stockbridge,<br />

Georgia, United States)<br />

• Cristen Ashley-Williams (Ramy<br />

Automotive; Dubai, United Arab<br />

Emirates)<br />

• Guðmundur Halldorsson, CD-<br />

SV (Detail Ísland; Selfoss, Iceland)<br />

• Charles Heinz (Kent Career<br />

Technical Center; Grand Rapids,<br />

Michigan, United States)<br />

• IDA Global Certification Week<br />

(IDA Certification Committee)<br />

Recipients were selected for their forward-thinking<br />

projects ranging from mobile<br />

detailing classrooms to new equipment<br />

for international training trips. If you are<br />

interested in applying for your own funds,<br />

we are now accepting applications for the<br />

next round of disbursements through October<br />

31, <strong>2021</strong>. Applicants must be current<br />

members of the IDA. Learn more at<br />

the-ida.com/Endowment_Request.<br />

• Educating<br />

Detailers Beyond<br />

the Classroom<br />

Several days after our successful virtual<br />

Business Meeting and Awards Presentation,<br />

we held the first-ever IDA Education<br />

Day. Building on our popular monthly<br />

educational <strong>web</strong>inar series, we brought together<br />

five of the industry’s most esteemed<br />

speakers, to offer a full day of free detailing<br />

education to members and non-members<br />

alike. Attendees were able to register for as<br />

many of the five sessions as they wanted,<br />

with the opportunity to also earn up to five<br />

continuing education credits toward their<br />

IDA Recertification. Since many of our<br />

members are busy in the field and typically<br />

like to take care of their continuing education<br />

at Mobile Tech Expo’s Education Day,<br />

the IDA aimed to help fill that void after the<br />

cancellation of MTE Orlando. Throughout<br />

the day, we heard from five wonderful<br />

speakers about timely and relevant topics:<br />

Jim Lafeber, CD-SV, RT (The Evolution of<br />

Polishing Science - How Coating Technology Has<br />

Inspired Advances in Polishing Technology); Keith<br />

Duplessie, CD-SV, MC, RT (Equipping Your<br />

Shop the Right Way); John Corinella, CD-<br />

SV, MC (The Wall); Dylan von Kleist (The<br />

30-Minute Paint Enhancement with Protection:<br />

Maximizing One-Step Performance. More Customers!<br />

More Profit!); and Prentice St. Clair,<br />

CD-SV, RT (Insulate Earning Capability with<br />

Additional Revenue Streams). As expected,<br />

these speakers were highly informative and<br />

engaging – despite the physical distance, it<br />

was almost as if we were there in a classroom<br />

with them. All sessions were well-attended<br />

with an average of 75+ attendees<br />

per session. Recordings of the sessions<br />

– and the opportunity to earn continuing<br />

education credits for those who did not attend<br />

the live sessions – are available for free<br />

to members on the IDA <strong>web</strong>site.<br />

• Elevating the<br />

Profession<br />

Around the World<br />

After more than a year of not being<br />

able to meet in person and, thus, a hia-<br />

VOL. 6, NO.3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong> | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 5


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IDA COLUMN<br />

tus on IDA Certification Phase II – Skills<br />

Validated (SV) testing (which, at this time,<br />

can only be held in person), we were excited<br />

when many pandemic-era restrictions<br />

were finally lifted this spring. Many detailers<br />

who had earned their Certified Detailer<br />

designation – either before or during<br />

the pandemic – had been eagerly awaiting<br />

the opportunity to take the next step and<br />

earn their Skills Validated certification. So,<br />

as soon as it was deemed relatively safe to<br />

begin meeting in person again, the IDA<br />

planned a major event to do so. In June,<br />

we held the first IDA Global Certification<br />

week, which ran from Thursday, June 17<br />

- Saturday, June 26. The event was organized<br />

by the IDA Certification Committee,<br />

with financial support from the IDA<br />

Founder’s Club as one of the Founder’s<br />

Endowment Fund recipients. The series<br />

of events focused primarily on Phase II<br />

– Skills Validated (SV) testing, although<br />

some locations included Phase I – Certified<br />

Detailer (CD) exams as well. Over ten<br />

days, certification events were held around<br />

the world in 18 different locations — including<br />

four outside the U.S. — by 21 total<br />

IDA Recognized Trainers. Detailers traveled<br />

to nearby cities, states, and countries<br />

to take part. All participants were required<br />

to follow local health and safety guidelines.<br />

We are excited to report that every registrant<br />

who attempted the exams passed,<br />

and we welcomed more than 30 new Skills<br />

Validated detailers throughout the event!<br />

The IDA would like to extend a special<br />

thanks to all the IDA Recognized Trainers<br />

and Skills Validated exam assistants who<br />

helped make this event possible.<br />

• Embracing the<br />

Return of<br />

In-Person Events<br />

In early June, the IDA attended its first<br />

in-person industry tradeshow of <strong>2021</strong><br />

(and our first in over a year) – the Southern<br />

Detailers Conference (SDC), in Lexington,<br />

Kentucky (June 5-6). The event was<br />

well-attended, and everyone was so excited<br />

to get together in-person once again.<br />

Our exhibit booth was busy from before<br />

opening to well after closing. It was an<br />

amazing opportunity to connect with our<br />

members, our industry, and to welcome almost<br />

20 new members over the course of<br />

the weekend. The Meet and Greet, which<br />

took place the night before the tradeshow<br />

kicked off, was highly attended. Seeing everyone<br />

reconnect after more than a year<br />

apart was both moving and inspirational.<br />

The conference featured a heavy education<br />

schedule, and the IDA hosted a complete<br />

Certification Event – Phase I & II<br />

(CD-SV), plus our first in-person Marine<br />

Certification event since introducing the<br />

specialty certification last September.<br />

The IDA was also represented at the<br />

Southwest Car Wash Association Convention<br />

and Expo in Fort Worth, Texas<br />

(June 9-11). Prentice St. Clair, CD-SV, RT,<br />

manned the IDA booth and offered several<br />

educational sessions throughout the event.<br />

Prentice was also joined by Keith Duplessie,<br />

CD-SV, MC, RT, and Marshall Hill for two<br />

more sessions on the convention’s final day.<br />

At the time of this writing, the IDA is<br />

also planning to have a presence at MTE<br />

Las Vegas (August 26-28) with an exhibit<br />

booth and a Certification Event – Phase I<br />

(CD). If you are planning to attend, make<br />

sure to stop by our booth and say hello!<br />

We also hope to see you later this year at<br />

The SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada<br />

(November 2-5).<br />

• Connecting<br />

the Detailing<br />

Community Virtually<br />

Although we have gradually begun<br />

meeting again in person, we understand<br />

that many are still uncomfortable or unable<br />

to do so, so the IDA has come up with<br />

ways for our members to connect without<br />

having to gather physically. Just this summer,<br />

we introduced a series of regional<br />

Meet and Greets that were held online<br />

through Zoom. These events were hosted<br />

by IDA Recognized Trainers, and members<br />

and non-members alike were able<br />

to connect with each other in small local<br />

groups just like they would if they could<br />

gather in person. They discussed challenges<br />

they have been facing in their market,<br />

how their businesses are coping, how to<br />

best take advantage of support from the<br />

IDA, and much more. Although we hope<br />

to resume regularly hosting in-person<br />

Meet and Greets at some point, we are<br />

thankful for the technology that has allowed<br />

us to connect as a community even<br />

when we cannot physically get together.<br />

These events are also a convenient option<br />

for those who want to connect with fellow<br />

detailing professionals but do not have the<br />

time or means to travel or step away from<br />

their businesses, because they can hop on<br />

a call if they have a moment and hop off<br />

easily when they need to. To date, we have<br />

held five regional virtual events across the<br />

U.S. with plans for more throughout the<br />

year. Eventually we hope to expand these<br />

regional Meet and Greets internationally,<br />

starting with the locations where we already<br />

have a presence in the form of an<br />

established chapter. Keep an eye on our<br />

<strong>web</strong>site calendar for an upcoming event in<br />

your area (either in-person or virtual).<br />

• Offering New<br />

Resources to Support<br />

IDA Members<br />

Of course, one of the most important<br />

things we can do as an association is<br />

to continue innovating resources for our<br />

members. Since the beginning of the year,<br />

we have introduced a myriad of resources<br />

to make operating a detailing business<br />

easier for our members. One such offering<br />

is a new resource page where members<br />

can download sample business forms and<br />

templates from fellow members. Current<br />

resource examples include a business plan,<br />

inventory tracking, a vehicle intake form,<br />

a marketing plan, and much more. Members<br />

can take advantage of the opportunity<br />

to learn from their peers who have<br />

worked hard to build these resources and<br />

employed them successfully in their own<br />

businesses. Members who have resources<br />

they would like to share can submit them<br />

via email to info@the-ida.com.<br />

Recently, we also started a new social<br />

media initiative called #ThursdayTheme,<br />

where we post a new topic each week and<br />

encourage members and detailers to discuss<br />

the topic at hand. This helps detailers<br />

talk about challenges, solutions, and more<br />

when they are still unable to gather in person.<br />

Some themes that we have posted so<br />

far include business development, location,<br />

customer satisfaction, and marketing.<br />

Want to join the conversation? Jump<br />

The IDA Seeks<br />

Nominees for<br />

the IDA Awards<br />

Program and the<br />

IDA Hall of Fame<br />

The detailing profession<br />

is increasingly visible, and the<br />

industry is continuing to develop<br />

and grow every year. Recognition is<br />

a vital part of this continued growth,<br />

from both outside the industry and<br />

from within. By acknowledging the<br />

strides made in this industry and<br />

recognizing the people who have<br />

pushed us further, who set the<br />

bar high, we encourage everyone<br />

working in the profession to raise<br />

it even higher every day. Through<br />

leadership, education, ideas<br />

and inventions, advocacy, and<br />

education, we all benefit from the<br />

hard work of our industry leaders,<br />

mentors, and pacesetters. The IDA<br />

recognizes those true stars and<br />

role models of the industry through<br />

the Hall of Fame and our annual<br />

IDA Awards Program. The IDA Hall<br />

of Fame is seeking nominations<br />

now for the Class of 2022; submit<br />

your nomination to recognize the<br />

detailing industry’s legends by<br />

September 30, <strong>2021</strong>. The IDA<br />

Awards Program will open for<br />

nominations on September 1, <strong>2021</strong>.<br />

Categories include Outstanding<br />

Service, Supplier of the Year,<br />

Detailer of the Year, Mobile Detailer<br />

of the Year, and Shop of the Year;<br />

the deadline for submission is<br />

October 31, <strong>2021</strong>.<br />

IDA Hall of Fame: the-ida.com/<br />

HallofFame (Accepting nominations<br />

now – September 30,<br />

<strong>2021</strong>)<br />

IDA Awards: the-ida.com/<br />

IDA_Awards (Accepting nominations<br />

September 1 – October<br />

31, <strong>2021</strong>)<br />

in over on our members-only Facebook<br />

Group or our Facebook page at facebook.<br />

com/internationaldetailingassociation.<br />

We have also launched IDA Specialty<br />

Forums via our <strong>web</strong>site. These are dedicated<br />

spaces for members to come together to<br />

discuss their specialty interests – whether<br />

fixed location, mobile operations, marine,<br />

or motorcycle – with likeminded individuals.<br />

We know these will be a valuable resource<br />

as we work to develop new specialty<br />

certifications, and we hope to add more<br />

unique forums later this year.<br />

No matter what else may change in the<br />

world, the IDA, as always, remains dedi-<br />

8 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong>


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EVENTS<br />

CALENDAR<br />

<strong>2021</strong><br />

INDUSTRY<br />

NEWS<br />

SEPT 27-29<br />

AMERICAN<br />

CAR WASH<br />

EXPO<br />

Georgia World<br />

Congress Center<br />

Atlanta, Georgia<br />

OCT 4-6<br />

NORTHEAST<br />

REGIONAL<br />

CARWASH<br />

CONVENTION<br />

Atlantic City<br />

Convention Center<br />

Atlantic City, New Jersey<br />

OCT 18-19<br />

HEARTLAND<br />

CARWASH<br />

ASSOCIATION:<br />

<strong>2021</strong> PRODUCT<br />

& EQUIPMENT<br />

SHOW<br />

The Prairie Meadows Events<br />

and Conference Center<br />

Altoona, Iowa<br />

NOV 2-5<br />

<strong>2021</strong> SEMA<br />

SHOW<br />

Las Vegas<br />

Convention Center<br />

Las Vegas, Nevada<br />

MAY 9-11, 2022<br />

THE CAR WASH<br />

SHOW 2022<br />

Music City Center<br />

Nashville, Tennessee<br />

Air Force One Detailing<br />

Team returns to Seattle<br />

After two years, and thanks to a very<br />

generous benefactor, master automotive<br />

and aircraft detailer Renny Doyle of Detailing<br />

Success returned to Seattle’s Museum<br />

of Flight with a smaller but more<br />

streamlined Air Force One Detailing<br />

Team to continue the preservation of the<br />

first presidential jet Air Force One. The<br />

work took place from July 11-18, and it<br />

was the 18th year Doyle lead a team to<br />

Seattle. Also on the agenda was the detailing<br />

of the equally historic WWII B-29<br />

Super Fortress Bomber.<br />

While the team was less than half the<br />

size of teams in recent years, this year’s<br />

slimmed down team of 20 consisted of<br />

the most experienced and proven members<br />

of the team who could make the<br />

last-minute commitment.<br />

The famed detailers tackled two of<br />

the more than 15 historic aircraft they<br />

have been restoring and preserving over<br />

the past decade; however, Doyle said<br />

he is grateful for the opportunity to be<br />

working on the two celebrated airplanes<br />

after having to skip last year due to the<br />

coronavirus pandemic.<br />

“In the early days of restoring Air<br />

Force One, we had a very small but elite<br />

team of detailers that only came every<br />

couple of years to clean it,” said Doyle in<br />

a press release. “The plane was still out on<br />

the tarmac and in that two-year<br />

period, it was almost like having<br />

to start all over every year.<br />

“In the past few years, we<br />

have increased the team to<br />

about 50 so we can take on several<br />

other planes as well. However,<br />

we are honored to be able<br />

to do the project this year, even if on a<br />

smaller scale.”<br />

Today the plane is on display inside<br />

the open-air Aviation Pavilion, but it is<br />

still exposed to moisture and Seattle’s<br />

cold winter weather conditions. Doyle<br />

said every year when they come to work<br />

on it, the paint has begun to show signs<br />

of weathering and the brightwork has<br />

begun to dull, even though they use a<br />

1-year protective coating to tie it over<br />

until the next year.<br />

“It has been two years since we laid<br />

hands on the plane and the coating will<br />

have worn off by now. We are almost certain<br />

to see some weathering of the paint<br />

and oxidizing of the aluminum,” he said.<br />

This goes double for the B-29 Bomber<br />

with its 100 percent aluminum fuselage.<br />

Doyle chooses his team members<br />

carefully every spring from detailers he<br />

has certified over the years. Many of<br />

them are senior members of the team<br />

that go back to the original restoration<br />

project in 2003, while he tries to also<br />

bring in rookies every year who show<br />

promise in the meticulous art of paint<br />

correction and polishing one-stage paint<br />

and brightwork.<br />

All Air Force One Team members are<br />

successful detailing business owners who<br />

pay their own way to Seattle and donate<br />

their time and skills to the project, as<br />

they consider it their patriotic duty.<br />

“I cannot understate the importance<br />

of the highly professional-grade products<br />

and equipment we use on the two<br />

planes, some for which we have developed<br />

specifically for the needs of this<br />

project,” said Doyle in the press release.<br />

“We could not properly do this project,<br />

nor could we properly maintain the<br />

plane in the excellent condition we do<br />

without product support from our gold<br />

sponsor, P&S Detail Products; and from<br />

our silver sponsors Flex, Buff and Shine<br />

Mfg.; IK Sprayers; the Rag Company;<br />

RoadFS by Zenware; Grit Guard; Ragg-<br />

Topp; and Dynabrade.<br />

10 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong>


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INDUSTRY NEWS<br />

Detail Mafia & Partners head to Monterey to prep<br />

multi-million dollar dxotics<br />

A hand-selected group of experienced automotive<br />

detailers from around the country descended<br />

on the Monterey Jet Center to prepare<br />

millions of dollars’ worth of vehicles for display<br />

at the 30th annual Gordon McCall Motorsports<br />

Revival and The Quail Motorsports<br />

Gathering, both of which took place during<br />

the week-long Monterey Car Week from August<br />

6-15, <strong>2021</strong>.<br />

The detail team included representatives and<br />

brand ambassadors from P&S Detailing Products,<br />

the official detail supplier for the events, as well as<br />

representatives from the ultra-exclusive Detail Mafia.<br />

“This is the seventh time we have been invited<br />

to be the Official Detail Team at these events<br />

and our crew is super-excited to be able to clean<br />

and protect the amazing assemblage of collector<br />

vehicles and super-cars that will be on display,”<br />

said Bob Phillips, President of P&S, in a press<br />

release prior to the event.<br />

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12 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong>


INDUSTRY NEWS<br />

Is THIS the world’s<br />

dirtiest Tesla?<br />

Yikes! Just because you’re green and rich, doesn’t mean<br />

you’re not a slob. This filthy Tesla Model X was brought<br />

into Stauffer Garage, which also is home to the popular<br />

YouTube channel of the same name. Detailer James<br />

Stauffer of Columbus, Ohio, was tasked with cleaning up<br />

the interior. It was so dirty, the<br />

YouTube video was 31 minutes long.<br />

Here is Stauffer’s description of the video: Here is<br />

Stauffer’s description of the video: [This Tesla] is extremely<br />

dirty for a car of this level and by far the dirtiest on Youtube.<br />

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VOL. 6, NO.3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong> | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 13


INDUSTRY NEWS<br />

NCS partners with Carolina Pride<br />

National Carwash Solutions (NCS), a<br />

provider of end-to-end car wash solutions,<br />

proudly announced its strategic partnership<br />

with Carolina Pride Carwash Systems<br />

& Solutions, creating the largest direct installation<br />

and service company in North<br />

America, powered by NCS.<br />

According to a June 29 press release,<br />

Michael Gillen, CEO of NCS stated, “We<br />

are very excited to partner with Carolina<br />

Pride, a leading distributor of car wash<br />

systems, services and cleaning solutions,<br />

“Carolina Pride has an impressive story<br />

and reputation. Under the leadership of<br />

Dale Reynolds, Carolina Pride has become<br />

a premier distributor and serves a nationwide<br />

customer base via a top-tier line of<br />

proprietary equipment products. We are<br />

thrilled to welcome Dale and his team to<br />

the NCS family.”<br />

Carolina Pride, based in Timberlake,<br />

North Carolina, is a leading supplier of<br />

In-Bay and Tunnel car wash systems,<br />

self-service equipment and maintenance<br />

and installation services in North and<br />

South Carolina, the press release stated.<br />

Carolina Pride is also a leading manufacturer<br />

of Self-Serve Car Wash Systems<br />

and Tunnel Support equipment including<br />

water treatment, motor controls and<br />

chemical injection systems with distribution<br />

across North America.<br />

“Carolina Pride is excited to be partnering<br />

with National Carwash Solutions.<br />

NCS is a car wash industry leader with<br />

world class brands including MacNeil,<br />

Ryko, TSS, Vacutech, CleanTouch, and<br />

Lustra,” Dale Reynolds, President and second-generation<br />

owner of Carolina Pride,<br />

stated in the press release. “We are proud<br />

to add our name and line of Industrial<br />

Grade Wash Systems to the NCS brand.<br />

These include Performa, EXPRESS,<br />

OPTIMAX, and Tunnel Solutions. We<br />

see this partnership as an opportunity to<br />

continue to grow our business; better serve<br />

our customers and the car wash industry<br />

through expanded distribution channels<br />

within NCS’s network.”<br />

NCS has also partnered with some of<br />

the very best car wash distributors in North<br />

America, including Hi-Performance Wash<br />

Systems, Auto-Clean, Arizona Car Wash<br />

Systems, Complete Car Wash, NuLook,<br />

Badger Land, and Carwash Solutions, Car<br />

Wash Service of Arizona, Big Man Washes<br />

and West Coast Car Wash Concepts, the<br />

press release stated.<br />

Small business<br />

‘optimism’ at<br />

an eight-month<br />

high, says study<br />

A July 13 Bloomberg report stated<br />

that sentiment among U.S. small-business<br />

owners rose to an eight-month<br />

high in June. The story stated the National<br />

Federation of Independent Business<br />

(NFIB) optimism index increased<br />

2.9 points to 102.5. “A record 39% of<br />

owners, up from 34% the prior month,<br />

reported they raised compensation as<br />

firms struggled to fill open positions.<br />

Some 46% said they were unable to fill<br />

vacancies -- more than twice the historical<br />

average of 22%, the NFIB said.”<br />

“Optimism is rising as the economy<br />

opens up, yet a record number of employers<br />

continue to report that there are<br />

few or no qualified applicants for open<br />

positions,” Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB chief<br />

economist, said in a statement.<br />

The number of owners who reported<br />

higher average selling prices rose by<br />

7 percentage points to 47%, the largest<br />

share since January 1981, the story said.<br />

The increases were more frequent in the<br />

wholesale, retail and manufacturing industries.<br />

About 44% of those surveyed<br />

plan to raise prices in coming months.<br />

Quality of labor is still the top concern<br />

amongst business owners, but<br />

those surveyed seem to agree that it is<br />

due to inflation.<br />

SBA Administrator issues statement on closure of PPP<br />

A June 1 press release from the Small<br />

Business Administration included the following<br />

statement from Administrator Isabella<br />

Casillas Guzman: “The Paycheck Protection<br />

Program provided over 8.5 million small<br />

businesses and nonprofits the lifeline they needed to<br />

survive during a once-in-generation economic crisis.<br />

I’ve heard story after story from small business owners<br />

across the country about how PPP funds helped<br />

them keep the lights on, pay their employees -- and<br />

gave them hope,” said SBA Administrator Isabella<br />

Casillas Guzman. “At the same time, millions of<br />

underserved businesses – particularly our smallest<br />

businesses and those owned by women and people<br />

of color – were left out of early rounds of relief. I’m<br />

proud of the work we did to begin to rectify these<br />

inequities -- in <strong>2021</strong>, 96% of PPP loans went<br />

to small businesses with fewer than 20 employees.<br />

According to a July 8 MLive.com<br />

report, VisionQuest Companies of Holland,<br />

Michigan, plans to begin construction<br />

on its $30 million headquarters.<br />

VisionQuest, which owns car wash<br />

companies and manufactures car wash<br />

equipment, stated that the new building<br />

is expected to be complete by fall 2022.<br />

It includes 75,000 square feet of office<br />

space and a 200,000 square foot warehouse.<br />

It’s being built by EV Construction,<br />

the story said.<br />

“Given the recent growth of our operations,<br />

we see an expanded headquarters as<br />

Moving forward, we will continue to prioritize equity<br />

in all SBA’s programs and services.”<br />

PPP, the press release also stated, is<br />

among the first COVID-19 economic<br />

disaster relief programs to provide emergency<br />

funds to small businesses affected<br />

by the pandemic, and has played a<br />

historic role in America’s recovery. The<br />

Biden-Harris Administration has pushed<br />

an effective and equitable implementation<br />

of this program, with a focus on ensuring<br />

small businesses receive the backing they<br />

need to stay afloat and continue to employ<br />

millions of Americans. The program<br />

has supported the smallest of small businesses<br />

with 32 percent of the loans going<br />

to Low-and-Moderate Income (LMI)<br />

communities. Additionally, Community<br />

Financial Institutions (CFIs) played a<br />

pivotal role in <strong>2021</strong> PPP lending to underserved<br />

communities during this period,<br />

providing 1.5 million loans totaling<br />

$30 billion. PPP loans in <strong>2021</strong> averaged<br />

$42,000, another indicator of targeted relief<br />

to the smallest small businesses.<br />

The PPP is only one of eight disaster<br />

relief programs established by Congress<br />

to assist small businesses during the<br />

COVID-19 pandemic. Other programs<br />

include Economic Injury Disaster Loan<br />

(EIDL), EIDL Advance, Targeted EIDL<br />

Advance, Supplemental EIDL Advance,<br />

Restaurant Revitalization Fund, Shuttered<br />

Venue Operators Grant, and SBA Debt<br />

Relief program. To learn more about these<br />

programs, please visit www.sba.gov/relief.<br />

VisionQuest plans $30M headquarters in Michigan<br />

a continued commitment to our valuable<br />

team members,” Ryan Essenburg, president<br />

of VisionQuest, said in a statement.<br />

“We also anticipate an upgraded space as<br />

a means to broaden our impact, and we<br />

thank and appreciate EV Construction for<br />

their role in helping us reach this goal.”<br />

VisionQuest is the parent company<br />

of Tommy Car Wash Systems, Tommy’s<br />

Express and Quality Car Wash, according<br />

to a news release. Tommy’s Express,<br />

which started in 1969 and has 250 employees,<br />

has 68 franchise locations open,<br />

and another 220 under development, according<br />

to a statement.<br />

Plans for the headquarters include<br />

two floors of office space, a warehouse<br />

and logistics center, as well as room for<br />

events and “employee collaboration with<br />

vendors and customers,” the company<br />

stated in a press release.<br />

“The design of the building is intended<br />

to show our franchise partners and<br />

employees that they are the center of our<br />

business,” Alex Lemmen, CEO of Vision-<br />

Quest, stated in the press release. “The<br />

space is all about supporting them as they<br />

deliver a world-class car wash experience.”<br />

14 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong>


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INDUSTRY NEWS<br />

Sonny’s announces new acquisitions, key organization changes<br />

On June 2, Sonny’s, of Tamarac,<br />

Florida, announced the acquisition of<br />

three California-based companies, including<br />

AutoVac Industrial of San Diego,<br />

FASTECH of Buena Park, and<br />

MC GROUP (McGuinness Vehicle<br />

Wash Systems) of Burbank, as well as<br />

PECO Car Wash Systems, a family-owned<br />

manufacturer of professional<br />

car washing systems based in Auburn<br />

Hills, Michigan.<br />

“AutoVac brings decades of experience<br />

and distinct capabilities in vacuum<br />

technology and manufacturing,”<br />

said Kati Pierce, President of Sonny’s.<br />

“Having this opportunity to welcome<br />

AutoVac to Sonny’s contributes to our<br />

commitment to offer car wash owners<br />

the best solutions in the industry.”<br />

Established in 1989, AutoVac has<br />

grown into a world-class manufacturer.<br />

AutoVac manufactures nearly all<br />

its own components giving the company<br />

the freedom to explore, develop and<br />

produce new technologies at a remarkable<br />

speed. Boeing, Toyota, Honeywell,<br />

Xerox, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Gulfstream,<br />

International Game Technology,<br />

and Penske are just a few of the companies<br />

who rely on AutoVac’s expertise<br />

and commitment to quality.<br />

“Sonny’s continues to grow as a leader,<br />

delivering exceptional customer service<br />

and reliably providing the carwash<br />

industry with the best-of-the-best products,”<br />

Steve Tucker, President of Auto-<br />

Vac, stated in the press release. “Our<br />

team is excited to join this unparalleled<br />

team and we look forward to having<br />

Sonny’s strength behind us to deliver<br />

innovation to carwash owners and operators<br />

nationwide.”<br />

In addition, Sonny’s announced the<br />

acquisition of two distributors, FAS-<br />

TECH’s Carwash Division and MC<br />

GROUP.<br />

“Both Fastech and MC Group are<br />

established, talented teams with deep industry<br />

knowledge. I believe adding these<br />

distributors to the Sonny’s CarWash<br />

Services West team will add significant<br />

value to our California customers,” said<br />

Mike Beuchat, GM of Sonny’s Car-<br />

Wash Services West, in a press release.<br />

The acquisition of PECO Car Wash<br />

Systems was announced back on May<br />

4 in a press release. PECO, with over<br />

50 years of experience, will continue to<br />

base its management and staff at the factory<br />

in Auburn Hills, Michigan.<br />

“Over the years, we’ve been approached<br />

by other companies, but we<br />

never felt it to be the right fit. Like us,<br />

Sonny’s is a second-generation car wash<br />

family with client relationships that date<br />

back for decades.” said JR Rietsch, President<br />

of PECO, stated in the press release.<br />

“By joining Sonny’s we now have<br />

a full offering in house to make our clients<br />

even more successful.”<br />

“I have a great respect for PECO’s<br />

team, product and culture. PECO’s<br />

history in the industry, service-oriented<br />

background and customer focused<br />

approach matches well with Sonny’s,”<br />

Fazio, CEO of Sonny’s, stated in the<br />

press release. "The combination of our<br />

equipment lines offers tremendous benefit<br />

to our global network of thousands<br />

of car wash professionals.”<br />

PECO’s management and staff will<br />

remain in place with the factory in Auburn<br />

Hills, Michigan.<br />

And, in a June 1 press release, Sonny’s<br />

announced an organizational change to<br />

strengthen how it serves clients and to<br />

support the accelerated pace of growth.<br />

16 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong>


INDUSTRY NEWS<br />

• Kati Pierce has been promoted<br />

to President and will continue<br />

to report to Paul Fazio, CEO. As<br />

President, Kati will oversee the<br />

day-to-day operations of Sonny’s<br />

Holdings. Pierce most recently<br />

served as Sonny’s Senior Vice<br />

President of Sales and Marketing;<br />

and has more than 25 years’<br />

experience in the car wash<br />

industry as an owner, operator and<br />

distributor.<br />

• Paul Fazio will remain in the<br />

position of Chief Executive Officer.<br />

As CEO, Paul will continue to focus<br />

on strategic initiatives, mergers<br />

and acquisitions, and the growth of<br />

Sonny’s Holdings.<br />

“Internally, we all know Kati has<br />

been running Sonny’s day-to-day operations<br />

for the last year. This announcement<br />

gives Kati the title to match what<br />

she has been doing,” Fazio stated in the<br />

press release. “She has a clear view of<br />

what Sonny’s is and can be, and a persistent<br />

focus on the customer. During the<br />

past 7 years, under Kati’s Sales and Marketing<br />

leadership, we’ve made meaningful<br />

progress. She’s been an integral part<br />

of growing and strengthening our company<br />

and she’s brought greater focus and<br />

accountability to each of our solutions.”<br />

Fazio also commented that this<br />

change creates the structure for Sonny’s<br />

today and long term, according to the<br />

press release. “Each acquisition restates<br />

our commitment to providing solutions<br />

that help our customers run successful<br />

car wash businesses. By creating the President<br />

position with Kati in the role, we<br />

support our continuous effort to ‘Make<br />

CarWashing Easy’ and we build on the<br />

existing strength of Sonny’s,” said Fazio.<br />

Calgary Car Detailing gets fancy<br />

new detailing bays<br />

Calgary Car Detailing, of Alberty,<br />

Canada, recently added new high-end<br />

detailing bays to their infrastructure,<br />

according to an August 10 press release.<br />

The detailing bays now have<br />

state-of-the-art LED lighting systems,<br />

offering more than 100,000 lumens<br />

per bay, as well as built-in commercial-grade<br />

carpet shampooers and<br />

‘Dupray’ steam cleaning systems.<br />

The ‘Dupray’ steam cleaners are<br />

highly effective for disinfecting and<br />

sanitizing a vast variety of surfaces.<br />

Calgary Car Detailing offers a temperature-controlled<br />

facility that allows<br />

the detailers to complete a ceramic<br />

coating procedure under a certain<br />

temperature setting as recommended<br />

by the manufacturer. The business<br />

has also added a “luxurious customer<br />

waiting lounge which allows customers<br />

to enjoy access to free high-speed<br />

Wi-Fi, Netflix and complimentary<br />

drinks,” the press release stated. So,<br />

while your car gets detailed by industry-leading<br />

professionals, you can relax<br />

on the couch, Netflix and chill!<br />

They also incorporate graphene<br />

ceramic coatings, SiO2 coatings as<br />

well as highly durable, long lasting 9h<br />

ceramic coatings and the company’s<br />

Ceramic Pro method is recognized by<br />

SGS.<br />

VOL. 6, NO.3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong> | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 17


ARTICLES<br />

REPRINTED<br />

ON PLAQUES!<br />

SELF<br />

SERVE<br />

SNAPSHOT<br />

SHOT<br />

GETTING TO KNOW<br />

TUCSON SELF WASH<br />

THE<br />

PANNO<br />

FAMILY<br />

TRICKS<br />

OF THE TRADE<br />

Please Note: Some posts feature<br />

minor edits for readability. Also<br />

note that opinions and statements<br />

made here are by each forum user<br />

and do not necessarily reflect the<br />

viewpoints of Auto Detailing News.<br />

Presenting some of the best detailing discussions from<br />

The Car Wash Forum (formerly known as autocareforum.com).<br />

Please Note: Some posts feature minor edits for readability.)<br />

Please note, opinions and statements made here are by each forum user<br />

and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Auto Detailing News.<br />

Early bird gets the germs...<br />

VISIT AUTODETAILINGNEWS.COM<br />

Our detail shop sanitizes the car with ozone and steam<br />

in the detail process. Is everyone else doing this? We have<br />

increased prices to reflect the added service. - Waxman<br />

No, we do not offer this service with our full service washes.<br />

We are an express but have a full service option. The only<br />

sanitizing we have implemented is a bottle of hand sanitizer<br />

on the complementary towel/glass cleaner/fragrance carts<br />

and we wipe down the vacuum nozzle every so often.<br />

- jasonHTCW<br />

I think you are missing out on an opportunity to provide a<br />

more thorough service, while making extra money giving the<br />

customer what they want. - Waxman<br />

Full steam ahead!<br />

At our detailing center, we used to use extractors, brushes,<br />

and a dual headed polisher attached with carpet brushes<br />

to remove stains. The outcome was generally positive with<br />

most -- if not all -- stains getting removed, but we ended up<br />

with soaking wet carpets from the amount of "steam" the<br />

extractors spray. I should really say hot water. However, we<br />

switched over to using an actual steam generator and use it<br />

for all of our stains and even leather (to remove that nasty<br />

grime) and it has done wonders! There is significantly less<br />

moisture after the cleaning and it lifts up dirt and grime even<br />

from other surfaces that only need to be wiped down without<br />

any chemicals. Are there other believers out there? - DPX22<br />

Yes. I have a Mytee steamer I really love… - Waxman<br />

When I had my detail shop we loved the steam machine. A<br />

big bonus is that you can disinfect the steering wheel which<br />

tests have shown has more germs than a toilet seat. - Soapy<br />

So I average around 270 on weekdays and 360 on Saturdays<br />

and maybe around 200 on Sundays with full service around<br />

10% of the business. Let me see what this looks like with the<br />

additional service. Are you charging an additional fee or is<br />

this included in a particular package? What type of equipment<br />

are you using? - JasonHTCW<br />

We raised detailing prices by $30 to sanitize every car. We<br />

use a Rainbowair Ozone machine and a Mytee steamer.<br />

- Waxman<br />

From what I have determined from my research is that you<br />

might also need to use a bacteria-killing chemical, similiar<br />

to what is used in resturants in their kitchens to wipe hard<br />

surfaces down and spray on the carpets and fabric upholsteries<br />

and headliners. - Buda<br />

I love watching an extractor with a clear head pull gunk out<br />

of an interior. I know I have been seeing lower moisture<br />

options for the extractors like Mytee's dry tool. Anyone have<br />

experience with them? - Greg Pack<br />

I actually used to work the interior of my cars by myself, as<br />

I really love them and I do not really trust anyone to touch<br />

them. However, since I do not have that much time even<br />

during the weekends, I am actually sending the cars to the<br />

local detailing center, so they would do it all. I must say that<br />

the steamer was probably the thing that I liked the most, and<br />

just like someone said above, I started to use it even more<br />

during the pandemic as a disinfect with almost anything<br />

inside the car. The guys from https://www.newportnewsmobiledetailing.com/<br />

are actually doing a really great job, they<br />

are the only ones I actually trust with my cars (for a couple<br />

of hours, not more). - Ireul<br />

18 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong>


INNOVATIONS<br />

Introducing new & improved products for professional auto, boat & motorcycle detailers.<br />

Citrus Degreaser<br />

Malco® Products, Inc. recently introduced Prizm Gold<br />

Citrus Degreaser to the Malco Automotive line of professional<br />

detailing products. This versatile d limonene based cleaning<br />

agent removes dirt, grease, and grime from hard and soft surfaces<br />

and is aluminum safe.<br />

“The Prizm Gold Citrus Degreaser lifts & dissolves soils<br />

while providing the clean rinse and film free finish our customer<br />

requires,” said Jason Yard, Malco Marketing Manager.<br />

“Because Prizm Gold is a concentrate, it can be diluted<br />

to the appropriate ratio for multiple applications making<br />

it a cost-effective and versatile option for customers.”<br />

Prizm Gold Citrus Degreaser is a biodegradable,<br />

non-caustic, d-limonene based degreaser concentrate that<br />

can be diluted between 1:1 and 1:15 depending on the application<br />

surface. It is ideal for removing light to medium<br />

soils on vehicle exteriors, tires, and wheels or completing<br />

general purpose cleaning of interior vinyl, plastic, carpet,<br />

and upholstery. The product is available in 1-gallon, 5-gallon,<br />

and 55-gallon sizes from Malco distributors or 1-gallon<br />

size online at MalcoAutomotive.com.<br />

Contactless<br />

Payment<br />

System<br />

CryptoPay has released a new<br />

contactless reader called Crypto-<br />

Tap. CryptoTap allows you to use<br />

contactless credit and debit cards.<br />

CryptoTap also works with mobile<br />

payments including Samsung Pay,<br />

Apple Pay, Google Pay, and others.<br />

CryptoTap works with an existing<br />

CryptoPay System. A customer<br />

that already has a CryptoPay Coordinator<br />

and Swiper can add the<br />

CryptoTap Wireless plug and play<br />

device to their existing system. Mount<br />

the CryptoTap next to a CryptoPay<br />

swiper, connect two wires for 24-volt<br />

power, and pair it to the swiper on the<br />

MyCryptoPay portal.<br />

CryptoTap provides a clean no<br />

touch interface. Customers, car wash<br />

owners, and attendants are not handling<br />

cash, or quarters. CryptoTap is<br />

not dependent on cash, quarters, or<br />

tokens.<br />

Dry disinfectant wipes<br />

EarthSafe, an authority on healthier disinfection<br />

offering safer chemistries and advanced electrostatic<br />

sprayer technologies, has further enhanced its end-toend<br />

infection prevention solution with the addition of<br />

the EvaClean Dry Wipes System.<br />

Powered by PUR•ONE, a broad-spectrum chemistry<br />

that works for everything from daily cleaning to<br />

floor disinfection, EvaClean disposable environmental<br />

surface wipes eliminate the potential for cross-contamination.<br />

In addition, many facilities use quaternary<br />

ammonium chloride (Quats.) When applied with cotton<br />

or microfiber cloths that contain natural fiber textiles,<br />

"Quat binding" occurs and the cleaning solution<br />

adheres to the cloth, rather than the surface.<br />

The EvaClean Dry Wipes System is designed for use<br />

with PUR•ONE cleaner and disinfectant. This United<br />

States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) registered<br />

product has over 50 kill claims,<br />

including Clostridiodes difficille<br />

(C. diff), MRSA and, of<br />

course, emerging pathogens<br />

like Covid-19. PUR•ONE<br />

was also the first chemical<br />

with a registered kill<br />

claim against bacteria<br />

present in biofilm, a dangerous<br />

concern, particularly<br />

in healthcare settings.<br />

In keeping with its reputation<br />

for healthier approaches<br />

to disinfection, EarthSafe only<br />

uses NaDCC-based chemistries in<br />

the EvaClean system, which create hypochlorous<br />

acid (HOCl) when mixed with tap water, are<br />

pH neutral and safer for surfaces as well as<br />

for housekeeping personnel. Moreover,<br />

PUR•ONE is biodegradable and<br />

eco-friendly.<br />

PUR•ONE comes in sporicidal<br />

tablet form which not only<br />

provides more accurate dilution<br />

but, the compact packaging uses<br />

less plastic and takes less fuel to<br />

transport, which lowers shipping<br />

costs nearly 90 percent. It also<br />

requires less storage space and remains<br />

shelf stable for three years in<br />

closed containers. The new EvaClean<br />

wipes are available in bucket starter kits, and<br />

the buckets can be reused with dry wipes refill packs,<br />

thus reducing waste.<br />

20 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong>


DETAIL<br />

DOCTOR<br />

Safe & Clean<br />

Outlining the necessary<br />

safety tips when using<br />

disinfectants and sanitizers<br />

Bud Abraham is Founder and President Emeritus of DETAIL PLUS Car Appearance Systems, with more than 40 years of experience in<br />

the car care industry as a manufacturer, operator, distributor and consultant. He writes articles and gives seminars on the subject of<br />

auto detailing throughout the automotive industry. He can be reached at buda@detailplus.com.<br />

By Bud Abraham<br />

buda@detailplus.com<br />

The last couple of years should<br />

have taught astute detail<br />

business owners that they need<br />

to clean with caution...<br />

Without a doubt the COVID-19 pandemic<br />

has fundamentally changed the way<br />

detailers think about germs, sanitizing and<br />

disinfecting, that is if they ever thought<br />

about these things in the first place.<br />

As we move into the post-pandemic<br />

world, it is important that detailers retain<br />

any knowledge they might have learned<br />

over the past couple of years about preventing<br />

the spread of the COVID-19<br />

virus, and retaining the best practices<br />

they’ve learned.<br />

Everyone working in the detail industry<br />

should have learned the differences<br />

between cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting.<br />

If anyone has not, then go to the <strong>web</strong>sites<br />

of the Environmental Protection<br />

Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Centers for<br />

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).<br />

Be sure to keep in mind that when it<br />

comes to killing germs the following processes<br />

involve three actions to achieve<br />

three different levels of cleaning.<br />

TAKING ACTION:<br />

REMOVE,<br />

REDUCE OR KILL?<br />

ACTION #1: Cleaning<br />

Cleaning removes germs, dirt and<br />

other impurities from surfaces but it does<br />

not kill germs.<br />

Cleaning works by using shampoo<br />

and water to physically remove germs<br />

from a surface.<br />

ACTION #2: Sanitizing<br />

Sanitizing lowers the number of<br />

germs on a surface by reducing the germs<br />

to levels considered safe by public health<br />

standards or requirements.<br />

ACTION #3: Disinfecting<br />

Disinfecting kills germs by using<br />

chemicals directly on the surfaces. This<br />

process does not necessarily clean a dirty<br />

surface or remove germs, but by killing<br />

the germs on the surface after cleaning<br />

it, disinfection can lower the risk of<br />

spreading infectious germs.<br />

CHEMICAL SAFETY<br />

Anti-Microbial disinfectants can be<br />

very effective in killing harmful viruses<br />

and bacteria in vehicle interiors. However,<br />

it is important for every detail professional<br />

who uses these products — and the<br />

customers that occupy the vehicle interior<br />

— that certain precautions are always<br />

taken and that these products are used in<br />

accordance with the manufacturer's label<br />

instructions, which, by the way, are reviewed<br />

and approved by the EPA.<br />

The following are some safety tips<br />

you can implement when using cleaning<br />

chemicals:<br />

✔<br />

✔<br />

Read, read, read: Be absolutely<br />

certain that anyone using or even<br />

handling disinfectant chemicals are<br />

familiar with the directions for use<br />

as indicated on the product label.<br />

And make sure they understand<br />

what they read. Too often<br />

employees read the instructions<br />

but, for whatever reason, do not<br />

really understand what they read.<br />

Remember these instructions<br />

have been carefully developed by<br />

the chemical manufacturers, and<br />

reviewed by Federal Regulators.<br />

Follow the rules: Be sure you<br />

know if the manufacturer indicates<br />

that personal protective equipment<br />

should be used. In many cases<br />

the directions will advise that the<br />

product should be used in a wellventilated<br />

space. Disregarding<br />

label instructions or attempting to<br />

✔<br />

✔<br />

✔<br />

take shortcuts can result in serious<br />

consequences for both the owner<br />

and the employee. Keep in mind<br />

that the Labor Board in your state<br />

most often sides with the employee<br />

in the case of on-the-job employee<br />

accidents, not the employer.<br />

Clean it up: If you spill any<br />

disinfectant, clean it up immediately,<br />

no matter how small the spill. Also,<br />

do not attempt to put any spilled<br />

product back into the original<br />

container, which can contaminate<br />

the entire container. Instead, clean<br />

up the spill and properly dispose of<br />

the contaminated chemical.<br />

Have container awareness:<br />

Never remove disinfectants, or<br />

other chemicals for that matter,<br />

and put into unlabeled containers.<br />

This can result in accidental and<br />

improper use of the chemical,<br />

which can have serious and harmful<br />

consequences. If you do place<br />

any chemical product in any other<br />

smaller container be certain to<br />

photocopy the label that contains<br />

the name and instructions for use<br />

on the smaller container.<br />

Look around: Before using a<br />

disinfectant check to ensure there<br />

are no open flames, exposed<br />

food or any other consumables.<br />

Also be certain that all employees<br />

22 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong>


✔<br />

✔<br />

who might come in contact with<br />

the disinfectant are wearing the<br />

appropriate protective equipment, if<br />

applicable.<br />

Wash up: Make certain you and<br />

all employees who have used<br />

the disinfectant wash their hands<br />

with soap and water for at least<br />

20 seconds after working with the<br />

disinfectant, even if gloves or other<br />

protective clothing during application<br />

of the product were worn.<br />

Dilute with care: Follow all<br />

instructions regarding the dilution<br />

of disinfectant with water as stated<br />

on the instruction label. Use water<br />

at room temperature unless stated<br />

otherwise on the label. Also, do<br />

not mix disinfectants with anything<br />

other than water.<br />

✔ Make the call: It is vital<br />

that any who might be exposed<br />

to a disinfectant product through<br />

inhalation or ingestion, or who<br />

exhibits exposure symptoms,<br />

reports the incident to you or the<br />

manager who can then call and<br />

seek medical attention as needed.<br />

CONCLUSION<br />

Disinfectants are very effective at<br />

killing harmful germs, bacteria viruses,<br />

including the COVID-19 and other<br />

dangerous pathogens, but it is absolutely<br />

necessary that you and your employees<br />

carefully read the instructions<br />

on the label.<br />

There is good money to be made by<br />

detail businesses that can properly disinfect<br />

and sanitize interiors, but you must<br />

know what you are doing. You must use<br />

the correct products for the job, and<br />

know how to use them properly. This all<br />

takes time and effort and training.<br />

POISON CONTROL<br />

CENTER<br />

1-800-222-1222<br />

Cut this out and place it near your phone:<br />

WARNING!<br />

If the individual collapses,<br />

has a seizure, has<br />

trouble breathing or can't<br />

be awakened: Call 911<br />

IMMEDIATELY.<br />

Not in the US? Use local<br />

SWALLOWED POISONS<br />

Drink a small amount of water or milk immediately,<br />

before getting Poison Control assistance, if:<br />

✔ The product swallowed is burning, irritating<br />

or caustic, AND<br />

✔ The person is conscious, not having convulsions,<br />

and able to swallow.<br />

IN THE EYE<br />

It's important that you irrigate (rinse the exposed<br />

eyes) immediately. Every second matters and a<br />

delay could result in loss of sight. Remove contact<br />

lenses. Use lots of room temperature water and<br />

irrigate for at least 15 to 20 minutes.<br />

Adults and older children may find it easier to<br />

hop in the shower. Wrap young children in a towel<br />

and let water from the faucet in the kitchen sink<br />

run over the eye - or slowly pour water from a<br />

pitcher. Let the water hit the bridge of the nose<br />

and gently run into the eyes rather than pouring<br />

the water directly into the eye. Important: Irrigate<br />

for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Encourage blinking.<br />

After the 15 to 20 minute irrigation, let the eye<br />

rest while you call Poison Control for additional<br />

guidance. If irritation, pain, visual problems,<br />

redness, swelling, or tearing persist an hour after<br />

irrigation is started, you'll need an urgent ophthalmic<br />

exam. That means a trip to an urgicenter<br />

or emergency room right away, unless an eye<br />

doctor can see you immediately. If the symptoms<br />

procedures to call Poison<br />

Control or summon an<br />

ambulance.<br />

But before you contact<br />

Poison Control, whether<br />

by phone or online, there<br />

DETAIL DOCTOR<br />

are some quick first aid<br />

measures that make a<br />

difference if accomplished<br />

within seconds to minutes<br />

of the poison exposure. Be<br />

familiar with these steps.<br />

are severe, don't wait an hour - go straight to an<br />

emergency room after irrigating.<br />

ON THE SKIN<br />

It's important that you rinse the exposed<br />

skin immediately. Remove contaminated<br />

clothing first (that's clothing with a spill). Every<br />

second matters. Don't delay. Use lots of room<br />

temperature running water and rinse for at least<br />

15 minutes. For large spills, adults and older<br />

children may find it easiest to hop in the shower.<br />

Mild hand soap can be used to remove material<br />

that sticks to the skin. Important: Rinse for at<br />

least 15 minutes.<br />

After the 15 minute rinse, call Poison Control<br />

for additional guidance. If blistering, large or<br />

deep burns, pain, redness, or swelling worsen<br />

or persist, you will need to see a doctor right<br />

away. But first call the poison specialists at Poison<br />

Control to see whether a trip to an urgicenter<br />

or emergency room is urgent or necessary.<br />

If the symptoms are severe, go straight to an<br />

emergency room after rinsing. Don't wait.<br />

INHALED<br />

It's important that you move to fresh air<br />

immediately. Stay away from all toxic fumes and<br />

gases. Thoroughly ventilate the involved area.<br />

After moving to fresh air, use <strong>web</strong>POISON-<br />

CONTROL to get specific recommendations<br />

online, or call 1-800-222-1222 for guidan<br />

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VOL. 6, NO.3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong> | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 23


NITTY<br />

GRITTY<br />

A Thing<br />

of Beauty<br />

Meet the team who<br />

detailed an extremely rare<br />

1947 Cisitalia Coupe<br />

By Kimberly Ballard<br />

Master Orange County detailer, Rigo<br />

Santana of Xtreme Xcellence Professional<br />

Detailing in Laguna Hills, California,<br />

and founder of the Nueva Generacion<br />

de Detalladorese Network (NGDD)<br />

got the opportunity to detail a rare 1947<br />

Cistalia 202 Coupe designed by Italian<br />

carmaker Pinin Farina. Santana led a<br />

team to the Petersen Automotive Museum<br />

in Los Angeles to prepare the vehicle<br />

for exhibition at the Concorso Italiano<br />

back on August 14, and for competition<br />

at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance<br />

on August 15 – the crowning event<br />

at the popular Monterey Car Week. The<br />

Cisitalia 202 Coupe is the only known<br />

remaining version of the designer’s 200<br />

Coupe left. Made of three pieces of<br />

hand-beaten metal with single stage automotive<br />

paint, it has a permanent home<br />

in the Petersen Automotive Museum.<br />

Any vehicle must be in superb condition<br />

to compete in such a prestigious event<br />

as the Concours d’elegance and Santana<br />

brought an expert team, certified by his<br />

NGDD, to the museum to help remove<br />

some scratches from the paint surface,<br />

and to polish the vintage vehicle to its ultimate<br />

shine. NGDD is the first and only<br />

professionally certified automotive detail<br />

training, taught 100 percent in Spanish,<br />

in the United States.<br />

“These are priceless, vintage vehicles<br />

whose single-stage paint is very delicate<br />

and sensitive and must be treated<br />

as such,” said Santana, who is a former<br />

member of the Air Force One Detailing<br />

Team at the Seattle Museum of Flight,<br />

the McCalls Motorworks Revival Detailing<br />

Team at Monterey Car Week, and a<br />

member of the SONAX detailing team<br />

who cares for vintage and exotic vehicles<br />

on a regular basis.<br />

“There is no room for a mistake in<br />

caring for these types of vehicles, so the<br />

team has to be carefully trained and experienced<br />

in understanding automotive<br />

paint processes of this age, and in this<br />

type of meticulous polishing techniques.”<br />

Santana chose to use clay bar, followed<br />

by precision polishing to properly<br />

repair the scratches. “We will be pulling<br />

for the car to win a ribbon next week,”<br />

said Santana. “The competition is brutal,<br />

but this car is a true work of art.” (It is<br />

unclear if the car won a ribbon due to the<br />

timing of this publicaiton).<br />

In fact, it is genuinely a work of art.<br />

Considered one of the most attractive<br />

cars ever built for its taut lines and graceful<br />

proportions, it was featured in a 1951<br />

Museum of Modern Art exhibition called<br />

8 Automobiles, which helped establish<br />

automobile coachwork as a legitimate art<br />

form akin to sculpture.<br />

Consorzio Industriale Sportiva Italia (Cisitalia)<br />

was one of many small Italian firms<br />

that built specialty sports cars on Fiat<br />

parts during the immediate postwar period.<br />

After its successful one-seat racing<br />

cars, the firm introduced the road-going<br />

202, a Pinin Farina-designed grand touring<br />

fastback with a modified Fiat engine.<br />

It has a 55 hp 1.1 liter inline-4 engine with<br />

speeds up to 103 mph.<br />

This is hardly Santana’s first experience<br />

with a beautiful Italian vehicle. Last<br />

June, he flew in a professional team of<br />

high-end detailers from Puerto Rico and<br />

select cities in California to help him prepare<br />

a rare 1968 Iso Grifo for induction<br />

into the National Corvette Museum in<br />

24 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong>


NITTY GRITTY<br />

Bowling Green, Kentucky. Santana restored<br />

the Grifo gem in 2014 after it was<br />

discovered in a family garage where it had<br />

been sitting for 26 years.<br />

The Iso Grifo was the Iso car company’s<br />

most successful model. It was one<br />

of only 400 built by the Italian carmaker<br />

Renzo Rivolta between 1963 and 1974,<br />

led by Iso’s chief engineer, Giotto Bizzarini,<br />

who had been fired from Ferrari.<br />

The National Corvette Museum is known<br />

worldwide as the home of the Corvette.<br />

Every Corvette in the world built since<br />

1981 is assembled less than ¼ mile from<br />

the museum at the General Motors Bowling<br />

Green Assembly Plant.<br />

However, there were two makes of the<br />

Iso Grifo vehicle in the 1960s and 1970s<br />

and the street version had a modified<br />

Chevrolet small-block 327 Corvette V8<br />

engine – thus the recognition by Corvette.<br />

The race car version had a similar engine<br />

and could reach speeds over 275 kph,<br />

which was extraordinarily fast at the time.<br />

The Iso Grifo owned by Santana’s<br />

long-time client Sergio Arredondo of Pasadena<br />

is one of only 200 street versions<br />

known to still exist, qualifying it for the<br />

museum recognition.<br />

Santana had detailed other vehicles<br />

for Arredondo when in 2014, he showed<br />

him the Iso Grifo in an offhand discussion<br />

about having it repainted due to the sad<br />

state of its paint.<br />

Santana convinced Arredondo a<br />

respray would significantly lower the<br />

value of the Italian beauty (and would<br />

have in retrospect perhaps disqualified<br />

it from the museum) and assured him he<br />

could save the original paint with a full<br />

paint correction.<br />

At first skeptical, once Santana completed<br />

the work, Arredondo was stunned<br />

by the results and decided on a whim, to<br />

enter it into the Pebble Beach Concours<br />

D’elegance at Monterey Car Week, not<br />

expecting to win, but enjoying the attention<br />

his newly revived exotic received.<br />

It won 2nd Place.<br />

Recently handpicked for the famous<br />

National Corvette Museum, Arredondo<br />

once again called in Santana to prep the<br />

vehicle for display at its new home.<br />

Santana is known throughout Orange<br />

County as an automotive paint correction<br />

specialist and official member of the SO-<br />

NAX detailing team who has detailed and<br />

restored the paint on hundreds of priceless<br />

classics and exotic automobiles in his<br />

30-year career.<br />

He called in a special team of Hispanic<br />

detailers, some of them members<br />

of the official SONAX Detailing Team,<br />

and many of which Santana trained and<br />

mentored himself through NGDN. Adolfo<br />

Collado of Adolfo’s Pro Detailing in<br />

Dinuba; Thomas Lucena of Magician<br />

Pro Detailing in Glendora; Jose Junco of<br />

High Performance Auto Detail in Encinitas;<br />

and Christian Rosa García of Fashion<br />

Exposure in Puerto Rico are living their<br />

American Dream, despite speaking little<br />

or no English, and yet doing what they<br />

have a passion for doing.<br />

“The car is a classic, so we had to be<br />

very careful in steam cleaning the engine<br />

and polishing every nook and cranny of<br />

the engine to perfection because that will<br />

be wide open and as much on display as<br />

the car itself,” said Santana. “We polished<br />

the paint to intensify the shine and protected<br />

it with a ceramic<br />

coating to seal in that shine for its stay<br />

at the museum; we polished the rims to<br />

a brilliant, diamond-like shine; and carefully<br />

steam cleaned and reconditioned the<br />

interior for preservation, all using SO-<br />

NAX car care products.<br />

The Iso Grifo has been loaded onto a<br />

trailer and shipped to the National Corvette<br />

Museum for a long and prestigious stay!<br />

“To see that car before I restored it<br />

and to see it now getting the respect it deserves<br />

and to have been a major part of<br />

that is as exciting for me as it is for Sergio,”<br />

said Santana.<br />

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VOL. 6, NO.3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong> | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 25


the pitfalls...<br />

26 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong>


PIT FALLS<br />

The Pitfalls of Owning<br />

a Detailing Business<br />

By Rob Schruefer<br />

rob@onspotdetailing.com<br />

It is the ‘American Dream’ to create<br />

and operate your own business. There<br />

is a freedom and feeling of satisfaction<br />

that comes with working for yourself and<br />

being your own boss. Ask anyone and I<br />

bet they would say they would start their<br />

own business if given the opportunity.<br />

What most people do not realize or want<br />

to acknowledge is that 8 out of 10 businesses<br />

fail in the first year of operation.<br />

I don’t have actual figures, but I would<br />

guess that when it comes to the detailing<br />

industry, I would wager that number<br />

is even higher. Because a detailing business<br />

can be inexpensive to get into and<br />

requires little training, many think it is a<br />

fail proof way to go. But to be successful<br />

in the detailing industry it is vital to avoid<br />

some of the biggest pitfalls that cause detailing<br />

businesses to close.<br />

The following are some of the common<br />

pitfalls that I personally see detailing<br />

business owners fall (and sink) into.<br />

Pitfall #1:<br />

Not Securing<br />

Capital<br />

Failing to secure capital to keep the<br />

business running is one of the trickiest<br />

parts of starting your own business. You<br />

need this money upfront in order to start.<br />

The detailing industry has low startup<br />

costs, especially if you plan to do only<br />

mobile detailing, but the startup is only<br />

part of the problem. It could take years<br />

for a business to become established and<br />

make enough money to support itself, and<br />

you. The leap from going from a full-time<br />

job elsewhere can be a scary and expensive<br />

venture. When I started my company,<br />

it was tedious. I spent the first 5 years<br />

of the business working at night and on<br />

weekends at a bar to ensure money that<br />

the company made could be put back into<br />

the company. It is imperative to have several<br />

months-worth of operating income<br />

available to you in case of an emergency.<br />

This money can cover you during an injury,<br />

bad weather, or just a downturn in the<br />

amount of work coming in. If you need<br />

capital prior to starting the business, it can<br />

be obtained through bank loans, investors,<br />

or the Small Business Administration<br />

(SBA), just to name a few. Most detailing<br />

businesses close due to a lack of money, so<br />

plan ahead to avoid this pitfall.<br />

Pitfall #2:<br />

Ignoring Your<br />

Demographic<br />

Not knowing or understanding your<br />

market can keep you from having loyal<br />

and repeat customers and will hurt your<br />

advertising efforts. The demographics<br />

and needs of the community will ultimately<br />

dictate the type of services you<br />

can offer, and what you can charge for<br />

those services. I have found that a lot of<br />

detailers entering the industry want to<br />

work on exotic cars and do paint corrections<br />

that take days. Unless you live in an<br />

affluent area with an endless supply of<br />

well-off people, maintaining a detailing<br />

company that targets this clientele will be<br />

very difficult. You should fully understand<br />

who your clientele is. Do some research,<br />

ask around, and find out what the majority<br />

of the people in your area are looking<br />

to have completed. You can find vehicle<br />

information, median household income,<br />

and other buying habits from the Internet<br />

to help you guide your decision. You may<br />

find that your main client is going to be<br />

women ages 30 to 45, with a household<br />

income of $60k, and driving a minivan.<br />

Trying to sell her a $2,000 detail on a Ferrari<br />

she does not have is a waste of time<br />

and money. Put a picture of a minivan on<br />

your <strong>web</strong>site. Have a “Back to School”<br />

or “Mother’s Day” special. And be sure<br />

to speak to her in a way that makes her<br />

want your services -- this will make the<br />

difference between success and failure.<br />

Know who your client is and give them<br />

the service they want, not the service that<br />

Internet detailers say you should provide.<br />

VOL. 6, NO.3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong> | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | 27


PIT FALLS<br />

Pitfall #3:<br />

Being Mean<br />

Being someone that no one wants to<br />

work for will make your business sink. Remember:<br />

People do not usually quit jobs,<br />

they quit bosses. Ask anyone with more<br />

than a small handful of employees, and<br />

they will tell you that employees and the<br />

problems that come with them can be one<br />

of the biggest headaches of owning a business.<br />

And, unless you want to do all of the<br />

work yourself, employees are a necessity,<br />

and each one must be treated with respect.<br />

Always remember that they are people too,<br />

and they have families to support and bills to<br />

pay. They want to work in an environment<br />

that is not hostile, and where their opinions<br />

and concerns are heard, acknowledged<br />

and addressed. Not all suggestions will be<br />

implemented, or are even logical, but it is<br />

important to listen. More than just listening<br />

to them, reward them for hard work with<br />

adequate pay and bonuses. From a business<br />

owner’s perspective, turnover of employees<br />

costs a lot more than a few more dollars an<br />

hour or an occasional lunch. Once you’re<br />

at a place where you’re successful enough<br />

to need and support employees, your role<br />

within the business will be changed forever.<br />

You are a leader and your reputation<br />

as a good, or horrible boss can spread like<br />

wildfire. Negative word-of-mouth can hurt<br />

a business, even if you’re an exceptional<br />

detailer, so make sure your own employees<br />

are doing some good marketing for you. Do<br />

not let ego, or stubbornness become a pitfall<br />

that you cannot overcome.<br />

Pitfall #4:<br />

Ignoring<br />

the Pitfalls<br />

Thinking you know everything and<br />

have it all figured out is another big pitfall.<br />

You have to always keep yourself in check<br />

and know that small businesses fail all the<br />

time. The aforementioned pitfalls are just<br />

a few of the many I see detailers fall into,<br />

and there are so many more out there to<br />

be aware of and avoided. Avoiding them<br />

will certainly help in keeping your business<br />

afloat and will certainly help you<br />

along your journey to become an established<br />

business. Read reviews of your<br />

business. Ask your clients if they are satisfied.<br />

Take classes provided at tradeshows<br />

and the SBA. It is important to be flexible<br />

and think outside the box for solutions to<br />

help you avoid becoming part of the 90%<br />

that do not make it.<br />

Rob Schruefer is the owner of On The<br />

Spot Detailing out of Columbia, Maryland.<br />

He proudly serves on the board of<br />

the International Detailing Association<br />

and works tirelessly to ensure that detailing<br />

business owners receive business development<br />

support to help them achieve their<br />

goals. When not writing the cover story,<br />

Rob is a regular contributor for Auto Detailing<br />

News with his column, The Business<br />

of Detailing.<br />

A Few Other Pitfalls<br />

According to Entrepreneur<br />

Magazine, here are a few other<br />

pitfalls to avoid:<br />

Ignoring the Competition: Never underestimate<br />

your competition. Competition can<br />

crush your business totally if you aren’t careful,<br />

especially if you haven’t taken the time to fully<br />

understand it. Startups based around a new<br />

idea sometimes get too sure of themselves,<br />

neglecting to keep a watch on the markets --<br />

competition isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but<br />

you need to make sure you differentiate yourself<br />

in a way that makes your company seem<br />

like the more appealing service.<br />

Becoming Complacent: Too many companies<br />

have failed because they were overly<br />

dependent on one thing. Maybe it was a<br />

highly valuable customer, or a very talented<br />

and experienced worker. Maybe it was an<br />

environmental condition that allowed for<br />

the company to be successful. But remember:<br />

Customers can opt out. Workers can<br />

quit. Environmental conditions can -- and<br />

will -- change. If you allow any part of your<br />

business to be dependent on anything, you’re<br />

setting yourself up for disaster (or at least a<br />

huge gamble). Instead, hedge your bets by<br />

investing in multiple variations and multiple,<br />

complementary dependencies.<br />

Why Startups Fail<br />

The following graphics were from Entreprenuer.com:<br />

Famous Companies<br />

that Failed to Pivot<br />

It’s no secret that familiar and once-popular business<br />

chains are closing down...forever. From Toys R Us,<br />

to Kmart, to non-brick and mortar companies such as<br />

MySpace and Motorola. People will say they miss the<br />

businesses, but how much money were they actually<br />

giving them. Little to none was the case and the businesses<br />

ultimately closed. The reason? According to experts,<br />

it’s because they failed to pivot and change with<br />

the times, and the generations. The baby boomers<br />

had different needs than Generation X-ers, but some<br />

businesses didn’t consider this or maybe didn’t want to<br />

waste potential time and money on investing in such<br />

changing needs.<br />

Toys "R" Us CEO David Brandon, stated in a U.S.<br />

Securities and Exchange Commission filing in 2017<br />

that the company fell behind its competitors "on various<br />

fronts, including with regard to general upkeep<br />

and the condition of our stores." And, while Amazon.<br />

com competition wasn’t helping matters, customers<br />

complained of the stores’ warehouse-like environments<br />

with little to no customer service.<br />

As for the once extremely popular and money-making<br />

machine that was Blockbuster, it wasn’t Netflix that<br />

did the company in, it was the company’s failure to reimagine<br />

its prototype. While the business did welcome<br />

new ways to make money and serve its clientele by offering<br />

video game and music rentals in the 1990s, it didn’t<br />

think past the way in which to make money through<br />

$3+ rentals and late fees. In fact, Netflix approached<br />

Blockbuster with a proposal to team up and set the stage<br />

for a mail-order and brick and mortar prototype. But<br />

that proposal was rejected. According to Reed Hastings,<br />

co-founder of Netflix, that meeting was upsetting, but<br />

not detrimental. In his book, No Rules Rules: Netflix<br />

and the Culture of Reinvention. Hastings wrote: “I am<br />

often asked, “How did this happen? Why could Netflix<br />

repeatedly adapt but Blockbuster could not?” That day<br />

we went to Dallas, Blockbuster held all the aces. They<br />

had the brand, the power, the resources, and the vision.<br />

Blockbuster had us beat hands down.<br />

It was not obvious at the time, even to me, but we<br />

had one thing that Blockbuster did not: a culture that<br />

valued people over process, emphasized innovation<br />

over efficiency, and had very few controls. Our culture,<br />

which focused on achieving top performance with talent<br />

density and leading employees with context, not<br />

control, has allowed us to continually grow and change<br />

as the world, and our members’ needs, have likewise<br />

morphed around us.”<br />

28 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong>


PIT FALLS<br />

Advice from<br />

Successful<br />

Detailers<br />

Provided by Nitty Gritty<br />

interviews featured<br />

in Auto Detailing News<br />

“You can’t do it by yourself. Surround yourself with passionate, motivated and<br />

hard-working people and invest in them. Give them the tools they need to<br />

succeed and never stop learning. Allow your employees to find their strengths<br />

and figure out what they truly enjoy. If they are doing what they love, the work<br />

speaks for itself! As your business grows, the areas for opportunity increase and<br />

you’ll be able to promote from within and build a team that treats the company<br />

as if it were their own. So many have put their blood, sweat and tears into<br />

LUXE Auto Spa to help boost it to where it is today, and I am forever grateful.”<br />

Cougar Elfervig of LUXE Auto Spa in Murray, Utah<br />

“One big secret to success is to make it all about your customer. Your<br />

customer doesn’t care if you have a headache or if you had a fight with<br />

your spouse. All he or she expects is whether or not you are professional<br />

and are good at your trade. Remember: you are not doing your customer<br />

a favor by cleaning his or her vehicle ... they are doing you a favor by<br />

bringing it to you. The sooner you realize that the better off you will be.”<br />

Joe Kennedy of Auto Beauty Center in Buffalo, New York<br />

Culture is key to any healthy organization. It’s actually one of our<br />

greatest passions. Our team consists of self-motivated individuals<br />

that see themselves as much more than auto detailers. Although our<br />

company is six years old, we are constantly innovating our methods,<br />

systems, customer experiences and so much more. We encourage every<br />

team member to use their strengths to help grow the company. Even<br />

from the top we look to the least experienced team member to offer<br />

their advice on a variety of things. We believe that each individual has a<br />

unique strength that can contribute to the organization far beyond being<br />

the best “paint polisher” or “ceramic coating installer”. Our team members<br />

know that they are a part of something greater than just being the best<br />

mobile detailing business in Tulsa. We have bigger goals than that.<br />

DJ Patterson of EcoGreen Mobile Detailing, LLC in Tulsa, Oklahoma<br />

“Success is built by CONSISTENT day to day action. Action doesn't<br />

happen without a plan. So, develop a business plan, reduce your<br />

overhead and expenses, and understand that it takes time. You are in a<br />

marathon, not a sprint.”<br />

Ian Porter of Red Beard's Detail Shop located in Tulsa, Oklahoma<br />

“Learn all you can. Never stop improving and practicing. Go to the junkyard and<br />

get some spare panels. Burn through the paint. Learn how far you can push<br />

your products and equipment.<br />

Share your knowledge. This should be obvious to someone looking to get<br />

involved with an organization that is dedicated to helping people and the<br />

industry. We were all beginners at some point and the opportunity to help each<br />

other out now is greater than it has ever been.<br />

Show up. There are events like Mobile Tech Expo, Autogeek's DetailFest,<br />

SEMA, and countless other events and training sessions all the time. They are all<br />

great opportunities to get involved, get better and help others. Even if you think<br />

you can't learn anything from them, you may be able to help someone who is<br />

there and ease the stress off the organization hosting the booth or event.”<br />

Kevin Awalt of Arkham Shine Auto Detailing Studio in New Milford, Connecticut<br />

Culture is key to any healthy organization. It’s actually one of our greatest<br />

passions. Our team consists of self-motivated individuals that see themselves<br />

as much more than auto detailers. Although our company is six years old, we<br />

are constantly innovating our methods, systems, customer experiences and<br />

so much more. We encourage every team member to use their strengths to<br />

help grow the company. Even from the top we look to the least experienced<br />

team member to offer their advice on a variety of things. We believe that each<br />

individual has a unique strength that can contribute to the organization far<br />

beyond being the best “paint polisher” or “ceramic coating installer”. Our team<br />

members know that they are a part of something greater than just being the<br />

best mobile detailing business in Tulsa. We have bigger goals than that.<br />

DJ Patterson of EcoGreen Mobile Detailing, LLC in Tulsa, Oklahoma<br />

“Learn to do the little things with excellence. Even the things you<br />

hate doing. If you can't do the simple things well enough to impress<br />

a customer, then you'll never stand a chance doing the more difficult<br />

things. Stay humble, be patient and don't be afraid to ask for help or<br />

find a mentor.<br />

If you're a business owner, then put more time and energy<br />

into learning how to run a business as opposed to focusing all<br />

your energy on learning how to detail. Get comfortable being<br />

uncomfortable. Business is no easy ride.”<br />

Vincent Macri of Wrap N Shine Auto Spa in Shelton Connecticut<br />

“I started detailing while I was unemployed, coming out of a bad divorce<br />

and my father passed away within that same year. So, for those who<br />

think they can't be successful due to some kind of personal issue, you are<br />

wrong. It’s more a matter of how bad you want it or how you’re going<br />

to make it happen, no matter what the obstacle is in life. Trust me, if you<br />

want it bad enough you can make it happen, you just have to be ready<br />

to accept it. It takes time and success doesn’t happen overnight. Stay<br />

motivated, be realistic, be honest and you will be successful.”<br />

Justin Labato of JL's Showroom Detailing Inc. in Melbourne, Florida<br />

“Success is built by CONSISTENT day to day action. Action doesn't<br />

happen without a plan. So, develop a business plan, reduce your<br />

overhead and expenses, and understand that it takes time. You are in a<br />

marathon, not a sprint.”<br />

Ian Porter of Red Beard's Detail Shop located in Tulsa, Oklahoma<br />

30 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 6, NO. 3 • FALL <strong>2021</strong>


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