2021_ADN_V6_No3_web
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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 />
There is chocolate, gum, candy smeared everywhere<br />
and food, trash, toys everywhere that needed some serious<br />
cleaning to get this car looking like new again.<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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