Author Archives: Mike Phillips

How to Lubricate Felt Ring on Harbor Freight Hercules Forced Rotation DA
13
Mar
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, How To, Paint Correction, Videos & Media

How to Lubricate Felt Ring on Harbor Freight Hercules Forced Rotation DA Polisher

Posted on by Mike Phillips

The Harbor Freight Hercules Forced Rotation DA Polisher is an almost exact copy of the Flex XC 3401 VRG Dual Action Polisher, AKA the BEAST — all the way down to the felt ring that lines the inside of the aluminum housing behind the backing plate. I noted this when I first reviewed the Hercules […]

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How to Clean Engine Bay
07
Mar
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Guides & Tips

How to Clean an Engine Bay

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Much like the outside of your car gets dirty over time, so too does the engine and engine compartment inside.  Back in the old days you’d spray heavy duty degreasers all over the engine and surrounding surfaces, scrub with a variety of brushes to agitate the degreaser before finally rinsing the loosened, oily sludge off […]

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Group photo from the February 2024 3-Day Car & Boat Detailing Class in Stuart, Florida, showing instructors and attendees gathered after hands-on automotive and marine detailing training sessions
28
Jan
Behind the Detail

Pictures: February 2024 3-Day Class – Car & Boat Detailing Class in Stuart, Florida

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Here’s the graduating class for the February 2024 3-Day Car & Boat Detailing Class! Day 1 – Morning Session – Extreme Prep Wash This class had a VERY RARE OPPORTUNITY – and that is they get to work on a Barn Find with severely stained and oxidized single stage paint. So the first thing the […]

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1-Day Auto Detailing Class in Stuart, Florida with Mike Phillips
18
Dec
Auto Detailing Training Classes, Behind the Detail

256 Pictures from Mike Phillips’ 1-Day Detailing Class at Dr. Beasley’s in Stuart, Florida (Jan 2024)

Posted on by Mike Phillips

At the beginning of 2024 I hosted my first class of the year: a 1-Day paint correction and ceramic coating class at the Dr. Beasley’s “Operating Room” in Stuart, Florida. Usually when I do these classes I get a write-up with pictures up online within a month or two, but this one fell through the […]

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Instructor demonstrates polishing a red car hood to a group
30
Sep
Auto Detailing Training Classes, Behind the Detail, Guides & Tips, How To

How to Teach a Car Detailing Class

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Teaching others any skill or trade—like auto detailing for example—is incredibly rewarding.  Anyone that wants to be a teacher needs empathy. That is, they need to be able to put themselves in other’s shoes and remember what it was like when they first started out.  With this mindset, you can share your knowledge with others […]

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Group photo of attendees from Mike Phillips’ 1-day auto detailing training course in June 2024
18
Jun
Auto Detailing Training Classes, Behind the Detail, Dr. Beasley's News, Videos & Media

185 Photos from Mike Phillips’ 1-Day Auto Detailing Training Course (June 2024)

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Are detailing classes worth the money? That is a great question. Watching YouTube videos and reading articles are a great way to gather a lot of information on all the different aspects of detailing cars. That said, NOTHING can take the place of attending a REAL, 100% hands-on training course. So the answer is yes! […]

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Classic red car concours detailing with best show ribbon
11
Jul
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Guides & Tips, Paint Correction, Professional Detailing, Videos & Media

How to Detail a Car for a Concours d’Elegance

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Detailing a car bound for a Concours d’Elegance like Pebble Beach or Amelia Island is no easy task. How do you best preserve the original appearance? How do you handle washing? How should you approach paintwork correction on old school, single stage paint? I answer all these questions and MORE in this condensed reel from […]

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Ceramic coating a vintage car at a Mike Phillips detailing class.
17
May
Auto Detailing Training Classes, Behind the Detail, Dr. Beasley's News, Videos & Media

500+ Photos from Mike Phillips’ 3-Day Auto Detailing Training Class (May 2024)

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Congratulations to the May 3-day class! This class detailed 5 unique cars, including sanding 3 of these cars and also sanding, buffing and ceramic coating the 24′ Robalo Center Console boat. To get signed up for the next big 3-day class that includes paint correction, ceramic coatings, sanding to remove orange peel and extreme boat […]

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How to clean wool buffing pads
23
Mar
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, How To, Paint Correction, Videos & Media

How to Clean Wool Buffing Pads

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Wool pads are round buffing pads made from long fibers (typically lambswool) designed to remove deep scratches, heavy oxidation, severe water spots and sanding marks on automotive paints like single stage paints, basecoat/clearcoat paints and marine boat gelcoats. While they’re great for quickly removing heavy paint defects, their long fibers easily trap spent product and […]

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