Category Archives: Guides & Tips

The Three Detailing Packages Every Detailer Should Offer
30
Jan
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, How To, Paint Correction, Professional Detailing

The 3 Basic Paint Correction & Ceramic Coating Packages Every Detailer Should Offer

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Starting and running a successful detailing business has a lot of moving parts and it can become overwhelming without a plan.  In this article, we will take a look at one of the most important aspects of any detailing business that far too many newbies fail to implement at the very start: figuring out their […]

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How to Clean Tires Faster
09
Sep
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, How To, Live Detailing Classes, Videos & Media

The Fastest Way to Clean Tires

Posted on by Mike Phillips

When it comes to getting severely neglected and dirty tires factory clean again, there’s the old-school way of doing it working by hand using a tire scrub brush and the modern way of doing it, and that’s machine scrubbing using cordless rotary polishers.   SAFETY WARNING: Because washing a car and cleaning wheel and tires falls […]

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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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How to clean open pore wood
12
Aug
Behind the Detail, Guides & Tips, How To, Interior Detailing

How to Clean Open Pore Wood Veneer Trim in Cars

Posted on by Victor Espeland

Open pore wood veneer has exploded in popularity this past decade as an interior trim material for luxury automobiles. High end auto manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus, Audi, Tesla and Rivian all now feature open pore wood trim veneer of varying timbers: The problem with open pore wood? The pores are totally unprotected — hence […]

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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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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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Red classic car hood with detailing class promotion
02
Jan
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Guides & Tips, How To, Live Detailing Classes, Paint Correction, Videos & Media

Showcar & Concours Detailing | Live Online Detailing Class with Mike Phillips

Posted on by Victor Espeland

Detailing cars for shows and Concours d’Elegance events can be intimidating — after all, you’re literallly being judged on your work. Thankfully, Mike Phillips is here to make it all accessible to even the beginner detailer. Watch this recording of a live detailing class Mike hosted covering showcar detailing on a unique 1960 Plymouth Valiant […]

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1965 Ferrari GTB 275 - Paint Correction Case Study from Mike Phillips
05
Aug
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Guides & Tips, Paint Correction, Professional Detailing, The Detail, Videos & Media

1965 Ferrari GTB 275 — Hologram & Deep Scratch Correction with NSPs by Mike Phillips

Posted on by Mike Phillips

“The most difficult paint correction job for any detailer is taking a finish that already looks good to an even higher level.” Abrasive Technology – the MOST important factor In the car detailing world, it’s both common and easy to take a severely neglected finish, do the necessary paint correction and show DRAMATIC before/after pictures […]

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Conditioning Tesla vegan leather
21
Oct
Behind the Detail, Guides & Tips, How To, Interior Detailing, The Future of Detailing

How To Care For Vegan Leather

Posted on by Kevin Podas

For every kind of leather product out there, there’s now a vegan leather version of it. Here’s the thing, though — caring for vegan leather is a little different than caring for real leather. That’s why it’s crucial to know how to care for vegan leather to avoid permanent staining, color fading, and any other […]

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Vegan leather interior on a Tesla Model X
10
Oct
Behind the Detail, Guides & Tips, Interior Detailing, The Future of Detailing

Vegan Leather: Everything You Need To Know

Posted on by Kevin Podas

Vegan leather seems to be everywhere lately: shoes, purses, backpacks, jackets, car interiors, and more. Maybe you’ve even heard it called by a different name: pleather, eco leather, faux leather, leatherette, alternative leather, or synthetic leather. The popularity of this environmentally-friendly alternative is growing faster than ever, so it’s important to know exactly what vegan […]

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