The dirty truth about professional detailers. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Lets address the... $1500 ELEPHANT
IN THE ROOM If you've been looking into ceramic coatings, you've probably noticed there are two ways to do it. You can either pay a professional detailer (see the smug bastard above) a sum that rivals your mortgage payment, or you can do it yourself in your driveway. A lot of guys hesitate on the DIY route because they think they're going to permanently glue a mistake to their hood. Let's clear the air and look at the actual tradeoffs. 1. The Cost (The obvious one) The Pro: You are dropping anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500. You are paying for their overhead, their insurance, their labor, and the fancy espresso machine in their waiting room. The DIY: You are spending under $100. You are paying for the raw chemicals and the satisfaction of doing it yourself. 2. The Results The Pro: They use coatings that cure incredibly hard and fast. If they do a 3-stage paint correction first, your car will look flawless. The DIY: You get about 90% of the professional result for 10% of the price. Modern DIY formulas (like our Armor Shield IX) are engineered to give you the exact same extreme gloss, UV protection, and hydrophobic water-beading... just in a formula that is slower to cure, which brings us to... 3. The Risk ("Will I ruin my car?") This is the biggest myth on the internet. You are wiping a liquid onto a clear coat, not taking a belt sander to it. Armor Shield IX is built for the real world, which means it is aggressively forgiving. It doesn't care if you're working in a hot, humid garage or a dry, cold driveway. Indoors or outdoors, the formula adapts. And if you do make a mistake (like missing a section and leaving a streaky "high spot" behind), the car doesn't explode. If you catch it the next day, you don't even need to bust out the polishing compound. You just apply a little more coating directly over the mistake and buff it completely level. That's it. Combined with a longer "flash time" that gives you plenty of time to wipe it away, it's practically idiot-proof. (And trust us, we've tested it on some, let's call them: "automotively challenged" individuals). The Verdict: If you have infinite money and hate touching your own car, call the pro. We totally get it. But if you have a free Saturday, and a desire to make your neighbors aggressively jealous of your driveway, do it yourself. It's easier than you think. | | | | |
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