March 2007
Tender Rubbing Care
Ultimate Detailing Newsletter

Car of the Month
To submit your car, please send jpeg photo along with bio to jim@tenderrubbing.com


In This Issue
Preparing Your Car for Sale
Detailing Wheel Wells
Grip-It Power Brush
Joke of the Month
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Bio: Publisher/Author

Jim Pyatt is the owner of Tender Rubbing Care, published author and consultant. Jim Has over 10 years experience as detail shop owner and operator. Jim has won best of show awards for Cars and Motorcycles under his care at some of the most elite car events in the US, and is a member of The National Association for Professional Detailing and Reconditioning (NAPDR). Jim is also a contributing writer for several trade publications. To request reprinting authorization, comments, questions or to submit articles. Jim can be reached at jim@tenderrubbing.com


Preparing Your Car for Sale
By Jim Pyatt

"Get the best price when selling your car." You may be asking yourself, why would a detailer write about selling your car? Well, it's simple. About 20% of my customers are selling their cars. I want to share with you the same knowledge I have been passing on to my customers for years.

Most people don't take the time to prepare to sell their vehicle. They simply trade in their car. The dealer loves to hear, "Can I trade in my car?" It's money in the bank: the dealer will check the wholesale blue book, and then eagerly deduct for every item that needs fixing. The following is a normal scenario to illustrate just what you are losing. This is what they don't want you to know! For this example, I will not add for upgrades; I will just start with a basic model in good condition.

Trade: 2002 Ford Expedition, $9,155.00

minus $200.00 (deduction for dings)

minus $350.00 (deduction for chipped or cracked windshield)

minus $200.00 (safety check)

minus $400.00 (paint bumpers)

minus $250.00 (detail)

minus $1,000.00 (dealers buy cars for about 10% under wholesale)

Dealer offer: $6,755.00. If the truck needs tires, they would deduct that too.

Sell yourself: Private Party Price: $11,750.00

Retail Price: $15,370.00

Do the math! The dealer sure did; he just made $8,615.00. Now you see why they love a trade-in. They sometimes make you feel better by offering you a better price for your trade-in, but they hold firm on the sticker price of the new vehicle. The bottom line is they always win on your trade.

Selling your car is about getting the very best price. This involves first researching what the maximum achievable price is. Look online at Auto-Trader or similar web sites; I like Craiglist because it's free. Also check your local newspaper. Then work toward that figure. Yes, speculate to accumulate! And that's not just a financial thing. Putting in a bit of time and effort now will bring you the financial reward. Ensuring that your vehicle is in the very best condition is your top priority. Please, when selling your car, don't give your buyer the negotiating leverage because you left scuffs, dings, or scratches. These are all simple fixes, which pay for themselves.

OK, let's have a peek at the expert's technique

The best tip when selling your car is to take a good hard look at the used-car dealer's methods. You know the secondhand (or preowned!) dealers. I have been working with used-car dealers for over 8 years; I will share with you their techniques in order to get the best price for your car.

By spending some money now, you will double that figure when you get your sale. And just as importantly, you will have the benefit of an easy sale. You want to achieve a certain look to your car. Trying to achieve an almost-new appearance to a car you've been using is going to take a bit of effort. But it's well worth it. The very first person to view your vehicle may be so excited as to say, "That's my car!"

You want the potential buyer not only enthusiastic but also in fact frightened at the possibility of loosing out to someone else! And that's achieved by coming close to fulfilling what your buyer really, deep down, wants: a new car! When you bear this in mind, selling your car becomes a whole lot easier. If your prospective purchaser looks on the vehicle as something really desirable and as satisfying his or her dream, this potential buyer will not want to risk the next person "owning" his or her car. Fear of loss is greater than the desire for gain!

Preowned does not mean that anyone wants to see any signs of your ownership, so making sure the inside of your car sparkles and smells fresh really is a priority. Getting a professional clean look is the best option if you want the maximum price for your car. This doesn't mean you have to hire a professional; you can easily detail it yourself and save. Remember, many dealers simply purchase a car, clean it, and sell it for a quick and simple profit. And how many of us just don't even bother to clean the vehicle? To get a quick sale when selling your car, a clean polished finish is essential. When detailing, it's also very important to look for areas that are an eyesore, like the wheel wells and the rear tail pipes. These areas usually look rusted and stand out badly. Simply remove the wheels and paint the wheel wells (see article below). If you have an SUV, you should also paint any part of the frame that is visible. If the mufflers show from the back, paint them silver.

Funny enough, you should never clean the engine compartment on a secondhand car just before selling. Your purchaser might think you're hiding an oil leak! If you want to give it a cleaning, do it a few weeks before. A little dust will be OK, but heavy grease or oil will surly foil the sale.

Things you should consider. You know I talk a lot about evaluating your car, so let's do just that, taking into consideration that you have detailed every part of your vehicle. What eyesores are left? Do you see dings? If so, call your local ding master, finding him in the local phone book under auto body repair. Do the bumpers have gouges or paint missing? If so, call a mobile paint touch-up painter. How are the tires? Lastly, how's the windshield? If it's all chipped up, have it replaced. All these services can be done at home or work by mobile technicians. These are the areas that the used-car dealer always fixes up. Remember, if you don't do the work first, your purchaser could be making the profit on your sale! I do just that, if I spot a diamond in the rough, parked along the road. I will buy it and simply perform these simple tasks and flip it for a very nice profit. You may have seen the new show Flip This House It's the same principle: clean, improve the overall appearance, and-boom!-sell for profit.

Advertise

Draft your advertisements listing all the benefits. For example, if you have its full service history, use that in your sales approach. After all, you've paid enough for the servicing, haven't you? Include any desirable extras you purchased for the vehicle, but not those items your purchaser would expect to be getting anyway.

Write three different versions and discard the two you like least. The technique will give you fresh new ideas. Again, have a good look at trade magazines for similar vehicles. Yes, it's a bit more effort and time, but you will be the one wearing a smile when the phone starts ringing after the ad is published. You did include your telephone number, didn't you?

A picture is worth a thousand words. Now take out one of the most effective auto-sales tools you own-your camera. Correctly present your car when selling it, and you'd wish you had ten of them. The photos you take will appeal to someone's dreams and emotions. Get this right, and they'll be beating a path to your door. Don't just take a quick snap in the parking lot at the local supermarket or somewhere that looks like a scrap yard. Choose a dream setting, a national-trust house, or a quaint country hotel. It's not just about money, it's also about the lifestyle that the purchase represents.

Only a person in search of the most exciting adrenaline-filled life will want to take such photos on a total stranger's private property! What! I would never condone that sort of behavior! I remember parking in front of an exclusive estate for a photo; that car sold in one day. I'm not telling anyone to follow my lead, but it worked. Choose a nice bright sunny day for your pictures and wait until the sun is low for the most flattering light. Avoid harsh midday shadows. Morning or evening is the very best time. You want your vehicle to leap off the page on publication. Tip: hold your camera no more than a foot off the ground. Try this any time when using a camera. It's very easy nowadays with digital cameras, as you won't have to lie on the floor, attracting interested glances from passersby. Another worthwhile technique is to get down low and get some great reflection shots of the freshly waxed paint. Get several internal shots of your vehicle. Even if your ad space is for only one picture, you can e-mail several good shots to your prospective buyer. The digital camera is a really great tool; you might as well make good use of it.

Just looking at the ads on eBay inserted by professional car dealers will give you a few tips. Following the ads until the auctions are completed is a great lesson on how to attain the best price. You won't believe the number of people who do not include even one photo. There's no advantage in saving a few pennies if you have to do the whole thing over. Yes, these dealers work hard to achieve the best prices. Use their techniques when selling your car. You just read the word "auctions," didn't you? It's certainly a great place to pick up a bargain. So, in the same way, at an auction you're not likely to get the best price when selling your car.

Holiday times, like Christmas and New Year's, can be slow. The favorite times to buy property are also a great time to sell your car. I like to sell from the first sign of spring to the last days of fall. It's much easier to keep the car clean and ready to show the potential buyer. I know my spirits are much higher when the weather is inviting. During the winter, I would much rather sit by the fire, than go shopping for a car.

Fraud

It's a sad fact that you have to think about fraud when selling your car. Thieves have been targeting car sales for years because they know they are easy pickings. Unfortunately this has the effect of making us trade in our cars at the dealer's because we feel safe, even though we know the car is worth more. A quick glance at http://www.kbb.com (Kelly Blue Book) will inform you of the true value. It's a shame, because most folks are honorable and trustworthy. But you just can't risk a forged banker's draft or forged bank notes, can you?

Here's a tip: Potential buyer calls you on the phone. He lives in another state, but he really wants the car. Now, selling to someone who would be shipping the car is a bit worrying. You wouldn't want to be in a position where something went wrong after the sale. There would be nothing you could do to recover your property. The solution is simple. Tell the buyer to travel to your site, and if the buyer is happy with the vehicle, you will both go to the bank together. It's great, because everyone knows where he or she stands. Simply make a time to do the deal. Be sure to leave plenty of time to get to the bank. And don't complete the deal if you can't get to the bank before closing. It would be very unlikely for you to be paid with funny money by the bank.

It's very important to keep your vehicle in pristine condition after detailing and make sure it stays that way when the advertisement is published.

It's always a good idea to have a friendly face around when you are showing someone your car. No, not a bouncer, but it just makes everything feel a little safer. And if your buyer wants a test drive, give him or her the keys after you and your friend are already in the vehicle. If in any doubt, you drive.

Some 99.9% of us will go through life never coming up against this sort of problem, and I feel bad even writing advice on it. But being sensible and streetwise is no different from paying for an insurance policy, is it?

Good luck with your sale, and enjoy the extra cash you've made!


Detailing Wheel Wells
By Jim Pyatt

There is nothing worse than having a freshly detailed car and all that stands out is the unsightly wheel wells. You may be saying to yourself that they are behind the wheels, so who could see them. Easy! Just stand back and take a good look. This is especially true if the vehicle has been lifted. They collect dirt, mud, and rust, and so this eyesore destroys the overall appearance of the splendidly shining, mirror-like vehicle; the good news is that this problem can easily be solved. With a little elbow grease you can have the wheel wells looking as great as the rest of the vehicle.

The front wheel wells contain steering assemblies, brake housings, and sometimes lift kits. This whole area can be painted flat or semigloss black. Black wheel wells look far better, compared to unsightly rusty ones. I like to use semigloss because it will be easier to clean in the future. I like seeing brake calipers painted, to match the car color (for example, painting a red car's caliper red creates a great look). Some lifted trucks paint the various parts like the stabilizer bars, springs, and fittings to highlight the lift kit. If I'm selling the vehicle, I just paint everything black. This leaves a nice clean look-that is, unless it's an exotic, classic, or show car. In this case, paint each part the original color it received in the factory.

Jacking Safety

Never work under a jacked car without the use of jack stands. The jack alone cannot be trusted. Always use prescribed jack points when lifting your car. Read your car owner's manual for instructions.

The following procedures assume the use of a hydraulic floor jack or car jack and jack stands to lift a car for wheel removal.

· Park your car on a flat surface. Put on your emergency brake. Place blocks behind the wheels not being lifted, to prevent movement of the car.

· Use the proper size lug wrench to loosen wheel lug nuts on the wheels to be removed. Do not yet remove the lug nuts-just loosen them.

· Jack the car high enough to insert a jack stand under the end of the car you will be working on. The jack stand must contact a prescribed jack point or the suspension A-arm mount point. (see owner's manual)

· Warning: Never place a jack stand under your engine, drive shaft, or transmission, as serious damage could occur.

· Continue jacking the car until you have enough clearance to insert a second jack stand at the opposite end or side of the car. Again, align the jack stand under a prescribed jack point or suspension mount point. When two jack stands are properly placed, slowly release pressure on your hydraulic jack, or floor jack, allowing your car to rest on the jack stands.

· Failure to release pressure slowly may result in your car being dropped abruptly onto the stands, and that will damage the underside of your car. Before lowering the jack to move it out from under the car, inspect the jack stands again for proper placement. If they are not properly aligned, jack the car just high enough to make a correction.

· Remove the loosened lug nuts and remove your wheels. Be sure to set the lug nuts aside where they will not be lost or damaged. If you followed the procedure above, your car is now safely jacked for detailing. Inspect your tires for proper wear and for damage; and it's always a good idea to inspect your brakes and suspension.

Wheel Wells
Remove wheel. Safety first! Block tires and put jack stands in place. This will ensure stability while you are working under the vehicle.

· Thoroughly scrub and clean entire wheel well. Spray with citrus-based cleaner. Let soak for 2 to 3 minutes. Then use a stiff bristle brush to scrub everything. You can use a wire brush to remove the tough old grease. Remember, you will be painting, and all the surfaces must be free from any grease, or the paint will not adhere.

· Rinse thoroughly. Let dry. Check your work. Repeat until the wheel well (not you!) is perfectly clean.

Option 1: Painting individual parts (car-show look)
Mask lugs and brake-fluid lines. Grease fittings and any other part you don't want painted; this could include part of a lift kit, or brake calipers. I like to use blue painter's tape; it comes in several different sizes. Use newspaper to cover the hole into the engine compartment and brake-pad surface. Mask the trim on the lip of the fender; this will save you the headache of removing unsightly paint overspray on the fender. The 3" tape works great here.

Option 2: Black out

Mask the fender and surrounding area.

Painting Wheel Wells

The type of paint used is open for debate-undercoating paint or regular paint. Personally, I like to use Rust-oleum Primer and "Simi Gloss" paint. It's available at your local auto-part or hardware store. The semigloss will make it easier to clean in the future. When using any can of spray paint, it's best to spray at warmer temperatures. Warm the can in the sink with warm water for 5 minutes. This will help mix the binders and solvents in the mixture. Caution: never warm a paint can over a flame, or in the microwave!

· Paint with primer first. This will leave a good base for the main coat of paint. Follow the instructions on the can. Spray an even coat on all the surfaces you wish to cover. Let the primer dry for 30 minutes before applying the main coat of paint. Once the primer has dried, inspect and, if needed, apply a second coat.

You are now ready to paint. Apply a thin coat. If it is too heavy, the paint will run. Let dry for 30 minutes, and apply a second coat. Check work and apply another coat if needed. Look at it from several angles to be sure of good coverage.

Brake Calipers

Have you said that you want your car to look spicy like the car parked next to yours at the car show? The one with brake calipers painted to match the car? Well, I have the answer: Folia Tec Brake Caliper Paint by Dupli-Color. I suppose standard high-temperature paint could be used, but the Folia Tec paint is specially formulated. It can be found at your local performance sports-car shop or auto-parts store. Everything needed is included; Caliper Cleaner, stir stick, paint brush, masking tape, and complete instruction book. Brake calipers get mighty hot, so the Caliper Paint features ceramic resins for maximum heat dissipation. It won't blister, flake, crack, or peel, and it withstands temperatures up to 500°F.

Prep

Lay down a piece (or overlapping pieces) of old cardboard to catch the grime flowing from the car's brake calipers to the floor. You don't want that grease and grime on your driveway or in your garage, do you?

· Scrub the caliper with a vengeance and give everything a final rinse. Get out the Brake Caliper Cleaner and use it to soak the water off the caliper! This cleaner is a volatile hydrocarbon spray and evaporates leaving a perfectly dry finish. Be sure that the caliper is perfectly dry before painting!! Please no smoking, lighting matches, when using solvent-based cleaners. You don't want your tombstone to read, he died detailing.

Painting

The kit has everything you need. Mask the sounding area. Read the directions and precautionary wording on the paint label very carefully.

· Vigorously shake paint, remove the lid from the paint can, and stir contents thoroughly with the enclosed stir stick.

· Apply paint to the caliper or drum with enclosed brush in thin even strokes. Allow paint to set for 15 to 20 minutes between coats. Apply additional coats as needed to even out brush strokes and obtain full coverage.

You will likely do one caliper at a time, unless you have a home auto lift or levitation powers! Be prepared to use only about ¼ the total amount of paint for each caliper. Look at the caliper and figure out exactly how much you want to paint, and be sure you don't paint any of the moving parts! Carefully brush your desired area and watch it become the color you wanted. I hope you like the color now since it's too late to quit! You could however change colors by stripping the paint and starting over.

The paint starts to set after about 5 minutes, so don't take forever! Be sure not to put on too much paint, and be ready to smooth the bottom edges where the paint will want to drip. Don't go crazy painting the entire caliper: you can paint just the area that will be seen with the wheel on! After another 10 minutes or so, when the paint is no longer threatening to drip, you can put the wheel back on-CAREFULLY-so as not to touch the drying paint. You can speed up the drying process with a professional, full-size heat gun; a hair dryer will not generate enough heat.

You can do all the calipers at one sitting or separately, but don't get the one you just painted wet! Let it dry at least 12 hours before driving. Driving will cause heat that could hurt the paint curing.

Grip-It Power Brush, Product Review

By Jim Pyatt

 

I'm always looking for new and innovative products. I search the Web, attend detailing expos, and talk with suppliers in order to bring you news of the best products available. I know you are like me: cleaning wheel wells and wheels has always been backbreaking work. You have to get the best cleaner for the job along with quality brushes, and then you have to scrub by hand. To clean this area can take more than 10 minutes for each wheel.

For years, I have been looking for a better way to clean wheels, trying different chemicals and brush combinations to make the job easier. I have finally found simply the best innovation in wheel cleaning in years! It is the Laitner Grip-It Power Brush; with this power brush you can do a better job getting into those nooks and crannies in far less time. Designed to be used with any cordless drill, this brush has over 20,000 supersoft, dirt-gripping bristles. You can run the brush over the back of your hand at full speed, and it actually feels soft. But it has the ability to cut right through the dirt and grime.

When I first received the Laitner Grip-It Power brush last month, I was skeptical. Most brushes don't last long; the bristles wear out in just a couple uses. My assumption was that this brush would last for only a couple of cars. I have been using the Power Brush for well over a month, and it works better now that when new. Now that's a change! I have found the soft bristles become even softer after using them. A brush that gets better with time? Yes, you heard me right: the more you use it, the softer it gets and the better it performs! Now that's what I call an innovation.

I tested the Power Brush with acid-based cleaner to see if it would hold up, and it performed beautifully without damaging the brush at all. I simply put this brush through every conceivable test. Another area we all struggle with is the doorjambs, they are hard to get into and, if not cleaned properly, leave unsightly greasy dirt and grime. I took my newfound friend and fired it up in the doorjambs. Again, I was totally amazed at the results. The jobs for this tool seem to be endless; I have also used it to clean the engine, undercarriage, and seat rails.

OK, I won't go so far as to use it on the body of my precious paint finish. As you know, the clearcoat is very soft and even the slightest rubbing can cause swirls.

This is probably the most glowing review I have ever given, but, as you can tell, I simply love this tool. The Power Brush will be coming to your local auto-parts store and e-stores featuring auto-detailing supplies soon. You will want to be the first in your circle to have one, so keep your eyes open. I will also inform you when the Laitner Grip-It Power Brush becomes available, just as soon as I know.

March Joke

If Microsoft made cars . . .

General Motors press release

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on. At COMDEX recently, Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with the technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive, but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced, car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again, because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. Oh yeah, and last but not least . . . you'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off!


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Sincerely,

Jim Pyatt
Tender Rubbing Care