Automotive Detailing: A Complete Car Guide for Auto Enthusiasts and Detailing Professionals (Paperback)

by Don Taylor (Author) "There are a wide variety of tools and products available for detailing..." (more)
Key Phrases: orbital buffer, orbital polisher, rotary buffer, Jim Richardson, Eagle One, John Pfanstiehl (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Like every other component of the automotive industry, detailing has gone high tech, with state-of-the-art compounds for polishing, cleaning, restoring and protecting every finish on a vehicle, from ABS plastic to stainless steel. Detailing is an entire system of car care designed not only to make your vehicle look good, but to extend its life and protect its finish from the elements. This book shows how to care for that professional paint job, with fully illustrated sections on how to detail for show competition, the latest in detailing technology, products and equipment, setting up an auto detailing business, and more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: HP Trade; 1st edition (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557882886
• ISBN-13: 978-1557882882
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #221,669 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Another good general detailing book., June 30, 1999

By A Customer

I found the book a little on the general side for the more experienced automotive car care enthusiast such as myself. Ultimate Auto Detailing is probably a little better book in my opinion. The few detailing books that are available don't readily give anymore information than most of the detailing product websites (which seem to be very thorough). If you don't have any basics on detailing consider it, if you already know that there are no true detailing secrets, skip it.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for the novice., September 20, 2001

By	Mike Hansen (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews

This book is probably better suited for the average person wanting to know how to get their car REALLY clean. Pro deatailers may not get as much out of this as they would like. This book concentrates on what to do, in what order it should be done, and what products to use....and relies mostly on the directions on the products to give you instructions. The high points were the chapters on Wheels & Tires and Interior Detailing. I found they were the most detailed with the instructions given. This book also contains a chapter about Detailing as a Business. Gives the basics about how a detail business is operated. If you haven't read a detailing book before, I would recommend starting with this one before moving on.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The same old techniques discussed in other detail books, November 10, 1998

By A Customer

Mr. Taylor has good general knowledge of detailing. How that knowledge would translate into information for experienced professionals is not clear. I can see an auto enthusiast gaining some good general knowledge from this book, however, the knowledge shared is both too general and lacks suffecient explanation. I still haven't found a book that truly shows how the professional detailers make a car into a work of art. Maybe this book comes close, but I was hoping for some honest to goodness tricks and insider techniques!