Teaching Car Detailing with Demo Hoods!

[Mike Phillips]

Teaching Car Detailing with Demo Hoods!

I used to teach car detailing classes using demo hoods, also called training hoods. There came a point when I transitioned to using actual cars to teach sanding.

Here's some old pictures from 2014 showing a collection of training hoods and trunk lids for my geek classes. There's a total of 9 hoods in the pictures below. Yancy was on a Skyjack Lift at the time and took these pictures.

Somewhere on the Internet, or a storage hard drive, I have a picture showing 16 demo hoods!


I no longer use any hoods in any of my classes, or test panels. Here's why. There's NO IMPACT and very little real-world learning when you train on flat surface about waist high. When you train on a real car, this has IMPACT. You have to learn how to sand and buff around,

Edges
Raised body lines
Side mirrors
Door handles
Antennas
Grills
Emblems

When sanding on an actual car, you have to learn how to focus on the task at hand and be careful. It simply has more impact and thus you learn more.



Mike

 

[Dsholes78]

I no longer use any hoods in any of my classes, or test panels.

Making mistakes on a demo hood is a hell of a lot less tolling than making a mistake on a customer hood!

Therefore, I don’t disagree with your tactic!!

 

[Mike Phillips]

Making mistakes on a demo hood is a hell of a lot less tolling than making a mistake on a customer hood!

Therefore, I don’t disagree with your tactic!!

There is a greater risk for out-of-pocket money if something goes wrong, but my priority is to teach good technique to start with and then continually walk-around the cars or boats and monitor the students.

If I see a student using good technique, I let them know.

If I see a student using the wrong or dangerous technique - I gently stop them and then politely tweak their technique. I explain what to do followed by WHY to do it and then if needed, do a demonstration and even provide hands-on training by placing my hands on their hands as they run the sander, or a power tools.

I show how to move it, how much pressure or how little pressure to apply, and the correct arm-speed for the process.

I have had a few mistakes happen in classes but the value for the students to learn on the real-deal always outweighs the cost of any repair.

But it all starts with starting any class session with a proper demonstration of the tool and technique to be used followed by constant monitoring of the process and progress.

We also use best-in-class sanding supplies like Eagle Abrasives by KOVAX as well as pro-grade tools.

The most difficult part of using actual cars is getting actual cars. This means the car community in your area needs to both know and trust you with their baby.


Here's the two cars I have coming up for the September class in a few weeks. I have the trust of the car owners.

Mike

 

[Mike Phillips]

More....

Past classes here at Dr. Beasley's in Stuart, Florida include,

For the Chicago class back in April, here's our Demo Hoods...

Not to shabby for real-world training cars to learn the art and craft of sanding to remove orange peel and then creating a swirl-free, show car finish.


Mike

 

[Dsholes78]

There is a greater risk for out-of-pocket money if something goes wrong, but my priority is to teach good technique to start with and then continually walk-around the cars or boats and monitor the students.

If I see a student using good technique, I let them know.

If I see a student using the wrong or dangerous technique - I gently stop them and then politely tweak their technique. I explain what to do followed by WHY to do it and then if needed, do a demonstration and even provide hands-on training by placing my hands on their hands as they run the sander, or a power tools.

I show how to move it, how much pressure or how little pressure to apply, and the correct arm-speed for the process.

I respect the accountability. Which I’m learning myself.

When someone’s makes a mistake or bad practice it’s not necessarily because they’re always totally wrong, it could very well be they were not yet taught the techniques clearly in a way that they understood yet and might need some more clarification.

 

[Mak]

There is a greater risk for out-of-pocket money if something goes wrong, but my priority is to teach good technique to start with and then continually walk-around the cars or boats and monitor the students.

The most difficult part of using actual cars is getting actual cars. This means the car community in your area needs to both know and trust you with their baby.




Mike

I’m actually surprised that you don’t have folks waiting in a line line for you to do their cars. how do you charge for your “training“ vehicles?

 

[Mike Phillips]

I’m actually surprised that you don’t have folks waiting in a line line for you to do their cars. how do you charge for your “training“ vehicles?

I used to have to reach out to the great car community here in the South Florida area, but nowadays I tend to have enough people that know me and what I do that they contact me.

What's funny are the people that purchase HUGE brand-new SUVs and/or Trucks and want me to use these vehicles in my classes as a way to get their humongous transportation detailed and ceramic coated for free - but alas, I don't accept these types of cars.

As for charging, I tried that once or twice, but it turns people off. They think like this,

You're getting my car to teach with in your class, win/win.

Some folks tip, but that's very rare.

Like the old saying goes,

It is what it is.


Mike