BIG "A" DETAILING Shop Introduction & Pricing

[jbaker1121]

well then you sir have a problem haha :tonguey:

you just said in a prev. post that you do sundays if the customer needs it

 

[AndrewBigA]

you just said in a prev. post that you do sundays if the customer needs it

well right now i need a break from sundays. ill consider a sunday if i have to un july. i want my 4 days off this month lol!

 

[AndrewBigA]

PAINTLESS DENT REPAIR

Paintless dent removal also referred to as PDR, is a highly skilled unique process that repairs dents, dings & creases without harming a vehicles factory paint or creating the costly & time consuming need for traditional body shop repairs.

Big "A" Detailing's professional technicians use special tools to gain access behind the panels & meticulously work the dent out. Restoring the panel to it's original form. It's Amazing!

PDR is the best way to maintain the value of your vehicle & is required on certified pre-owned programs & lease returns.

Using PDR, guarantees less wait time, 2 hour minimum for heavy repairs (except hail), there is no painting of panels & it cost less than taking your vehicle to an auto body shop.

Our team of professionals are capable of repairing most non-collision dents. The limiting factor is the relationship between the dent's depth & diameter.

We can remove all dings & dents from all panels including a vehicles roof, trunk & hood.

TRADITIONAL BODY WORK ESTIMATES FOR ONE PANEL CAN START FROM $350.00 & UP.
DUE TO PARTS, LABOR, PAINT, THE AVERAGE COST FOR PDR IS AROUND $125.00 PER PANEL FOR UP TO 2 DINGS ON EACH PANEL. MORE THAN 2 DINGS ON A PANEL MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY MORE MONEY.

PRICES MIGHT BE HIGHER FOR DINGS LARGER THAN DIMES, NICKLES, QUARTERS & SILVER DOLLARS WHICH ARE THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF PDR REPAIRS.

All "PDR" done in my shop will be done with the same love & care that I put into my detailing.
If you can't make it to the shop for an estimate,
send me 3 clear pics to my inbox & I will respond back with a price.

Thank You,

-Andrew
aka
Big "A"

Got a ding? Give us a ring!
(718) 445-9995

 

[audioneurotica]

Jeez, it looks like you guys do great work for a reasonable price. It's almost enough to make me want to live in NYC

 

[AndrewBigA]

Jeez, it looks like you guys do great work for a reasonable price. It's almost enough to make me want to live in NYC

thank you very much

 

[firstfx35]

Front window tinting appointment

Hey Big "A" after reading all the positive feedback on IS.
I decided to give you guys a try, I'm looking forward to meeting you on Monday at 1:00 PM
Dennis

 

[AndrewBigA]

Hey Big "A" after reading all the positive feedback on IS.
I decided to give you guys a try, I'm looking forward to meeting you on Monday at 1:00 PM
Dennis

thanks denis. see you on monday. have a good weekend.

 

[firstfx35]

Window tint

Hey Big A, thanks for the experience and welcome, I think it was worth the trip in from N.J.
The guys I met there were real and talking about food made me feel very relaxed.
I can't understand how Vinney and his side kick could work so fast and keep you interested with the jib a jaba. If all goes well ( waiting for the windows to dry) I'll be back for the full treatment
Best of luck to you and the guys (I want to see you on the pole):wink (2):
Dennis

 

[AndrewBigA]

Hey Big A, thanks for the experience and welcome, I think it was worth the trip in from N.J.
The guys I met there were real and talking about food made me feel very relaxed.
I can't understand how Vinney and his side kick could work so fast and keep you interested with the jib a jaba. If all goes well ( waiting for the windows to dry) I'll be back for the full treatment
Best of luck to you and the guys (I want to see you on the pole):wink (2):
Dennis

your welcome my friend. the food convo got everyone hungry =)

 

[AndrewBigA]

G37 + Yamaha GP1300R Night Rider Jet Ski 69 pix

We drove 45 mins out to Merrick, Long Island today.
It was really hot, the garage didn't have good lighting
& the bugs were eating me & Humberto alive!
There were all sorts of insects biting us all dam day long!

ready to polish
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as i start to polish the G37, Humberto gives the Jet Ski a wash.
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lets check back into the garage to see what im up to.
some new green pads & Meguiars M205 Ultra Finishing Polish.
my Dewalt & Flex rotary machines are ready to go.
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Humberto getting the water out from the foot area. there was no drain plug so this worked really well.
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i mix a little more than one cap full of Ardex Hydro Gloss into a small 2.5 gallon bucket of water.
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with a new micro fiber towel, i mix it around a little bit.
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spray bottle of water to keep the pad a little moist.
dry pads can cause swirl marks.
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i clean the surface again to make sure the light dust that has settled onto the car is removed.
it was a little windy out today.
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another new microfiber towel to dry the fender off. im almost ready to poilish. Humberto is claying the Jet Ski right about now.
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Collinite 476S Super Double Coat will be the bottom layer of protection for the G37
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Adams Americana was layered on top of the 476S. the lable got a little burnt from sticking the can in the microwave a few times during the winter so i peeled it off. i promise you theres Americana in there.
all glass, rims, head & tail lights & exhaust tips were treated with Rejex.
the glass & exhaust tipes were polished by hand with #000 steel wool first.
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this stuff does not work. it doesnt smell like crap, it also doesn't fend off any insects!
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some new microfibers, blue 3M painters tape & new applicator pads as well.
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---------- Post added at 04:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:23 PM ----------

the job was to correct the swirls the best that i could with just polishing.
i did not compound any areas of the car at all. the goal was for a correction rate of about 80-85%.
i was able to remove the swirls & scratches a little more than the rate promised to the customer.
ill let you be the judge.

under the halogens, the swirls are pretty bad on the hood.
befores
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afters
soft Infiniti clear coat = lots of rock chips

round one =
Dewalt DW849 rotary
green 6.5" foam pad
Meguiars M205 Ultra Finishing Polish

looking pretty good but i know that i can make it look better.
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i polished the entire hood 3 times until it was as crystal clear as i could get it without compounding.
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i was getting pissed off at the hood & how i couldn't get it 100% swirl free.
the extra 3 lbs more that the Dewalt weighs over the Flex i think was the reason for this.
i forgot to pack some fresh blue 6.5" foam pads. they are a little softer than the green ones.
the lighter machine with the softer pad was needed for the hood but i only had 4.0" pads.

---------- Post added at 04:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:23 PM ----------

round two =
Flex L 3403 mini rotary
blue 4.0" foam pad
Meguiars M205 Ultra Finishing Polish

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i like to get as close to the car as possible so i can have the best view of the defects in the clear coat that im trying to remove. i am "getting it in". its difficult to work with no radio as well. i heard just the buzz of the rotary machines and the sounds of slapping insects off the top of my head, my legs, my shoulders & my face were all a little distracting to me.

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i was still not happy with how the dam hood was coming out so i tried a third option.
i guess i was so frustrated, maybe that's why i took off my shirt? we were working under not the best weather conditions & the bugs were every where, even inside the garage. it was like an oven in there as well. because of the wind & dust build up, i had to close the door about 2/3 of the way. it felt like a cool breeze when i stepped outside. it was about 85-90 degrees outside but inside it felt like 110!
go ahead with the jokes, i could care less. hairy bagel, austin powers, ive heard it all before.
i was sweating like a pig & the bugs were biting me all day long.

---------- Post added at 04:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:24 PM ----------

round three =
Flex L 3403 mini rotary
green 6.5" foam pad
Meguiars M205 Ultra Finishing Polish

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after Humberto was finished with the 2 layers of wax on the G, i backed it into the garage to make room for the Ski. i didn't want to leave the G outside for the next few hours, there wouldve been a lot of dust on top of the car if i did that.

Jet Ski taped up & ready for the Flex L 3403 mini rotary. i chose this machine because its smaller & about 3 lbs lighter than the Dewalt DW849. it was the right tool for the job.

laying on my back to get the bottom of the Ski. whatever it takes to get the job done right?
sweat was dripping down my forehead, the bugs were attacking me & i stunk like a bag of onions.
i couldn't wait to get home & shower but ive still got a few more hours of work left to do.

taped up & ready to polish
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im not trying to look sexy, i know im not at all lol! there was a little section in front of the handle bars that i needed to get to. i was tired & i didnt feel like stretching or standing on a milk crate to get to it.
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a pillow for my head wouldve been nice.
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---------- Post added at 04:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:24 PM ----------

carbon fiber windsheild & gas tank cap
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---------- Post added at 04:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:25 PM ----------

FINAL SHOTS:

INFINITI G37

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FIRST SUN SHOT ON THE HOOD
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SECOND SUN SHOT ON THE HOOD
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TRUNK
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SUN SHOT ON THE TRUNK
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YAMAHA GP1300R NIGHT RIDER JET SKI

the paint on the Jet Ski was not in the best shape. there were a lot of deep scratches that the customer didn't want me to get out. hes just going to put it back in the water in a few days when he uses it again anyways. the job was to remove the water stains in the paint & bring the shine back to its dulled out black paint.
i used the Flex L 3403 mini rotary with a 4.0" blue pad & some Meguiars M205 Ultra Finishing Polish.
a nice coat of Adams Americana paste wax finished off the ski for a really nice shine. i removed the seat during the prep wash to clean up under there. i scrubbed down the seat with a sponge & some mild citrus degreaser. for protection i went with Meguiars M40 Vinyl & Rubber Conditioner.

Meguiars has introduced some really awsome products into the detailing industry over the last couple of years. they are trying really hard not to be thought of as just some cheap supplies that you can only get at auto zone. mothers to me still holds that title. the only product i like is Mothers California Gold Car Wash Soap.

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i enjoy putting together these writeups. i want them to be fun to read & at the same time you should be able to pick up a tip here & there as well.

i read writeups from a lot of different detailers across the country & most of them are boring to me. i think reading mine are fun with the wacky pictures & a few laughs are thrown in there as well. you need good photography to catch peoples attention online. i dont want to be known as just one of the best. i want that title of being one of the best & being a little different as well. people remember the ones that stand out & thats exactly what my goal is.

if you have a question or comment about the work done, please post it up & ill reply back as needed.

thanks for looking.

 

[Tko512iFX]

If I owned a G it would look identical to that one! Great write up! Always insightful, and a good read!

 

[gmgagne]

wow. awesome work.

 

[skelzer]

So what are my options if I wanna sign up but based in Charlotte NC ?

 

[AndrewBigA]

If I owned a G it would look identical to that one! Great write up! Always insightful, and a good read!

thanks alot. i hope you enjoy reading all of my writeups!

wow. awesome work.

thank you dude

So what are my options if I wanna sign up but based in Charlotte NC ?

sorry i dont understand your question. can you ask me again. are you interested in having me travel to NC to do some work for you? thats what i am thinking. can you clear this up for me please? thanks.

got a new air compressor this week.
my friend is going to try to fix the old one so i can have a back up just in case the new one brakes down.
it came with a 12 month warranty from sears. i told the saleseman ill be back in 11 months =).

out with the old

in with the new


today i picked up a sweet fan from home depot. just my luck its painted orange & black. it needs some purple so maybe ill take out the krylon & do it up. a little purple, black & white could make this fan look a bit cooler!



its not air conditioning but this will deffinitly cool down the shop this summer. it feels good working in front of this. what a nice cool breeze i am enjoying as i polish out this black Evo lol.


we also hired johnnys son for part time help on the weekend & after school whenever we need him.
hes in training now & just does some little things around the shop. johnny is teaching him the proper amount of wax to use on the applicator pad.

this is not really his son, its my friend alans little brother lol.

i cant believe we jsut finished the first week in june!

 

[PMG 705]

Andrew, I'm curious, but do you always mask out the trim when you wax a car or only when you do a full detail/correction? I don't see too many guys mask when they're doing a wax job out here. I actually see a lot of them use a power buffer and go right over the trim; not sure if this is bad or not...

 

[FXchris305]

nice detailing bro . i want to open a shop open one day also . i love detailing . love seeing the before and after .

 

[Bklynjohn718]

Damn dude the more i see your work the more eager i wana get my fx done by you. I will definitely see you in the last week of june. Great work man.

 

[AndrewBigA]

Andrew, I'm curious, but do you always mask out the trim when you wax a car or only when you do a full detail/correction? I don't see too many guys mask when they're doing a wax job out here. I actually see a lot of them use a power buffer and go right over the trim; not sure if this is bad or not...

no masking for just a wax, only for machine compounding & polishing. but...since the car is already masked off we wax the car & then remove the tape after its waxed. you dont have to mask off the moldings for just a wax job though, that would be overkill.

nice detailing bro . i want to open a shop one day also . i love detailing . love seeing the before and after .

thank you & good luck in your furute.

Damn dude the more i see your work the more eager i wana get my fx done by you. I will definitely see you in the last week of june. Great work man.

so what is it going to take for you to come into the shop then lol? i have a few more writeups that i am still waiting to post. gotta make sure i dont run out of material to post. i just gotta spread it out a bit lol.
hope to hear from you in a few weeks.
thanks.

 

[AndrewBigA]

We are currently all booked up through Monday 6/21.

I'm now starting to book appointments for Tueseday 6/22.

Im going to PA Sat afternoon & wont return till late Mon night.
I need a couple of days to relax with my lady & try to recharge my batteries inside of my body lol.
Shes got me going to a cave with waterfalls on Mon. Sun night were going to try for the second time to have dinner at The Big A restaurant in PA lol.
Ill do my best to get to as many PMs by late Friday night as i can.
If you leave me a PM over the weekend Ill reply back by late Tueseday night.

Thanks everyone,

Andrew

 

[Beast45]

g35 looking sweet... curious how you blacked out the tails and the HL, is that tint as well?

and also, whats involved in prepping your car for the winter? cost and time?