KAPAA — Not every one wants to spend top dollar for auto-detailing, but a specialty auto-detailer said his business is there for those who want their car to be an extension of themselves. The customer that comes to Kauai Auto
KAPAA — Not every one wants to spend top dollar for auto-detailing, but a specialty auto-detailer said his business is there for those who want their car to be an extension of themselves.
The customer that comes to Kauai Auto Detail believes how they keep their car is a direct reflection of themselves, said Steve “Duke” Wolshin, who operated Wolshin’s “Freedom” auto-detailing business for years. “If their car is dirty or a pig-pen, then people must think the same of them, he said, and if they do their best to keep it up then people see that in them.
“A clean car makes you feel good, and when you feel good the rest of your day goes good,” Wolshin said. “If you don’t care about your car that is different, but our business is designed for the person that really does care about their car.”
Wolshin operated his auto-detailing business for years. There are changes in his supply chain that improved his services.
People like the idea of a non-oil-based product with an emulsification process of lifting dirt, he said.
KAD uses products that offer the most affordable non-petroleum materials available. Wolshin takes the pure concentrated form and mixes a stronger blend to better protect island vehicles from salt water corrosion, the hot sun and the hard rain.
With his new concentrate, Kauai Auto Detail is a whole new business, he said. People like his products and will even buy them to do their own application.
“The main difference is that the polymer we use now is much, much stronger, and with a much better and slippier finish,” Wolshin said. “That is probably more improved than anything.”
The race car or show car finish lasts longer and unlike a wax, can add new layers without stripping away the old one.
“Petroleum disintegrates while the polymers last,” he said.
The full package begins with stripping the surface down to the clear coat and applying three polymer layers. Once it dries, they add a carnauba wax to seal the layer.
The process might take more than an hour and many customers time the visit with a walk on the nearby bike path or shopping in old Kapaa town a block away.
The follow-up visits are not as costly and involve a buffing and another polymer layer. They are given a cloth to use at home that won’t rub in dirt or cause scratches.
For the interior, Wolshin uses an herbal shampoo and concentrate stain remover from Melaleuca, an Australian company with 20 years experience.
KAD is a division of HAKU Group LLC. Duke Wolshin is the director of operations and Kansas Wolshin serves as president.
