About the Owner, Robert Smith

How it all started…

Hi, I am Robert Smith, owner of Pacific Detail Services. Thank you for visiting my site – your interest in my services is appreciated and I look forward to providing you the most convenient, outstanding service and results you will ever find. I don’t believe I am not like most other detailers you will find. Detailing and its mindset has been a part of me before I even detailed my first car.

My interest in detailing started back in 1991. I grew up in a clean home and now that I have my own family, we keep our own home very clean at all times. I am the kid that never had to be told to clean his room. Even as a child, I did not like anything out of place. I inherited my first car from my parents and before I ever drove it, I was out cleaning it, not that it was dirty – my parents are very clean people – I just wanted to make sure it was perfect.

And so it began. My passion for detailing has only grown as I have continued to learn and develop my skills over the years. I have learned an incredible amount since I “detailed” that first car even though, compared to today, I really had no idea what I was doing back then! I went on to work at a local detail shop and while I learned a lot, it seemed to all be about numbers and how many cars they could count at the end of the day. That push to “hurry, hurry, go, go” wasn’t me – that isn’t what true detailing is and I didn’t believe it was right for the customers, so I quit. Detailing is a state of mind. Detailing takes time and cannot be rushed. A detailer either has an eye for it or they don’t, in which case one is not a detailer but just a worker at best.

Everywhere I go, I am looking at the little details around me and fixing them as I can. I see magazines out of place in a waiting area and if I can, I fix them. While waiting at stop lights, I see scuffs and surface scrapes on cars and I wish I could get out and remove them! My existing clients have probably caught me blowing leaves or grass clippings off their driveways before I start my work or pulling out a tiny new weed sprouting in their driveway. By having that eye for detail, I have found screws and nails in tires as well as missing lug nuts – which were brought to the attention of my clients. I also check before I leave to make sure I have not inadvertently left behind even the smallest piece of trash or debris. That, however, is the mindset one needs to be an effective detailer and without it, I could not properly do the work I do.

A step back in time…

Most of you see me when I am servicing your vehicles but that’s it. Who else am I, you wonder? What do I do when I am not obsessing over my latest detail project? I was born in New Jersey in 1972. In 1977, the Navy sent my dad to Moffett Field in Mountain View and the Bay Area became home because the remaining18 years of my dad’s military career were at Moffett Field flying in the P-3s that used to always be in the air somewhere in the bay area – if you have lived here for more than about 20 years, you will remember those days.

Growing up, I remember one to two week long camping trips at Memorial Park in San Mateo, trips to Disneyland and many weekend trips all around the Bay Area and thankfully, more fishing trips than I can remember! I graduated high school in 1990, during which time I played high school soccer and basketball. I played just about every position on the soccer field and the last two basketball games I ever played, I had 44 and 33 points and set a school record that year for the most points ever scored in one game as well as winning the MVP award my senior year. I also hold and AS degree in electronics.

Since I was about 10 years old, I have loved fishing. I make my own leaders, maintain my own equipment and keep an inventory of so many rods, reels, lures, tackle boxes – and containers with “overstock” lures that I have no tackle box for, it’s ridiculous! I also enjoy making wooden lures, mainly for targeting striped bass and have caught bass with them. I enjoy spending time with my family, repairing items and equipment around the house, keeping the house clean and I love yardwork. Our cars are also well maintained by guess who?! I enjoy maintaining my vehicles – planned down time in the driveway for maintenance is better than unplanned down time on the side of the road. When the need arises, I have even had the engine in my work van apart and back together again – all by myself and it just keeps going. When time allows, it is fun to help friends and neighbors with minor repairs on their vehicles as well. I would say that detailing is something else I love but that’s fairly obvious at this point!

In June 1999, I married my beautiful, wonderful wife Michelle and since then we have been blessed with 3 wonderful children, one boy and two girls born in 2002, 2008 and 2009, respectively. Activities and opportunities have taken me on Boy Scout camping trips with my son, snow trips to Tahoe, family vacations/road trips to Disneyland, Seattle, the Grand Canyon, San Diego, Lego Land and more and fishing trips with all my children. We also have a fun tradition that I always take my daughters on birthday “dates” every year – to the place of their choice to eat. Throughout the year, I also take my daughters and son out for ice cream, hot chocolate, lunch or even just have one of them ride along while running errands to make sure I spend as much time as possible with them.

My wife has more talents and abilities than I could mention here but the one I enjoy often is her ability to cook delicious, healthy food! Don’t be fooled by how thin I am, my wife can really cook and I like to eat. She enjoys being a stay at home mom while also a professional photographer and currently attending college studying graphic arts. The love of photography is what started for her long before her business started and her work really shows it . As a former administrative assistant in one of the nation’s largest patent law firms, my wife is also a big help with bookkeeping and other miscellaneous behind the scenes issues that are a big help to my business and keeping operations moving forward. While we love our children, my wife and I also enjoy weekend trips to Tahoe, Monterey and other places together – minus the kids sometimes.

Any mention of our family would not be complete without mention of our dog Lulu, the most loving, loyal and obedient family dog we could have chosen. The fact is, my wife found her and she sure did find a good one. Our dog’s name is Lucy but at the time we adopted her as a puppy, my youngest daughter could only say “Lulu” and that’s what stuck! Lulu is a very spirited, intelligent Jack Russell Terrier who wants to socialize and play with everyone she comes in contact with.