A Brief History of Vehicle Detailing

[togwt]

Products



In the interest of full disclosure, I am in no way affiliated with, employed by, have any vested interest, or in any way receive compensation from the sale or distribution of the product lines reviewed or the company that manufactures or markets it.



1800- In the small German town of Bischofsheim a carriage maker developed a wax based on animal fats to protect the black lacquer type paint that was applied to horse drawn carriages.



1878 - Connolly Leather Company (1878 - 2002) - for over a century Connolly Bros. was synonymous with the quality leather used in the very best of British marques, including Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin and Jaguar, this English tannery had been producing and supplying highly finished, oil-based pigmented leather primarily to car manufacturers at two plants, Northampton and Ashford, Kent.



1886- A lot of people agree that the inventor of the car was Karl Benz. Benz was an engineer and inventor who lived in Germany during the late 1800`s and early 1900’s? On January 29, 1886 Karl and the team of Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach patented the first car. The DRP 37435 patent is recognized as the official birth certificate of the motorcar. On July 3, 1886 it was first demonstrated to the public in Mannheim, Germany. 1889 was the year Gottlieb Daimler founded Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, the company that was to become Mercedes Benz!



1888 - Friedrich Menzer founded a chemical factory in the city of Pforzheim, Germany, to manufacture fine polishing agents for gold and other precious metals. The company succeeded in producing “Paris Red�, which was considered the best fine polish for gold, but otherwise the polish company was slow to take off. Menzer then moved his company to nearby Karlsruhe in 1899 and systematically opened branches in foreign markets starting in 1921.



1895 – Michelin introduced pneumatic automobile tyres, 1910 – BFGoodrich Company invented longer life tyres by adding carbon black to the rubber



1900- The first automobile to be produced in quantity was the 1901 Curved Dash Oldsmobile, which was built in the United States by Ransom E. Olds.



Modern automobile mass production, and its use of the modern industrial assembly line, is credited to Henry Ford of Detroit, Michigan, who had built his first gasoline-powered car in 1896. Ford began producing his Model T in 1908 the paint he used was similar to the lacquer used on the earlier horse and carriages. Henry Ford is reputed to have said, “You can paint it any colour you like as long as it’s black� and by 1927, when it was discontinued, after over 18 million had rolled off the assembly line.



1905 - Mary Anderson first decided that automobiles could use a wiper blade when she saw motorists emerging from their vehicles to clean their windshields by hand. It was November, 1903. Her spring-loaded wiper arm was patented in 1905, and then replaced by a mechanical arm in 1913. Since then, the wiper blade has pretty much remained the same.



1910 – when the motor car was still somewhat of an oddity affordable only by the wealthy, that the Simoniz Company came into being. Its formation was made possible by George Simons, who developed a cleaner and a carnauba wax product for car finishes. Along with Elmer Rich of the Great Northern Railway, the two organized the Simons Manufacturing Company. The firm`s products were named Simons Cleaner and Simons Paste Wax.



In 1912, Mr. Rich and his brother, R.J. Rich, acquired full ownership. They changed the name of the firm to Simoniz Company and located the first office and backroom factory at 2121 Michigan Avenue in Chicago. A believer in the power of advertising, Mr. Rich created what was to become one of the worlds best know slogans: "Motorists Wise, Simoniz." It was popular with automobile dealers where it was used for an auto detailing in a process called Simonizing or Simonized. The trademark went though some amount of trademark dilution due to its use by a number of automobile dealers for processes using other brands of car wax



Simoniz USA was formed as a result of a purchase by Syndet Products, Inc. of the Simoniz brand name in 1997 from First Brands Corp. Syndet, at the time, was a 25-year old manufacturer of hard surface detergents, cleaners and waxes, serving the automotive, institutional and industrial marketplace. Simoniz was already a part of consumer product and advertising History





1913– What began as a simple furniture polish laboratory and plant in the garage of founder Frank Meguiar, Jr., now spans four generations of Meguiar family stewardship. The Meguiar’s family`s involvement with the collector car hobby from its earliest days, the family moved their business from Indiana to Pasadena, California, in 1913, as Pasadena was becoming one of the earliest "car capitals" of that era. In fact, by 1915, Pasadena had the highest per capita rate of car ownership in the world.



This was the era when Walter M. Murphy set up his famous coach building shop in Pasadena, which became synonymous with the ultimate in luxury automobile styling, building bodies for Packard, Mercedes-Benz, Minerva, Cord and Duesenberg. Many of them were made for Hollywood celebrities, for which he was best known. Murphy actually built more bodies on Duesenberg chassis than any other coachbuilder. Southern California has been the ideal location for the Meguiar`s headquarters (now located in the city of Irvine).



1915 - 3M revolutionized the process of automotive surface preparation when it introduced its 3Mâ„¢ Wetordryâ„¢ Abrasive, 1920 - 3M invented the first waterproof sandpaper. 1925 - 3M invented masking tape to enable paint shops to get a razor sharp line on two-tone paint jobs.



1925- Ditzler Colour Company acquired property at 8000 W. Chicago Ave. in Detroit, where it built a factory for manufacturing the first Ditzler lacquer for automotive factory finishes. Ditzler Colour Company was purchased by Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in 1928, but continued to manufacture products



1927 - the pioneering Connelly`s devised a revolutionary new finish which consisted of nitrocellulose resin mixed with pigmentation, which made finished leather available in the whole spectrum of colours, such as brown, tan, red, green, blue and even ivory.



1930s- An acrylic resin system or stove enamelling as it became known; this finish produced a very hard, dense and shiny paint finish. A man named dé Vilbiss is credited with perfecting an atomising spray gun and paint holding canister that could be used to apply thin multi-coated enamel paint systems.



Hans Anwander produced the first jars of Antikwachs, hand made non-enzyme based wax formulas, produced in a carefully controlled environment, in his tiny Zurich workshop. Originally developed to protect the family`s priceless collection of antiques and lacquers, Hans found it produced stunning results on his private collection of automobiles as well. Soon a family business was born and since those early days, three generations the Anwander family have carefully nurtured and refined those waxes into the ultimate standard for automotive care. Today they can be found in the boot of every Rolls Royce that comes off the Goodwood England assembly line; and is the only wax approved for use in the Mercedes Restoration Centre where classic pre-war automobiles are restored to their original grandeur.



In the 1970`s a member of the Anwander family came to the USA from Switzerland, with the intention of selling some of the families wax formulas, but when she found out that the American market was only interested in `mass production’, it was decided that a modified formula would be sold for production in the USA. These formulas were enzyme based (air acts as a catalyst to cure the wax) and were originally distributed by the Turtle Wax Company shortly before the Zymol (Zym-from the word enzyme) company was founded in 1980.



1936 - Einszett was founded by Werner Saur Sr. in Germany. The company began with the goal of making a quality car polish. While the cars have changed dramatically since then, Einszett’s commitment to making quality car care products remains the same. Each product has been researched, tested, and manufactured in Germany to meet Einszett’s strict quality guidelines. Einszett produces products that create tangible results: glossy paint, clean trim, and bright metalwork. Incidentally, “Einszett� means “1Z� in German, which is the designation assigned to license plates registered in Köln, Germany.



1950s- Menzerna came under the management of Dr. Walter Burkart, who began researching industrial polishing technology, culminating in his writing of a guide to sharpening and polishing. This guide is still recognized as the standard guide on the subject. With the 1960s came the advent of liquid polish emulsions, which is still the norm in the auto industry. Menzerna quickly adopted this new way of processing and applied to it some of the highest standards of quality that the industry has ever seen.



Driven by this commitment to quality and consistency, Menzerna went on to become one of the top producers of polishes for industrial consumers.



The General Motor Company began to use a drying oven to speed up the evaporation of the acrylic resin; this method also produced a very smooth paint surface finish



GEM Industries marketed an Orbital Polisher for car, boat, and plane detailing almost 50 years ago and has been in uninterrupted production ever since. The GEM Orbital Polisher is currently sold throughout the world.



1953- Cyclo U.S.A commenced operations in 1953 manufacturing their unique twin head orbital action polisher designed specifically for the aircraft and aerospace industries. In a short space of time the Cyclo polisher (together with the various polishes) established itself as the standard aircraft polishing system throughout the world and is now used by virtually every airline and aircraft manufacturer

In the mid 1970’s the Cyclo machine was discovered by the automotive industry, and was such an instant success in resolving the paint problems of the auto motive industry that it is now the approved machine for all Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai and Nissan dealer outlets in the U.S.A.



1956 - The first commercially available polymer sealant Polyol (poly tetramethylene ether glycol) was introduced by DuPont in 1956 by polymerizing tetrahydrofuran. Less expensive polyalkylene glycols were introduced by BASF and Dow Chemical the following year, 1957.



1958- Nils Bohlin, Volvo design engineer, patented the "Basics of Proper Restraint Systems for Car Occupants," better known as a three-point safety belt. A year later, Bohlin`s lap-and-shoulder belt was introduced by Volvo as standard equipment on all of its cars



1959 - The brilliant American physicist Richard Feynman (1918–1988) is widely credited with kick-starting modern interest in nanotechnology. In 1959, in a famous after-dinner speech called "There`s plenty of room at the bottom," the ever-imaginative Feynman speculated about an incredibly tiny world where people could use tiny tools to rearrange atoms and molecules. By 1974, Japanese engineering professor Norio Taniguchi had named this field "nanotechnology".



1960- A German manufacturer Car-Lack (Klasse in US) was the first admixing polyethylene to be used instead of wax, and a European company Autoglym(were originally Swedish, they re-named for the UK market with a very British image, which became even more so once awarded the Royal Warrant) formulated acrylic resin car care products. Mercedes-Benz dealerships used the Car-Lack sealant, while Jaguar and various other English carmakers (Jaguar, Aston-Martin, Rolls Royce and Bentley) favoured Autoglym products Meguiar’s was founded in 1901 as a furniture finishes manufacturer and later started to manufacture foam pads (1965) for use with rotary polishers



The first commercially available polymer sealant Polyglycoat (poly tetramethylene ether glycol) was introduced by DuPont in 1969 by polymerizing tetrahydrofuran. Less expensive polyalkylene glycols were introduced by BASF and Dow Chemical the following year, 1970. Their impact on the market was so great that many of the larger names in automotive chemical products followed and produced their own versions of polymer based paint sealants.



1964 - After departing from the family business Floyd Meguiar set out to create a new company, one that would live up to his grandfathers vision and philosophy "Never sell a product until you are convinced it is the finest product of its kind in the World". From this, in 1964, Finish Kare was born. The vision and philosophy lives on.



Meguiar and his staff have worked alongside the major automotive manufactures to solve and prevent paint related issues including paint contamination caused by industrial fallout and acid rain (Paint Decontamination System FK # 1119 & 883). As a result, there have been numerous manufacturer bulletins authorizing the exclusive use of Finish Kare Products to solve or prevent a variety of finish related issues.



1970- Both Japanese and European began using a paint that contained mica chips (metallic paints) in an acrylic paint with a clear coat. This top layer of the paint film system comprising clear polyurethane or urethane paint that provides an outstanding hardness, premium gloss, distinctness of image and long lasting colour retention and a hard protective layer.



The US later embraced both the metallic paints and clear coat technology, but the clear coats applied to late 70s US vehicle often failed within two to three years due to quality issues. Meguiar`s didn`t start making products for the enthusiasts side of the industry until 1973 when we launched Meguiar`s Cleaner/Wax in both liquid and paste versions.



1980s- The US Government began to get involved with the paint process used by auto makers, namely the volatile organic compounds (VOC) content of the petroleum based paints being used. The allowable emission limits of VOC were subjected to dramatic cutbacks. Autopia-Carport.com an Internet website detailing forum was started by David Bynon, in 1998, the name was later changed to Autopia.org

(1998 – 2011)Terry Freidberg was the owner and operator of Classic Motoring Accessories (Proper Auto Care) along with his wife Jan and son Jon they originally started their retail business in 1988.



1990s- Saw the onset of water-based, oven dried two-stage (BC / CC) paint systems. This system enabled a myriad of paint colour options and having perfected the clear coat systems, depth of shine, gloss and clarity were obtained. Although water-based paints are softer and more porous than the oil based counterparts, with proper care and maintenance they show a high level of durability



A US power tool company, Porter-Cable that was established in 1914, started to manufacture an electrically operated random orbital sander (1990s) now one of the most used tools for professional and enthusiast detailer’s Velcro backed backing plates and foam pads were introduced for use with both high-speed rotary and random orbital buffers



1990 - Detailing clay, originally used in Japanese auto body shops (1980) was then introduced to the US (1990) with only a couple manufactures in the U.S. with patents to protect the technology, first used in professional bodywork painting shops and now by OEM’s, professional detailers, vehicle auctions, and amateur detailers. Body shops routinely use detailing clay as a simple, safe way to remove over spray and surface contaminants from painted surfaces, chrome and glass.



The latest evolution of this technology is clay-like bars of entirely man-made polymers. Detailing clay is manufactured with different levels of abrasiveness for different applications, recognized by using various colours



1997 - Lake Country Manufacturing, Hartland, WI, was established in 1977. They have grown considerably since that time, there mission and business philosophy remain the same... to develop and manufacture high quality, value-added products that contribute to the profitability of our customers. Lake Country`s ongoing commitment to product innovation is evident by their growing list of patented products. They continue to develop new and improved products to serve the market`s ever changing needs for buffing and polishing solutions.



2000- Micro fibre technologies became widely available, by definition, (very small; involving minute quantities or variations) micro fibres are ultra-fine yarns made from various sources. They can be polyester, nylon, or a natural material such as cellulose, Micro fibre filament spun or extruded from natural materials such as cellulose (plant fibres) are available. Micro fibres are two times finer than silk and nearly one hundred times finer than human hair.



Split Micro fibre s it is more specifically described, possesses numerous wedges rather than the rounded threads found in ordinary cloth. This wedge structure is what provides the superior penetration of grease and oil verses that of common fabrics. In addition, the rounded fibres on most cloths only push the dirt along the surface, whereas the wedge-shaped micro fibres grab the particles of grime and pull them into the dense internal structure.



Micro fibre has two polymers: polyester and polyamide. Polyester is lyophillic, or has an affinity to oil, so that oil and grease adhere directly to the fibres. Polyamide is hydrophilic, which means it has an affinity to water. As a result, any type of dirt is very quickly and completed removed with Microfiber, leaving a sparkling-clean, streak-free surface. Micro fibre cleans any surface without streaking, smearing, or scratching. This type of technology has changed the detailing industry and they way products are applied. The advent of materials like detailing clay, Velcro backed foam pads, micro fibre, and paint technologies are examples of why it’s so important to monitor the industries new products, chemicals technologies and ideas that are constantly being introduced, as are the techniques for applying them.



2001- Autopia.org community established itself as the #1 internet destination for car detailing enthusiasts to share car appearance tips and techniques



2003 - Guru Reports (Car Wax Test, Glass Cleaner Test, Wheel and Tire Cleaners) comprehensive tests of autos, cars, trucks, SUVs and car related products and then compiled the results into easy to use Special Reports.The inaugural study was based on a comprehensive set of test criteria and scientific research and analysis of 46 popular car waxes. The car waxes were divided into four categories; low priced, moderately priced, premium priced, and synthetic waxes. The study measured durability, ease of use, product availability, and performance amongst peers.



2004- PPG Industries CeramiClear is a binary clear coat composition designed to offer long-term gloss and durability. According to PPG engineers, this is the first automotive clear coat to use nanoparticle technology.



CeramiClear can still be damaged by keys but most day-to-day use including degradation from ultraviolet radiation, acid rain and salt is eliminated. Additionally, reported test results show CeramiClear holds onto more than 80 percent of its gloss appearance after several months of weathering and being run through the car wash.



The development of paint effects also garners a considerable amount of PPG`s time. Effects currently employed by the company include; aluminium flake which creates sparkles, coloured aluminium flake which has an iridescent look to it, Mica or Pearl which refracts the light and finally flex pigment, originally used in currency, which can create a colour changing effect by giving off slightly different hues at alternate angles.



2007 - A new type of automotive surface protection system was introduced to the market in the form of wipe-on, walk-away clear sealants. The clear paint sealants are nanotechnology polymer coatings that are highly resistant to detergents, acids and hard minerals, like calcium. Don`t let the nanotechnology jargon confuse you. The chemical simply creates a full molecular blanket of protection by using molecules, that are much smaller than water or acid molecules, that bind together to form a tight chain link mesh protection.



No wax/sealant fluorine-type clear coat finish – a technological advancement in clear coat finishes is a fluorine-type clear coat that needs little or no waxing. Currently available on Nissan Motor Corporation`s Infiniti luxury automobile, "no-wax" clear-coats are likely to be available on other cars and from other manufacturers in the future.



The fluorine-type clear coat finish requires special detailing, especially to correct damage to the clear coat, and should be treated exactly per the manufacturer`s instructions in the owner`s manual. Polishing and waxing in the usual detailing sense are not appropriate for these high-tech finishes.



2010 - Optimum Hyper Polish Spray is a fast cutting, zero dusting polish in a spray-on liquid form. Aquartz Iron Cut a one-step product that removes the imbedded (below paint surface) iron particles that are released by the exothermic reaction between the acid and moisture, the heat opens the micro-pores of the paint, thus releasing the iron particles, allowing them to be rinsed away. G|Techniq Surface Coatings together with Bayer and BASF has devised a new coating using Silane; forming a nano composite quartz polymer lattice



2011- Optimum released their Hyper Compound and Hyper Polish, non-diminishing abrasive products in a light, spray-type consistency. They also released Opti-Seal and Opti-Coat a reactive resin type ‘permanent’ coating



Meguiar’s released a new microfiber pad and polishing system, and a non-diminishing polish (M105)





To be continued . . .



[Edit: Finish Kare added]

[POPPAJ]

Thanks for posting this info!! Very interesting!

[imported_Larry A]

I though that Simonize came out in 1910 not 1935. It was brough out to protect the then varnish paint used on cars at the time.

[togwt]

I though that Simonize came out in 1910 not 1935. It was brough out to protect the then varnish paint used on cars at the time.

You are correct the date should be 1910





[When the motor car was still somewhat of an oddity affordable only by the wealthy, that the Simoniz Company came into being. Its formation was made possible by George Simons, who developed a cleaner and a carnauba wax product for car finishes. Along with Elmer Rich of the Great Northern Railway, the two organized the Simons Manufacturing Company. The firm`s products were named Simons Cleaner and Simons Paste Wax.



In 1912, Mr. Rich and his brother, R.J. Rich, acquired full ownership. They changed the name of the firm to Simoniz Company and located the first office and backroom factory at 2121 Michigan Avenue in Chicago. A believer in the power of advertising, Mr. Rich created what was to become one of the worlds best know slogans: "Motorists Wise, Simoniz." It was popular with automobile dealers where it was used for an auto detailing in a process called Simonizing or Simonized. The trademark went though some amount of trademark dilution due to its use by a number of automobile dealers for processes using other brands of car wax



Simoniz USA was formed as a result of a purchase by Syndet Products, Inc. of the Simoniz brand name in 1997 from First Brands Corp. Syndet, at the time, was a 25-year old manufacturer of hard surface detergents, cleaners and waxes, serving the automotive, institutional and industrial marketplace. Simoniz was already a part of consumer product and advertising History.] Simoniz

[Dan]

Interesting post but there is a lot of date jumping and some significant events missing.

[togwt]

Interesting post but there is a lot of date jumping and some significant events missing.

Feel free to correct /add any dates you feel are significant

[Bill D]

I once read long ago how I`m guessing in the early 20th Century the servants of maharajas popularized valeting or "detailing" when they were expected to be at attention, waiting with plenty of towels to wash or do the equivalent of "QDing" back then once the maharaja got back from a trip in his Rolls-Royce. Anyone else hear or know more about this tale?

[Dan]

Feel free to correct /add any dates you feel are significant

I don`t want to nitpick your nice article, but for example the 1930s section has stuff that should be in the 1970`s section. A few other examples of decades with stuff that is in other decades.



A few other milestones I`d throw in if it were me:



-Zaino - game changing sealant

-ONR, truely a game changer

-The FK/Meguiars split

-Clear WOWA sealants

[Bill D]

Jon, you`ve got a great "working piece" article going. One other milestone I could think of is the development of the 3 step wash decontamination system.( FK and AutoInt/Valugard) Ron K can say exactly when that was launched.

[togwt]

Jon, you`ve got a great "working piece" article going. One other milestone I could think of is the development of the 3 step wash decontamination system.( FK and AutoInt/Valugard) Ron K can say exactly when that was launched.

1964 - After departing from the family business Floyd Meguiar set out to create a new company, one that would live up to his grandfathers vision and philosophy "Never sell a product until you are convinced it is the finest product of its kind in the World". From this, in 1964, Finish Kare was born. The vision and philosophy lives on.



Meguiar and his staff have worked alongside the major automotive manufactures to solve and prevent paint related issues including paint contamination caused by industrial fallout and acid rain (Paint Decontamination System FK # 1119 & 883). As a result, there have been numerous manufacturer bulletins authorizing the exclusive use of Finish Kare Products to solve or prevent a variety of finish related issues.