Archives for March 2010

Autogeek's 5th Annual Detail Fest Wrap-Up

What a weekend! Detail Fest 2010 was definitely the biggest and best yet. Hundreds of people came out to meet the manufacturers, view the demos, try out products, and see all the fantastic vehicles on display. And there were some beauties. We’re always impressed by the fine detail work we see at Detail Fest.? This year was no exception. The lots were lined with all makes and models, polished to perfection. Everything from classics to brand new cars were here, with a couple of big rigs in the mix from Mothers and Meguiars. Inside the building, Rich Evans’? H2O Knight Mustang, a custom bike, and three race cars were on display.

For anyone looking for an opportunity to learn more about detailing, Detail Fest was the place to be. ?All of our manufacturers demonstrated their products and showed guests how to get the best results. Guests had a chance to try out products for free on Sunday. Plus, Mike Phillips held two machine detailing classes on Saturday in the new Autogeek Show Car Garage. Several people took home their own polishers and products with our hourly raffles.

We want to thank everyone involved in Detail Fest for coming out. You made it an excellent weekend. Now it’s time to start planning for next year!

See our photo gallery here.

Mike Phillips' Detail Class

The cars and trucks are rolling in!

This morning, the Mothers big rig and the Patron race car arrived at Autogeek headquarters.? We’re setting up tents, making signs and setting the stage for our 5th Annual Detail Fest & Car Show.
The Patron Race Car

The Patron Race Car

Patron Racing Car

Mothers truck

Coming to Detail Fest: Menzerna USA

Autogeek.net has carried Menzerna for a couple years now and they are among our most popular polishes. In particular, owners of vehicles with hard clear coats really enjoy the cutting power and fine finish left by Menzerna polishes. With Menzerna’s Jeff Silver coming to Detail Fest this weekend, we wanted to take this opportunity to reintroduce you to Menzerna.

Menzerna has been making polishing agents since 1888. The company was founded by Friedrich Menzer in the city of Pforzheim, Germany, to manufacture fine polishing agents for gold and other precious metals. Menzer moved his company to nearby Karlsruhe in 1899 and systematically opened branches in foreign markets starting in 1921.

In the 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.

After decades of growth and success, Menzerna was moved from Karlsruhe to Oetigheim, Germany. During this relocation, procedures were examined and modernized to transform Menzerna from a relatively small craft company to a medium size industrial manufacturer. Since then, Menzerna has seen consistent growth with new acquisitions and new subsidiaries in France and Morocco. Growth and development have been so rapid over the last few years that a third of Menzerna’s products did not exist before 5 years ago.

Today, Menzerna polishing compounds are used by some of Germany’s top automakers, including Mercedes. Many General Motors plants have begun using Menzerna.

Menzerna polishes are still manufactured in Otigheim, Germany but demand in the U.S. has caused the company to open offices and a warehouse in New York. Menzerna USA has been the factory source for the full line of Menzerna products for 30 years.

The Menzerna Advantage

  • Water-based
  • Polishes contain no fillers, silicones, or wax
  • Safe on all types of paint, including clear coat, lacquer, ceramic, and acrylic
  • Little or no loss in surface gloss
  • Uniform abrasives
  • Safe on new paint and factory cured paint
  • Clean, often one-step defect removal
  • Low or no dusting
  • Minimal (if any) polishing required to restore gloss to dark paints
Menzerna before and after
Before and after results of using Menzerna Super Intensive Polish.

Learn more about Menzerna at Autogeek’s 5th Annual Detail Fest this weekend, March 27-28, in Stuart, Florida.

Detail Fest Preparations

You might be wondering what goes into putting together Detail Fest every year. As anyone here can tell you, it’s quite a job. With Detail Fest coming up this weekend, March 27-28, here’s what’s going on around the Autogeek headquarters:

– Final touches are being put on the Autogeek Show Car Garage for the official unveiling at Detail Fest.

– Our last minute supply list is looking like this: name tags, name tag holders, lots of poster board, Sharpie markers, raffle tickets. There will be many more trips like this to the office store before the weekend!

– Making signs. Lots of signs.

– Drawing up a schedule and putting together a program for Detail Fest.

– Rounding up giveaway items for the raffle.

– Planning where all the vendors’ booths will be and where everyone will park. With Meguiars and Mothers bringing their big rigs and a full car show roster, we’re taking over the entire parking lot!

– Receiving vendor’s samples and/or equipment and booth displays. Many of our manufacturers are coming in from around the country so their stuff is being shipped ahead of time.

– Finalizing the food with the Sandy Hook Deli. Sandy Hook is our local sandwich shop and they’ve been at the last two Detail Fests. We’re glad to have them back again.

– On top of that, the day-to-day operations must go on!

On behalf of the entire Autogeek staff, we’re looking forward to seeing you this weekend at another fantastic Detail Fest!

Coming to Detail Fest: Griot's Garage

Autogeek began carrying Griot’s Garage products in 2009. The products – including everything from a 6 inch random orbital polisher to Best of Show Wax – are high quality and low effort. They are designed for car enthusiasts to get great results and, as they say, “Have fun in your garage!” Griot’s Garage was a natural choice for Autogeek. Here is their story:

Richard Griot of Griot's Garage

Richard Griot of Griot's Garage

Richard Griot, the founder of Griot’s Garage, grew up in California, an epicenter for all things automotive. A car enthusiast from the start, Richard channeled his passion into creating exceptional car care products, detailing tools, and garage accessories – anything to help you “Have fun in your garage!”

Richard Griot founded Griot’s Garage in 1991 with their first 16-page catalogue, mailed from their Vista, California warehouse. There are many catalogue companies and many car care companies, but what Richard had going for him was a commitment to quality and continuous improvement. Never content with “good enough”, Griot’s Garage develops new products every year that solve a detailing problem, make a detailing task easier or just make cars look better.

Since the inception of Griot’s Garage, the company has functioned on two equally important principles. Number one: Provide products and service that enable customers to experience our slogan “Have fun in your garage”. Number two: Create customers for life. Every Griot’s Garage product has a lifetime guarantee. Griot’s Garage used these two principles to become one of the most widely recognized brands of car care in the world.?

With a growing demand for Griot’s Garage products, the company headquarters, manufacturing, and warehouse/distribution moved from California to Tacoma, Washington in 1996. The manufacturing and order fulfillment location then relocated to Plainfield, Indiana in 2004, where the land and building are owned exclusively by Griot’s Garage as is all the production and bottling equipment. All formulas are developed in Tacoma and Plainfield and all liquid car care is made in the U.S.A. Griot’s Garage launched its website to complement its handbook in 1999.

Today the Griot’s Garage Handbook reaches millions of car care enthusiasts all over the world. It has become a source of valuable information and inspiration for car lovers looking to obtain a beautiful, concours finish. Griot’s Garage has become a staple at car shows. The company sponsors car shows every year and their products were used exclusively to detail the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d”Elegance Best of Show winner 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B.

Steve Kovach and Rob Wood from Griot’s Garage will be at Autogeek’s 5th Annual Detail Fest this weekend, March 27-28!

Coming to Detail Fest: FLEX Polishers

If you’ve been a member of Autogeekonline.net for any length of time, you probably know what a popular machine the FLEX XC 3401 VRG Orbital Polisher is. It’s forced orbital rotation is excellent at scratch and swirl removal on all paints, even the hard clear coats.

Bob Eichelberg of FLEX USA will be at Detail Fest to answer your questions about the FLEX 3401 and the rest of the FLEX polishers. Bob also joined us as a special guest at our SEMA booth in Las Vegas last November. We’re pleased to have Bob back to Florida to share his insight and expertise.

Bob from FLEX working at Autogeek's booth at SEMA 2009.

Bob from FLEX working at Autogeek's booth at SEMA 2009.

Even before FLEX became a staple in the garages in America, the company had a long history. FLEX was started in 1922 in Stuttgart, Germany. Their first product was a portable grinding machine with a flexible shaft. Since then, the line has expanded to include wet and dry tools for concrete, stone, and masonry, plus their incredible polishers. In 2006, FLEX opened their North American tool distribution and service center in Greer, South Carolina. Since then, FLEX has quickly become a leader in the detailing industry thanks to the quality and performance of their polishers.

Learn more about FLEX polishers and see them in action at Autogeek’s 5th Annual Detail Fest & Car Show!

FLEX polishers available at Autogeek:

FLEX XC 3401 VRG Orbital Polisher

FLEX L3403 VRG Lightweight Circular Polisher

FLEX LK603VVB Circular Polisher

Threads showing the results of the FLEX XC 3401 VRG Polisher:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/22729-just-another-day-working-autogeek-v-1966-mustang-pics-video.html

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/21853-2006-new-formula-red-s2000.html

Machine Detailing Class on April 24, 2010!

Sign up for Autogeek’s Machine Buffing/ Detailing Class on April 24, 2010!

Learn how to use polishers to correct and buff auto paint and the basics of machine damp sanding during this all day class taught by Mike Phillips. The class will be held at Autogeek’s Show Car Garage in Stuart, Florida.

Date: April 24th

Time: 8:00am to 3:00pm

Location: 7744 SW Jack James Drive – Stuart, Florida 34997

The class will cover machine buffing techniques using the following polishers:

D.A. Polishers:

  • Porter Cable 7424
  • Meguiars G110v2
  • Griot’s Garage Random Orbital
  • Griot’s Garage Mini Dual Action Polisher
  • FLEX Xc 3401 VRG Forced Rotation Dual Action Polisher
Rotary Buffers:

  • Makita 9227C
  • DeWalt 849
  • FLEX L3403 VRG Lightweight
  • FLEX LK603VVB

Plus, Mike will explain the basics of Machine Damp Sanding with Meguiar’s Unigrit Finishing System.

This class assumes you already know the basics working by hand and how, why and when to use detailing clay. If not, then watch this video:

How to use detailing clay to clay your car’s paint to remove things like tree sap and overspray paint

The class fee includes:

If you have any questions, please call Mike at 1-800-869-3011 x206.

Please reserve your spot here. Spaces are limited! See you in class!

Coming to Detail Fest: Optimum Polymer Technologies

Optimum Polymer TechnologiesOptimum car care products are a group of environmentally safe, paint safe, technologically advanced products that will give your vehicle optimum shine and protection.

Optimum Polymer Technologies was founded by an organic chemist whose specialty is polymers and automotive paint formulations. Dr. David Ghodoussi worked backwards from his knowledge of paint?s composition to formulate cleaners and protectants best suited for today?s finishes. Years of research and testing led to a line of products that deliver superior results without compromising sensitive clear coat finishes or the environment.

Optimum employs the latest polymer technology to put their products at the front of the pack in terms of durability, surface enhancement, and protection. Optimum Car Wax produces a warm carnauba shine with added sealant ingredients to extend the life of the wax. In a convenient spray formula, it goes on effortlessly and requires no buffing to create a lasting layer of protection.

Optimum Car Wash works hand in hand with any quality wax by cleaning the paint without removing the protective coat of wax or sealant. You wax less often yet retain a high level of paint protection.

Optimum polishes restore a brilliant shine and flawless finish. Optimum compounds produce minimal, if any, marring so you achieve your desired results in fewer steps.

Optimum also pioneered the multi-purpose No Rinse Wash & Shine, a car wash that requires no rinsing and minimal water usage.

With all these benefits, Optimum products are so easy to use. Professionals and weekend detailers alike will love the convenience and results of these advanced car care products.

These are just a few of Optimum‘s products. Go to Autogeek.net to see the full line.

Come to Autogeek’s 5th Annual Detail Fest to meet Optimum creator Dr. David Ghodoussi and to see Optimum products in action.

Coming to Detail Fest: Dodo Juice

Dodo Juice has quickly gained a large following thanks to their high quality carnauba waxes and their own unique brand of marketing. We’re excited to have PJ Aass, one half of the Dodo Juice team, join us at Detail Fest. Here is Dodo Juice’s story in their own words…

Dodo Juice was set up in June 2007 by PJ and Dom, a couple of guys who wanted to wake up the car wax industry, make it a double espresso and then jump on its bed.

Tired of the car care industry’s prehistoric marketing and mass-produced offerings, Dodo Juice was established with one aim in mind to bring high performance car care products to the enthusiast, at realistic prices, without any pompous claims.

Launching with just five hand made waxes, the range has grown to over 20 products, all made in the UK by a small team of dedicated technicians. The waxes have been well-received by the detailing community and are used by professional detailers as well as amateur enthusiasts. Dodo Juice’s premium wax, Supernatural (sold in a bespoke hard wood container), sold out within 25 minutes.

Overall, Dodo Juice is a company that is proud to be different, proud that its logo is difficult to read, proud of its distinctive website (www.dodojuice.com) and proud to be friendly, approachable and educational. One day it may even achieve its ambition of buying a volcano island, complete with monorail and laser. Then its competitors will have even more reason to worry.

Dodo Juice‘s PJ Aass will be at Autogeek’s 5th Annual Detail Fest on March 27-28!

Product Spotlight: Amazing Roll Off

Amazing Roll Off ?is one of those products that is very popular among boaters and RV owners but is a little lesser known in car detailing circles. Maybe this article will help change that. Meghan, our Project Manager and AutogeekOnline moderator, recently discovered that Amazing Roll Off is a great bug remover!

First, let me set the stage. Florida is notorious for Love Bugs, fly-sized bugs that gather by warm roadways because they are attracted to heat. You’ll see swarms of Love Bugs on Florida roads this time of year. (Beware to anyone driving down for Detail Fest!) Since they mate mid-flight, your vehicle never gets hit by one – it’s usually clusters of Love Bugs all over the grill, front bumper, and mirror housings. On a recent trip to Orlando, Meghan’s Chrysler 500 got a particularly bad case of the Love Bugs.

Chrysler 500 covered in Love Bugs.

The solution? Amazing Roll Off. Amazing Roll Off is part cleaner, part protectant. The amazing part is that it can be used on clear coats, fiberglass, vinyl, canvas, rubber, and metal. Use it as a tire cleaner (great for white-walls), a wheel cleaner, a convertible top cleaner, a boat cleaner, a mildew remover, and an engine degreaser and brightener. It’s non-acidic and contains no bleach. Once you’ve cleaned with Amazing Roll Off, less dirt and grime accumulates and surfaces are easier to clean. That’s the Roll Off part: dirt seems to just roll off during subsequent cleanings. Amazing Roll Off is bio-degradable, non-corrosive, rust inhibiting and ecologically safe.

Armed with Amazing Roll Off, a Safe Scrub Bug Sponge, and a bucket of DP Xtreme Foam Formula and water, Meghan made her Love Bug- infested 500 look like this:

Chrysler after being cleaned with Amazing Roll Off.
Chrysler after being cleaned with Amazing Roll Off.

Not bad for a boat cleaner! You can get Amazing Roll Off and the other products mentioned here at Autogeek.net.

Read more about Bug and Tar Removers in our guide, How To Remove Bugs and Tar.