A Brief History of Automotive Detailing

1800s - 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.

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.

1900s - 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 color 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.

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 Color Company was purchased by Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in 1928, but continued to manufacture products under the Ditzler label as a subsidiary until 1968 when Pittsburgh Plate Glass was reorganized under the name of PPG Industries, Inc.

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 atomizing 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

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.

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

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 car makers (Jaguar, Aston-Martin, Rolls Royce and Bentley) favored 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

1970s - 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 color 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.

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.

1990s - Saw the onset of water-based, oven dried two-stage (color and clear coat) paint systems. This system enabled a myriad of paint color 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 – 2000s - 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 colors

2000s - Microfiber technologies became available, by definition, (very small; involving minute quantities or variations) micro fibers are ultra-fine yarns made from various sources. They can be polyester, nylon, or a natural material such as cellulose, Micro fiber filament spun or extruded from natural materials such as cellulose (plant fibers) are available. Micro fibers are two times finer than silk and nearly one hundred times finer than human hair. Split Micro fiber 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 fibers on most cloths only push the dirt along the surface, whereas the wedge-shaped micro fibers grab the particles of grime and pull them into the dense internal structure.

Micro fiber has two polymers: polyester and polyamide. Polyester is lyophillic, or has an affinity to oil, so that oil and grease adhere directly to the fibers. 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 [[Micro fiber (Micofiber) Towels
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 fiber, 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.

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; aluminum flake which creates sparkles, colored aluminum 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 color 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.

Source: wikipedia