Meguiar's adds more shine to car care line

LAS VEGAS — Car care product maker Meguiar's Inc. announced the release of three new products at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The 121-year-old brand, owned by 3M, has released a wheel polish for black rims, a more durable tire shine and a quick-use paint glosser.

In the crowded car care industry, Meguiar's separates itself from the other brands with a quality product, according to Mike Pennington, director of training at Meguiar's.

"Hopefully before somebody gets to the shelf, they know the brand, trust the brand," he said, "but most importantly, the product does what it is says it will do. …

"That's probably one of the biggest reasons we've been around for 120 years."

Hot Rims Black Wheel Cleaner is formulated for glossy or matte black wheel finishes. Pennington said the popularity of black wheels made the product a "no brainer" to add to its lineup.

"The percentage of black wheels sold in the aftermarket is the majority," he said, adding that many original equipment manufacturers also are coming out with black wheels.

It features a new formula, "smells great, cleans good," and is a slightly more aggressive cleaner than is used on standard aluminum wheels.

Tire shine products are one of the biggest consumable items in the industry for consumers and professionals, Pennington said, and the biggest challenges for those products are durability and sling — or excess product "slinging" on the paint job.

The new Hybrid Ceramic Shine helps solve both of those problems. The product offers a high-gloss shine, water durability and bonds to the tire to reduce sling. Pennington said the product can be sprayed on to attain a high-gloss finish or be wiped on for a low-gloss look.

"When tire dressing and protectants are applied properly, and then three days later they fade back, that's another bad experience," he said. Meguiar's tapped into SI02 ceramic coating technology — often used in paint and wax — and applied it to a tire product to add durability.

"Properly applied, you're going to get two to four weeks (of shine)," he said, adding that if applied before wintering a vehicle, the shine will still be there when summer rolls around.

The third new product from Meguiar's, the Ultimate Insane Shine Paint Glosser, is a shortcut of sorts to give users a spray-and-wipe way to achieve a show-car shine that conceals light swirling and enhances color saturation and gloss.

"If you don't have the time, don't have the knowledge or the machinery, and you want that vehicle to 'pop' quickly, this is your product," he said.

Frank Meguiar started the company 1901 selling furniture polish, and since early vehicles featured similar materials as furniture, it became a natural transition to automotive care.

"Obviously, those first cars, many were made out of wood, many shared the same top coat or varnish that furniture had," Pennington said. "Everything clicked, 'if it works here, why not here?' The next thing you know, you have black lacquers on the early Fords, and all that, and we were off and running."

Meguiar's first automotive products — cleaners and compounds — came out in the late 1920s, he said. In the 1960s, the company expanded to meet professional demand of the growing car enthusiast market. In 1973, it released its first "do-it-yourself" products for consumers.

"Fast forward, we still make professional products for body shops, painters; we still make our retail line; still have our marine line," he said. And the company still is overseen by a Meguiar, Berry Meguiar, the third generation of the family to be involved in the business.

Meguiar's has been under the 3M umbrella since 2008.

This month, Meguiar's is moving into a new headquarters in Irving, Calif., where it has been based since 1913.