Disappointed In Meguiares and who they sponsor

[Elite M.D.]

My name is Brandon with Elite Mobile Detailing, formally SacMotorsports. This is my first post but not my only. I will be coming here a lot since I do use Meguiars.

I recently went to a car show in Sacramento, CA called Autorama at Cal expo. The show started as older classic cars and now has a sport truck and import section. I am not really into imports, Hondas & Toyotas. I still went through the import section to take a look at the cars there. When I was walking through I notice that Meguiars sponsored a majority of the imports! They all had stickers on them that said Sponsored by Meguiars and had other stickers of their other sponsors. But the reason I was disappointed was due to a majority of the cars paint looked terrible. Under the florescent lighting you could see a lot of swirls and scratches. The paint was neglected; swirled, scratched, chipped and parts of the paint was scratched of from hitting curbs or on the corners of the doors. So basically what I want to know what it takes to become sponsored cause I was expecting it would be fairly difficult to be sponsored by a large company like Meguiars with so many people using there product with there company or just at home. These cars definitely shouldn’t have been sponsored; the classic cars with the flawless paints should be because they put the work into it to deserve it.

Well that’s it, Late.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Brandon,

I wasn't at that show and I am not involved with Meguiar's sponsorship program. I'll check into it however, and see what I can find out.

Mike

[Elite M.D.]

Thanks Mike

[Elite M.D.]

Any news?

Here is what my problem is... People thousands of people went to this show and see Meguiars putting their name on all these cars and not even caring what they look like. Then you have people like me who want to use Meguiars exclusively for my business and advertise that I use Meguiars exclusively but what about those customers who think about that car that Meguiars put there name on it that was swirled, scratched, chipped and what looked like a Maaco $99 paint job.

[DFTowel]

I wonder if Meguiar's really did sponsor these cars or if they just found themselves some stickers. You know how they like their stickers, especially yellow ones since they make the cars go faster!

[ozmonster]

Brandon:

I live in Sac and would be interested to know what kind of detailing you do and what your prices are. Also interested in if you do any paint work like repairing chips and the like. PM me with some details.

Thanks,

oz

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Elite M.D.
Any news?

Here is what my problem is... People thousands of people went to this show and see Meguiars putting their name on all these cars and not even caring what they look like. Then you have people like me who want to use Meguiars exclusively for my business and advertise that I use Meguiars exclusively but what about those customers who think about that car that Meguiars put there name on it that was swirled, scratched, chipped and what looked like a Maaco $99 paint job.

No, I haven't heard anything. The person in charge of our sponsorship program has been traveling a lot lately, I know she's very busy, but she is also very dedicated to her job.

I will forward this link to here and ask her for some information.

Mike

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Brandon,

I checked with Stephanie DeAnda, who works in Meguiar’s Special Events / Sponsorship Division and received the below response.

Mike,

Being involved with the tuner market and watching it evolve over the years has been fantastic for both consumers and manufactures alike. As the Youth Market Manager, I am responsible for tuner sponsorship across the US. The focus in the market has been mainly on the accessories for the tuner cars vs. the appearance of the paint.

Over the past year Meguiar's started working closely with the top teams across the US to educate them about how to maintain their cars appearance and provide them with the tools to do so.

It requires a lot of time to be sponsored by Meguiar's, we demand updates, pictures, and reports on their progress through the year. Not to mention the time they spend working on their cars so when they attend a show they make a good appearance.

Education is key and it takes time to learn how to properly take care of a show car finish. The cars you see with the Meguiar's Sponsored Logos are mostly sponsored, and we support them and their team. It is very common to see sponsored stickers end up in un-sponsored hands, but there is not much we can do when that happens.

The show you happen to be referring to was the Import Motion show. The Sacramento Area has a few teams we sponsor,

Team Hokori
Speed Addicts
Jinsoku

The above teams all have quality cars representing them and Meguiar's. They are all new to the Meguiar's Team and I look forward to spending more time educating them so that they can have the best looking cars at the show and be able to share the knowledge gained from our sponsorship with other young enthusiasts in the industry.

As far as the classic cars go, no one appreciates them more than Meguiar's. We have been with many of these enthusiasts since it became and hobby, and we support over 3000 Classic and Hot Rod Clubs across the Nation every year. These owners have been working on cars for years and their automotive education is priceless. That is why we are investing in the Next Generation of Car Enthusiast, to help the hobby last forever.

Warmest Regards,

Stephanie DeAnda
Meguiar’s Special Events / Sponsorship Division
17991 Mitchell South
Irvine, CA 92614

Stephanie makes some good points. In the past, much of the focus in the Tuner market has been on accessories, not paint care. In the past 3 months I have worked with three Tuner clubs and what I have discovered is there is a strong willingness to learn how to achieve a show car finish, but they lack the hands-on experience.

If you look through some of the pictures I posted from this last weekends Detail Day at Meguiar's for Garage Life,

Garage Life invades Meguiar's!

You will see that when I can, I put the products and tools into their hands, so that they can learn by doing, and not by just watching.



Your comments were valid, and I hope our answers and our goals will reassure you that Meguiar's commitment to the car hobby is stronger now than it ever has been, and it's only going to grow!


Mike

[Elite M.D.]

Mike,

Thank you for getting that info for me. I appreciate it.

Its nice to see Meguires doing what they do, like what you do Mike with the Detail Days. If I were still in So Cal I would go to one for sure, just for fun, even though I am a detailer. What I noticed at the show was that a majority of the Imports were sponsored there so I got the impression that you guys just gave them away. There were defiantly more sponsored Imports then there were non-sponsored imports. From Stephanie's reply it seems as though Meguiar's sponsorship program is different then other company. I say that because other companies wont sponsor a vehicle until it’s done and looks the best, were I guess with Meguiar’s some of them were a work in progress. To me it doesn’t make sense to do it that way because I am sure/know that other people looked at those in progress cars but didn’t know what Meguiar’s program is about and don’t know about forums like these to ask these types of question so they are left with a negative thought on Meguiar’s. After thinking about my comment about the Classic Cars or trucks I realized most of them don’t want stickers all over there car were as most of the imports do, so it was hard to see who was sponsored in that section of the show. Anyways, thanks for the reply, I do feel a little better about Meguiar's Sponsorship Program but what about the other people who had the same thoughts and me?

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Elite M.D.
Anyways, thanks for the reply, I do feel a little better about Meguiar's Sponsorship Program but what about the other people who had the same thoughts as me?

I'm hoping they all join our forum and read this thread!



Mike

[Elite M.D.]

Well we know thats not going to happen! So that leaves people out there with bad thoughts on Meguiar's products.

[Griz]

Originally posted by Elite M.D.
Well we know thats not going to happen! So that leaves people out there with bad thoughts on Meguiar's products.

Your concerns are understandable, as I'm sure I would have the initial reaction to frown upon the sponsorship.

However I'm sure that many people at that event also realize that products in the wrong hands do not allow for good results. This ethic applies to most every field, and I certainly think it holds true to the aging (sorry I'm 22, I'm showing my age) muscle car & classic enthusiasts. They, of all people, know that almost anyone with a simple set of tools could drop an engine or performance mods into a car, but it takes the experience and know-how to get everying working in proper order and tune the car.

As for the choice of cars. Perhaps I have a lack of marketing knowledge, but quantity seems to be reigning over quality (at least in this case). Perhaps if Meguiar's was a new and struggling company, I could understand this method as a way to get their name out. However, the name and reputation is well established - detailing forums for just about every corner of the automotive market regard Meguiar's products highly, regardless of level/class.

Probably the best sollution would be for Meg's to drop group sponsorship and stick to individual level interaction. This will allow for easier monitoring of what exact cars their name and reputation is being tacked to. As well the company can be more assured that they know the products, how they work, and be more effective at marketing the products to show-goers.

And then business owners such as yourself won't be face the potentially harmful effects of those people who were turned off of Meguiar's after witnessing sub-par detailing jobs.

Alright my ramble is done.

[Elite M.D.]

Sweet now I know im not the only one who feels this way. I agree with what you said.

[laff488]

In Reference to Sponsorship

In reference to Sponsorship, My Miata MX5 is Sponsored by Meguiars and i am Gratefull to them for this Chance to Promote there Products,for that i thank them.
This is the Kind of Shows that i go to.
wwwautorama.com

https://www.iasca.com

https://www.soundoff.org/usaci.htm

https://www.carsatcarlisle.com

https://www.hotimportnights.com

https://www.meguiars.com

Plus many More, i for one would never take my Car to a Show if it was not clean,ie polished,waxed,etc etc.My Miata MX5 is Trailered to all Shows and when i drop the trailer door down my car is ready to go on the floor.
The only thing that i have to do is to get my display set up which take me about 1.5 hours to setup.
The size of my Display is 20x20 with Display lights and display Boards ,Car Charger which is placed under the car you cannot even see it,thats how small it is (Cost of that Item is $600) top of the line.
Now i compete in www.autorama.com because you get to see cars that you will never see at other shows,To give you an idea of the Cost of some of these Displays that you see there ,3 weeks ago at one of those Auto Rama Shows the display next to me Cost $15000.00 i have never seen anything like it,it was BEAUTIFUL.
After walking around the Hall and looking at all the cars and Vendor Displays not one time did i see a Meguiars Product on Display (not one) and i could not understand that,so what do you think i did well i went out to my Motor Home and Trailer and got all my Meguiars Stuff in and placed it around my Car.for everybody to see,It was not long before a Vendor paid me a VISIT and his first QUESTION and only QUESTION to me was are you a Sponsored Car i TOLD him i was and he walked away.There is a big Market out there For Cleaning Products .But the only Products i use is Meguiars and nothing else..
NOW THE BEST PART WHEN THE SHOW WAS OVER GUESS WHAT WAS TAKEN ON ME (MEGUIARS POLISHER AND THE BAG IT WAS IN)
SO NOW I HAVE TO ORDER ANOTHER ONE ,THAT IS 2 OF THEM IN LESS THAN 6 MONTHS.....
NOW I HAVE SEEN SOME CARS AT SHOWS THAT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ALLOWED IN ,DUST ON CARS,WHEELS NOT CLEAN,SO MANY STICKERS ON THEM YOU CANT SEE THE CAR FOR STICKERS.
ANY TIME I SEE A CAR AT A SHOW AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF STICKERS I LOOK FOR FAULTS IN PAINT WORK,IE FISH EYES,NICKS, CHEAP PAINT WORK,ETC ETC.
The Paint and the Air Brushed Graphics on my car cost me an Arm and a Leg but i wanted it done right in other words i did not want a $99.00 Paint Job.
My Miata MX5 Sound System is set up to Compete in High End Sound Shows (Watts 900 Plus)
Anyway i want to thank Meguires for the Sponsorship,THANK YOU
Martin Laffey 2003/2004 Usaci World Champion in SQ Competion
2003 NOPI Nationals 1st Place Iasca Sound Competion
2003 NOPI Nationals 1st Place Usaci Sound Competion
2003 Usaci World Finals 1st Place 301+ Won World Championship
2003 Autorama Houston TX 1st Place Sport Compact Best of Show
2003 Autorama Houston TX 1st Place Outstanding Sports Compact
2004 Autorama New Orleans LA 1st Place Sports Compact Best of Show.
2004 Autorama New Orleans LA 1st Outstanding Sports Compact
Please View My Web Page at www.theflyingmiata.com

[Griz]

not my taste, but that's an amazing transformation you've done with with the mx5, what do you do when you get to the point that you have very little left to do with the car?