Where went the love for Menzerna polishes?

I still love and occasionally use Menzerna products !
Not as many German cars out here in Farmland, CA, as where I used to work in the Pacific Northwest..
Dan F
 
I think more user friendly products gained momentum and AGs online dominance didn`t do much to promote a non OEM brand.
 
Not sure it helped when they kept renaming/relabeling their myriad of products.

FG400 & SF3500 seem to remain mainstays, 3800 as well.

If just starting out however, much easier to look at something like Jescar, with its Compound/Medium/Polish model, which kinda mirrors some PBMG brands (Wolfgang Compound, TSR & FG) than trying to distinguish between something like Menz 2400 and 2500. Pros know that stuff but perhaps hobbyists not so much.
 
BudgetPlan1 said:
Not sure it helped when they kept renaming/relabeling their myriad of products. .....
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Oh lordy yes. I got a friend into Menzerna just when 4000 & 4500 came out (or were relabeled as such) and when he ran out of 4500 I said he needs to get some 3800 now.. he was like “oh no, it cuts more now?” .. he ended up with something else because the new numbers, that he closely associated with cut (or fineness) were pulled out from under him.

For me, it’s a practical question because I’m wondering what I’m missing out on, being so hooked on the Menz. 400; 2500, and 3800 mostly. What’s better?
 
I’ve always liked products of any kind with names rather than numbers. Makes it a lot less confusing
 
No, I don`t dislike Menzerna`s abrasive products just because my painter damaged the Jag with one after I told him what he should/shouldn`t do..

For me, it was the polishing oils. PO106FF`s oils concealed some *hideous* holograms when a fellow Autopian (a highly regarded Pro) did a vehicle for me. Descriptions of how to use Po85rd.."work it until it turns to a salad-oil consistency and then.." were so off-putting that I sold it. And I`ve found that I generally prefer non-diminishing abrasives.

As for their LSPs, I just wondered why I`d use them instead of something else, never saw anything special there.

BUT..hey, that`s just me. If you like Menzerna stuff, and it works well for you (I`d kinda assume those two go hand-in-hand but you never know), then I see zero reason to switch to anything else. Popularity doesn`t trump personal experience.

Kinda off-topic, I wonder whether advertising/promotion/approval by Notable Detailers/etc. really factor in much. I basically don`t pay any attention at all to such stuff, period, and can`t imagine why anybody would. IMO it`s merely a play for consumers` $, sucker-magnet [crap] that`s not worth my time or consideration.
 
Great topic here......Menzerna products were developed about 20 yrs ago for the demand of harder finishes for the German auto makers. It was developed by a company in Stuttgart Germany ( I can`t say the name ) and they continued to upgrade their products for the Auto Industry there and worldwide, which why alot of body shops were using their products before it hit the boutique auto detailing sector. It was imported by Jescar and I think they still do to this day. It worked for me till the weather here in Florida would play games with the products when compounding and polishing paint, so I had to use something else and as we all know a ton of new and advanced products hit the market in these past 10 years. There are so many of them now and IMO helps all of us in having arsenal of products to work on our customers cars to get the finish they expect from a professional detailer. When I was at CMA we sold a ton of Menzerna products and as far as I know PBMG sells alot of their products. Maybe they need to start doing more videos done on the newer products from Menzerna.
 
BudgetPlan1 said:
Not sure it helped when they kept renaming/relabeling their myriad of products.

FG400 & SF3500 seem to remain mainstays, 3800 as well.

If just starting out however, much easier to look at something like Jescar, with its Compound/Medium/Polish model, which kinda mirrors some PBMG brands (Wolfgang Compound, TSR & FG) than trying to distinguish between something like Menz 2400 and 2500. Pros know that stuff but perhaps hobbyists not so much.
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Yeah, there`s 9 Menzerna formulas...as opposed to most systems today that have 2 or at most 3. Between the multiple name changes and the fact that they`ve kept older, inferior products in the lineup due to their lower cost, it`s pretty confusing and I can see why many people would give up on it. Clearly, as Old Pirate alluded to, certain overlapping products were undoubtedly developed for specific (car) manufacturer applications, but today most polishes are so good and we all have variable needs, so having 2 or 3 or 4 products that cover the spectrum is a lot easier than having 9 different bottles that might fit very specific situations (not that you probably can`t find 2 or 3 in the Menzerna lineup that would likely cover all the bases).
 
When I first started using Menzerna products on that harder than nails, Mercedes Ceramic-Clear paintwork, there was really nothing better..
And as I used it on BMW, Audi, and Porsche paintwork, it also worked great..

If you go back and study the history of Menzerna since 1888, you will get a better idea of how they eventually got into vehicle paintwork.. https://www.menzerna.com/company/

I always thought after research, that if any company cares enough about their products to actually - mill - their own abrasives - on site, for their compounds and polishes in their own factories, these guys must really know something and care enough to go to that extreme detail..

As far as their putting "other" stuff in their products, I don`t know, I have never seen anyone prove that they do, or did, so I don`t really care..

If some Detailers correct paint but never do wipedowns in between to make sure they are removing all the defects for that price, then that is not the fault of the Product, as much as it is the shortcoming, etc., of that Detailer...

Remember, way, way, back when, the only wipe down available was isopropyl alcohol in different strengths, cut with distilled water, etc..????
And then there was the result of some paintwork becoming a little soft for doing that??? But it didn`t happen to everyone???

Perhaps this proves out the old saying that if a little of something is good, then a lot more of that is better... But that is not always the case...

I have all the Menzerna current products available for use on whatever paintwork comes by...

Dan F
 
Setec Astronomy- Reading that "very specific applications" reminds me of that (incredibly thick) Green Giant foam pad I have, supposedly made for "production-line correction" on German vehicles, maybe with Menzerna`s polish. As best I can tell, it`s utterly useless for anything I`ll ever do with any polisher I`ll ever own.
 
BudgetPlan1 said:
Pros know that stuff but perhaps hobbyists not so much.
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Non-Pros need to educate themselves ;) Oooh, snarky Accumulator :o but I do believe that.

IMO Menzerna`s various offerings are great for you Pros who have to deal with so many different situations and never know just what to expect. For a Hobbyist they`ll undoubtedly have something just-right too, but yeah...lots of required research compared to just buying the latest M-[whatever]-twins from Meguiar`s.

At least Menzerna continues to offer that broad product line, seems that lot of specific-application 1Z stuff (and the ones I like/have stockpiled) have disappeared, at least from the US/Export market.
 
Mi Hermano, El Accumulator` !
Happy New Year !!!

Totally agree - regarding having to put in the time to figure out new processes to make anything work/work better/faster/easier...
And along the way, perhaps better prioritizing time to fit this in...

For those that do this for a living - we have no choice but to do a lot of thinking, experimenting, etc., to keep ourselves on top of the learning curve, all the time..

Regarding this -- ""lot of specific-application 1Z stuff "", last I remember, the Einszett Company closed, but the chemists, etc., engineers, etc., stayed together and were able to re-open the company under their new name - Nextzett... Thank Goodness!!!!!! I hope they still make that original "Deep Plastic Cleaner" - absolute killer on any kind of plastic that really needs cleaning.. Also works great on those huge, rubber trunk mats, rubber floor mats, all rubber door moldings, plastics, etc...
Dan F
 
Stokdgs said:
Remember, way, way, back when, the only wipe down available was isopropyl alcohol in different strengths, cut with distilled water, etc..????
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No..I remember way, way back when the wipe down was Prep-Sol or Prep-All.

Accumulator said:
Setec Astronomy- Reading that "very specific applications" reminds me of that (incredibly thick) Green Giant foam pad I have, supposedly made for "production-line correction" on German vehicles, maybe with Menzerna`s polish. As best I can tell, it`s utterly useless for anything I`ll ever do with any polisher I`ll ever own.
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I`m guessing that was used with a rotary or more likely a pneumatic DA sander.


Stokdgs said:
I have all the Menzerna current products available for use on whatever paintwork comes by...
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Accumulator said:
IMO Menzerna`s various offerings are great for you Pros who have to deal with so many different situations and never know just what to expect. For a Hobbyist they`ll undoubtedly have something just-right too, but yeah...lots of required research compared to just buying the latest M-[whatever]-twins from Meguiar`s.
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Certainly I respect that a pro might want/need 9 or more different polishes (and I`m sure I have twice that many if not 3 times), but I`m also sure that there are pros out there that do very will with, say, the 3 Griot`s Boss polishes, and maybe one or two others for odd situations. (not that I really know anything the Boss polishes, I don`t have any).
 
Setec Astronomy --

I also remember the 70`s when Dupont Y-3919S Prep Sol, was used in the Body Shop I worked in as a Painter... I still have a metal can Gallon of it in one of my cabinets..

I was referring to what Detailers used in the last 20 years or so..
DanF
 
Still a Menz fan especially for my BMWs. Cut with 400 and finish with 3500. I really can’t see a difference when I go over 3500 with 3800. I bought some 300 that I may never use and 2500 that I look forward to using when I don’t see the need for 400. I like it that there are plenty of choices. I always do a wipe down after polishing (who doesn’t?) and Menz products are very low dusting even when you work them hard.

Menz is the opposite of 3D One. I’m still waiting to try this one out.
 
Stokdgs said:
I also remember the 70`s when Dupont Y-3919S Prep Sol, was used in the Body Shop I worked in as a Painter... I still have a metal can Gallon of it in one of my cabinets..
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As do I.

Stokdgs said:
I was referring to what Detailers used in the last 20 years or so..
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I`m pretty sure I remember Accumulator and Bill D talking about using Prep-All because they could get it, vs. Prep-Sol which you really had to get at a PBE store (of course today you can get anything on the internet). Honestly I don`t remember anyone talking about doing a solvent wipe after polishing until Todd Helme starting talking about Menzerna "filling", in...I guess that would be about 2005? 2006? I mean when I started here there were basically no pictures in threads...GSRStilez was one of the first to popularize it and then Todd set the standard until CMA products started showing up in all his pictures and he got banned. Anyway, that`s the way I recall it, no one was doing a "prep wipe" until Todd questioned...wait, maybe Todd was the one who defended Menzerna, saying it was the lubricating oils that caused the filling, not "fillers".

Well...what I`m saying is I joined in 2004, and sometime after that, a couple of years, was the "scandal" that some polishes didn`t work as well as people thought because of the filling that was going on...that was back when the machines and pads prevented you from doing any real correction with a PC (the only DA at the time), a problem the rotary guys like Todd and Sean didn`t have. What a different time. Who was that other guy? Who was from NJ and moved to San Diego? Umm...memory banks...Dave Saunders...Street Dreams. So many people who have come and gone here.
 
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