Congratulations Mike! I had been thinking Autoforge was going to be your last stop given your history with Nick and B McKee, so I was surprised that venture was very short lived.
To be honest, I thought that was going to be my last stop also but divine intervention changed my course and I'm blessed and thankful.
But a man with your experience and dedication MUST be ecstatic about where he is and what products he is working with; nice to see you over the moon about this opportunity.
Jim aka the Doctor behind Doctor Beasley's will be here this week and what I love about Jim is he's excited to to hear my ideas for new products that truly solve detailing problems and I have a few things all set up to show him. Some of you may remember, but at one of the BIG 4-day classes I taught at the geek, as was the norm, I invited a lot of other captains of industry and instructors to participate. At one of these classes Jim noticed me using a glass cleaner as a waterless prep wash. As great chemist, he new why I was using the glass cleaner but also knew the ingredients in glass cleaners were too harsh and he could formulate a BETTER product that would do the same thing and that resulted in this product.
Prep Wash
And what I like about Jim is he gave me credit for the idea and thus the products.
From the
Dr. Beasley's website (scroll down the page to see the story)
Prep Wash was inspired by detailing legend Mike Phillips and his need for a defect-revealing cleanser to use on restored or vintage cars. Something waterless so as to avoid getting water in those hard-to-dry crevices. And unlike most waterless washes available (a certain three letter acronym comes to mind) it had to be totally free of organic ingredients since they stop coatings from permanently bonding.
Dr. Beasley’s founder and formulator Jim Lafeber took Mike’s need as a challenge and got to work! With real-world testing at Dr. Beasley’s detailing studio “Simon’s”, he perfected his inorganic formulation, tweaking factors that allow for easier wipe-off and greater clarity to expose defects.This final formulation is engineered to remove the layer(s) of contaminants that prevent detailers from seeing the full range of defects affecting the finish.
True to Mike’s request, however, this is a completely inorganic product with no carnauba or silicone whatsoever. Jim recommends using it in place of a regular wash before starting the paintwork correction process so detailers can get the clearest view of the defects being addressed. And while other waterless washes with organic ingredients won’t necessarily make the coating fail instantly, organic contamination is a chance you don’t want to take when protecting an investment like a valuable vehicle.
At the last and only
detailing class I taught at Autoforge, Nick Rutter watched me show the class how to use a coating prep spray as a waterless prep wash. He told me he liked my idea. Next week or so, I saw a product on his desk for testing that was a sample for my idea. Now that I'm gone, it will be interesting to see if this product materializes.
Here's Nick watching me use and explain how to do a Waterless Prep Wash for the class.
You mentioned you went through 3 buyouts, I know AG and 3D were, so did that just happen with Autoforge?
Or are you referring to Meguiar’s from way back when?
Great question Bill, here's the accurate information. One thing I've experienced is the importance of keeping your word.
Meguiar's - I left in 2009 - 3M purchased Meguiar's in 2018 - so yup, I was there for the beginning of the transformation. Not only did I leave, but so did Jason Rose, (RUPES), Rod Kraft and Jeff Brown, (Griot's), and a host of other people.
3M to Acquire Meguiar's Inc.
Autogeek - Bob McKee sold AG in 2016 and also sold or transferred my contract to Tony George as a part of the sale. I should have left then but my good and honest nature led me to fulfill MY WORD on the contract and I left in 2021 after renegotiating a new contract that removed the non-compete aspect that Bob originally put into the contract.
Vision Investments, LLC Announces the Acquisition of Palm Beach Motoring Group
3D - Tunch sold his company in the summer of 2021 to the Morgenthaler Private Equity Group and the result was I lost 3 things promised and written in my contract. Like the above two buyouts, things were not going to get better but worse, so I was forced to resign, which I did, but not until AFTER I kept my WORD and taught an upcoming class - then resigned. (did the same thing at Autoforge, they cancelled an upcoming boat class and I kept my word and scrambled to find a shop, get tools, products and supplies and I'm proud to say, kept my word.
Morgenthaler Private Equity Group Announces Strategic Investment in 3D International
I'm writing my own memoirs for my life in the detailing world, I think most people will find it an interesting read as I share all the behind the scenes drama.
Looking forward to your reviews on the Dr Beasley’s product line. I almost tried their stuff a few years ago but I tended to stay with products you were promoting at AG as well as McKee’s. My impressions have been Dr Beasley’s make high quality products, and now am eager to try them.
All the Best,
Bill
Jim only uses the best ingredients and usually this means the most expensive ingredients because he only want to put out the best finished products.
Stay tuned for so much more...
-Mike Phillips
. Without giving away secrets, can you enlighten us on how this new product is different than the other high quality panel preps for this purpose? More lubricating I suspect is one aspect since it is a waterless wash.