SEMA 2023/2024 New Products

[Silly Rabbit]

Didn’t see ‘em and Gyeon was absent as well; they always have a *very* large presentation.

PPF, tint, and film/wrap mfg’s were predominant.

On a positive note, the head of Fireball brought us 2 dozen Krispy Kreme’s


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Fireball have anything new that made you stop and look for a moment?

 

[BudgetPlan1]

Fireball have anything new that made you stop and look for a moment?

Really didn’t have a chance to look. This SEMA was pretty much a ‘working’ event supporting Kamikaze. Building booth Sun/Mon, ‘working’ booth Tues/Weds/Thurs/Fri

Managed an hour or so to quickly check out main detailing spaces in West Hall…see who was/wasn’t there, stop to see a few folks/vendors I talk to throughout the year. Nate who used to be with Gyeon is now at B & B Blending (they had large display) & oddly enough, while walking down an aisle I ran into the guy from a small shop in Cleveland who used to do the graphics for our vans at the swimming pool company…small world.

SEMA’s obviously all about the flash, latest automotive stuff but the coolest car I saw was in the Bendpak display:

1970 Boss 429

Was interesting to see the calm before the storm on Sunday morning as setup was happening:

Vegas was getting ready for next weeks F1 race; they drained the canals at the Venetian in preparation for building seats/luxury boxes:

Guess I’ll be watching a replay of the actual race as it’s scheduled to begin at 1:00am EST on race day (night)


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[vaced]

A lot of people never stopped using clay bars. I've not found synthetic clay to be a total replacement for traditional clay bars and actually have both on hand depending on the work I need to get done.

If I'm prepping to polish one of my vehicles which are well maintained and have been coated since their last decon, I'll go to a synthetic clay mitt. However, if I'm bringing home a new-to-me car with a questionable detailing history or other vehicle with unknown history, I go straight to a clay bar. In my experience, clay bars do a better job on neglected paint.

Thanks for your response, and I agree with you.

I also still use (and prefer) clay bars.

 

[MisterSnoop]

I started with a synthetic clay mitt after hearing all the horrors of clay (takes longer, you drop it and then have to throw it out, etc.). Then I actually tried clay. Wasn't terrible as far as speed and I had to peel it off my nitrile glove so it wasn't getting dropped.

 

[DFB]

I think product wise, the detailing industry has plateaued. None of this stuff is exciting or really needed anymore. They’re running out of ideas. Hydrophobic glass cleaner? Really? That’s not innovative…

I heard Chemical Guys didn’t even have a display booth at this years Sema. It’s quite telling when Chemical Guys runs out of new products to sell their customers.

I have to agree with this. You know ideas are thin on the ground when a wheel cleaner for black wheels is the headline new release, or a company finally produces a ceramic coating having had their head in the sand selling wax up until now.

Chemical Guys were notable for their absence, and like last year, Gyeon and Carpro had no stand either.

And Jax Wax having a cordoned off stand with a singular bottle of wax under a glass case was obscenely stupid. Sure, it got people talking, but it hasn't made me want to go and buy a bottle.

 

[Prange]

That Jax Wax display is asinine.

 

[oneheadlite]

...
And Jax Wax having a cordoned off stand with a singular bottle of wax under a glass case was obscenely stupid. Sure, it got people talking, but it hasn't made me want to go and buy a bottle.

Just... wow.

I'm just imagining the security guard stuck working that stand. Someone tries to get too close (when the boss is in eyesight). Guard: *Deep sigh*... *Half hearted* No, stop, get back. */Half hearted*

 

[Setec Astronomy]

I'm just imagining the security guard stuck working that stand. Someone tries to get too close (when the boss is in eyesight). Guard: *Deep sigh*... *Half hearted* No, stop, get back. */Half hearted*

Ok, Willy Wonka. It was all a gag, I doubt those were actual security guards, that would probably cost too much, there are always "extras" you can get to work your booth. I mean, if you go to a (new) car show in Minneapolis, you don't think Ford brings those pretty girls on the stand all the way from Detroit, do you?

PS I thought the whole thing was pretty funny, you always try to come up with something new for a show that will get people talking and attract attention, and this surely did.

Services - Live Talent

 

[DFB]

Ok, Willy Wonka. It was all a gag, I doubt those were actual security guards, that would probably cost too much, there are always "extras" you can get to work your booth. I mean, if you go to a (new) car show in Minneapolis, you don't think Ford brings those pretty girls on the stand all the way from Detroit, do you?

PS I thought the whole thing was pretty funny, you always try to come up with something new for a show that will get people talking and attract attention, and this surely did.

Services - Live Talent

But what did the brand bring to the table though? Certainly nothing new or innovative, just a childish gag display.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

But what did the brand bring to the table though? Certainly nothing new or innovative, just a childish gag display.

I guess nothing...which is probably why they did a "childish gag display". The point of trade shows is to increase sales, gain name recognition for the company, etc. If you don't have anything "new or innovative", then you have to do something different. The fact that we're talking about the company shows that they were successful. If you want some insight into what trade shows are really about, read between the lines and listen to Anthony's comments (in the TRC videos) when they walk past the California Duster booth, and how he discusses it with Ian from AutoFiber. (Spoiler alert: it was about HOW MANY people were in the CD booth, and how they could get them into THEIR booths)

Also, trade shows are grueling work and a huge expense for the exhibitor; just read BudgetPlan1's post above; sometimes you just have to have a little fun. If the roped-off JaxWax bottle was the extent of their display, then they didn't need to spend airline and hotel and restaurant money on employees to man the booth, they didn't have to build/ship a display, etc. etc.

 

[Autobahnd]

I think product wise, the detailing industry has plateaued. None of this stuff is exciting or really needed anymore. They’re running out of ideas. Hydrophobic glass cleaner? Really? That’s not innovative…

I heard Chemical Guys didn’t even have a display booth at this years Sema. It’s quite telling when Chemical Guys runs out of new products to sell their customers.

A place where I think there's a ton of room, and has been for quite some time, is product transparency.

Bilt Hamber just released a simple glass cleaner, but the video they provided was something I'm not used to in the detailing world. They gave great insights into the chemistry and testing methodologies. Most companies these days are like "here's a 5+ year coating! Just trust us!".

As far as areas where there could be actual product improvements:

1) Powerful iron reacting chemicals without the smell. If this could be accomplished I think we'd see more "wheel specific" soaps as well. I know there's IronX Snow Soap, but for the amount of cleaning power it provides, it's just not worth the smell
2) Wishful thinking and maybe the holy grail of products, but a coating that isn't affected by water spotting
3) With the longevity of ceramic spray sealants nowadays, I think there's space on the market for having more shampoos with greater cleaning power. Not enough CarPro Resets in the world in my opinion

 

[Setec Astronomy]

As far as areas where there could be actual product improvements:

1) Powerful iron reacting chemicals without the smell. If this could be accomplished I think we'd see more "wheel specific" soaps as well. I know there's IronX Snow Soap, but for the amount of cleaning power it provides, it's just not worth the smell

Not sure if it made it into this thread, but Stoner Car Care introduced and odorless iron remover and wheel cleaner at this year's SEMA. It also has some similarities to the already existing McKee's 37 Foaming Wheel Cleaner Gel, which I wondered about in a thread over on Autopia.

 

[vaced]

Not sure if it made it into this thread, but Stoner Car Care introduced and odorless iron remover and wheel cleaner at this year's SEMA. It also has some similarities to the already existing McKee's 37 Foaming Wheel Cleaner Gel, which I wondered about in a thread over on Autopia.

It sounds like you are happy with the McKee's?

Was some cleaning ability or dwell time traded off for getting rid of the odor? I'm also looking to buy some wheel cleaner: I was leaning towards GTechniq W6 since the claimed 5-10 minutes dwell time piqued my interest, but an odorless wheel cleaner would be nice.

Also, the Mckee's is marketed as a wheel cleaner but the Stoner's is also marketed for paint?

 

[Setec Astronomy]

It sounds like you are happy with the McKee's? Was some cleaning ability or dwell time traded off for getting rid of the odor?

Also, the Mckee's is marketed as a wheel cleaner but the Stoner's is also marketed for paint?

A few weeks ago I was using the M37 cleaner side by side with the Griot's Heavy Duty. Besides the fact that I hate the cherry urinal cake smell of the Griot's, I thought the McKee's did a better job.

I was struck by a few coincidences between the Stoner and M37 products, they certainly sound similar, even if they aren't actually related. I did buy a bottle of the Stoner's when they had it on SEMA sale for a few dollars off, I probably won't get to try it until next year.