"Paint Touch-up, chips and scratches add profit"
Auto Laundry News
By: Jason Zimostrad
Vice-President The Paint Bull
PAINT TOUCH-UP, Chips and Scratches Add Profit
Reproduced from AutoLaundry
In the past, consumers faced with paint damage to their vehicles considered one of two options. Option number one was to have the repair work performed at a collision center. This choice could be expensive, costing as much as $500 to repaint a door. In addition, the owner would usually have to do without his or her vehicle for days. The second option was to purchase factory-packaged touch-up paint and attempt to cover the damage with a small brush. Most often, this would result in repair that was "gooped" inside the scratch or stone chip. Color match, more often than not was quite poor.
PROFESSIONAL PAINT TOUCH-UP
Professional paint touch-up is the preferred alternative to expensive body-shop repairs or bottle-and-brush methods. The technology being used can be compared to a "micro body shop on wheels." With a professional paint touch-up system in house, you have complete paint mixing capabilities. The biggest difference between a touch-up system and a traditional collision center is the amount of paint that is mixed and used to perform a repair. With a touch-up system, you mix only ounces, rather than pints, quarts, or gallons. For the process to be profitable, a quality repair must be performed quickly with minimal product expense. There are well-established companies with the experience to provide a self-contained paint touch-up system and the training to use it.
It is the consensus among paint touch-up system owners and operators that a quality cabinet system which holds the necessary tools of the trade organizes the equipment and increases efficiency in a busy shop or mobile business. These systems are self-contained with air and electrical power. The ideal cabinet system would include these essential items:
- Paint colorants, clear coat, reducers and complete chemical package;
- Built-in air compressor;
- Microfiche formula system: single-stage, two-stage, and three-stage paint formulations;
- Digital gram-scale measurement equipment;
- Micro paint mixer for proper paint agitation;
- Airbrush spray system;
- Color reference library;
- Two days hands-on training.
THE CHIP/SCRATCH REPAIR PROCESS
The high-quality stone-chip and scratch repair process is quite simple; just follow these steps:
- Locate auto manufacturer's paint code on the vehicle;
- Cross-reference the paint code with your color library;
- Locate paint formulation on the microfiche;
- Select the base colorants listed by number on the microfiche formula (you will typically mix six to eight colorants to achieve the match);
- Using a small ¼ oz. mixing cup and a digital scale, the appropriate colorants are added by drops in cumulative order;
- Tighten the cap on the newly mixed color and place in the micro mixer to agitate the paint (this is a critical step for metallic flow and color match);
- Double check paint match by referring to your color library;
- The paint is now ready for application in a variety of stone-chip and scratch repair methods.
Airbrush application is the most widely accepted method of touch-up and can be done in minutes. The damaged area is cleaned with a solvent-based chemical and then sprayed with sufficient paint to cover the damaged areas. The paint is allowed to dry for five to ten minutes. A small amount of excess paint is left around the chip or scratch. A special easy-wipe overspray remover creates a chemical and compound reaction allowing the operator to remove the excess paint, leaving the necessary paint inside the scratch or chip. This leaves the vehicle protected and cosmetically enhanced. Upon close inspection, a small outline of the damage may still be present, but at eye level a beautiful finish is the result. Additional steps and procedures can be taken to nearly perfect the damaged surface.
Auto dealers and the retail public are both viable customers for this process. Product cost, on average is $1. Labor time runs 30 to 60 minutes.
THE MICROPATCH® REPAIR PROCESS
In addition to the cosmetic airbrush touch-up method, a shop owner or mobile operator can expand the paint services to repair scuffed bumpers, key scratches and minor rust damage. Only a few additional items are necessary:
- Infrared paint curing lamp;
- High speed buffer;
- Mini HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) spray gun;
- Sandpaper, fillers, masking tape, ect.;
- Three days hands-on training.
The MicroPatch® repair process fills another void in the paint repair industry. We previously mentioned the high cost of repainting damaged panels and the customer being denied the use of his or her vehicle for days. This repair method circumvents these two negatives. The MicroPatch® repair process follows the same mixing process with a bit more paint and a few more repair steps. The operator would perform these as follows:
- Sand the damaged area with various grits of paper;
- Using a filler and sanding, bring the area to be painted flush with the surface of the panel;
- Mask off the area surrounding the area to be painted;
- Spray the base-coat colorant with the mini HVLP gun;
- Apply clear coat over the base colorant;
- Spray the special blending chemical that joins the old and new paints together;
- Place your infrared curing lamp next to damaged area. The lamp will cure the repair from the metal out, and ensure a complete cure in about 30 minutes;
- If working outside, wet sand and buff the repair to remove any dust or imperfections in the repair area.
Again, auto dealers as well as the general public are perfect markets to target for these types of repairs. Typical product cost is $3-$5, while labor time ranges from 60-90 minutes.
TRAINING
While there is not a huge learning curve to mastering the processes, it is important to note that hands-on training can be very beneficial. Most companies who offer these systems stress the importance of hands on instruction. Depending on the repair processes you choose to incorporate in your service menu, training courses run from two to five days. The operator will be taught color theory, how to mix paint, and be given hands-on instruction in repairs and refinishing. Some companies offer additional field training, especially for customers already operating a mobile business. Most companies offer toll-free technical telephone support following the training.
Video training, though available, is not recommended.
PRICING
Airbrush touch-up of an entire vehicle is priced around $50, on average, for auto dealers. The retail customer would be charged between $75 and $125 depending on the size of the vehicle and severity of damage.
MicroPatch repairs for an auto dealer would be charged out at $100-$125, while the figure for a retail vehicle would be about $200. Remember that these repairs are being performed the same day for nearly one half and sometimes one third of the cost of most collision repair estimates. As a detail shop owner or mobile operator, you can perform these repairs more cost effectively for the following reasons:
Much lower product/paint cost due to the small quantities of paint you mix and use;
Lower labor rate than a collision repair center;
Lower total business overhead.
HOW TO SELL
There are a number of ways to promote paint touch-up services. If you are targeting auto dealers, simply inquire how they are taking care of these problems. Most dealers who have their own body shops will still use a touch-up operator to repair this type of damage in a more cost-effective and timely fashion. This also allows their body shops to maximize the shop space for the large collision repair jobs. In addition, if a dealer can have the vehicle completely restored it will save on additional vendor expense and paperwork, and it is ready for sale immediately.
If retail customers frequent your shop and spend their money to have their cars detailed, it is logical to assume they don't care to peer at the deep scratches on the side of their vehicles nor the stone chips on the hood. They are a ready market.
With paint damage on vehicles everywhere you look, a professional paint touch-up system should fit nicely on your menu of services.