Three of a Kind
In my 27 years in the industry, I’ve never seen paint problems more infrequently than I do today. Massive, critical paint failures are extremely rare in any shop that uses a single brand of automotive finishes from start to finish. The few times in the last couple of years that I’ve gone to look at
Why Weld Plastics?
It’s not unheard of for someone to ask, “Why even bother with plastic welding?” The answer: It can be a cost-effective repair method for many plastics that you’d normally throw out.
A 10-Step Plan to Profitability
A set of procedures that are very helpful for analyzing the operational and financial health
of body shops.
Aftermarket Crash Parts vs. OE
Some people view the aftermarket crash parts vs. OE parts debate as a war, with the sides being the collision repair industry (wearing the armor of the OEMs) battling the insurance
industry (sporting aftermarket armor).
Singin’ the Blues in Montana: Blue Body Paint
Name: Blue Body & Paint Location: Billings, Mont. Owner: Delane Langton Established: 1989 Square Footage: 4,320 Number of Employees: Two Repair Volume: 10 per month (collision) Average Repair Ticket: $2,000 Delane Langton has the blues. It’s not that he’s sad … it’s just that, well … he likes the color! All of his cars are
Streets of Gold: Shurway AutoCenter Ltd.
Name: Shurway AutoCenter Ltd. Location: Brooklyn, N.Y. Owner: Giovanni "John" Scarfo Established: 1981 Square Footage: 17,500 Number of Employees: 20 Repair Volume: 150 cars per month When the first immigrants arrived at Ellis Island, they believed the streets of America were paved with gold. Obviously, they weren’t truly paved in a precious metal. But, to
A Well-Rounded Painter
If your customer-service index is high and your marketing efforts are giving your shop a healthy backlog of work, you know that what happens when vehicles reach your paint
department is critical to your continued success. And what goes on in your paint department is highly dependent upon the quality.
of painters you employ.
Strategic Partnerships
No business exists in a vacuum, least of all a collision repair shop.
A Crash Course on Retrofits
As a collision repair specialist, air-conditioning service is part of your job. When your customers bring in their cars for repairs, you want to offer them all the services required.
Sci-Fi Spraybooths
Today, it’s common for collision shops to use computers for accounting, estimating and even color mixing.