Get the Gun: HVLP Spray Guns
wo in daily use with no deterioration to the snazzy design. Bear in mind that some paint removers and all abrasive pads will discolor even the best anodizing if you scrub hard enough. Oh Yea … and Read the Directions So what’s my parting shot on today’s HVLP guns? Read the directions that came with
Glass Work: Profitability
Because of the complications involved – hiring, organizing production, insurer involvement and discounts, etc. – most shops opt to outsource glass work. But is this willingness to give it away a detriment to profitability and to achieving a competitive edge?
Image is Everything
You might perform top-quality repair work, but if your shop or employees look bad, smell bad or seem bad, your image is alienating potential customers and perpetuating negative stereotypes that the 20/20s and Datelines of this world so like to exploit.
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32 Steps to Painless, Profitable Plastic Repair
Many repairers pass on plastic repair and instead, opt to replace, sending an easily repairable part to the landfill. Why?
What Lies Beneath: Good Surface Prep
Is a poorly prepared surface lurking under that shiny new paint job, just waiting for the right time to peel and to turn your life into comeback hell? If so, you’ve only got yourself to blame. The steps for proper surface prep haven’t changed. You just need to tart following them.
The Incredible Shrinking Industry
After a buying spree in the late ’90s and a struggle to integrate acquired shops into a “corporate” culture, consolidators are getting back on track and preparing to grow again. But this isn’t a death sentence for all independents.
Let Your People Grow
When properly motivated and directed, employees drive the processes that result in quality, innovation, efficiency and customer satisfaction … a.k.a. your shop’s success.
Love (to Undercut) Thy Neighbor
“It seems like shops are more obsessed with competing than with working and sticking together, so how will we ever better the industry for ourselves?” – Dennis Terry, technician, Hilltop Auto, Cabot, Ariz. The fact that insurers work so hard to control the consumer explains one of the reasons why shops don’t “stick” together. Shops
Putting the Squeeze on Repairs
I’ve been the not-so-proud owner of four spot welders because I’m cheap. Though I wanted all the benefits of a top-quality welder, I didn’t want to pay for top quality. Learn from my mistakes … please.
