Case Study: Paint Protection Profits
Case File #1 Problem: Declining profit margins Solution: Offering paint protection service Shop #1 name: House of Color Location: Missoula, Mont. Owner: Lee Frank Shop #2 name: Centers 3 Collision Repair Location: Lynnwood, Wash. Owner: Dan Gilfeather A new add-on service helped these shop owners boost their bottom lines. R ody shop owner Lee Frank
Chalk One Up for the Little Guy
My firsthand account of taking Progressive to small claims court over refinish time…and winning.
Fixing Paint Damage on Ford 500s and Mercury Montegos
A valued customer just visited your collision shop and pointed out that the paint is wearing off the rear quarter panel dogleg area of his 2005 Ford 500. You’ve seen this before and questioned the reasons behind it but never knew that Ford had published a repair procedure for it. This article describes the repair
Make Way for Waterborne
The use of waterborne paint by body shops will soon be mandated in California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District. The technology is likely to reach everyone some day, so here’s what you need to know.
Blend vs. Full Paint
“Why is blend time 50 percent of the time as full paint time?”
Market Your Difference
A professional football player laying a ferocious hit on another is one way to get people thinking about “collision.” That’s what Angelo Papotto was banking on when he signed up for an advertising package with a local TV channel to “plant a seed in people’s heads” to get them thinking about his three Suburban Collision
Shifty Business: Cost Shifting
Not getting paid properly? Cost shifting is not the solution, and is just plain bad busiess.
Quest for Metallic Control
Though most painters don’t like to admit it, they struggle with metallics. But if we slow down a little and anticipate problems before they arise, those redos will be few and
far between.
Pricing Paint and Materials
The ‘dollars times hours’ formula no longer makes sense. But if insurers can get shops to continue to accept this old formula, why should they voluntarily change what they pay?
Your Lungs, Your Skin, Your Life
Many collision repairers still aren’t properly protecting themselves from isocyanates. It’s time that changed.
