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COVERSTORY<br />
The Color<br />
of Money<br />
Hear from four experts on how and why detailers should<br />
be offering paint correction services.<br />
Tony Pando of Dr. ColorChip<br />
For the past seven years, Tony Pando has been with Dr. ColorChip, a company founded by Dan McCool in 2003 that specializes in paint chip repair systems. McCool<br />
was Pando’s neighbor and he thought he had an excellent product and business model. Pando had previously been representing golfer Jack Nicklaus, doing licensing/<br />
branding and special make up products under the Nicklaus/Golden Bear Brands worldwide. Combining his commercial experience with McCool’s product and business<br />
model proved serendipitous and today, they have grown the business in a new direction with detailers, car washes, auto dealer detail departments, and internationally.<br />
■ What are some of the main<br />
causes of paint damage?<br />
Stone Chip and scratch damage happens<br />
daily to vehicles. Driving on the freeway,<br />
snowy conditions with sand/ gravel<br />
on the roads, a key scratch from someone,<br />
damage in your home garage or door<br />
chip in a parking lot. But mostly, damage<br />
comes from daily driving on the highway.<br />
■ What are some of the wrong<br />
ways detailers are correcting paint<br />
damage?<br />
Paint chip repair products have a long<br />
history of a bad reputation. Obsolete<br />
products leave unsightly paint blobs, do not<br />
have proper color match, or are very difficult<br />
to use. Dr. ColorChip disrupts the “old<br />
way” of fixing paint chips and scratches.<br />
■ Is paint correction something<br />
that detailers should offer on their<br />
menu or should it be done through<br />
a contracted service?<br />
Considering every daily driver car will<br />
get chips, yes. A very common comment<br />
from detailers is, “when I detail a car and<br />
it looks awesome, there is invariably a few<br />
stone chips that make the repair look not<br />
complete.” Considering the ease of Dr.<br />
ColorChip application, this is something<br />
every detailer can have in their offering,<br />
and generate higher ticket sales and have<br />
a more complete repair done.<br />
■ How has paint correction<br />
technology evolved over the<br />
years?<br />
Historically, paint chip repair<br />
products were only regular automotive<br />
paint in paint pens or small bottles<br />
purchased at a dealership. These can be<br />
difficult to apply and require significant<br />
time for a simple repair. In other words,<br />
repairing 6-8 chips on a hood using the<br />
“old way” would require applying the<br />
paint, letting it dry for 30-45 minutes,<br />
then wet sanding, applying the clear and<br />
buffing. Total repair time 1-1.5 hours…<br />
■ What are the biggest mistakes<br />
detailers are making when it<br />
comes to paint correction?<br />
Detailers with little experience or<br />
knowledge of paint can literally burn<br />
through clearcoats and into the paint if<br />
they are not careful with buffing. This<br />
can cause significant damage. Hence<br />
why the “old way” has a bad reputation.<br />
One needs knowledge of the effects of<br />
heat on paint and the clearcoat. Hence,<br />
why avoiding a buffer is best/safest way<br />
for simple stone chip repairs.<br />
Before<br />
■ What are some of the biggest<br />
misnomers regarding paint<br />
correction?<br />
That you need to go to a body<br />
shop for chip/scratch repairs and pay<br />
$600-$1000+. Depending on one’s<br />
expectations, a detailer can provide a<br />
very good repair at a fraction of the cost.<br />
■ What is the potential profit for a<br />
detailer?<br />
Many detailers now do ceramic<br />
coatings, and other protection films. In<br />
addition to the chips being repaired on a<br />
simple detail —prior to applying coatings<br />
— chip repair is an additional profit center<br />
and something a vehicle owner would<br />
gladly want to get done for a more complete<br />
repair. The profit for a detailer can be<br />
fairly significant. It depends on number of<br />
After<br />
chips, depth of a scratch, etc., but additional<br />
charges for this service are warranted<br />
and gladly accepted by the vehicle owner.<br />
■ What happens if a customer<br />
says they think they can buy a<br />
paint correction system and do it<br />
themselves?<br />
In many cases, and the “old way”<br />
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) paint correction<br />
was difficult, timely and somewhat dangerous<br />
to the paint if one did not know<br />
how to buff properly…<br />
■ Is there anything else you think<br />
our readers should know?<br />
I would highlight that fixing stone<br />
chips increases the value of a vehicle<br />
(especially a lease return), protects<br />
against rust, and improves the overall<br />
appearance of the vehicle.<br />
24 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 5, NO. 1 • SPRING 2020
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