Even in the best of times, dealers should look for ways to move inventory faster and at a better price, add high profit business to the service department and make low expense improvements to the image the dealership presents. In the current challenging environment, exploring these opportunities can be critical to the dealership's bottom line.

One idea that combines all of the above mentioned is a clear coat restoration and protection program. Everyone knows that almost all vehicles have a clear coating protecting the base [color] coat of paint. However, did you know the color coat is dull and lifeless until the clear coat brings out the color intensity and a deep lustrous shine? Whether the exterior is gelcoat, aluminum or painted aluminum, its surface will become faded and dull from weathering in the sun. It appears much like the base coat on a car before applying a clearcoat. Clear coating restoration is a simple idea with so many beneficial ramifications.

The Concept

Everything that is exposed to the elements deteriorates from the combination of sun [ultraviolet radiation degrades the color and gloss], moisture corrosion, temperature extremes, industrial fallout, mildew/algae, salt air (if you are near the coast), airborne pollution, bird droppings and bug splatters [which become like acid etching the surface] and everyday dirt and grime. All these surfaces can be restored and given long term protection with reduced maintenance by a quality clear coating. It's easier and less expensive than repainting.

A Little Olive Oil

Pigmented surfaces begin to age the day they first see the sun. Pigment molecules that are initially a perfect marble-like sphere begin to dry and degrade to a pebbly golf ball and eventually to a porous worn tennis ball structure. Clear substances that return the moisture to pigmented surfaces will "wet out" the pigments, returning their color and restoring their structure to perfect microscopic marbles that let light be reflected as specular gloss. If you want proof of how easy it is to restore color and shine to anything faded, get a bottle of olive oil from your kitchen, and pour a little on a faded surface. Presto, it is instantly restored. It will stay like that for a day or two, until the oil evaporates.

The restoration of color and shine is easy, maintaining a like-new appearance is more difficult. A well formulated polymer clear coating keeps the pigmented surface looking new for years. A clear coating that has extended wear resins, fortified with organic ultraviolet light absorbers and stabilizers, augmented with the latest UV absorbing inorganic nanoparticles of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide will do the job nicely.

Nanotechnology is currently a popular buzz word and its promise is somewhat over-hyped. However, when used properly, the nanoparticle size is so infinitesimal that it becomes invisible to the eye, thus preserving the clarity of the coating. And, the UV absorbing qualities of zinc oxide and titanium dioxides have long been well established. There is even an energy saving property as some clear coatings effectively reflect some of the sun's heat energy away from the surface.

Making Used Inventory Look New

To get top dollar for and quicken turnover of used inventory, a clear coat application will make your inventory look its best. To prepare the surface for the clear coating, cleaning is done with a scrubbing cleanser applied with a nylon pad which is then washed off the vehicle with a good butyl-alkaline degreaser solution and given a final rinse with water. After the vehicle is dry, a final prep with a clean cloth wet with isopropyl alcohol makes it ready for ideal bonding with the clear coat. It will take from three to six man-hours to clean and mask the vehicle with another 45 minutes to 1.5 hours to spray and remove the masking.