October 2015 The Paint Spot Newsletter

The Paint Spot Newsletter (October 2015) A brief political observation......Donald Trump seems to be slipping a bit in the polls. This seems to be as a result in his inability to elaborate on names, places, situations, etc. that the rest all have down pat! All I have to say is, I think he's right on not making a statement based on memorizing a bunch of useless information. I don't mean to suggest that foreign policy and terrorism isn't important, but just look at where those who articulate all the stats have got us thus far. Donald Trump is the poster boy for knowing that "you always hire people that are smarter than you"! In doing so, that has propelled him into the success that he is today. He is correct when he says that he'll know more than all the others when the time comes. This information will come via intelligent appointees whom he will have appointed. Strategically, he knows that it doesn't make a lot of sense to give your adversaries time and knowledge to develop their counter strategy. There is also no doubt in my mind that the chosen individuals will be held more accountable than ever before......don't forget, he is used to winning, and to "win", you need a winning team! Time will tell if he goes all the way, but one thing is certain, he has single handedly changed the dynamics for what the American public will tolerate. Before we get to the continuation of last months subject matter, how many of you noticed the calendar vehicle for September 2015? I'm speaking about the Matrix national calendar! The featured vehicle was a 1963 Chevy C-10 "Short Wide". For those of you who may not know, this truck was done at "SLIX" for my daughter "Cheyenne". It was a joint venture between my son and all the guys at SLIX. I did much of the customizing and virtually all of the paint myself. All of the bare metal (inside and out) was coated with "MP-200" prior to body work and paint. The base color was "MT-50 Sparkle Aluminum", with "UC-11 Candy Red" (mixed as a base coat W/ MPB-500), and "MS-42" Clear over the top. In all, there was 21 coats to get what you see in the calendar. The Red Oak bed was prepped and cleared using a subdued version of the candy suspended in "AG-40" clear with a hint of House of Kolor "F-20" red flake. Now, before ya'll get on the "AG-40" band wagon, I have to say that I am NOT a fan of that clear! I only used it to get rid of old inventory that I would not consider selling. I have tried several times to get good results with that clear, and I'm honest enough to admit defeat. It's like spraying resin! I've heard all the stories of how good that stuff is, and I have to conclude.......It's Bullshit! Question: Why would anyone use that clear when they could use MS-42? For the customers reading this: I know some of you feel like I cheated to get that truck into the calendar. I promise you, I did not! I worked my ass off, used Matrix materials all the way through, and even proved a point regarding the ability of MPB-500 achieving the results as an alternate carrier to the MS-42 clear. For the W.D.'s and Jobbers: If you are selling automotive paint and materials, you should be able to paint a vehicle! This is what will give you credibility, and besides.......It's FUN! Back to our agenda....... The purpose of this "Q & A" exercise has to do with education to better equip you, the W.D.'s and Jobbers. This is the very information that your customers depend on to make informed decisions regarding their material purchases. This information is also what will solidify the relationship between you, the supplier, and your competition! Case in point: Two weeks ago my son handed me a catalog from LKQ, and told me that a sales guy came by SLIX to solicit his business. This guy knew the name of his current supplier, and even knew that he was using Matrix paint. Apparently the dude didn't do his homework as good as he thought because he didn't know that I was Shawn's dad, and he didn't know The Paint Spot was 50 feet from where he was standing! Shawn politely told him to hit the road, and when we needed an aftermarket fender, we'd call!

Now, it's pretty much a given that Slix was going to stick with it's current supplier, but turns out that this guy was out hitting up several of our customers. I ran into three customers that said he'd been to their shops trying to get their business, and here's how that went. "Price" could have been a shoe in, but wasn't! "Quality" could have been another in, especially when the word "Matrix" was mentioned (that's right, they have access to Matrix, but they are definitely NOT supposed to sell it in this market). So that only leaves "Service", and guess what, that's exactly where we separated our self from the rest! Three of our customers shared their response when the rep asked "what about The Paint Spot's technical representation". One customer said "Rick is the tech guy, and actually uses this stuff". Another said "our tech help is top notch". And my favorite is: "dude, are you joking, our tech guy wrote the book on technical assistance"! Hahaha! The moral of this story is simple.......Your "competition" can only be competition if you let it! Q & A continuation: Ok, so last issue we pretty much got through the "foundation" fundamentals. Now we're ready to discuss top coats. This also should start off with the question: "What specifically are you painting"? Secondary questions should be: "How long do you want it to last"? "What is your quality expectation"? "How experienced are you at painting"? Answers to these questions will get you started in the right direction, and if you understand the complete Matrix System, you will look like a superstar with your answers. At this time, I need to go over the choices you have. I will explain in "my terms" (no offence Ernesto and Brian, but the power point thing just doesn't cut it). Single Stage:"MCU" or "MAU" could be viable options "if" the desired job is a "complete" (blending and panel painting is not recommended), or duplicating originality where judging might include taking compound to the finish to see if it's been clear coated. Solid colors are the most easily produced with this paint. This IS NOT to say that metallics can't be done, but the experience level is higher. The clear is integrated into the product when using single stage, and therefore not as suitable for longevity (unless you use the integration technique). Trick: Use a single stage version of the exterior base coat for all the jambs and trim out! Even if the color is not offered in MCU, with a little bit of math, you can convert an MSB formula into a single stage! Using single stage on inner panels is an invaluable trick to offer the customer. You'll save them both time and money, with no sacrifice to quality (interior and jambs will never be subjected to U.V. rays). Base Coat options: "MPB" (Matrix premium base) is the most popular. "MSB" (Matrix standard base) is "arguably" the number two (not really, but it would take a whole issue to explain it). "RPB" (Refinish Solutions premium base)....now this is where the question of "cheaper options" got addressed by Matrix, but I'll get to that in a minute. "RSB" (Refinish Solutions standard base). Ok, there are still some paint options left to discuss, but right now I need to explain differences between MPB, MSB, RPB, and RSB. The example formula I used for the following was WA8624 GM white. Pay attention, because this information will put you on top while educating your customer to the point that your so called competition will fall by the wayside.....Difference in price MPB ($20.93) MSB ($18.18) RPB ($15.54) RSB ($11.34). On the surface this looks like a steady decline in price, and it is, but NOT proportionate to the quality and consumption! RPB utilizes the exact same toners that MPB does, and RSB uses the exact same toners as MSB, EXCEPT the lower you go, the more "balancer", "converter" (binder) there is! Not only that, but the lower you go, the more reducer you'll use! Using above example: MPB mixes 1:1 and has 26.5 grams of binder in the mix. RSB mixes 2:1 and has a total of 214.4 grams of binder in the mix! Do the math, RSB is 16 times more transparent, but it's more than half the price (I know MSB uses earlier and more versatile toners, but for the sake of this argument I needed to make a point). If the customer is stuck on price, you need to do two things: Ask how much he pays the painter (because he's going to be in the booth a lot longer), and print the "Cost Report" on all 4 options! Lay them out side by side (in order) and educate away! This will END the "Omni", "Nason", "Wanda", etc shit FOREVER.....and you'll stand out as the very first person honest and knowledgeable enough to share it! I applaud Matrix for addressing the needs of their distributors, but number one, I wasn't one saying "we need cheap paint to compete". Number two, if anyone reading this was caught up in the cheap paint issue......did it help? If so, what happened when you got to the bottom? Where are you going from there? The only way it helped me is by understanding how paint got that cheap, after all, now I could read a formula and see the "suckers bet"! I have NEVER had a customer yet, that when presented this information side by side, didn't opt for MPB!!!!! Other choices: If the customer wants custom paint (they'll often mention House of Kolor), MPX (base colors), FX (dyes), UC (Urethane Candies), CC (Candy Concentrates) Note: UC, and CC are for the experienced painters. Here's something to remember when comparing House of Kolor to Matrix: House of Kolor is factory pack, expensive, and mixes 2:1.........Matrix can be mixed off the bank, in any quantity, reasonably priced, and mixes 1:1 (I know we're all one big happy family now, but the facts are the facts.......Matrix has ALWAYS SMOKED House of Kolor)! Interior Paint: "MIP" (Matrix interior premium), "MIS" (Matrix interior standard)

How many of you Jobbers are selling SEM interior aerosols? You are ripping yourself AND the customer off! You have an infinite amount of possibilities right on your Matrix bank, and for a fraction of the price! If you are not utilizing this ability, you need to start ASAP! MPB-LV: For the customer that talks about waterborne. I am not going to waste your time or mine on debating the waterborne issue, only to say it's total bullshit! Matrix took a common sense lead on this issue along time ago. You may remember "Aqualution"? That was Matrix's waterborne, and as far as waterborne is concerned, it was average (it sucked just like most), but it became the catalyst for a brilliant idea......lowering the V.O.C, across the board, on the existing system! A complete duplicate of what everyone of us were already familiar with (even the FX series most recently)! If your customer is concerned with "going green", this is the solution. No learning curve (you won't know you're spraying low VOC), expensive tooling changes, no wiping the paint job off when fisheyes are a problem, and no hazardous waste issues (you can recycle LV, while "Aqueous" is a problem). Once you've decided on the type of paint, you should address cleaners and additives. I pretty much only recommend the MXW-9001 as the "grease and wax remover". It works on everything all the time. The MX-8000 is the standard, but it will only remove a "solvent based" impurity, whereas, the MXW-9001 will remove a waterborne AND a solvent based impurity. Plus, it's an "anti static" when used on plastics! MX-57 (base coat hardener): Whenever a customer gets MPB-9000 (factory pack black) the use of MX-57 is expressly recommended. NOTE: I have personally seen PPG's black "split" under the clear coat two weeks after a paint job. Frankly, this happens because the painter used too much too fast! Either apply the black base the way you would any other color, observing how much you're putting on, and allowing appropriate flash times, and take your chances or add the base coat hardener......it's cheap insurance! Adhesion promoter: MP-800 is a good product, and should be used on ALL "uncoated" plastics. If the part has been painted previously, you do NOT need to use it! Sealers: You will get lots of painters / customers that mention the word "Sealer" as a necessary step in the process of painting a vehicle. When this comes up, your questions need to be "when the vehicle is ready to paint, what is the sanded surface"? "Is it sanded primer"? "Is it sanded paint, and if so, is it a sanded single stage that you fear would "bleed" into the new paint job"? Answer: Unless the ready to paint surface has visible raw substrate showing, body filler that was exposed due to excessive sanding, or was sanded with anything coarser than 500 grit sand paper, YOU DON'T NEED SEALER! "IF" one or more of the issues mentioned are present, I recommend MP-210 (2K sealer). Single component sealers are NOT ever a good idea! Reducers: If you want to get fired from The Paint Spot, let me catch you selling a Matrix or Northstar user a "generic reducer". It's literally an "E" ticket to the unemployment line! For any of you who think they're all the same, then answer this: How do you think it got cheaper? I can tell you this from first hand experience, if you use generic reducers the paint WILL behave differently. This has an adverse effect on the color match! The first thing I do when dealing with a customer who has an issue with match, is check the reducers. The second thing I do is check the toners on his bank for "clumping" at the bottom (this indicates that the toners were not properly shaken and checked at the time of changeover, which virtually renders them trash after the first mix). The third thing I check is the "speed" of the reducer. This is extremely important! "Faster is NOT better"! As slow as you can get away with allows the base coat to go on wet, orient, then flash off evenly. This alone will give the painter a smoother, even, and glass like finish. It is also a perfect place for you to shine, because 80% of the painters are used to getting less than stellar results from not knowing this. Last but NOT least....ALWAYS provide "P Sheets" on everything you sell your customers. This insures that the education (and liability) has been properly dealt with. (Next month will be clear coats and finishing) "Whatever it Takes" Rick Ciotti