Febuary 2015 The Paint Spot Newsletter

The Paint Spot Newsletter (February 2015) Shop talk: Is the front end of your shop in charge? It should be, but often times it is the back of the shop running the front. Here's what I mean. The front (administration) usually houses, among other titles, the owner. The owner of the business often times is the guy who understands the business and who took the leap of faith in starting his own operation. This person would not have done so if they didn't have some feeling of being successful. My point is this; all too often (not much, but even one instance is too many) we find that the workers in production dictate the materials to be used. Most of the time it has to do with "brand names" that they have developed a love affair with in their past, or reps that they have befriended along the way. First of all there's nothing wrong with "favorites", unless those favorites run counter to the direction of the business.........and the direction of any business needs to be determined by the owner! We, at The Paint Spot are walking a fine line between keeping the guys (or gals) in production area happy, and keeping the one paying for all this stuff happy. To do so, we must have materials that work, and prices that lend to maximizing a profit. After all, it's not like the insurance companies change their rates to suit the materials you want to use. You only get the standard hourly rate to cover what they determine needs to be used! Most shop owners I know, including myself, would be the first ones to say...."at $28.00 /hour (or whatever the current rate is in your area) there's no way I can cover my costs, let alone make a profit". This is exactly the reason that offering the highest quality products and the most cost effective prices is not only a solution.........it's the only solution! So, for the production people that are reading this, here's the reality of the situation. If you will lose the love affair with brand names that you have gotten addicted to and give the replacement an honest evaluation I think you'll find that what I'm saying is true. In doing so you will become the type of employee you were hired and trusted to be. You just might find that as time goes by, and material statements go down........a pay raise just might be in order! Kind of reminds me of a saying my uncle used to tell me......"Rick, be an asset, not an asshole"! My commitment to the owner: I will always strive to offer you the best for the less. I am consciously aware of your parameters and will make sure that you always have an option. My commitment to the crew: At the drop of a hat I will be there to assist you in any way necessary should you have a question or concern regarding a product that you purchased from The Paint Spot. Furthermore, I will gladly come out and offer my assistance and expertise on any other product that you purchased elsewhere! After Market Bumpers: Recently I've heard word of problems happening when refinishing after market bumper covers. The problem is "wrinkling", and it occurs when base coat is applied on top of sealer, that was applied to the cover. In reviewing this situation, it was noticed that the after market bumpers have been primed at the mfg level. The problem seems to be the primer itself, and specifically the fact that it was a single component chemistry! Number one: Why is a "new" bumper cover primed? Number two: Why would they use one component solvent chemistry? Number three: If they had to be primed, why wouldn't they have used water borne? These are all questions that I promise you, will get answered, but in the meantime here's my observations. ""Reconditioned" bumpers are something that I decided would not under any circumstances, be used at Slix almost 10 years ago! Reason: Because the idiots that coated the entire cover with water borne primer didn't sand the paint before doing so. This bit me several times (mostly on State Farm work, because they just had to have a recon instead of after market). I kept getting customers back with delaminated paint, making me look like the "back yard Bozo" that didn't know how to paint. State Farm would basically tell me "you're on your own buddy", so the last time it happened, I took the paint and the primer off the recon bumper. When I did I learned two things, the original repair that deemed it a recon was about a 6" circular area. The other thing was the fact that they didn't sand the rest of the bumper before they applied the water born primer! Again, State Farm was notified, and they did nothing! I even called Keystone and asked them if they could just do the repair and not put any primer on it..........NO WAY! That would have saved them a lot of money, yet they wouldn't hear of it. My only option left was to outlaw the use of recons.....period! Water borne primer was not the problem. They use water borne primer because no matter what chemistry a shop uses, water borne is a good "fail safe", or "barrier" coating. My advise: Do not except a bumper that has been primed by someone else! If you do, you automatically assume all liability for the potential problems to come! Preparation for painting a plastic (non primed) bumper: #1 Wash bumper with soap and water. #2 Use wet grey scotch brite with scuff paste.......NOT sand paper. #3 Wipe down with MXW-9001 (water borne grease and wax remover) and dry thoroughly with clean paper towels. #4 Apply adhesion promoter MP-800 (or equivalent). #5 Either seal with MP-210 (or equivalent) or, apply base coat. (I personally don't care much for sealers) #6 Apply clear coat (MS-42, 52, 78, 15, etc) and warranty it for life! #7 Deliver the vehicle and go on to the next job, because that one is gone for good! For Sale: 1968 Corvette This car has been in the Ciotti family for many many years. In an effort to raise money for my youngest daughters education, we've decided to sell it. Cheyenne wants to study abroad next year and will need more than we were prepared for to make this happen. I'm reaching out to the readers of the newsletter to see if there's an interest. About the car: It's an original numbers matching 1968 Corvette Sting Ray with the 427 cu.in. (was 390 hp but has been bored .030 and an Isky cam that replicates the 430 hp design). 4 speed Muncie M-21, 'T' tops, Majestic silver paint (was painted by me 16 years ago, and all the original lacquer was stripped in doing so.), original blue interior (never reupholstered, and still in decent shape). This car has always been kept in the garage and rarely ever driven or seen. The only miles on it are from Los Angeles to Texas, as it was driven here years ago when we moved, and has not had more than 200 miles put on it since. Virtually everything that was on that car from the assembly line is still on it. The transmission has been re-sealed, trailing arms rebuilt, suspension rebuilt, engine completely rebuilt and the crank is still standard (when I bought the car it had been sitting in a garage in Palm Springs California for years. It broke some compression rings because it was dry, and I fired it up without soaking the cylinders. That's the only reason the engine needed rebuilding.) All new vacuum lines and actuators (everything works), stainless steel calipers on all four wheels, the original "AG" stamped rally wheels (the spare even has the original red line Firestone tire on it, and it's still good!). Options included: Buzzer on speedometer, telescopic steering wheel, and luggage rack (all there, and all working). I have the "options list" or the "fuel tank sticker" sealed in plastic to verify the originality. The car was taken to a reputable Corvette specialist (you know who you are......I'll give you a plug in a later issue :) for the sole purpose of getting the car road worthy after it's long hibernation, and is ready to rock. Make an offer if you are interested. Contact: Rick Ciotti at (830) 358-6121 or email me at: rcpaintspot@gmail.com

You'll be doing a good thing for the up and coming generation of Ciotti's, as well as keeping my ex-wife off my ass! Air Brush Getaway Ok, so all the registering is getting done this week. I will take care of it here at The Paint Spot. If you are interested in attending this once in a lifetime show, you need to call as soon as possible. I have a list of attendees that have already signed up, including the ones that took advantage of the offer I extended regarding material purchases and getting a free pass. The qualifying shops that get the free pass will be notified by me this week for the names of the person they want to attend. Remember, it's a week long event, and you will need to make accommodations as well as schedule time off to attend. Show date: Monday February 23rd thru Friday February 27th 2015. Other News: I have exciting news to share with the readers regarding Matrix. For at least the last 2 plus years I have noticed several disturbing changes within the management of Matrix . Numerous times I have made mention of these issues only to fall on either deaf or sarcastic ears. During this period I'd by lying if I told you that I wasn't considering dropping the line altogether and going with another. It is in my nature to "never give up", but it is also in my nature to "always have a plan 'B'. Had it not been for Brian Lynch, I would have made a change several months ago. Now, before ya'll get all freaked out and say things like "I thought you loved Matrix", and "what the hell were we supposed to do if you decided not to sell Matrix anymore", let me say this.... I had your backs! I was (and am) prepared to make sure each and every one of you never missed a beat, and as far as loving Matrix....I DO! I like to think of The Paint Spot and Rick Ciotti as one of the most loyal and knowledgeable users and distributors of the entire Matrix family, but everyone has their limitations. I am also known for quotes like this...."lose the love affair with brand names"! Out of respect that has been less than reciprocal, I will not mention names, but rather positions, namely sales manager, and marketing! These positions, and the power given can either be a great thing for a company, or it can serve as a good example of what happens when you put an exceptionally smart person in the WRONG position. I am convinced that via these positions this once proud company that dared to be what others weren't, was quickly being streamlined and reduced to "just like they are", and "another one of". It was shocking how much like Dupont, PPG, and Sherwin Williams Matrix was becoming. But what else do you think is going to happen when that's who you start hiring? Nothing wrong with hiring talent, but everything wrong with not vetting them and making sure they understand one thing...."this is NOT one of those other paint companies, we are Matrix. We are better, and by God we intend to stay better"!

There was so much ego, power maneuvering, and displays of polished power point presentations ( Discovery meetings), they had no time and no desire to either listen to what we were saying or look back at how far away from Kent Gardner's Matrix Systems Automotive Finishes they had strayed.

Brian and I get along pretty good, and I have always brought him into the loop whenever I had concerns. One night in particular we discussed problems until 1:30am, in which Brian (in typical Brian Lynch fashion) kept notes and then said "lets look for the common denominators". Now, Brian is so loyal and dedicated to Matrix that it's hard to get him to really take my concerns serious, but this time he did. It started off with obsolete items and how they came to be deemed obsolete. It obviously was a marketing decision based on sales (or lack of). That really hit me wrong because I considered the Matrix System just that, a system! Of course some things are going to sell more than others, but they are all important, if for nothing else, than to be part of an entire system. We then discussed the possibility that us jobbers and inadvertently, the end users, might not be educated on these materials, and the fact that, if true, sales were not what they should be because we didn't know about them and therefore the end user didn't know about them either. He asked if I would be willing to interact with other jobbers in an effort to bring about education, as well as a forum for real questions / answers. Not a complaint or bitching session, but a real and productive way to get something accomplished.........I instantly said YES! The first meeting took place Wednesday January 28th 2015 in Houston Texas. There were 22 jobbers present, and outside of "Ernesto's" power point presentation that included all the stuff that us attendees usually sit quietly through, don't learn anything worth its weight in dog shit from, and never say a word because we're intimidated by the presenter, the way he's dressed, and the subject matter of the presentation........ it was a huge success and very fruitful! Sorry Ernesto, you are a good man and damn good at what you do, but leave that sort of thing for the sales managers.

There was no unwillingness to sit down next to competing jobbers and nobody was afraid to speak their mind. Now, to the corporate execs who may be reading this, you may think it was a recipe for disaster. Well, that couldn't be farther from the truth. As a matter of fact, think of it like this.........you get REAL information from the ones responsible for selling your products. This information is FREE. We are the ones that are right there dealing with the end user. We are the ones that the end user tells why they like your product, why they don't like your products, why they buy competitors products, and what they would like to see in your product line. You'll also find out whether or not a product was known about and/or understood fully at the jobber level. This information alone would be crucial in determining a products fate! Products may need to be done away with, but to do it without our feedback is just plain STUPID! One example of how communication can be so beneficial: The question was raised on the FX series, it went like this..... Q: Does anyone know the FX line? A: NO Q: Does anyone sell House of Kolor? A: YES Q: Are you aware that Matrix has the HOK comparables? A: NO Q: Did you know that Matrix has more of the HOK Shimirin one than HOK? A:NO

Q: Are you aware that Matrix mixes one to one and HOK mixes 2:1? A: NO Q: Do you know that HOK's minimum is a quart? A:YES It was unanimous, and if taken as only a snapshot of the entire nation can you imagine what that does to the famous "it only represents 2-3% of the market"? Hummm? What about the "QF's"? What about MP-1000? What about obsolete toners? What about the old chip cabinet? What about MT-80,81,82,96 needing to be offered in gallon form and being told by a certain someone "ain't going to happen, and furtherore I'm going to get rid of the ones that are offered in gallon form"? That's right about the time that I turned to Brian and said....." I REST MY CASE"! You need our feedback, and again, it's FREE! Here's a beneficial byproduct as well, you can then hold us more accountable! You'll now know that if a product needs to be "axed" because it doesn't sell, that it wasn't because we either didn't know about it, or we didn't know how to sell it. Couple this with good prudent marketing decisions by someone who knows how and where to market your products, and I say you'll make a speedy return to the vision and direction your founder would be proud of! All in all, the meeting was so "unconventional" and "uncorporate" they are sure to be a success, and I wouldn't be a damn bit surprised if the idea catches on in other paint companies, and if they do I hope Matrix takes full credit for being the trendsetter! Hats off to Brian and Ernesto for bringing us together in that non threatening manner and giving us the opportunity to learn and to share knowledge as a true team! It's unprecedented, and I know you both went out on a limb for us all. You wouldn't have done it if you didn't sincerely care. I look forward to the next meeting and the networking opportunities with my colleagues!