As the cost of OEM parts and collision claims increase, the timing is right to focus on methods that allow you to decrease discarded parts, while cultivating body shop labor sales. One way to do this is by repairing or reusing exterior trim parts as opposed to replacing them.
Saving expensive plastic parts has many benefits including reduction of claim costs, increase in the shop's cash flow (with lower monthly parts bills), improvement of repair cycle-times as well as elimination or reduction of discarded parts. One proven way to effectively perform invisible repairs is with the use of two-sided acrylic tapes.A common question heard in virtually any body shop today is, "What is the cost of repair versus replacement?" Estimators, insurance adjusters and technicians alike wisely ask this question when looking at high-cost parts like body panels, bumpers and headlights. However, body side moldings and emblems offer another profit-making area that many overlook. Exterior trim parts, moldings and emblems add significant dollars to the estimate when replaced, but many of these items can be reused. Nameplates and door moldings, for example, are often replaced just because they have to be removed in order to gain access to a repair area or when they are difficult to mask during refinishing. With proper removal and reinstallation, these costly replacement parts can be reattached quite easily.
Moldings and claddings are routinely tossed out when torn or cracked, but these pieces usually can be repaired if the damage isn't too severe and the cost warrants such a repair. For example, damaged molding with a three-inch gash often can be mended with plastic repair adhesives using the same procedures commonly used to fix bumpers. After the molding is restored to pre-loss condition, it can be refinished and reinstalled onto the vehicle, saving time and money. This scenario increases labor sales and keeps technicians busy with rewarding work.
Body techs sometimes scoff at repairing or reinstalling moldings because of their fear of comebacks or lack of compensation. However, with proper installation techniques and sound negotiation practices, the thought of using more tape makes sense. Two-sided acrylic tapes have been quite popular since they were introduced in vehicle designs by carmakers more than 30 years ago. Acrylic-based tape materials have been used with confidence to attach a multitude of exterior and interior components such as moldings, nameplates, air dams, impact strips and wheel flares, just to name a few.
The use of tape provides a more secure attachment, reduces noise/vibration, as well as decreases the need for mounting clips and mounting clip holes on car bodies, which reduces the chance of corrosion. In fact, two-sided tapes have even been utilized in place of non-structural welds.
Bob Zweng is senior technical service representative for LORD Corporation. He is I-CAR trained and ASE Master Certified.
