Although a vehicle’s paint may not seem like a priority, inspecting a vehicle’s finish should be included on any regular preventative maintenance schedule. The reason for this is two-fold: First; dents, scratches or chips in the paint leave the surface of the vehicle vulnerable to rust and corrosion, and second; the vehicles a fleet has on the road are highly visible and help shape public perception of the company. A fleet with an attractive paint job helps create a more positive branding opportunity for the company and also helps to maintain vehicle resale value.
“These trucks and commercial vehicles are promotion tools, and color choice and durability are representative of the brand,” says Dan Szczepanik, director of marketing, transportation and sign segments for the product finishes division of Sherwin-Williams. “No one wants to represent an aged, weathered image when it comes to brand promotion.”
Sherwin-Williams is one of the largest u.S. manufacturers of paints, coatings and related products.
Choosing paint or graphics
When deciding to refresh or update assets in a fleet, the first consideration is whether to choose paint, graphics or some combination of the two.
“Painting is ideal for protection and improved aesthetics,” Szczepanik of Sherwin-Williams says. “If you need long-term protection, choose paints to cover your vehicles.”
He adds that even if you choose graphics, a solid painted surface is required prior to graphics application to improve long-term performance and resale value.
“If you choose to use graphics, the ideal situation would be a rotating message or changing graphics rather often,” he says. “Graphics may not provide long-term color and gloss retention as seen when using cross-linked coatings.”
Cross-linked coatings have a multi-layer application process where molecules from each layer ‘cross-link’ to form a stronger, more durable bond.
The key difference between painting and graphics is creativity, says Josh Szary, director of sales and marketing for VSP Graphic Group.
VSP Graphic Group offers vehicle wrapping and is the official graphic company of the Buffalo Bills professional U.S. football team.
“With vinyl wraps and graphics, you have the ability to control the creative and get a unique look that accents your brand and company vision,” Szary says. “Properly printed and laminated vinyl graphics allow you to stand out in a way painted graphics or paint alone won’t.”
Vehicle graphics can act as rolling billboards and help drive business for fleets by building customer awareness of the company and creating a recognizable brand. The longevity of vehicle graphics depends largely on the proper care and storage of a vehicle. For vehicles that are stored indoors, wraps can last between five to seven years. Vehicles that are never stored indoors may see their vinyl graphics break down faster, Szary says.
“Graphics may fit well into a budget," adds Marcelino Fernandez, Fleet Manager for Axalta, North America. "However, for long haul, over-the-road tractors that incur normal wear and tear, graphics may not hold up,”
Axalta offers performance and transportation coatings for a wide range of markets, including light duty and commercial vehicles.
When fleets choose graphics over paint, it is important that they understand vinyl wraps are not a perfect product.
“There may be seams in your commercial wrap, even bubbles or minor imperfections,” Szary says. “Wraps are designed to be viewed from 10’ away or more. Be sure to speak to a commercial fleet graphics professional about the process and product expectations [before applying vehicle graphics].”
Painting versus finishing
Painting is the process of applying a coating, Axalta’s Fernandez says.
“Painting is the actual procedure that describes the application of the chosen coating,” he says. “In other words, it’s the application of the coating that will yield the final appearance.”
For example, things such as a waste truck container or maintenance equipment might be pressure cleaned and painted, but not finished.
“Finishing a vehicle infers that a process of preparation was used,” Fernandez explains.
As an example, Fernandez says a typical finishing process for a newer heavy duty truck requiring a color change or repair “would require a standard process of sanding, cleaning, masking, applying a sealer or primer-surfacer and then a basecoat/clearcoat or topcoat application.”
“You will hear some people using painting and finishing interchangeably,” adds J.J. Wirth, PPG brand manager, fleet segment U.S. and Canada. “After all, the refinish market deals with reapplying the paint—or finish—on a vehicle.”
PPG is a global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products and specialty materials.
Outsourcing or completing in-house
When deciding whether to complete refinishing and graphics work in-house or to outsource, the deciding factor is typically the volume of equipment being refinished.
“If there is a low demand for finishing, it makes more financial sense to not invest in finishing equipment, and outsource the work,” says Sherwin-Williams’ Szczepanik. “Once volume becomes sufficient enough to make it financially viable, it will make sense to complete the work in-house.”
Making that decision will depend on how long it will take a fleet to see a return on its refinishing equipment investment.
If a fleet decides to complete painting work in-house, they will need to invest in training an employee to properly perform the work, Axalta’s Fernandez says. Fleets will also need to invest in equipment such as dual-action (DA) sanders, sanding blocks and sandpaper in various grits to prepare surfaces for paint. Other equipment needed includes quality spray equipment, a primer gun and respiratory protection such as masks.
“[The] largest expense will be a paint booth,” Fernandez says. “Plan on regular maintenance to ensure that regardless of whether you choose cross draft, down draft or side draft, there is plenty of air flow to yield a high gloss and fast dry. If a heating system is affordable, it is an even better way to speed up the cure of the coatings.”
Fernandez adds that Axalta offers a checklist of items needed to perform factory or warranty repairs, and that local Axalta representatives can assist fleets when designing a new paint department based on their budget.
If a fleet decides to outsource their paint work, Szczepanik suggests asking to see the facility’s standard operating procedure for their coating operation.
“It should outline how they execute the coating process and exactly how they prepare the substrate, which is the most important part of the coating process,” he says. “The better coating outsource operations will perform quality control and document inputs and outputs so that the whole operation is documented and performs under control.”
When evaluating a service, focus on the quality of work, seek out other customers and ask for references. Other questions to ask include:
- How long will the procedure take? Find out before making an agreement in order to minimize vehicle downtime.
- Does the shop offer a warranty on workmanship?
- Are the shop’s technicians certified to conduct the service you are requesting?
- What paint or coating is being used? Choose an industrial coating that offers high-quality durability.
- How long has the provider been in business?
“There are benefits to outsourcing repairs such as access to a network of shops that will perform repairs at an agreed labor rate, guarantee a fast turn-around and may even supply a loaner tractor,” Fernandez says.
“If fleets have a specification, they should look for shops that can use the products they want and apply them to that specification so that the paint job is consistent and meets their expectations regarding brand image, quality and cycle time requirements,” adds PPG’s Wirth.
When it comes to graphics and wraps, most fleets outsource this service, says VSP Graphic Group’s Szary. In order to complete this type of work efficiently, the shop must control a number of variables, including cleanliness, humidity and overall temperature of both the installation and their production facility. Skilled technicians and investment in proper tool and equipment are musts as well. For most fleets, working with a local graphics company makes more sense than completing the work in-house.
Fernandez sums up the decision to complete work in-house or outsource with this: “Parts, labor, paint and sublet fees can be costly when you outsource, so owners should do a cost-benefit analysis to determine the profitability of self-repair.”
Investment in technician training and facility requirements may be inhibitive for smaller fleets, but with larger fleets’ economies of scale, self-repair may offer improved cost margins and more control over the repair process.
Restoring rusted areas of a vehicle
“You know the saying: ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,’” says PPG’s Wirth. “Staying on top of any potential corrosion areas by repairing damaged films and protecting exposed areas from moisture can add years to the life of a vehicle.”
It is important to remove the rust before applying any protective coatings to ensure good adhesion. Otherwise, the new paint can adhere to the rust and not the vehicle, reducing its effectiveness. Prepare the surface to accept new coating by either sanding or sand blasting, then applying a protective primer and topcoat or direct-to-metal topcoat so oxidation at the surface cannot occur.
“Don’t underestimate the importance of keeping your units clean,” Wirth says. “Frequently removing the salt from a vehicle can prevent its attack on metal.”
Protection from the elements can be achieved using direct-to-metal products that contain corrosion preventatives such as chromates, suggests Axalta’s Fernandez.
“If a coating is not used, then proper sealants, which prevent creeping of the corrosion or repair the damaged area immediately are good practices. Chassis undercoating systems are the most helpful form of prevention against exterior corrosion, which is the most frequently found decay,” Fernandez explains.
The best demonstrated practice for restoring damage is to remove the corrosion completely so that it doesn’t continue to deteriorate. Sherwin-Williams’ Szczepanik recommends cleaning the freshly restored substrate and ensuring there is either a conversion coating pretreatment or a clean abraded surface to apply a primer. Then, follow the primer up with a two-component urethane topcoat for weathering protection.
Wirth adds that fleets can do touch-up work with aerosol products at their maintenance facilities with minimal financial investment to keep their units looking their best.
“It is always a good idea to repair and protect any exposed metal quickly to mitigate potential future corrosion issues,” Wirth says.
In conclusion
While vehicle paint and graphics may not seem like an important maintenance procedure, addressing small rust spots and corrosion issues can prevent larger, more costly damage down the line. And, maintaining an attractive, eye-catching fleet can improve customer perception of the company and help drive future business.
