Automotive News

Today’s automotive paint is durable and resistant to stains and has a high gloss. Vehicles of today primarily utilize a two stage paint process know as base coat, clear coat. There are a number of three stage colors that have become popular. The best example is the pearl white that General Motors uses on the Cadillac. When viewed from different angles the paint color appears to change. This is due to the mid coat, which is applied after the base coat and before the clear coat. The mid coat contains pearlescent powders that cover a broad color spectrum. If you look closely, you can see the small flakes of purple, reds, blues and other colors that give the pearl look to the finish. This type of refinishing is also known as” Tri Coat” with some paint manufactures.

This three stage process drove painters crazy when attempting to match colors. Typically, when a fender replacement was needed, blending the color back into the door to achieve a proper color match was required. In preparation for the blending operation all items are removed from the door such as handles, glass, moldings and trim. The base coat or first stage was applied to the fender and partially into the door. The second stage is the application of the clear coat, which is applied in two coats over the fender and complete door.With the addition of another spraying process after the base or first stage, the blending into the door did not produce an acceptable color match. The industry had to come up with a solution to this problem. The answer required a procedure known as zone refinishing.

The same type of damage that previously required blending into the door now includes the preparation and refinishing of additional undamaged panels along the same side as the repairs. Depending on the color and location, it may be necessary to paint the entire side of a vehicle in order to achieve a proper color match. There are also custom colors that appear to change drastically when viewed from different angles. One example is changing from a rust color to a deep purple and the car actually appears to undergo a change of color as it moves towards or away from you. This is due to the addition of special pearls and xirallic effects.

Xirallic effects are aluminum oxide platelets which are then coated with metal oxides. These platelets are manufactured synthetically using a new crystallization process. The cost of this type of additive is expensive compared to typical pearl type applications. The addition of the three stage refinishing process takes considerably more time to complete. In conclusion the three stage refinishing process is here to stay and adds pleasant visual affect to the cars of today.

This may be old news to some of you but the automotive industry is not what it used to be. The days of car manufactures making new cars, slapping an expensive price tag on them and then watching happy go lucky customers drive off the lot in large numbers has passed long ago. With the economy being in the worst shape that it has been in in a very long time, people just don’t have money to waist on vehicles the way that they did once upon a time.

In recent months thing have began to stabilize a little more than the last twelve months. In what was being called the automotive crisis many people lost jobs as almost no cars were being sold. Household names Like GM, Ford, and Chrysler all looked to the government for help. A big reason that the crisis took place was because the automotive industry was weakened by a substantial increase in the prices of automotive fuels. With virtually no fuel efficient models to offer consumers the “Big three” of the American automotive industry watched their sales quickly decrease.

While car companies from other parts of the world had been focusing on making cars targeted at fuel efficiency for many years, most American automobile manufacturers were way behind and therefore suffered the largest loss in sales during the global financial downturn. Hope full the mistakes made by these companies served as a lesson in economic to these companies. Sadly, from the looks of the cars that they are still producing they haven’t.

No matter what happens with the economy, auto parts stores are going to prosper. People will always need transportation, and having access to an automotive supply retailer will make it possible for them to take care of the car they already have, rather than try to buy a new one they can’t afford. If you own or manage an auto part store, you can take advantage of this built-in customer base by making your store clean, organized, and accessible-in other words, an enjoyable experience for your customers! One of the best and simplest ways to do this is by choosing attractive and strong retail display racks.

Customers don’t usually notice retail store display racks, of course-but that’s a sign that the store fixtures are doing their job. Your new auto parts and other merchandise should be highlighted, encouraging customers to buy the things they need (and a few they just want) from your business. Retail display fixtures should be simple and high quality, and your supplier should make it easy for you to choose the right display fixtures for the job.

If you own or operate an automotive parts store, here are some of the best choices of retail display fixtures for your establishment.

Retail display shelves. Shelves are the backbone of all retail display units, the fixture around which all other fixtures are planned. You can install permanent shelves that will never move, or you can line your aisles with slatwalls, which will allow to you rearrange or or reorganize your shelves to meet your business’s changing needs. Rotating wire racks. These freestanding retail display units come in several different shapes and sizes. You can get a small rack to sit on your countertop for encouraging impulse buys, anything from candy to air fresheners. Taller racks can complement end caps, and can be bought with hanging baskets for smaller items, or hooks for hanging ones. Try setting up an automotive theme with these display racks-you might have an end cap with a travel emergency kit, and rotating wire racks stocked with atlases and travel mugs for anyone getting ready for a vacation. Plastic or acrylic bins. These transparent bins can be hung on a slatwall, or set side by side on a retail display shelf. Smaller, stackable bins can hold small auto part store items like tire gauges, air fresheners, key rings, or replacement air valve caps. Larger bins are perfect for spark plugs, gas tank caps, gloves, fuses, or light bulbs. Pegboards. Pegboards come with hooks as their primary accessory, and allow you to hang things either form the wall or from a freestanding display. This is the perfect store fixture for displaying individual tools or parts that come in boxes. Other miscellaneous accessories, such as inner tubes or bungee cords, can be hung from pegboard store displays. Retail display racks. These retail store display tools come in almost every conceivable shape and size, and can help you display anything you need in your auto parts store. You can line your space behind the counter with retails display racks filled with boxes of auto parts, so that your employees can find what they need easily. These racks also make great floor displays of every from candy to carbeuretors. An auto parts store is a great investment in this difficult economy, as long as you’re paying close attention to your retail fixtures and displays. Nothing increases sales more than a pleasant shopping experience, and having the right display fixtures is a huge part of what makes an automotive store so great.