Everyone loves a sure thing. It's usually easy to sell customers on a lifetime guarantee ... as long as they are convinced that the shop and the manufacturer will stand behind the product or service offered.

Mufflers, windshield crack repairs and now paint jobs are available with lifetime warranties. Paint jobs are one particularly attractive area for guarantees, both from the customer's point of view and the shop's bottom line. They are good, profitable sales generators for auto shops, as long as they are handled properly

Customers Love It
"It has been proven that warranty programs are one of the best tools shops can use to increase sales by meeting customers' high expectations of service and quality," says Craig Lindell, marketing manager for Sherwin-Williams' Automotive Finishes Corp., Cleveland, Ohio.

PPG, Cleveland, Ohio, found its proof when it ran advertising as part of the CART racing series. "Does John Q. Public look for a guarantee? You bet," says Don Askew, director of industry relations for PPG.

Most major insurance companies demand certification before they will put a shop on their A-list for collision repair recommendations. A guaranteed paint job gives the insurance company the assurance it needs that the auto will be put back in pre-collision shape.

Jerry Brown, industry relations manager for DuPont, Wilmington, Del., says a lifetime warranty is a good marketing tool for walk-ins as well. Depending on the shop and its closure rate, it is a marketing tool the shop can use to get an order. He agrees that warranty programs are being driven by insurance company promises to their customers. "Most direct repair preferred programs offer a lifetime warranty as part of the program," he says.

Getting Certified
PPG and other paint vendors offer a two-part certification program for shops and technicians. Upon inspection, a collision center can be certified for life. Field staff from the company checks for such things as safe practices, regular maintenance on equipment and proper technique. The shop also has to use products from a specified list. PPG also certifies individual technicians with their Paint Performance Guarantee program. The program requires a shop to have at least one certified technician who has completed certification training.

"The goal of a shop should be to get all of its painters certified," says PPG's Askew.

Each technician must be re-certified every two years. Likewise, NAPA/Martin-Senour requires re-certification every two years, according to Rob Gray, marketing specialist for the Cleveland, Ohio, firm.

The course work is about 60 percent classwork and 40 percent hands-on. Included are such steps as how to fill in the required warranty form for the vehicle owner.

BASF offers two programs, one for the shop and one for the painter, explains Rod Patterson, manager, warranty programs/North America, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Shops are certified if they meet certain quality and appearance standards. Individual painters are certified for three years upon completion of a three-day course. "Every three years, a painter has to be re-certified," he explains.

There are three levels of certification available from American Standox, Plymouth, Mich. The first is a three-and-a-half day standard certification program that runs a painter through all three levels of paint from the base to mid-coat to finish. Successful completion of the course earns a paint technician the certification. Re-certification is required every two years and at least one painter must be certified in each shop. "However, we prefer all the painters take the course," says Steve Treutel, North American training manager.

There also are two master-level courses available from American Standox. The first is a Master Painter Certificate and covers performance and productivity. "We key in on productivity and getting the most from the product, picking the right product for the job, efficient shop layout and processing the car through the shop," Treutel says. The second focuses on multi-stage blending techniques. "White three-stage pearls are a walk in the park," he continues. "But when a painter finishes this course, he is qualified to work with candies, applying a different ground coat and transparent mid-coat. The results are amazing."

Standox also offers OEM-certified programs for Mercedes, BMW and General Motors shops.

Akzo Nobel, Norcross, Ga., certifies shops after an Akzo Nobel sales rep audits the shop, assures that the shop has an understanding of all their products and knows how to apply them. Technical training at the Car Refinishes Information Center is required for painters to get certified.

DuPont will certify on-site. Training for a new shop or technician not familiar with their products will take two days. If the painters have been through the training before, or are familiar with surface prep, mixing, thinning and the like, the training may take as little as one-half day, according to Brown. However, use of a generic or non-brand product in the process - such as a generic hardener - will exclude a shop from most programs.

ICI Autocolor, Cleveland, Ohio, also will certify at the collision shop, although painters can come into headquarters for the course. Training takes about one day.

In addition to requiring a shop have a clean work area with a controlled spray environment, properly calibrated weight scale, clean-air dryer system and separate spray guns for topcoats and basecoats, ICI Autocolor requires a "presentable" reception area as part of its program.

While the body shop has to look good, paint companies generally offer shops attractive promotional packages to back their programs and guarantees. In addition to a special phone line for technical help, PPG provides mirror hangers, a custom video to explain the process to repair customers, and even a sign for the shop attesting to the certification.

Others, including NAPA/Martin-Senour, will provide full-color shop posters, brochures, and collision shop and customer certificates.

Typical of the package given a newly certified painter is DuPont's set of 200 warranty repair records and 200 warranty cards, a wall sign, a window sign and two counter signs.

What Is Covered
Several firms offer warranties that step up from three years, to five, seven or lifetime. In almost every case, "lifetime" means the life of the vehicle while owned by the same person who owned the vehicle at the time of the original repairs.

Akzo Nobel's Sikkens Refinish Assurance Plan remains in effect even if customers move to another city. "On average, consumers are keeping their cars for five to seven years," says Patrick Marcouiller, director of marketing for the firm. "This, combined with today's more mobile society, means there is a likelihood that a customer may be relocated after a repair is completed. The Sikkens lifetime warranty will give consumers the peace of mind of knowing their vehicle is protected no matter where they live."

Sherwin-Williams offers its Ultra Lifetime Guarantee. This is available for the firm's A-Plus shops to offer refinish customers at no charge. The program covers refinish work done with Ultra 7000 basecoat/clearcoat products and Sherwin-Williams undercoat system products for as long as the customer owns the vehicle.

"The marketing materials which promote the lifetime guarantee are designed so shops can offer the service directly to their customers," says Lindell.

Should a failure occur, Akzo Nobel will reimburse for material and labor through a wholesale credit, based on the hourly rate in effect at the time of the original repair.

NAPA/Martin-Senour offers its Tec/Lifetime Guarantee on all Tec/Base basecoat/clearcoat topcoat finishes applied over any of several Premium Undercoat Systems. The warranty covers labor and materials related to repair of peeling, cracking, crazing, extensive loss of gloss, color fading, chalking or moisture bleeding, according to Gray.

ICI Autocolor offers a Limited Lifetime Refinish Warranty on 2K and Aquabase basecoat/clearcoat and single-stage finishes from the date of application. The firm will reimburse 100 percent of the cost of single-stage repairs for three years and 50 percent in the fourth year or thereafter. On basecoat/clearcoat repairs, the collision shop will be reimbursed 100 percent in the first five years, according to Sharon Smith, marketing services manager. Beyond six years, the reimbursement is at 50 percent.

Smith says there are no plans for ICI to extend the warranty periods for the full life of the vehicle.

PPG's Paint Performance Guarantee is offered on Deltron, Deltron 2000, Concept, NCT and related products. PPG guarantees in writing the durability of any paint work performed to its standards for as long as the customer owns the vehicle.

The PPG distributor is charged with maintaining the guarantee registration for each customer, helping in the certification of collision repair centers and recruiting refinish technicians. PPG backs its distributor for 100 percent of the guarantee claim in the form of a credit on their statement.

PPG's guarantee covers peeling or delaminating of the topcoat or other layers of paint; cracking or checking, loss of gloss caused by cracking or hazing; or other failure caused by defective product. The guarantee excludes deterioration caused by bubbles, blisters or other film degradation due to rust or corrosion originating from the substrate.

Spies Hecker, Farmingdale, N.Y., is one of the few major firms not offering a lifetime warranty at this time. Their long-term warranty covers five years. However, marketing manager Jackie Connolly says they expect to roll out a program by the year's end. She notes that body shops are driving the demand for lifetime coverage.

Where there is a question on the blame for a paint job's failing, most companies will do as Standox does: take care of the body shop and fine-tune the technician, or consider adjusting the product.

Generally, the paint company representative and shop examine any vehicle brought back in for warranty work. "If it is determined that there was a paint or system failure, DuPont stands behind the total re-do," Brown says. However, the shop must have a copy of the warranty and a repair record filled out and on file that demonstrates that the work was done by a qualified technician. "If the paperwork is in line and they applied the paint with the proper system, we pay."

Typical exclusions include occurrences such as if the repair area was not stripped to bare metal. Most firms also exclude scratches, abrasions or stone chips. "It's a partnership with the shop. Both we and the shop want to do what's right," Brown says.

Cost Of Certification
Of course, it costs time and money to get a painter certified. Most introductory courses run two to three days. In every case, the program is offered by the paint firm at cost.

Standox offers three packages for those training at its Plymouth facility. The $545 package includes everything - airfare, hotel, daily meals, class materials and safety equipment. For those who do not need air transportation, the fee drops to $345. Commuters can sign up for $185, which includes tuition, lunches, the banquet and safety gear.

PPG offers training at several sites around the country. They charge $95 per day for each training course (or $190 for the two-day basic session). That fee includes manuals and a jacket for the technician. NAPA/Martin-Senour courses range from $100 to $150, depending on the subject covered. There is no charge for the DuPont program.

At some point, however, any reasonable shop owner realizes all paint technicians need to be properly trained. Getting them certified by a reliable firm, although costing a couple of days of productivity, will quickly pay back the cost of the training course in more efficient work habits, fewer re-dos or make-goods, and a better reputation in the community.

Not only does the car owner benefit from a sure thing, but it is certain that a certification program will put a shop ahead of the competition.

While the cost of the actual course is free, BASF's Patterson notes that most jobbers in Canada and many in the United States will participate in sharing the cost of the technician's transportation and lodging while at the school. He explains that there may be some cost to a shop whose showroom or paint area are not up to standard. Before the shop can be certified, those improvements must be made. However, he adds, those improvements probably should be done anyway if the owner is taking a long-term view of the business.

Curt Harler is a freelance writer based in Strongsville, Ohio.

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