Snap Shop: Showtime Collision Repair Specialists

May 1, 2019
Take a virtual tour of a California shop with an attention-grabbing, retro decor.

SHOWTIME COLLISION REPAIR SPECIALISTS LOCATION: Running Springs, Calif. OWNERS: The Makeig family SIZE: 13,000 square feet STAFF: 13 AVERAGE MONTHLY CAR COUNT: 60 ANNUAL REVENUE: $2.5 million

INNOVATIVE INTERIOR

Decorative, classic-car couches. Street lights. Neon lights. They all greet visitors to the lobby of Showtime Collision Repair Specialists in Running Springs, Calif.

The guest area is filled with automotive-inspired furnishings and features a vintage decor that owner Mark Makeig largely designed. To make unique, automotive-themed couches, Mark Makeig once went to a southern California swap meet, purchased multiple antique cars, and, in the words of his son, shop manager Tyler Makeig, “chopped them up.”

That’s why you’ll see a desk in Showtime Collision’s lobby that features the front end of a 1950s-era Oldsmobile.

“We wanted to create a comfortable lounge area for our customers,” Tyler Makeig explains, “that showcases the creative craftsmanship of my dad.”

STATE-OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT

Showtime Collision features multiple, state-of-the-art pieces of alignment and measuring equipment. For example, the shop floor boasts a Ravaglioli computerized alignment machine that creates 3D images which allow the shop to measure damaged vehicles with pinpoint accuracy. Similarly, the shop’s operators recently invested approximately $50,000 in a Car-O-Liner Vision X3 frame measuring system.

All told, the shop’s owners invested more than $300,000 on equipment upgrades a few months back.

“I felt like it was ‘get in, or get out’ at this point,” Tyler Makeig explains. “At this point we’ve been here for 30 years and built a great reputation, but, as everyone knows, the industry’s changing. … I feel like, with the direction of the industry, this equipment is necessary to fix these cars properly—it was a costly investment, but it paid off.”

IN-GROUND BENCH RACKS

Another key element of the California shop’s recent upgrade was the purchase of two Car-O-Liner bench racks, which quickly made an impact.

“Our two main racks before were both above-ground installation,” Makeig explains. “When we did this upgrade, we did an in-ground installation with them, so they’re flush with the ground. That has really improved the efficiency of the shop; with the [new racks] being in-ground, it basically gave us two more bays to work out of. Whether the car needed to be clamped or not, it could still be rolled over the frame rack and the tech could work out of that bay.

“That addition added two more complete bays to our shop, which has made it [so we’re] able to work on cars inside when the weather’s bad.”

SUPREME CLEANLINESS

One glance at Showtime Collision’s paint mixing room indicates that cleanliness is a point of pride at the facility. The staff aims for an unprecedented level of cleanliness throughout the shop area.

After all, the Makeigs feel that an immaculate, organized facility is an underrated element of producing top-quality collision repairs.

“As far as cleanliness goes,” Makeig says, “we take so much pride in our facilities—and we demand that our employees uphold that. That’s the mentality around here.”

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