Rodriguez has worked in the industry in some capacity since 1988 and purchased Autobody Express in 2004.
The Shop:
Autobody Express is owned by Raymond Rodriguez and is a family-owned facility located in San Rafael, Calif. Autobody Express specializes in high-end luxury cars and custom hot rods. The 3,500-square-foot shop has been open for 12 years
How it Works:
Before purchasing the Quick Check from Like90, Autobody Express applied wax and grease remover to a panel when matching colors. This method caused metallic paint to shift and rub off. Using this method, if the color was wrong, the painter would have to start from scratch, which ate up 10 minutes of prep time that quickly added up.
Quick Check can be sprayed directly onto a sprayout card to simulate clearcoat and show immediately what the new base will look like. The painter can then hold the sprayout card against the car to see how well the base matches the existing paint. If it’s not a good match, adjustments can be made and the Quick Check can be used again to check. The Quick Check-coated sprayout card can show variations in color when it is held up in different lighting. Rodriguez says this has saved his painters a lot of time and helps prevent re-dos.
Quick Check can also be sprayed directly onto panels to reveal imperfections and wavy body work. It can be applied on bare and painted metal and filters. This has allowed the staff at Autobody Express to correct defects earlier in the process and minimize rework costs.
Rodriguez says it has performed just as the reps from Like90 said it would. Autobody Express uses it at least 25 times per week and Rodriguez says the staff has been using the same bottle for over a year now.
Another thing that Rodriguez especially likes is the fact that Quick Check stays wet and doesn’t evaporate. This allows users to check the color under different lights.
Rodriguez isn’t the only one impressed by the gloss simulator—the product took home the runner-up award for Best New Product in the collision repair and refinish category at November’s SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
The ROI:
For Rodriguez, the most impressive thing about the Quick Check is the time savings that it offers. He adds that having the color correct the first time ensures that a re-do won’t have to be done. Autobody Express has never had a comeback because of color and Quick Check has helped with that.
By cutting down the time it takes to match color, Autobody Express has increased throughput in the shop. The small investment in the product has allowed the shop to save time each day, which has allowed the shop to service more vehicles in the long run.