Starting out

[JBoyd2023]

Hi guys, I'm looking to start my own care care company, I've got years of experience in the collision industry, but I'm trying a go at my own business and start small with details and small car care, but would like to be able to offer window tint, I've been watching alot of videos, and want to start out on my own vehicle and family members to practice on. Any suggestions one what is a decent affordable tint to use or if I should just start out using a high end ceramic film. Or any suggestion on starting a business. Thanks guys

[Dano]

Ceramics are pretty stiff and don't handle real smooth for a beginner, or even a seasoned tech some days.

 

For an affordable, durable, not too expensive film, I always recommend (and use myself) Global HP.

 

Since you have bodyshop experience have you also considered adding PDR?

 

I've made pretty good coin doing single panels with tint, PPF and PDR at bodyshops in order for them to close out a claim and stop the clock on cycle times. They have to have it and are allowed to bill for local market value.

Shops usually will then add 30% on top of that to their supplements to account for shop profitability when the claim gets closed depending on their repair agreements with the insurance companies.

 

I know of a few people who do nothing but service the collision shops and do pretty good.

[JBoyd2023]

I'd love to be able to offer pdr but I don't have an experience with it, how did you get started?

[Dano]

I bought a good light, hood stand, basic tech set of tools from Dentcraft and watched a bunch of vids at first while working on scrap hoods in my off time.

 

Later I met a few dent guys at a bodyshop working a hail storm and pestered them for knowledge at every opportunity. Some were helpful, others were outright d-bags.

 

Three years later when scamdemic started, a hail storm landed a few miles away. I was friendly with the local bodyshop over there from doing single panel tint and ppf replacement. The dent guys that showed up for the work thought I was just kidding about wanting to learn something until I came over with my gear, shop owner let me set up in the back corner.

 

After about a week of watching, learning and pushing they knew I was serious and allowed me to follow them thru the day to day process. I prepped the cars, wrote estimates and stripped off parts that needed removal. I never asked them for a dime and in reality I should have been paying them.

 

Within a month I was doing pretty good (not great) work. At the three month mark my work was good enough to sell and had learned the in's and out's of the trade. Now its part of my standard routine and I'm excellent friends with the guys to this day.

 

If you don't have that kind of time, Top Gun PDR (Marty) is the school I would go to. He's an old school craftsman that is trying to better the industry and not just sucker the public as a majority of them seem to be.