IA Shop Refinishes Used Cars Efficiently With Lusid Technologies

NOTE: This October SPS was originally published online in October 2018.

Superior Detailing and Reconditioning in Iowa City, IA, was founded in 2011 by Justin Schwab as a detailing shop.

However, he soon recognized that the market had a need for other services and began expanding his repertoire.

He explained, “Over time, we added paint touch-up, headlight refinishing, color correction, minor collision, bumper/panel replacement and refinishing. In 2013 we made a full transition into the refinishing market, and in 2014 we moved into our current shop, at which point we added a full paint booth and mixing room.”

The shop’s main focus is on “business to business,” reconditioning previously owned vehicles to prepare them for resale. Justin’s four employees refinish an average of 120 vehicles each month.

“We specialize in minor collision and reconditioning. We don’t tackle massive jobs, do framework or work with insurance companies,” Schwab noted. “Superior primarily specializes in getting used cars ready for resale for prestigious dealerships. We buff scratches, repair and replace fenders and bumpers, touch up rock chips and generally help used cars look their very best for resale.”

Because the majority of Superior’s work involves improving the appearance of used cars, it’s important that they utilize refinish products that can be used efficiently and effectively. In addition to utilizing a high-quality paint booth, mixing room, spray guns, compressors and other standard collision repair equipment and tools, Schwab began using refinish products from Lusid Technologies in 2013.

“At Superior Detailing and Reconditioning, we have used a variety of different brands and versions of these products and have found that Lusid’s products meet our needs and productivity requirements,” he said. “Their products are easy to use and have helped cut production time and increase productivity. Working in the used car market, we are under tight time constraints; jobs need to be done efficiently and correctly the first time.”

The technicians at Superior Detailing and Reconditioning spray with Gen2o from Lusid Technologies, a complete high-quality waterborne basecoat system that is user-friendly and cost-effective. The paint is designed for superior covering power, excellent metallic laydown with less clouding effect, less material used and a better gloss on the finished job. Additionally, Lusid’s Gen2o system meets environmental standards and promises an easy transition from conventional paints with minimal training and investment.

Schwab agrees that implementing the new products into his shop’s process was very easy.

“We have a strong team, we’ve been given good information on the use of these products and processes, and it’s an easy transition to implement them into shop use,” he said. “It wasn’t difficult at all to start using the Gen2o. With a good vendor, it’s not nearly as difficult to find a product that works as it is to find a good team.

“We are lucky to have such a wonderful team at Superior Detailing and Reconditioning. It’s taken a lot of work and searching to create our team. A place is only as good as the people who work there, and we have a very strong and capable crew at Superior. Zachary Martensen has been with us since 2014—he is our lead technician and shop manager, and he’s a benchmark in the shop.”

Superior supplements the use of Gen2o with several additional products from Lusid, such as the AD263 Fish Eye Eliminator, the A455 Accelerator, the SX01 Adhesion Promoter and the 2K Rapid Primer. The 2K Rapid Primer is a high-speed, high-build primer that boasts excellent filling and sanding properties while providing optimum holdout for most topcoats. The other three products are part of Lusid’s NORTHSTAR product line, and they each deliver on the promises inherent in their creation to minimize fish eyes, speed up the cure time of a topcoat and promote adhesion on properly prepared bumper covers, respectively.

Schwab has been pleased with the results his shop has achieved since beginning to use general products from Lusid Technologies. Following the installation, Superior Detailing and Reconditioning has rarely needed help from Lusid. The shop relies on its jobber, Autofinish Supply, for products and support.

Eric Lunas of Autofinish Supply has demonstrated all the new products available, trained us on how to make them work best, and then let us loose to try them for ourselves,” Schwab said. “The combination of excellent products and support from the supply chain has worked well for Superior.

“We have been kept up-to-date on available products. We have had a lot of help with training on new products, and this helps us make educated decisions on what will work best in our shop. There are a lot of different products on the market, and many make promises of time efficiency and usefulness. We simply don’t use products that don’t work—we use what works well, saves time and is financially beneficial, which is why we have invested in products from Lusid Technologies.”

Superior Detailing & Reconditioning
Location: Iowa City, IA
(319) 855-2724

Company At A Glance...
Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: Four
In Business Since: 2011
Number of Locations: One
Combined Production Space: 4,225 square feet

Lusid Technologies
(801) 966-5300 
www.lusid.biz

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Source: Autobody News

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