RVBusiness, January/February 2021

DEALER OPERATIONS BY T O N Y Y E RMA N Should You Consider a Full Service RV Body Shop A good dealership body shop can take work as sub contracted from other area dealers OEMs may refer brands that the dealership doesnt represent rather than having to transport a vehicle to the factory or to a distant selling dealer that has a body shop M any dealers believe that they can have a body shop as part of their service department without having to have a lot of equipment In a lot of cases it works if the shop only does panel replacement roof repair or vinyl graphic replacement Small jobs on stick and tin units dont require as many chemicals or paint as larger repairs do But there are some significant benefits to having a full service body shop There is also appreciable expense Factors to Consider Some of the benefits include customer retention Your customer can stay with you for more of their needs Each visit they make to your store can relate to revenue In the case of a total loss of course the dealer has the opportunity to put the customer in another one of his vehicles With well trained technicians and the proper equipment the profits can be huge Parts markups of over 100 are not uncommon depending on availability and purchasing skills Fiberglass repair is also very lucrative Instead of creating a huge and unnecessary large part replacement such as a motorhome front cap panels can be repaired with possibly more profitability than a replacement It can also enable faster shop turnover by reducing part wait time Painting is where the biggest expense comes in The EPA has a lot to do with what is needed for painting vehicles Another issue is finish quality Color matching and the ability to mix colors is another area for consideration Paint Booth There are several companies that supply paint booths Paint booths can serve several purposes controlling paint overspray and protecting the shop and environment from toxic paint chemicals are probably the most important Keeping a highly clean and dust free environment provides for high quality finishes with minimal surface follow up processes Some of todays paints require surface baking to assist in the paint curing While painting equipment and supplies are often the biggest capital expense an RV dealership can reap financial and customer service benefits by having a full service body shop process These baking systems can be incorporated 34 RVBusiness J A N U A R Y F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 Tony Yerman is a Fixed Operations consultant for the Mike Molino RV Learning Center For more information on improving RECT including the recently launched RV Service Writer Advisor Online Training program available through the Mike Molino RV Learning Center visit www rvlearningcenter com in to the spray booth system Mixing Stations These systems are available through various suppliers and include a device known as a color meter color reader or Spectrophotometer This device sees the color and is able to break it down into parts for a controlled mixing station The mixing station takes a base paint and mixes tints to get the actual color mix provided by the color reader Painting Equipment Paint guns dust control materials and PPE can come with significant expense but ensure safe and high quality paint jobs The Payoff Body shops open completely independent profit centers Collision repair is an entire industry on its own Repair and paint jobs on a high end RV can total in the tens of thousands of dollars An RV body shop is a specialty shop Auto body shops generally dont touch RVs Truck shops will take on paint frame work and a degree of fiberglass repair but are usually busy with what they specialize in trucks A good dealership body shop can take work as sub contracted from other area dealers OEMs may refer brands that the dealership doesnt represent rather than having to transport a vehicle to the factory or to a distant selling dealer that has a body shop Many people today are restoring or remodeling their already owned vehicles An exterior upgrade or facelift are desired options and are less expensive than purchasing an entire new vehicle Insurance Work Insurance companies need and search out RV body shops that they can work closely with Some companies have what they call preferred shops which they recommend to their insured All an insurance company asks for are fair reasonable and negotiable estimates and repairs Detailed itemized estimates along with an experienced estimator or Service Writer Advisor who will explain and work with adjustors are the keys to a great insurance company relationship Estimating systems such as the RV Damage Repair Estimator available from the RV Learning Center store www rvlearningcenter com can assist in creating these clear and understandable estimates and create an atmosphere of communication and assistance for the adjusters Consider that one insurance company and one adjuster can generate hundreds of new customers and not just for the repair they are sent in for Yes a body shop can be expensive but with the right tools it can be very lucrative RVB