Salty & Sweet? Or Salty And Corrosive? Part I

snow storm salt

Now that Summer is knocking at the door, you need to take a look under the vehicles that you are working on and examine the damage done from the salt and chemicals used to deice the roads. Some areas, like Minnesota and even Denver are very cold and abrasive and cause a great deal of corrosion to the under belly of cars. In addition to the under belly, you need to check the paint. I know they say to spray down your car when you have driven through these salts, sands and chemicals. Well who the heck wants to do that when it’s sub-zero temperatures and doing it will freeze your doors closed. I did this once, only once, I stopped after driving on the highway for hours. A block away from my home, I stopped to spray all of that junk off of my car. The car looked great. By the time I got home, one block, my car doors froze. I was locked in my own car. I couldn’t roll down the electric windows because they were frozen in place. I kept the car running with the defroster on. and high heat. I was toasty and could see out my windows perfectly, but the car door was still frozen. I finally had to call the Fire Department, ugh. They had the deicer stuff for doors and I was out in minutes, fully embarrassed and even offered to pay for their services. These days they would take that money. 

Okay, enough about me, take a look at the foams, adhesives, welds and plugs checking for corrosion. In the collision industry, bad weather all year round, is great for business. You either have ground chemical damage, crashes because of ice, then tornadoes and hail. It’s a year round business which for the PDR Technician spells success. You can literally stay busy year round within this industry.

To find out more on what to do to build your business during the seasons, follow me to Part II.

 

 


How To Identify A Flood Damaged Vehicle From Hurricane Sandy Part IV

cars under waterSo we are indeed at the end of this series. There is still two more thoughts that I would like to leave you with and a link that can help you by providing a checklist that you can print and use when checking vehicles for purchase.

  • Checking for hidden signs of problems-Take the time to make a careful inspection of the vehicle. Look for dirt, water stains or mold and mildew that crooks may have missed. Look in obscure places such as the roof where the fabric meets the cars body, check under the seats where the floors fabric connects to the dashboard. What you are looking for are pockets of water, dried mud, and dirt residue. You can get an “Auto Salvage Fraud Checklist” from NICB’s site to help.
  • Check all screws for rust-This is a pretty quick and easy step to do. You can do it and never be suspected of it by the seller. However, you really shouldn’t have to hide what you are doing. As a matter of fact, I would make it a point to let the seller know you are checking for signs of flood damage. Again, you may discover quickly that this person is a crook. Never take their word for anything. Their word can’t hold water in court. Get it? Hold water? Ha.

So now you have a better idea of what to look for, the list will help you with what I have not covered. My suggestion is to create a brochure or form that you can give to your clients. Being a helpful PDR Technician will go a long way in the mind of a client. You’re not taking away from your business, you’re helping it. They may still need your help on the car they do purchase that may have flaws that you are trained to work on. Good luck.