Painting Cars
Paint shops are bracing themselves for tougher anti-pollution regulations. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has proposed rules to cut back on the amount of smog-producing compounds found in such things as paint lacquers, primers and enamels.
When these compounds--called volatile organic compounds--escape into the atmosphere, they combine with other materials to form ozone. Barry Wallerstein, who is overseeing the development of the regulations, says auto painting is responsible for putting 35 of the 1,200 tons of volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere every day.
The agency also wants paint shops to start using more efficient equipment--such as new, low-splatter paint guns--to limit the amount of paint and paint fumes released into the atmosphere. Also, painting equipment must be cleaned in enclosed areas. These and other rules could reduce the amount of volatile organic compounds by 33 tons a day--a very significant amount, Wallerstein says.
The agency disagrees with some paint shop owners who say the new rules will mean the purchase of costly equipment. AQMD official Abid Latif estimates that the new paint spray systems required by the proposal cost $800 to $1,400. The enclosures needed to wash equipment run about $600 to $800.
“The prices seem quite reasonable to us,” Latif said.
Most car owners choose to repaint their autos with the same color, paint shop owners say. That decision could save money and trouble in the long run. Many auto shops, for instance, charge more if the new paint is different from that already on the car. Why? The insides of door jambs and trunks hoods will have to be painted, increasing labor costs. Also, a runaway shopping cart can scrape away the new paint, revealing the old paint underneath.
Many car painters cringe at the sight of a Volkswagen Beetle driven in for a paint job. The car’s sharp slopes make it more difficult to apply paint. Also, some paints tend to run on curved surfaces.
As far as paints go, white is the perhaps the most difficult to match. Why? “Because there’s bluish white, yellowish white and pearl white,” said George Squyres, owner of Gordon’s Body Shop in Redondo Beach.
Car owners, however, might discover that a black paint job--as well as most darker colors--is more difficult to keep up. “Black shows anything,” Squyres said. “It gets dusty in an hour.”
The best time of year to have your car painted is just before April 15 and Christmas, shop owners say. Before April 15, consumers are saving money to pay taxes or are waiting for refund checks. “Christmas is always slow because everybody is spending money on gifts,” said J. R. (Rick) Uribe II, marketing director for 1 Day Paint & Body Centers.
A paint shop tends to be busiest on a Monday, when most cars are dropped off for service. Business picks up noticeably one week after a rainstorm, presumably when more cars than usual have been damaged in accidents. “A body man’s dream is a rainy rush hour,” said one shop owner.
