Reducing Pinholes Adds To Your Bottom Line

By - admin on September 21, 2016 in News and Views

Craters have their place in this world – on the moon, for example. They do not, however, have a place in the auto collision repair industry.

On the job, these tiny craters called pinholes often result from air trapped in filler. They are the things of repair professionals’ nightmares and have a negative impact on a repair shop’s bottom line. Pinholes increase the shop’s cycle time and reduce margins since they require additional staff time and resources to correct.

Business owners and auto collision professionals looking for ways to reduce the occurrence of pinholes in their work have the power of 3M™ behind them.

The company’s Platinum™ Select Filler “is a premium body filler with a fine surface that requires less primer to cover micro pinholes than traditional filler. In fact, Platinum™ Select Filler can decrease primer use by up to 30%.” The product is credited with reducing pinholes by as much as 99%.

The product offers “fast adhesion to aluminum, steel, galvanized steel, e-coat, fiberglass and SMC.” 3M™ notes the “filler is stain-free, delivers excellent corrosion resistance and is perfect for use under all basecoats and clearcoats, including waterborne coatings.”

Before you begin the paint job, it’s a good idea to shine a flashlight carefully across the surface to be painted. This little trick will cause a shadow to be cast by the base of the pinhole, allowing it to be repaired by filling the hole and sanding the spot before the paint ever flows.

If, however, pinholes manage to sneak through to the paint portion, know that it isn’t the end of the world. If you are working on a solid-color car or dark metallic, a tip from a professional with nearly 30 years of experience suggests you can “dab a bit of catalyzed clear into the pinhole” which can then dry and be sanded and polished.

If you’re interested in learning more about 3M™’s Platinum Select Filler, give us a call. Our trained sales and tech teams regularly hold clinics in custom painting techniques, product training and provide operations best practices in the areas of process evaluation, inventory management and advanced data evaluation to our auto body partners. These partnerships result in streamlined body shop operations reflected in increased productivity and profit margins.

Contact us at 818.365.3727. We look forward to hearing from you!