Car Repair Without the Hazards
The “Company Profile” is an Earth911.com series highlighting consumer goods and services making a difference through product stewardship and recycling. Products and services featured do not pay for placement and are not endorsed by Earth911.com.
A new car is like a new pair of sneakers (or 300 expensive pairs of them!): at some point, there will be a scratch, dent or ding that makes you live with a less than pristine model or undergo some body work.
Unfortunately, most conventional auto body work requires replacement of parts (most of which are made with valuable petroleum resources) and/or the use of paint with high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
One company, San Diego-based BumperDoc, attempts to limit replacements and change the way consumers view auto repair. We recently discussed the company with BumperDoc Franchising’s President Shane Sparks.
New to the Scene
BumperDoc started sending mobile technicians to repair shops in 1999, and its first retail center opened in 2004, offering previously unavailable repair services to the general public.
Emphasizing Repair
Rather than replacing auto parts (including the bumpers, of course) with new ones, BumperDoc strives to fix the old part, often restoring parts to look like new. Some of its services include:
- Paintless Dent Repair—Traditional dent repairs use polyester resin mixed with an organic peroxide (often referred to by the brand name “Bondo”) to fill a dent, which then needs to be repainted. BumperDoc technicians often repair dents by pushing them out with specialized tools. Depending on the severity of the dent, this process usually requires neither Bondo nor paint.
- Waterborne Painting—When painting is necessary, instead of using conventional solvent-based based paints, BumperDoc uses waterborne paints with significantly lower VOC emissions. In addition, waterborne paints pose less of a health and safety risk to those working with them.
Reducing the Automotive Footprint
Sparks admits that it is not as immediately lucrative to institute a companywide policy of repairing parts such as doors, hoods, bumpers and panels rather than replacing them. However, he says it is a more cost efficient and environmentally responsible business model that will have satisfied customers returning time after time.
BumperDoc was the first shop in San Diego to make the switch to waterborne paint systems, and its paintless dent repair uses nothing but rods and highly skilled manpower to massage out dents.
Sparks says of these repairs, “Not only are we cutting down quite a bit on the amount of paint and materials needed for these types of repairs, but often when I look at them, I can’t even tell where the dent was.”
Time for a Change
“In general, the [auto body repair] industry is way behind the times,” says Sparks. “[Companies] are doing things the way they have been done for many years, and it’s not really an industry that has focused on environmental responsibility.”
BumperDoc is determined to lead by example and encourage the rest of the auto industry to follow suit. Sparks says, “We feel like we are the educators, and people are happy when they find us because they feel like they are making the right choice for the environment.”
He continues that many in the auto industry believe that repair with minimal use of materials is the up and coming trend, and that belief lies at the heart of BumperDoc’s decision to franchise. In the end, the overall savings of resources and money makes BumperDoc’s model both logical and profitable.
The Role of the Public
Sparks feels that customers often don’t know that alternatives to auto part replacement exist and need to ask their local auto body shop to offer them. He thinks the public should ask for services like paintless dent repair and products like waterborne paint.
Franchise Plans
While BumperDoc and its shops are currently based in the greater San Diego area, the company is planning on opening shops in Idaho, Texas, Virginia, and Florida and would like to see a BumperDoc in every major city within the next 10 years.
Rewards of Reduction
An obvious benefit of Sparks’ job is that he is able to satisfy many customers by saving them time and money, but Sparks is also happy that his company is doing the right thing. His favorite of the three R’s is reduction because “BumperDoc is reducing the amount of materials needed and often eliminating typical auto repair waste altogether.”
