As someone who grew up in the collision repair business, Randy Cremeans said he remembers when most shops always had at least one or two custom or restoration jobs in the shop.

            "Back in my dad's shop in the 1960s and 1970s, a lot of shops would take in that type of work as well as collision because it really wasn't bad money," said Cremeans, collision segment manager for PPG Automotive Refinish, which offers the Vibrance Collection line of custom colors and special effect finishes.

"Over the last 20 to 30 years," he said, "that changed as a lot of people felt they could make more money through insurance-paid collision jobs, and they stopped doing custom and restoration work."

            But Cremeans said he and other industry observers are noting a shift in that trend as several factors--including a growing market for custom refinish work on vehicles--are leading shops to once again consider expanding into noncollision custom and restoration work.

            "Customers are willing to pay what they weren't willing to pay for custom work some years ago, and smart collision shops are starting to see that," Cremeans said. "More shops are realizing, 'Yeah, bring those cars in because we know we can make some money on them.'"

Factors driving the trend

            Brent Wallace said he believes cable television is among the key drivers of the upsurge in public interest in custom refinishing.

            "Several channels, from MTV to the Speed Channel, have been producing car-customization shows," said Wallace, manager of brand marketing for BASF's R-M Carizzma line of custom paint products, which are used on TV's "Overhaulin'." "This has fueled a resurgence in all age groups toward personalization of automobiles."

            "The more vehicles there are on the roads, and the more and more cars look alike, the more people want to individualize their own cars," said Skip Chance, director of specialty coatings for Valspar Automotive Finishes, which offers the House of Kolor line of custom refinishing products.

"I think, too, the economy has been very good, and people have money to spend on their toys," Chance said. "We see people custom-painting their boats, then painting the trailer to match the boat, and then painting their truck to match the boat and trailer."

            Cremeans points out that customization is proving popular across many industries, from custom cabinetry in homes to automakers allowing customers more options in ordering a vehicle how they want it.

            "I call it a macro-trend in marketing, customizing things for people to fit their specific needs and wants," he said. "Plus right now, every dime you put into an old car or street rod, something that is sought after, is not a bad investment. It's even better than real estate right now."

            Cremeans pointed to the rising sales prices of vehicles at such events as Barrett-Jackson auctions.

            "Years ago, someone wouldn't think about putting $20,000 or $30,000 into an old jalopy," he said. "But now when you see Barrett-Jackson selling these cars for $100,000, $200,000, even $300,000, people start scratching their heads, saying, 'Maybe I'm missing out on something here.'"

A good option for shops?

            So why does it make good sense for a collision repair shop to go after a piece of this growing market?

            Chance pointed out that it is not work that is insurer-controlled, giving shops greater flexibility over pricing for the work.

            "Shops certainly have to provide a job that's worth the money they're charging, but it's another viable stream of income for them," he said.

            BASF's Wallace agreed.

            "We all remember when every quality shop had several weeks worth of work sitting in the back lot," he said. "But for most shops, those days are gone. Collision shops can add a strong revenue stream by adding custom work. I also believe this type of work can actually increase employee satisfaction and therefore retention. Every technician takes pride in creating invisible repairs, but creating one-off work builds pride and enthusiasm. Not many collision technicians keep a portfolio of their work, but many customizers do."

            Wallace was careful to point out, however, that even though pricing for custom work is not insurer-controlled, some car owners are just as cost-conscious as insurers.

            "But as shops increase their reputation, they can also increase their prices for such work," he said. "Most will never reach the million-dollar-car level, but that segment does exist."

            Even those that don't aspire to that level can command $5,000 to $20,000 for custom paint work, PPG's Cremeans said. He pointed to a friend of his who recently had a restored 1955 Chevrolet painted at a collision repair shop.

            "All the shop had to do was seal and shoot this car, and they were happy to do it for $7,500, and my friend was happy with what he got for the $7,500," Cremeans said. "You didn't get that on these cars some years ago. But now…."

The investment requirements

            Adding custom work to your shop's offerings may not require a significant investment; after all, most collision shops already have the tools and equipment required. But it is something that will require some time and thought.

            "Just changing a shop's name from 'collision' to 'collision and custom' won't drive business to the door," Wallace said.

            A key first step, Chance said, is choosing a custom refinishing system and getting employees trained in its use.

            "They have to elevate their artistic skills for such things as laying out graphics on cars," Chance said. "We offer training classes on custom paint, or a shop may go out and find a person who already has the ability to do it."

            The other paint companies also have added training in such topics as airbrushing or use of their custom-paint lines.

            "It doesn't necessarily mean learning a whole new system," Cremeans said. "In our case, if a shop is using Deltron on a daily basis, they just use Vibrance in combination with it for the special effects people are looking for."

            Marketing your shop's ability to handle custom work is also critical, whether it's done on a large or small scale. Signage inside and outside your building, and a direct-mail piece to your customer base is a good way to announce your vehicle customization services, Cremeans said.

            "But the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words is really true," Wallace said. "Customers need to see tangible evidence of your shop's ability. You just need one car to start. The easiest way may be to customize an employee's or owner's vehicle. Park it in the front of the shop, and it will act as a billboard."

            Cremeans agreed that such vehicles can be a great way to attract not only more custom work but collision repair work as well.

            "When you're walking around a parking lot and you're looking at cars, are you looking at the 2004 Lexus or the 1966 GTO?" Cremeans said. "It captures someone's attention. And what an advertisement. The very first thing people always ask me about my restored vehicle is, 'Who did that?' That's the best marketing and advertising you can ever do. And it rolls over into collision, 'If a guy can put a paint job like that on that car, when I take my 2004 Lexus there, I know I'm going to get a good job.' It speaks to the quality of the people at your shop."

            The paint companies are developing ways to help shops market custom paint work. PPG, for example, recently inked a deal with Mattel Inc. to offer 12 of the "Hot Wheels Spectraflame" colors that many adults will remember from playing with the toy cars as kids.

            "Probably the biggest challenge that a body shop could have with custom work is the guy who comes in who wants his car different but doesn't know what he wants or how to achieve it," Valspar's Chance said. "The shop has to be prepared to invest some time and energy into sitting with that customer and working with them."

            That's why House of Kolor, he said, offers "Digital Paint Booth" software that allows you to pull up any of nearly 200 vehicle types and design a custom paint job on the computer for your customer to see.

Getting started

            Part of the beauty of custom work is that shops can tailor their investment based on how much and what type of it they want to do, Chance said.

            "You certainly can get into buying plotters to cut graphics maskings and stuff like that, but that's not necessary depending on how deep you want to get into it," he said. "There are different levels of commitment you can make."

            Cremeans said he likes that the pendulum seems to be shifting back from the extreme of shops offering only collision repair work. Adding custom work gives shops more opportunity for labor profit, he said, while using virtually the same equipment and types of materials used for collision repair work.

            "It's getting to be more like years ago when shops were doing both collision and custom work," he said. "That's great because the custom work is both fun and profitable."