Paint Protection Film (PPF) Gaining In Popularity

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Not so long ago people looked at paint protection film as a trend. Like a fashion trend for the wealthy. You would se it on Porsches, Ferraris and other exotic vehicles. The average consumer thought it was over priced kitchen wrap. Trends tend to fade away right? Not paint protection film or (PPF/ Clear Bra) as others may know it by. The only thing that is fading away is the visibility of the film.

Quality Of The Newer Films

Older generations of clear bra films would tend to loose it gloss, become yellow and even start to develop cracks. The current generation of film has a self healing coating applied to in. This coating will heal and make light scratched disappear. Another benefit is it  sheds environmental contaminates that cause the film to turn yellow. The new film are much smoother, have more gloss and are much more flexible making installs much more invisible. Xple technologies, film that we install here at concours auto salon  has led the way in this

Paint Protection Being Applied To The Entire Hood Of A Lexus

latest trend.

Popularity

In the past 5 years retailers and manufactures of paint protection film have see a 20% growth in sales. This is due to added customer awareness through marketing and the expansion into the OEM market. Auto manufactures have see the benefit of the product and started to add these films to their production lines. Today you can walk on any high volume Toyota dealers new car lot and find the film on Camry’s. Something you wouldn’t see 5 years ago.

Consumer Confidence

During the recent economic down turn new car sales were down but with the recent up swing more new vehicles are being sold. Trends show that people are planing on keeping their new cars for a longer period of time. Naturaly they would want to keep them looking new for as long as possible. Concours Auto Salon is seeing more middle of the road vehicles like Altima’s, Camry’s and Accord’s come in for clear bra protection. It’s not just a product reserved for the exotic car market any more.

The Smart Consumer

In past years we would introduce clear bra’s to customers in our shop and we would here comments like “well if it cost that much I might as well have the front bumper painted” or “I don’t like the line across the hood” or ”  can live with a few rock chips”. The smart consumer understands that it cost over 500.00 to have a quality refinish completed to the bumper of their car and there’s a good chance that the color wont match. Another trend at our shop has been for customers to completely wrap the front of their hood and fenders when they have a bumper kit installed so there in no visible line. This gives them 100% front protection from rock chips.

If you have ever considered paint protection film and are in the market for a new car or are considering having the front of your car refinished we urge you to com by our shop Concours Auto Salon and see what we have to offer. We always have at least on vehicle with protection to show you.

A 2008 Porsche with over 50,000 miles. It’s had Paint Protection Film protecting it since it was new. Installed by Concours Auto Salon. Not one rock chip is visible

 

 

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Paint Correction For A Black 2010 Z71 Chevrolet

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Recently a new customer hired Concours Auto Salon to polish the exterior of their 2010 Chevrolet Z71. This article will highlight the key process used to achieve a nearly flawless finish. To truly correct a paint finish (remove swirls and scratches) you have to level the paint. This means that your compounding and polishing the paint to a point that it’s level with the bottom of the scratches. The first steps we take after the hand wash and decontamination process is to inspect the paint. We use high intensity LED lights to do this. LED’s show so much more then a regular fluorescent or incandescent bulb can. This fender pictured shows the scratches and swirling in the paint. Some areas have more damage and some less. The top panels like hoods, roofs and trunks show and have the most damage.

Paint polishing san antonio

Led Light Highlighting The Scratches

After the evaluation we will do test spots with different polishing/compounding pads and different liquid and cream polishes and compounds. This picture represents the products, pads and machines used for the Chevrolet.

Optimum paint polishing san antonio

Optimum compound, Menzerna polish, Menzerna finishing polish, Lakecountry wool and foam pads, Makita rotary polisher and Flex dual action orbital polisher.

We started by using the Optimum compound and a wool pad to level the paint. This process will remove the heavy scratches in the paint from abrasions and improper washing. This process will also leave swirls behind. To remove the swirls we use Optimum compound and a blue foam pad this process eliminates the heavy swirls but leaves behind light fine swirls.

auto detailing san antonio

Compounding with the wool pad and optimum compound

Our third step we used the Makita rotary with the Menzerna Power Finish with a white lakecountry polishing pad. With this step you can really start to see the shine come out in the paint. This step removes all of the light swirls left behind by the compounding. The last and final step in our paint correction process is the final polish. This is done with the Flex polisher. This polisher had a random orbit and when used properly will not induce swirling. Out of the 4 steps this takes the longest. We take our time moving the buffer at a slower rate. This gives the black paint that deep deep gloss that people love to look at. We used the white Lakecountry polishing pad and Menzerna Finishing polish.

swirl and scratch removal san antonio

The final step in the polishing process. The flex with a white polishing pad and Menzerna Finishing Polish

We finish by removing all tape and residue from the exterior of the vehicle. We then wash the exterior one more time removing all of the compound and polishing dust and oils from the truck. A long lasting paint sealant was then applied to help lock in the shine.

The End Result is an extremely shiny finish with lots of depth and gloss.

Using the LED light to show the correction. No more scratches and swirls

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This is the reflection from the tailgate of the chevy truck! Amazing.

chevrolet truck detailing san antonio

Inside the Shop. The paint correction is done and waiting for the customer to pick up.

concours auto salon auto detail san antonio

Two days were spent correcting this trucks finish and it really shows.

 

 

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The Body Shop vs The Paintless Dent Repair Shop

There are two types of cars on the road today.  Ones with door dings and ones that will get a door ding. This may seam like a funny quote however if you think about it couldn’t be truer.  Unless you keep your car in a padded garage that has no tools and the kids have no access to it it’s going to get dinged one day.  So many people here in San Antonio tell me that they really try and avoid getting door dings by parking at the far end of the parking lot only to come out of the store to find some big hunk of ancient steel that looks like it was just shipped in from a war zone parked next to them.  Or they find a shopping cart resting on the door or fender of their vehicle after spending a small fortune buying the weeks groceries.

Some people can live with one or two door dings but for the one who cant there are two options.  First is to take your car to a body shop and have them grind, sand, bondo and paint over the damage.  Or you can find a local reputable shop like concours auto salon to use the paintless dent repair process and have them repair that ding or small dent in as little as 30 minutes.

The Body Shop.

This is how the body shop process works.  You schedule an appointment to leave your car.  The body man will then start by sanding or grind all the paint away in the damaged area. Bondo is mixed to fill the dented area and then spread over it like cake batter.  After it’s had a chance to harden the sanding process starts again. Bondo dust is flying

Dent in the fender of a VW Jetta

every where (you better hope they didnt leave your windows open).  This process can be done a few more time depending on where the damage is and the experience of the body man.  Then your car will sit the rest of the day with no other work to be done.  The next day your car will be preped for painting.  The damage area will get primered and painted.  After this it will sit untill the next day.  Ok it’s now day three and if every thing has gone as planed you will be able to pickup your car today but not until a couple of things are done.  The freshly painted panel or panel’s if they had to blend will be sanded in an attempt to flatten the paint out and to remove any dirt particals that may have gotten into the paint.  Then this will be polished to a high gloss.  In most cases the body shop will leave swirl markes as an add bonus just so every ones knows you has some repairs done.  This process can cost as little as $300.00

The Paintless Dent Repair Process

The same Jetta Fender after the paintless dent repair process

The paintless dent repair process works like this.  You make an appointment with a reputable company that offers paintless dent repairs (PDR) like Concours Auto Salon.  When you show up to have the repairs done you have a seat in the waiting room while the Vale Certified PDR technician pulls your car into the shop.  He uses special tools to gently message the damaged area back to it’s original shape or position.  This process takes as little as 30 minutes.  The final step is to polish the area removing and signs of impact from the paint that might of happened when it was dented.  This entire process can cost as little as $80.00 Witch process would you chose?

Now it’s obvious that if your car receives a significant impact or is in a major collision your going to need a body shop to repair the damage.  However for those smaller dents that haven’t damaged the paint why not look into paintless dent repair and see if it can be fixed.

 

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Washing Cars During Water Restrictions

If your the type of person who enjoys washing your own vehicle you might find it hard to do so with the current water restriction in affect here in San Antonio. Combine this with the heat and the hard water problems we have and you may just want to give up  cleaning your car your self.

Don’t throw the in towel because we just received a new shipment of Optimum No Rinse wash and shine direct from Optimum Polymer Technology. Several cases to say the san antonio eco car washleast. Regular customers of Concours Auto Salon know what this product is and buy it on a regular basis. So much so that it’s hard to keep in stock.

What is Optimum No Rinse?

No Rinse ™ Wash & Shine is the most technologically advanced car wash system that only requires 1-2 gallons of water to wash the entire car. No Rinse ™ Wash & Shine does not require rinsing since there are no soapy surfactants to wash off into the storm drains.

This unique product contains substantive polymers which bond to the paint and protect it during the wash. Therefore, No Rinse ™ Wash & Shine offers greater protection and lubricity than conventional car washes leaving a sleek & glossy finish behind afterwards. The waste water in the bucket can be used to water the lawn or disposed of into a sink, where it will be treated!

Additional benefits are faster washes, ability to wash anywhere at anytime including washing inside the garage during the cold or hot months, no messy water runoffs, and greater looking car finishes. These are some of the reasons No Rinse ™ Wash & Shine is being used by consumers and professionals all over the world.san antonio #1 detailer

Does Concours Auto Salon use No Rinse wash and shine?

You bet we do. In fact 80% of the vehicles we clean and detail here in San Antonio are washed with optimum No Rinse. It only takes a good quality wash mitt, high quality microfiber towels two ounces of No Rinse and a couple of gallons of water to wash a moderately dirty vehicle. When were are done the waste water is deposited in the sink instead of the street helping to preserve Texas streams and rivers.

Cone on by the shop for your free demo of this eco friendly product and pick up a bottle.

 

 

 

 

 

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Coffee And Rides

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Concours Auto Salon is now a proud sponsor of the monthly gathering called Coffee and Rides.

Coffee And Rides has been taking place since 2009 and is a once a month event taking place on the last Saturday of every month . It takes place from 8:30 am till 11:00 am. It has gone from a small group of people and theirSan antonio Coffee and Rides cars to an event that has at times had over 200 cars in attendance. If you want to see Ferraris, Lambos and Porsches they will be there. You will also find many of the San Antonio car clubs there as well. Clubs like the Z Club, The Mustang Club, The Ferrari Club, The Porsche Club Longhorn Region and many more. Old cars, new cars, odd and rare you can just about find it all in a very relaxed atmosphere.

We welcome all drivers to gather in a relaxed atmosphere and enjoy the meet, drink some coffee, kick the tires and just relax.  There are always all kinds of cars for everyone to enjoy.  So bring the family,  a friend or come out on your own and meet some fellow car folks.

Concours Auto Salon will be in attendance to show case customers cars, make new friends and share our knowledge with any one who is in interested in listening and learning. See you there!

Panera Bread
1203 N Loop 1604 W. Suite 121
San Antonio, TX? 78258
(210) 479-1717?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Spring Time Car Clean Up

Ah, spring: It means birds chirping, flowers blooming, people walking the streets humming, caught in a state of sunshine-induced bliss. Unfortunately, it also means allergy flare-ups, tax season, and that woeful chore — spring cleaning. We can’t help with your W-2, or that runny nose, but we can make sure your car is looks smells and feels like new.

Concours Auto Salon is now offering a “New Customer” package. So if you never experienced a Concours Clean Car now  is your chance to do so at a reduced cost. This is a small list of the thing included in this package.

Now $350.00 regularly $450.00 Valuesan antonio porsche detailing

  • Hand Wash
  • Motor compartment cleaned
  • Clay Bar decontaminate treatment
  • Our award winning 3 step paint correction
  • Opti-Coat 3 year paint sealant
  • Vapor Steam Clean interior from the headliner to the carpets
  • all carpets steam cleaned and extracted
  • Leather, Vinyl and plastic conditioned with UV protection
  • Chrome wheels and exhaust tips polished
  • doorjambs cleaned
  • Glass cleaned

It’s important to clean correct and protect you car for the up coming rain and blistering summer.

If you need any paintless dent repair done at the time of your service we will gladly do this for you at a reduced rate when we detail your vehicle.

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January Car Of The Month Ferrari 599 GTB

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Front-engine, grand-touring machines have a fairly specific pecking order, and the 599 is already on top, trumping most of its competitors in power, handling and looks.  This 2010 Ferrari painted Nero Black with black leather interior, highlighted with red stitching and carbon fiber accents was recently at Concours Auto Salon.  Standard features for this 599 are a 4 Cam 12 cylinder power plant producing  611 hp!  Transmission is the F1 super fast sequential 6 speed. Carbon ceramic brakes are used to slow this Prancing stallion.  Additional upgrades provided by the factory are red calipers polished challenge rims and a Bose HiFi sound system.

To see touch and feel this beautiful Ferrari in person is a treat to say the least.  The owner brought us the 599 looking to have it protected with Paint Protection Film (clear bra) window film and give the paint a top notch polish.

Services Done

Xpel Premium Paint protection Film was applied to the entire front bumper with an Xpel’s bikini kit  applied to the fenders and hood.  We also applied Paint Protection Film to the lower rockers, wheel openings and door edges.  We installed  Johnson window tint to the side glass as well as a one piece installation to the back window. The final step for the Ferrari was to have the paint polished. We preformed a three step process to remove scratches and residual sanding marks left behind by the Ferrari Factory.

Concours Auto Salon San Antonio truly appreciates the opportunity to provide our services to the owner of this fine vehicle.

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What You Should Know If Your Car Has Hail Damage

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Most people in San Antonio have never experienced a Hail Storm nor do they understand what it takes to repair their damaged vehicle. We will discuss some of the key points to getting your car repaired and back to it’s original condition.

After A Storm

Have your vehicle washed and start inspecting it. The best way to do this is pull the car in the shade or your garage Look at you cars paint at an angel. You should be able to see the small little dings caused by the hail stones. If you have more then 10 dime size dings on any one of these panels hood, roof or trunk your probably going to want to file a claim with your insurance carrier.

How do you file a claim?

You should have a toll free phone number on your insurance card. Call it and tell them what happened to your vehicle and the date. They will send you to a claim center or have an adjuster contact you to set a time to inspect your vehicle. Don’t waste your time running around town asking shop to write you an estimate. It’s pointless until you know what your insurance company will pay and not pay for. All insurance carriers are familiar with Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) and will more then likely write your claim with the PDR method. Some times the adjuster will write the damage as a combination repair. Meaning that it will be repaired and painted on some panels and PDR will be used on other panels. This will be due to the severity of the damage your vehicle sustained. Again make sure that your vehicles paint is clean so all the damage will be visible.

What Is Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)?

Paintless dent repair is a process that has been used for decades. It is the art of messaging the metal back to it’s original shape with out the need to have the vehicles panel sanded, bondoed and re painted. Special tools are used in this every day process. Hundreds of thousands of hail damaged cars are repaired each year with the PDR process. Insurance company’s recommend it because it allows you vehicle to be repaired faster and keeps your factory finish. When the repairs are preformed by a qualified tech you will not be able to even tell that the car was damaged.

Choosing The Right Repair Shop

After the storm you will probably notice lots of out of town company’s popping up on the side of the road with their tents. Some will offer large discounts and other crazy things. Your really taking a gamble with some of these people. Their not all bad however if you have a problem when the work is done and they have moved to another city you will probably be stuck with the extra repair bill. We recommend using a local PDR company or reputable body shop. Generally these company’s will employ extra PDR technicians and will be around after all the storm cars have been repaired for any issued that may arise. If you want to deal with a local mobile operator your going to have to be prepared to let them use your garage to repair your vehicle. This may sound easy however you might find it to be more of an inconvenience. Some of these mobile operators operate with out any insurance. If you ask to see their copy of business liability insurance and they can’t provide a up to date copy of it you better chose someone else. Remember it’s your vehicle you decide who is going to repair it. Trust you feelings if the charges are to good to be true or the is offering all kinds of miracles then shop around for a second opinion.

Concours Auto Salon offers high quality paintless dent repairs. Your satisfaction is our #1 priority. If it’s a door ding or a hail damaged vehicle with 400 dings you can count on us to do the repair’s right, on time and only employ the best dent guy’s in the business.

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The Benefits Of Having Your Windows Tinted

For many, tinted windows are best left to teenagers and those who would like to remain incognito.  In truth, tinted windows serve a very important function in protecting you and your car from the damaging rays of the sun.  Having tinted windows also helps conceal the contents of your interior from criminals.   The film used for tinted windows is a polyester  substrate with a scratch resistant coating on one side and a clear mounting adhesive on the other.

The benefits  of tinted windows are huge.  The sun can be intense in San Antonio in the summer.  Proper window Tint can  block 63% of the sun’s heat and a whopping 99.9% of damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays. Not only does tint protect the interior and upholstery of the vehicle, but it also protect your eyes from glare and eyestrain and your skin from sun damage. Window film also makes your vehicle’s glass safer by holding shattered glass in place.

Decrease Heat
Today’s window film can provide up to 63%* solar energy rejection versus untreated automotive glass. A cooler interior provides more comfort, and can significantly reduce air conditioning usage, thus extending the life of AC systems and improving gas mileage.

Reduce Fading
Automotive window film blocks 99% or more of harmful UV rays while also significantly reducing heat.  Reducing these two primary causes of fading helps to protect and extend the life of all of your vehicle’s interior including seats, carpets, wood trim and dashboard.

Diminish Health Risks
Exposure to UV rays from the sun is known to pose potential health risks for your eyes and skin.  Window film provides an effective “sunscreen” for you against the harmful effects of the sun.

Cut Hazardous Glare
Glare from the sun or headlights at night can blind your vision when on the road.  This dangerous condition can be greatly reduced by tinting your vehicle’s side and rear windows.

Increase Safety & Security
Thicker “automotive protection” films can provide an extra level of safety in case of an accident, and security for your possessions from smash-and-grab car theft.

Enhance Appearance
There’s a variety of window film products to suit any type of car, truck or SUV.  From virtually invisible films to darker colors, there’s a range of shades to give you the look you want.

It’s Fast & Easy
Professional installation is quick and simple.  Most vehicles can be tinted in 1 to 2 hours.  Call Concours Auto Salon to set up an appointment.

Not all window tint installations are the same.  Preparation is the key to a good install. You could use the most expensive film produced but if you fail to prepare the glass properly it really won’t matter.  At Concours Auto Salon we triple clean all the glass weather the vehicle is new or 10 years old they are all prepared the same.  This means proper adhesion as well as an installation that has no dirt particles between the glass and film.

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Concours Auto Salon Launches New Website

Concours Auto Salon San AntonioConcours Auto salon is happy to announce the launch of their new website.

This new website has been designed to keep customers informed and up to date with the services and the day to day going on’s at Concours Auto Salon. With new features like Videos, a really cool photo gallery and a contact us page with a form that allows you to upload a photo of any damage you may want repaired at the shop. We have placed links to our Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and Yelp page to help further keep you up to date with any special promotions, recent work and special discounts being offered.

We hope you enjoy the site and take some time send us an email or join our facebook page so you can stay informed when Concours Auto Salon has specials.

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