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Just received a low blow from a loyal customer....I have been detailing their trucks for over 10 years now. All lettering is in vinyl and all the striping is hand painted(striping for over 25 years). The vinyl is a good idea since they trade trucks every 3 years and 300 thousand miles, easy removal. Since the truck power washes are so so heavily chemical based they have problems keeping striping on and they do nothing to the paint as far as wax or protection of any kind. There are a couple of drivers that do wax their trucks and the striping has never given them a problem. Just hate to give in and apply the striping with vinyl......
"Hetz"
-------------------- Jim & Chris Hetzler JC Hetz Studio 513 W 3rd St. Muscatine, IA 52761 563-263-2803 jhetzler@machlink.com www.jchetzstudio.com
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What exactly was the low blow? Did the customer give up on you, go with someone else or insist on you using vinyl for the stripes?
I've done trucks the same way for several years... combination vinyl and paint. One outfit has about 100 trucks on the road. The idea with this outfit was to purchase new vehicles and run them for about 3 years, then get rid of them at a better price, lower maintenance, remainder of warranty and so on. The truck market went downhill over the last couple of years, so that idea also did not work out as planned.
Anyway, with that amount of trucks you get drivers that take care of them differently. Some just plain DON'T.
The trucking company, as any business, budgets for everything including washing the truck. This outfit insists that the drivers clean the truck twice each month. This usually means that they run them through a Blue Beacon truck wash that hires some kid to stand there and blast away until quitting time. They have little regard for your creativity. The drivers that take a little pride in what they drive usually wash their own trucks. These have held up VERY WELL.
I do go back and replace blown off stripes, but I also charge for it. I (with this company) did not originally do that thinking that I had screwed something up... not prepped or thinned paint or something. After one guy brought me a 1 month old lettered truck to show me how the painted letters were coming off, I did a little investigating to find that a letter "H" was blown from the door and had affixed itself to the hood. A painted letter.
I tell everyone NOT TO PRESSURE WASH lines and letters.
One thing that I did do with this outfit was to supply them with extra license numbers. If for some reason they get messed up or dissapear, the boys in the shop can easily make the rigs legal again.
-------------------- Jeff Vrstal Main Street Signs 157 E. Main Street Evansville, WI 53536 1-608-882-0322
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Jeff, As a known striper by trade I personally took this as a low blow but they are still my account and they are loyal to me.
They pressure wash their trucks a least once a week and usually more because they are rewarded for having clean trucks, no matter how they do it.
This came up because an independant that was hired a couple of years back has his truck lettered and striped in vinyl applied where ever his is from. He is the one that convienced them to make the change to vinyl striping because he blasts away at his truck when he cleans it with nothing coming off at all.
I take care of this fleet same as you do and always there to fix or repiar any problems as they come up and even supply extra numbers. I don't think I will loose then as a customer but just hate to give in to vinyl lettering.
Si, I have always used 1Shot for all my striping except for the projects that are going to be clearcoated and then I use House of Kolor.
The only additive I have ever used in my 1Shot paint is Penitrol and never experienced any problems in the past 25 years.
I guess they feel if they go to vinyl they won't have the hassle or less problems. Actually if I have to cut more vinyl for any repairs then it will cost a pretty penny to have to run everything through the system and re-apply for just a small area unlike paint with just a dab of the brush!!!!
[ December 19, 2001: Message edited by: Jim & Chris hetzler ]
-------------------- Jim & Chris Hetzler JC Hetz Studio 513 W 3rd St. Muscatine, IA 52761 563-263-2803 jhetzler@machlink.com www.jchetzstudio.com
"We are the one that makes you look good!" Posts: 137 | From: Muscatine,Iowa,USA | Registered: Sep 2000
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i'm not a striper but maybe you could put down a path of enamel receptive clear vinyl (6" wide, 12" wide?) and hand-stripe onto that. you'd still have all the creativity, hand-control and what-all, and the customer could remove the vinyl if they need to sell the truck. if you put a stripe on the outside edges it might help conceal the fact that there's a clear vinly piece under the stripes.
-------------------- :: Scooter Marriner :: :: Coyote Signs :: :: Oakland, CA :: :: still a beginner :: :: Posts: 1356 | From: Oakland (and San Francisco) | Registered: Mar 2001
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I know I'm gonna start an argument here ( like that would be a first ) but vinyl pinstriping won't hold up any better to the high pressure chemical washes. I'm assuming you are talking hand striping, straight lines and decorative in the 3/32" to 1/8" range. Vinyl in those sizes gets blown off just as easily as paint, especially the decorative stuff. I see alot of trucks done in vinyl where the pinstriping? has strokes of 3/4" and larger. These tend to hold up well, although I'd call anything that size graphics. Jeffrey is right about the drivers pride makes all the difference. I have trucks out there eight ant ten years old with millions of miles on them that look fine. I've also know people that could destroy an anvil with a feather duster. Generaly speaking, as there are always exceptions, owner operators take much better care of their trucks than fleet drivers
[ December 19, 2001: Message edited by: George Perkins ]
-------------------- George Perkins Millington,TN. goatwell@bigriver.net
"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"
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That's right George. I've blown enough smoke in my time to recognize it when I see it. If that guy is blasting directly on the vinyl then it's a torn up piece of s#$t. And if the drivers would blast the truck and just pass the wand lightly over the lettering, vinyl or paint, then wipe it down they would get reasonable life out of either. Maybe, he has a brother-in-law in the business.
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MAN THIS KIND OF CUSTOMER REALY FROSED ME! if they can't take care of some classic american artwork or find quality drivers to take care of there equipment SCREWEM ! there are plenty of people who do love what we do & know how to care for it . maybe you should look after those customers who know the difference between ''cookycutter'' crap & one of a kind art ! Sorry to be so blunt ,but i've got to go ,another happy guy is picking up a truck & is happy to put his money in my hand . Maybe that's why some people call me the striping Nazi . Maintain AJ
-------------------- Alan Johnson Alan Johnson Grafix Blairstown, NJ 07825 [URL=http://www.alanjohnsongrafix.com] Posts: 261 | From: Blairstown, NJ | Registered: Dec 2001
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Hetz, I've been stripin for a few years myself. Made the move to vinyl(lettering only) and still make a lot of money by hand striping. I use One-shot with their hardener and tell the driver to wax the truck BEFORE they power wash. This may not be the "Cure all" for your situation, but if you use the best materials,clean the vehicle thoroughly, ( I use "Rapid Prep")you should be OK. I would rather touch up some striping ,than stand there and pull off chemically ruined vinyl. "Keep on paintin" jxcal@aol.com
) but vinyl pinstriping won't hold up any better to the high pressure chemical washes.
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