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Auto Repair Estimates – Part 16 – Adding For Two Tone

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Two tones are not included in the time given to refinish a panel. Two-tone means when there are two different colors on the vehicle. Again, we use a simple formula to determine the time to estimate for this operation. Before we discuss two-tones I am going to touch on edging and painting the undersides of panels. In all of the examples that we have had, we only repaired the parts. Normally when you repair a part the jamb or inside of the panel does not need to be repainted. However, any time you replace the part it will be necessary to paint the inside. For example, if we replace a right front fender and it pays 3.0, that does not include the inside. All you need to do is look in the estimating guide and it will give you the time to for edging or to paint the inside of the panel. The right front fender may state to add .5 for edging. This would give you a total paint time of 3.5 to paint the right front fender.


Now back to two tone. The reason that I mention edging now is this. Many new cars have different color schemes for the insides of the panels. Therefore, you should be able to add for two tone. I don’t know if shops are adding two tone for this operation, but it may be something to consider. To add for two tone add 50% per refinish hour for your fist major panel and 30% for each additional panel. Basically, it is the same formula as clear coat, just different numbers to plug in. However, this does not add the clear coat as tri-coat does. It is possible to have a single stage two tone so clear is not figured into the two-tone time.


If the first panel gives 3.0 to refinish the panel, you would multiply 3.0 x 50% = 1.5. Then you would add for clear coat by multiplying 3.0 x 40% = 1.2. This would give you a total of 5.7 hours to paint, two-tone and clear coat the panel.


Let’s take a look at the same example that we’ve been working on and determine what the refinish time will be with two-tone added.

                                                 Body Labor   Paint Labor

Repair Hood Panel                       2.5                3.0
  Deduct for paint overlap                                    .0
  Add For Two-Tone                                          1.5
  Add For Clear                                                1.2
  Adjusted  Paint Time                                      5.7

Repair Right Front Fender          2.0                3.0
  Deduct for paint overlap                                 -.4
  Adjusted Paint Time                                     2.6
  Add For Two-Tone                                         .8
  Add For Clear                                               .5
 Adjusted Paint Time                                  3.9

Repair Left Front Fender          1.0                3.0
  Deduct for paint overlap                              -.4
  Adjusted Paint Time                                  2.6
  Add For Two-Tone                                   .8
  Add For Clear                                            .5
  Adjusted Paint Time w/ tri-c                  3.9

Total Labor           5.5            13.5

Auto Repair Estimates – Part 14 – Adding For Clear Coat

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When writing auto repair estimates the auto estimator must add for clear coat. The clear coat takes time to spray onto the vehicle and it is expensive. Therefore, there should be a charge for the time that it takes to mix and apply it and a charge for a cost of the material. The time should be added to refinish labor to accomplish both labor time and material charge. We will discuss how to determine the material charge later in another blog.


Today we are going to explain why you must add for clear coat and how to determine how must time to add. You may be thinking that most vehicles have clear coat; why don’t the guide include the time it takes to clear? This is because not all cars have clear coat, and you should not get paid for an operation that you did not perform. I think it is fair for technicians to get paid for everything that they do, but if we start charging for things that we don’t do is fraud and can lead to a lot of trouble. So if you’re going to add for clear or any other not included operations, make sure it needs it.


If you clear one panel, you will need to mix your clear, tack the surface that your spraying spray the clear on the panel and clean your spray gun. To add for clear coat you add 40% of the time given to paint the panel. If you spraying a panel with 3.0 hours, you would multiply 3.0 x 40% = 1.2. So to paint and clear this panel you have 3.0+1.2 = 4.2 Total Paint Time.


For each additional panel you will need to deduct for overlap then add 20% for clear coat. For example, if the adjacent panel gives 3.0 hours we will deduct .4 to give us 2.6. Now multiply 2.6 x 20% = .5. Add 2.6 + clear time of .5 top get a total of 3.1 paint time to paint and clear the adjacent panel. This same formula will apply to each additional panel. Deduct overlap and multiply by 20 %.

Let’s take a look of the example in the previous post.

                                             Body Labor   Paint Labor

Repair Hood Panel                 2.5                3.0
  Deduct for paint overlap                              .0
  Add For Clear Coat                                  1.2
  Adjusted  Paint Time w/ clear                   4.2

Repair Right Front Fender      2.0                3.0
  Deduct for paint overlap                            -.4
  Adjusted Paint Time                                2.6
  Add For Clear Coat                                   .5
 Adjusted Paint Time w/ clear                 3.1

Repair Left Front Fender       1.0                 3.0
  Deduct for paint overlap                             -.4
  Adjusted Paint Time                                 2.6
  Add For Clear Coat                                 .5
  Adjusted Paint Time w/ clear                3.1

Total Labor           5.5            10.4

Auto Repair Estimates – Part 13 – Deducting For Paint Overlap

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Paint times are given in the estimating guides as well. In the Mitchell estimating guides, the refinish labor time, R&I time, O/H time are usually right under the title of each part. The R&R time is usually listed with the part. All paint times are determined for painting one panel at a time. However, many times we paint more than one part at a time. For example, if a car was hit in the front it may damage the hood and both front fenders. Therefore, three parts would be painted at the same time. Would it take the same amount of time to do all three panels at the same time as apposed to pulling the car in and out of the booth three separate times? Of course it would save time. You would only mask once, mix paint once, spary the paint once, and clean your spray gun once. Therefore, we should deduct part of the time for each additional panel that we paint. The first major panel will not have any deduction for overlap. However, each additional adjacent panel, the estimator needs to deduct .4. If it is not an adjacent panel, the estimator will need to deduct .2. In the example above we have a hood and two fenders. Let’s say the guide gives 3.0 for each panel. With no decutions you would total 9.0 refinish hours. That would not be correct and adjustment would need to be made. Let’s figure this deducting refinish labor correctly. The first major panel is the hood, which give us 3.0 hours. The next adjacent panel is the fender, which gives us 3.0. Since this is an adjacent panel, we will deduct .4 giving us 2.6. The next adjacent panel is the other fender, which gives us 3.0. We will deduct .4 from that time as well giving us 2.6. Now your total paint time will be 3.0+2.6+2.6= 8.2. This is .8 less time that we will charge after deducting overlap. Remember that panels that are not adjacent to the panel your painting will only have .2 deducted per panel.


Here is an example of how this works on an estimate.

Body Labor   Paint Labor

Repair Hood Panel                 2.5                3.0
Deduct for paint overlap                              .0
Adjusted  Paint Time                                3.0

Repair Right Front Fender      2.0                3.0
Deduct for paint overlap                            -.4
Adjusted Paint Time                                 2.6

Repair Left Front Fender       1.0                 3.0
Deduct for paint overlap                             -.4
Adjusted Paint Time                                 2.6

Total Labor           5.5            8.2