Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2018 Tasco Auto Color Sweater Contest. Spread the word and we'll see you again next year. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Since then, I-CAR has refined the various programming elements based on industry feedback in order to give shops more time to absorb and implement these changes while enabling technicians to meet their more stringent training requirements.
 
The enhancements are scheduled to launch early in the second quarter of 2019. Here is a snapshot of some of the changes. Visit the I-CARTrainToGain.com website for more information.

• Gold Class role requirements are scaled to shop size. This requires 50 percent of every shop’s Estimators, Refinishers and Non-Structural Technicians and 100 percent of its Structural Technicians to be trained to Gold Class requirements. Under the new requirements, one person can no longer hold all four roles, but is limited to two roles.
• Up to six role-relevant Vehicle & Technology Specific Training™ courses per technician are required annually for all non-role representatives.
• In-Shop Knowledge Assessments™ are optional in 2019.
• Increased frequency of Welding Training & Certification™ skill reverification, moving from five years to three years.
• A training subscription, scaled to the total number of technicians at the shop, includes all live, virtual and online courses for any shop employee.

 
I-CAR is committed to helping every shop achieve Gold Class. Visit the Gold Class webpage to learn more.
 
For additional details and the latest updates about the core education and recognition programming enhancements, visit the I-CARTrainToGain.com website regularly, and follow I-CAR on social media (Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook) for real-time updates.

Paint Pointers - Technical Tips from PPG
Fall has brought a change in weather, and this can often affect how your shop and paint behaves. So let’s review some waterborne best practices to keep your shop at its most productive.

• Confirm that you have clean, dry air being delivered to your spray gun. Less than 10% humidity is ideal.
• Inspect booth filters, eliminate any dead zones or poor airflow by changing filters. A good target is 70-75 CFM. Sufficient airflow is key to proper performance of waterborne basecoat.
• Use Adjuster and Modifier in every mix. This new technology has several benefits including the most robust film properties, a wider application window in humid conditions, and even improved metallic control.
• Temperature affects viscosity. With the change in season, validate your standard reductions are giving you a spray viscosity of 23-28 seconds in DIN #4 viscosity cup.
• Use vented spray cups to reduce pressure on the filter screen, which allows for a smooth constant flow of product (no spitting).
• Fully dehydrate each basecoat layer with airflow over the repair. Airflow ensures evaporation pulls water from the substrate out. Avoid trapping water with heat, which dries from the surface inward.

These Waterborne best practices will help you work smarter not harder!

New ORBiT Tip Promo Kit, along with 2 New Heavy Bodied Seam Sealers that we just released.

The beads that the ORBiT Tip so easily produces on its own, are one of the most difficult and quite honestly the biggest pain in the butt Seams that a Shop Technician has to try and replicate. 

Initially, the ORBiT Tip will only be available through the purchase of the Part #40000 ORBiT Kit. Details of the kit are outlined in the attached “ORBiT Promotion Warehouse pdf.

After the kit promotion, an ORBiT Tip will come with each one of our Heavy Bodied Seam Sealers, 40177, 40277, 40377 and 40477, but that won’t be until later this year.

We produced 5,200 kits and are starting to get low. Please contact your Tasco Salesman now to get more information.