Following recent government regulations implemented by Environment Canada, Jim Fotopoulos, owner of Champion Auto Body Products Ltd. in Mississauga and Scarborough,was anxious to investigate for himself how AkzoNobel’s new Low VOC Wanda Waterbase basecoat system might support his body shop customers in theirefforts to “go green.”
“I previously owned and operated three body shops, so I knowfirsthand what painters are looking for when it comes to using waterborneproducts,” said Fotopoulos. “One of their biggest concerns is over whetherthey’ll need to invest in specialized equipment. Some of the older shops justdon’t have the finances, or the infrastructure, to add new equipment. Theirsecond concern is whether the application of the system will be too complicated or labor intensive to use. And third, the products need to dry fast and provide good coverage.”
As one of the largest distributors of automotive products in the Toronto region for 25years, Fotopoulos is very familiar with a number of waterborne refinish systems offered by the industry’s leading paint manufacturers. In January 2011,Fotopoulos and some of his technical staff took the Wanda Waterbase system to25 of his customer’s body shops to conduct independent trials. The results provided a welcome surprise — and a big thumbs up.
“Shop-after-shop, we saw how easy Wanda Waterbase was to apply.The coverage, even on the tough colors like red, was fantastic. But our biggestsurprise was how quickly the system dries. The clear coat was dry in 30minutes, in comparison to a popular competitive product that usually takesclose to an hour or more! Another nice feature is that there are only three productsneeded to do the job, which will help shops save at least 30 percent in productcosts, while getting great performance at the same time. There is no questionthat the Wanda Waterbase basecoat system provides great color and great value,with the greatest ease-of-use I’ve seen.”
is the first Canadian distributor to carry the Wanda Waterbase basecoat system. To speak with Jim Fotopoulos about his experiences with the Low VOC waterborne system, call 905-238-7300, or email him at info@championcda.com.
Painters are giving high marks to the versatility of the products and their ability to be used for everything from small repairs to total re-sprays. Take, for example, the Wanda low VOC Primer / Sealer. As a primer it offers great color holdout, filling and sanding properties, and very good adhesion to substrates. But it also doubles as a wet-on-wet non-sanding sealer, producing a uniform surface for topcoat. The Wanda Waterbase Basecoat is super-easy to apply and provides fantastic blendability and coverage, accurate color match, and a consistently smooth, uniform finish. Finally, the fast-drying Wanda low VOC Clear delivers excellent appearance, durability and gloss retention. Best of all, the system’s ease-of-use and fewer components mean body shops can achieve consistent results while saving on inventory costs.
