Automotive International, Inc. a manufacturer and marketer of automotive reconditioning products, has seen an explosion of interest in its ValuGard PrepExcellence Certified New Vehicle Prep & Used Vehicle Reconditioning School (details) since the curriculum was revamped and refined two years ago.

"We've had about 500 go through our school in the last couple of years and we had maybe 25-30 a year prior to 1995," noted Ron Ketcham, Automotive International's director of sales. "We limit the class size to 10, and we conduct 2 1/2-day classes twice a month."

The growth in popularity of the course is a testimony not only to the recognition by dealers of the bottom line benefits of reconditioning, but also of the need for professionalism in the industry.

"You get to be a professional by education, education gives you knowledge, knowledge gives you diagnostic skill, and then you can prescribe a procedure."

It has also evolved in that Automotive International, which formerly only marketed its products to franchised dealers, added a marketing focus toward independent dealers about four years ago. The company also preps and reconditions 90-110 new and used vehicles per day in seven prep centers operated in southern Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana under the name of its sister company, Auto Preservation, Inc.

"It's part of our mission statement to upgrade this industry," Ketcham declared. "When I'm teaching a class, one of the things I do is write the word 'professional' up on the board. Then I tell the class that to have people treat you as professionals, you have to act like professionals.

You get to be a professional by education, education gives you knowledge, knowledge gives you diagnostic skill, and then you can prescribe a procedure. That usually gets their attention."

Everyone from a Chrysler vice president to detail shop personnel have gone through the course, which includes one day of classroom work followed by a test, and then hands-on experience putting into practice what they have learned. 

"We go through everything for total reconditioning, with the end goal being to get the car as close as possible to the way it was coming off the assembly line in regards to touch, smell, and feel."

The emphasis is in keeping with the fact that vehicle appearance is typically a major concern expressed by car owners.

"The average customer surveyed says that vehicle appearance doesn't meet his expectations, Among warranty concerns, it is usually No. 2 or No. 3 after the first 90 days. As people become more knowledgeable, they have more concerns."

Ketcham continued, "The used vehicle customer of today is often the new vehicle buyer of tomorrow. The purchase of a used vehicle also forms an impression of the dealership. A well reconditioned used vehicle sold on the dealer's lot as opposed to auction, offers tremendous profit opportunities for the dealership."

Among the topics covered by the school are information supplied by the auto manufacturers about today's paint Products and issues, awareness of the chemistry of products and what can and can't be allowed to go down the drain, and what solvents have been found to be carcinogenic - among many others.

"We use no fragrances, no glazes, no waxes, and no wet-look 'greasy kid stuff on tires," noted Ketcham. "We teach them about products that kill organic odors, and not to put, make-up on cars. We tell them about products that prematurely age dashboards and the sidewalls of tires, and about cleaning engines with caustic cleaners that can get into oxygen sensors and cause cars to run poorly.

"One of our goals is to help them recognize that what's been going on out there is not right and not in the best interests of the manufacturers, dealers, or the buying public. We even get down to the use of specialtowels to wipe down windows. The big thing is not cost, but to use the right kind of product and the right procedures. Procedures and process are what It's all about."

Ketcham formerly worked with reconditioning operation for Anglo American Auto Auctions (now ADT Auctions). To dramatize the value of reconditioning, he shared the results of a test conducted while he was with the auction chain.

"We were working with Hertz on a fleet of 26 cars. Hertz decided to send half of them to an outside detailer they used, and paid them the usual $55. The other half of the cars we completely reconditioned at the auction. The result was that the average car we reconditioned brought $800 more on the auction block."

"People pay more for a car that looks and smells good - it's as simple as that."

While most of the courses are held at the company's home base in Cincinnati, Ketcham and his crew do occasionally "take the show on the road." They go to major metropolitan areas of Canada to do training for Chrysler's master prep program there, as well as training Chrysler trainers. Another recent training school was held at a large carwash chain. Automotive International also does training for one of the major used care superstore chains, and helped develop Ford Motor Co.'s delivery System. School personnel will sometimes come to a dealer or megadealer's facility to train if the dealer has a large recon center and there are some 10-12 employees involved in the training.

Ketcham says up front that the reconditioning school is not designed to sell the company's products, but that the products are used in the training. "When we're teaching we use our products, and we always tell them the difference between products if there is one. We don't point fingers at the good stuff."

He readily admits that it is not unusual to receive resistance from students regarding new ways of doing things.

"There are guys who come in who've been in this business 30 years and think they know it all," Ketcham. "But usually by the first break on the first day, they've changed their tune. We over-whelm them with technical stuff but explain it in layman's terms.