Rodney Tatum of Mirror Reflections Auto Spa in Gainesville, FL, interviews Matthew Jones of Harker Heights Ceramic Coatings located in Texas.

Matthew Jones of Harker Heights Ceramic Coatings has quickly grown into one of the most preferred choices for detailing, ceramic coating, and especially Paint Protection Film (PPF) services in the state of Texas.  I had the privilege to connect with the owner of Harker Heights Ceramic Coatings.  Matthew and I took the time to discuss concerns, misconceptions, and areas of interest prospective buyers of Paint Protection Film services may have.

Me: How long have you been in business?

Matthew Jones: We have been in business for a little over 3.5 years.  We started in my house and have been in our new space for about six months.

Me: How long have your been installing film?

Matthew Jones: I have been installing PPF since September 2021.

Me: Can you tell me about what motivated you to start a detailing business?

Matthew Jones: I spent 22 years in the army, and then retired.  I thought that ceramic coatings were a great product, and thought I might do (PPF) install on the side.  We now are on pace to gross approximately 1+ million per year in a 5300 sqft facility.

Me: I believe most people do not realize the expenses and advanced skill that are required for these services.  What are some of the costs that go into a Paint Protection Film install?

Matthew Jones: Installing film or getting into film I believe is something like building a race car.  You don’t want to actually add up all the little parts because then you realize what it costs; a bunch of smaller costs that really add up when you’re installing tens of thousands of dollars of PPF each month.

The film cost itself of course is one of the first expenses people think of.  A good film is going to be $5-6 a sqft.  A full front you can expect maybe 18-23 sqft for a hood.  Could be more or less depending on the design.  So, you’re spending 350-425 on film costs (this ofcourse can vary wildly).  Then you have labor to install if you aren’t installing yourself.  Installers are generally making 2-25% of gross ticket.  We typically charge $2,300 for a car (it can go up drastically but that’s our average).  People then fail to account for good quality blades, good squeegees that don’t last forever, the cost of using deionized water (the resin), the electricity, cost of the cutting programs, overage for potential waste (accidental miscuts), insurance, and more.  People also fail to account for the lead acquisition costs if you’re running ads.  For example, if you are running an ad that works out to be about $25/lead, even if you’re closing at 50% or higher from Google ads, that acquisition cost is another $50 off the gross margins.  But I suspect most people’s acquisition costs are higher.

Me: How long after training did it take you to get really good at Paint Protection Film?

Matthew Jones: I think it took me a good year before I really felt like I was doing good work, and two years to really feel like I was one of the better installers around my area.  I spent tens of thousands of dollars in training and materials and a lot of Mentorship from Mike Norng and Bryce Bailey from Auto Film Specialists to get to where I am now.

Me: How often do you talk to or book customers who had unfortunate experiences of a poor Paint Protection Film install experience from a less reputable shop?  Do you find that some of those situations can be avoided?

Matthew Jones: We get a lot of people who have had issues elsewhere.  A lot of those issues can be mitigated by expectation management or being honest with the clients and not being afraid to turn them away.  I’ve had many clients that have had a used car with a lot of existing rock chips but the shop just wanted the money, so they installed the film without warning the client.  And then the client sees the results of PPF over a lot of rock chips and is extremely disappointed or they sell them on partial front kits and have an overall bad experience with the PPF industry because they think all PPF is a giant dirt line that goes across the front of their vehicle.  We don’t generally install partial kits at our shop.  Instead, I created the Critical Impact Package, which is a full hood, full bumpers, and mirrors.  No half hood and half fenders.  This is one of our most popular packages.  It’s a little more expensive than a partial kit overall, but customer satisfaction is much higher and results in a more positive experience overall with PPF as a whole.

Me: The value proposition of combining PPF with a ceramic coating?

Matthew Jones: We tell our clients that PPF in front of the car combined with ceramic coating is the most popular choice and provides a good balance between protection of the critical areas and the easy cleanup of ceramic coating, without inflating the overall cost too much.  We also usually give a discount on the ceramic coating when combined with PPF and window tint.

Me: What would you suggest customers look for and think about if they are interested in PPF but only used to shopping price or brand over installer and business?

Matthew Jones: I think clients should realize that shopping by brand isn’t really useful.  Most quality brands are pretty good and most of the variation between them lies in the install process, which is generally transparent to the client.  It’s more of an installer problem.  Shopping by price is natural, but extreme variations in price should be a cause for concern.  We are consistently undercut by other shops by $400-600 on full fronts or other kits.  If a shop is that much cheaper, they probably are for a good reason.  Being expensive does not always mean higher quality, but rarely do you get ultra cheap for extra quality.  As a client you’re better off spending the budget on a quality install of less panels (hoods, bumper, mirrors) than a cheaper install that includes more panels (such as fenders in addition to the above).

Go down to the shop and look at their work in person to set expectations.  Check out their social media and reviews.  Are they active on social media at all?  If they’re not, why?  Maybe there’s a reason they have a lot less activity and reviews on Google.  And it’s not because they’re “too busy” to post.  Ask them how they handle any issues that arise and talk to them about the warranty and what it entails.

Customer feedback of Harker Heights Ceramic Coatings:

“Matthew is very responsive, courteous and professional.  Got my 2024 Ram Limited ceramic coated, PPF, ceramic interior and wheels done.  He gave me his honest input, gave me options and was never pushy.  I’ve seen his work on another car and was impressed.”

“..so important to have the best in the business.  People will see the car and say it looks amazing years from now with the PPF protection and window tint for the hot days.”