A new way to colour change a car has been launched in Australia. Halo EFX promises to revolutionise not only how a car can look but offers the option of returning it to its original colour by simply peeling off the coating, reports Fraser McEwing.
The charge is being led by entrepreneur Dylan Smith whose company, Halo EFX Australia, is the Australian and Asia-Pacific distributor for the US-sourced product. A self-confessed car nut, Smith tried his hand at spray painting eight years ago when he colour changed his own car using a rubber-based formula developed as a spray-on grip enhancer for hand tools. The matte result created unprecedented interest wherever he took his car.
Vinly sheet has been around for years but Smith feels it is being surpassed for straight colour applications by spray-on bi-polymers like Halo EFX. Spraying means that the polymer penetrates every undulation and opening in a car body (giving a total coat), whereas vinyl sheeting has to be cut and glued on. When a wrap is removed, the glue left behind must be dealt with, but when Halo EFX is removed by simply peeling it off, the paintwork beneath is exactly how it was before the application.
HOW HALO EFX WORKS
Spraying a car in Halo EFX calls for the same preparation and masking procedures as conventional solvent or water-based automotive paint. Importantly, no etching is required. Once the car is masked and in a spray booth, normal spray guns are used to apply the base liquid bi-polymer coats or the 2k gloss coats. Smith says that the application is much more forgiving than with conventional paint coatings. Colour choice is unlimited – with the proviso that any pigments or tinters used are binder-free.
It takes around five gallons (around eight coats) of colour to paint an average car to ensure peelability and durability. However, 80% of that material flashes off, allowing Halo to shrink onto the panel as the chemicals release, so there is a method to the madness. Approx eight hours of curing follows, and the application of heat does little to hasten it. This means that the paint doesn’t need baking equipment.
The car is now ready to be reassembled and unmasked; that must be done after flash-off but before the completion of curing. A stunning satin finished car is now ready for delivery. However, because matte and satin finished cars are still a rare preference among car owners, Halo EFX True Gloss is usually applied to the satin finish to give a spectacular shine. The company recommends four coats of True Gloss – plus another curing period.
In Smith’s words: “True Gloss is the only professional removable gloss coating available in Australia. Installers agree that the gloss levels are higher than any OEM paint out of the factory and it’s tougher. Halo True Gloss can be cut and buffed to a mirror finish and is fuel-resistant, chemical-resistant and scratch-resistant.
HALO EFX MARKET FOCUS
You won’t find Halo EFX in quick turnaround smash repair shops. It is principally aimed at specialty shops used by car enthusiasts or more conventional shops with a strong following of customers who want a total repaint in something special.
Halo EFX can also be applied to new cars or those whose owners don’t want a colour change but a lift in the appearance and protection of their existing paintwork. In such cases, the ‘colour’ coating would be left pigment free (therefore clear) or an OEM paint tinter could be used to deliver a peelable factory paint.
HALO EFX DOES THE NUMBERS
The material cost of Halo EFX for an average family car is around $1,200. This is made up of six gallons of colour base at $700 and two kits of True Gloss at $550. Halo EFX Australia can also supply a prep solution to make sure the car is clean – an essential.
Smith believes that shops should charge their customers a minimum of $2,000 for satin or $3,000 for gloss finishes.The manager of one shop which normally charges around $10,000 for a back-to-bare-metal conventional repaint, said he would probably charge only half that to refinish over existing paintwork in Halo EFX – and additionally offer the option of peeling back to the original colour.