Tim Martin – Auto Body Co-Op

My name is Timothy Martin, I am currently working part-time with Superior Paint & Collision. It is a small business located in New Holland. We work with repairing and renewing all cars and trucks that were involved in accidents or that need paint repair, rust removal, and any other additional bodywork. I have been working here since August 2022 and will continue to work here after high school. As I become more experienced in this profession, I want to eventually get more involved with painting cars instead of focusing on bodywork.

The beginning of my workday starts at around 1:12 every day and ends at 4:30pm. My day consists of a variety of different tasks throughout the shop which can range from removing old paint to preparing for bodywork to washing the final product making it look brand new again. My day consists of washing cars and scanning them to ensure the problem is fixed completely. I also do car detailing when I’m not doing anything else. Some other basic things I am in charge of are making sure the shop is clean and the trash cans are empty at the end of every day.

A project I’ve been working on is detailing our new shop truck. We got it from our previous owners and it came in rough shape. The first thing I did was prep the paint for buffing. After I finished buffing I applied wax and then removed all the tape off all the trim. The next step was the inter-delta.   

So far, I have grown a lot from this experience since I first started. On my first day there, I walked into the shop not knowing anybody or knowing how to do anything except for washing a car. My coworkers were very friendly and welcoming and always willing to help me out when I had trouble doing something. I have learned that it is very important to ask questions even if it’s something very simple. I also learned how important deadlines are because if the car is delayed the customers are usually not happy and will leave a negative review about us. Working here has influenced my future career goals because I am learning more and more about what I do and do not like about the job. I look forward to growing in my career at Superior Paint and Collision.