CLIENT OVERVIEW
- ORGANISATION Bears Auto Group
- OPERATIONS Collision repair & auto services
- RELATIONSHIP SINCE 2025
THE CHALLENGE
Bears Auto Group operates a network of collision repair and auto service centres across NSW and Victoria. In a collision repair environment, vehicles arrive in various states — carrying road grime, rust, mineral deposits, oxidation and petroleum-based contamination from accident damage or years of exposure. Before any panel repair, refinishing or protective coating work can begin, surfaces must be thoroughly cleaned and degreased to a bare-metal standard.
Standard automotive cleaning products often fail to cut through the combination of rust, mineral salts, oxidised paint residue and embedded grease that accumulates on older or accident-damaged vehicles — particularly in hardto-reach areas like wheel arches, sill sections, chassis and underbody panels. Insufficient surface preparation leads to adhesion failures, rust bleed-through under new paint, and costly rework that undermines both quality and throughput across a busy multi-site operation.
OUR SOLUTION
Bears Auto Group adopted a two-product workflow using Chemron’s Specialised Acid Wash for surface preparation and Protecta for post-clean corrosion protection — a combination the group now uses consistently across its sites.
Specialised Acid Wash is a heavy-duty acid and detergent blend (hydrochloric acid + ammonium bifluoride + surfactants) designed to rapidly dissolve rust, mineral deposits, oxidation and petroleum-based grime from metal and painted surfaces. It chemically brightens as it cleans — restoring the surface to a consistent, contamination-free base that maximises adhesion for subsequent coatings. Despite its aggressive chemistry, it is safe for use on metal, painted surfaces and most automotive materials when used as directed.
Once cleaned, surfaces destined for storage, transport or extended holding before refinishing are treated with Protecta — a dry, non-tacky anti-corrosion coating that forms an almost invisible protective film over bare metal. Protecta wicks into seams and crevices where rust initiates, and won’t attract dust or interfere with subsequent paint adhesion — making it practical in an active workshop environment.
RESULTS & OUTCOMES
- Multi-Site SAW + Protecta deployed across multiple Australian wide collision repair sites
- Support Consistent repeat support ensuring rapid adoption across the groups network
- 2 Step Solution Clean with SAW, protect with Protecta — a complete surface preparation workflow
Since introducing the Specialised Acid Wash and Protecta workflow in September 2025, Bears Auto Group has placed multipe orders across its Australian sites. The rapid adoption across multiple locations reflects how quickly the two-product system became embedded in the group’s surface preparation process.
The Specialised Acid Wash step ensures vehicle surfaces are clean and chemically consistent before any coating or refinishing work begins — reducing the risk of adhesion failures, rust bleed-through and rework that affect quality and throughput. The follow-up Protecta application protects bare metal on vehicles awaiting repair or refinishing, preventing re-oxidation in the interim and maintaining a professional standard across the workshop floor.
While the Bears Auto Group deployment is centred on collision repair, the same two-product workflow translates directly to any industry where metal surfaces are regularly exposed to rust, mineral contamination and grime. Mining equipment, civil and earthmoving plant, agricultural machinery, heavy transport fleets and rail rolling stock all face the same surface preparation challenge — and benefit from the same combination of aggressive acid cleaning followed by a dry, long-lasting corrosion barrier. For operations where equipment condition affects resale value, maintenance intervals or compliance, the SAW and Protecta pairing offers a practical, cost-effective standard process.
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL
"Chassis work is where rust really hides — in seams, welds, hard-to-reach sections. Specialised Acid Wash strips it back properly, and Protecta gets into those tight spots to stop it coming back. It's become our standard process for chassis prep across the group."
