HushMat launched a new sound dampening/thermal matting— the first to come in black so installers don’t need to spray paint it after applying, said the company.
The material absorbs wind- and engine noise so you can better hear your car stereo and your phone conversations. It also provides thermal insulation.
Most sound dampening material is silver, which is immediately visible if carpet seams come loose. “The majority of people, when they install the products, they spray paint them because silver is all that anybody offered for years. They spray paint it because if light hits it, you immediately see reflections,” said HushMat’s Tim McCarthy.
The material is also unique because it adheres even to oil coated metal surfaces, which are common in the car. Installers can just spray WD-40 on a surface to mount the material.
McCarthy estimates the entire sound deadening aftermarket sees about $7 to $10 million in annual sales and it is a growing market. Helping to spur growth is that fact that consumers now keep their cars longer—about 2 years longer compared to a decade ago (to a current average of over 9 years). Also commuting times are increasing.
“The car is not acoustically designed” to where you may hold a conversation on a phone, he said.
Also, consumers continue to become more familiar with the sound dampening products since Lexus brought attention to the idea of quiet acoustics in the car in the late 1980s.
HushMat said the average installer can greatly improve the acoustics in the car with $500 in material, which is sold in sheets or in kits to fit a certain car.
Source: CEoutlook
Let’s not forget the fact that IF you sell the benefits and deliver the goods – and confirm the benefit to the customer with a PROPER demo AFTERWARDS; you not only get a customer for life that comes back and requests more of your product everytime they change cars (I can’t remember the last time I had a customer ask me to pull out his Hushmat and move it to his new car), but also an ambassador that tells all his friends.
Besides, it works seamlessly with all MOST, Fiber Optic and CAN bus systems. And I have never requested an RA for a blown or defective box of damping material!!!