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Quality Auto Trim expands into new location

Owner Mike Dalton, foreground at right, stands with his staff at Quality Auto Trim’s new location in Spokane Valley July 14. The new, larger building is on Appleway Boulevard, just a few blocks from the other location. The staff includes, from left, Steve Morgan, Lance Shew, Elena Karl, Con Shiva, Lara Paulson, Joshua Adams, Bob Finley, Max Shiva, Dalton, Adam Bennett and Drew Snow. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
Juli Wasson
Owner Mike Dalton, foreground at right, stands with his staff at Quality Auto Trim’s new location in Spokane Valley July 14. The new, larger building is on Appleway Boulevard, just a few blocks from the other location. The staff includes, from left, Steve Morgan, Lance Shew, Elena Karl, Con Shiva, Lara Paulson, Joshua Adams, Bob Finley, Max Shiva, Dalton, Adam Bennett and Drew Snow. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

Longtime Spokane Valley business Quality Auto Trim recently moved to a new location and lengthened its name to include “and Signs” to better reflect its products and services.

Even then, services go beyond vehicle trim, toys, signage and car graphics; the company also offers custom home and business window tinting and safety films.

“It’s a thrill to be here,” owner Mike Dalton said of the new 8,500-square-foot facility that is about half retail showroom and half workshop. “I can’t say it was a goal. Everything lined up … our business needed the room to expand, to expand 3M.”

Dalton is referring mainly to the 3M Scotchgard Paint Protection Film product his crew installs on new vehicles. Dalton also is one of a handful of 3M distributors of the product in the country and his company serves as a training facility for other 3M protection film installers.

The clear film is one of the hottest products Dalton says he’s seen on the market, and explains it provides a protective barrier against rocks, bugs and weather. It was invented in the ’60s for helicopter protection and has become increasingly popular over the past decade for all types of vehicles.

The film is most often applied to a new vehicle’s hood and front bumper, mirror backs and door cups. And Dalton works mainly with car dealership to install the coating, as it typically is purchased as an optional upgrade.

Dalton opened his new facility in June following several months clearing rock and construction to the land he purchased a dozen years ago along Appleway Boulevard near the entrance to Dishman Hills Natural Area. The company also has a second location along Sprague Avenue that will remain a graphics department and shop, he said.

The transition to the new building has provided quite a ride for Dalton and his wife and business partner, Patricia, since it all started in 1980 from a mobile detailing unit – a Pinto station wagon following the couple’s relocation from Northern California.

At that time, Dalton offered on-site service for protective moldings, interior vinyl repair and sunroof installation to new vehicle dealerships. The business grew into two facilities along Sprague Avenue along with the market for car toys and vehicle protection options. A previous second location was lost in a 2001 fire, and until recently the business was operating from the one location.

Now, the company employs 15 and the new facility features a showroom filled with electronics including GPS devices, video and telephone gadgets, and back-up sensors and cameras for after-factory installation. Graphics line the large wall space and window tinting and designs show the variations in shades to the expansive windows. Other services provided from the company include automobile window tinting, spray-on truck liners and gold tinting to chrome, and vehicle graphic design and installation.