maintenance matters, november 2013

November 2013

Selling Premium Filters> TOP ADD-ONS For Charging System

Maintenance

> O2 Sensor SALES STRATEGIES

> MAINTENANCE CHRONICLE:West Coast Shop Tunes Into Preventive Maintenance

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maintenanceMATTERS

Top Add-Ons For Charging SystemMaintenance [page 2]Don’t leave money on the table when you’re faced with solving a no-start complaint. In this article, we provide eighttips to help you improve your bottom line.

Don’t Forget Your Customers’ Vehicle Visibility Needs [page 6]Get your customers in the mindset of timing wiper blade replacement to coincide with LOF services and tire rotations.

[ Wiper Sales ]

[ Charging System Maintenance ]

[ Maintenance Chronicle ]

Maintenance Matters November 2013, Volume 2, Number 2: Published by Babcox Media, Inc. 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333 U.S.A.Phone (330) 670-1234, FAX (330) 670-0874. www.babcox.com. © 2013 by Babcox Media, Inc.

Publisher, Jim Merle, ext. 280; Editors, Mary DellaValle, ext. 221; Andrew Markel, ext. 296.

Cover image courtesy of AmericanHonda Motor Co.

Share your thoughts and comments about the content of this publication. E-mail us at [email protected].

[ Plus ]

Documenting Two Weeks ofMaintenance Services Grass Valley, CA [page 14]We’ve documented the maintenance service workflow at an independent repair shop to showcase the sales and profit potential in vehicle maintenance services, and provide useful advice to help you sell preventive maintenance to your customers.

November 2013

Filter Sales [page 8]O2 Sensor Selling Strategies [page 12]

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01 Contents MM 11.13 10/31/13 12:47 PM Page 1

2 November 2013 | Maintenance Matters

Top Add-Ons For Charging System MaintenanceGo Above And Beyond The Usual Battery Swap

[ Charging System Maintenance ] By Andrew Markel, editor, Underhood Service magazine

There is a distinct advantage your shop hasover the chain store or mass merchandiserwhen it comes to solving no-start condi-tions. The advantage is that independentrepair specialists can return a starting andcharging system to “like-new” condition.

But many shops leave money on thetable when it comes to solving a no-startcomplaint. Here are eight items to helpimprove your bottom line.

• Battery Cables: If battery cableshave too much resistance or are damagedinternally, the battery cannot send powerto the starter or be charged by the alter-nator. The damage may be inside thecable and may be caused by corrosionthat’s wicking into the cable.

But also ask yourself why a cable failedin the first place. Oftentimes, worn or soft

motor mounts cause fatigue anddamage to the cable. If leftunchecked, the replacement cablecould fail sooner than expected,which will not reflect well on yourshop when the customer returns withthe same problem.

• Replace, Reset, Retrain, Reflash: What sets your shop apartfrom the store down the street offer-ing free installation for a battery iscomplete service with the right toolsand proper service information. Backin the good old days, if a batterywere replaced, the worst thing tohappen was the radio presets werelost. Now, if the battery is replaced alot more than that can be lost.

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On most late-model vehicles, if thetransmission control module loses power,the shift points and wear information mustbe relearned by either following a precisedrive cycle or using a scan tool. If left undone, the customer might notice thetransmission is not shifting the same asbefore, and they may start blaming you.

Some vehicles require the battery parameters in the ECM to be reset. If thisis not performed, the vehicle will over-charge the new battery, causing it to failprematurely due to the electrolytes beingboiled off.

Can you charge for these types of serv-ices? YES. Any repairs that require a scantool or service information need to becaptured for the estimate or repair order.Don’t offer your expert services for free.

• Vents and Drains: Some batteries include a standard drain and vent kit, butsome applications require application-spe-cific parts so gases and liquids are ventedproperly. Not replacing the vent can leadto problems like corrosion of the batterytray. The aftermarket offers many alterna-tives for the replacement of these vents.

• OAD and OAP Pulleys: Almostevery recent car is equipped with an over-running alternator pulley called an OAD orOAP pulley. These pulleys can wear inter-nally over time and can cause a no-charge/no-start condition. Under normal

driving conditions, the original pulley willrequire replacement in approximately45,000-75,000 miles, according to onemanufacturer.

Overrunning pulleys can be purchasedseparately from the alternator. Inspection ofa pulley can be performed on the vehicle.

• Diagnostic Charges: A car doesn’tjust need a new battery. If you can’t pin-point the reason why the battery failed,then you are not doing the customer anyfavors by selling them a new battery. A diagnostic test should include a test of thebattery, charging system and visual inspec-tion of the overall system. If you can’t conclude why the battery failed, then your customer will be back before you know it.

• Belts: As a belt ages, it loses its abili-ty to grip and drive the pulleys. Time and


[ Charging System Maintenance ]


[ Charging System Maintenance]

miles remove material and physicallychange the belt material. Over its normallife, a belt can lose up to 10% of its ribmaterial. While this may not seem like alot, the consequences can be significant inhow the belt interacts with the pulleys.

If a battery is losing its ability to hold acharge, the alternator has to work harderand so does the belt. By the time the battery dies, the belt has been put throughits paces and may also require replacement.

• Battery Upgrades: With consumerskeeping their cars longer, it’s logical tooffer them a battery that can last longerand take more abuse. For example, absorbent glass mat (AGM) batteries arebetter equipped to handle higher electricalloads. They can offer an extra layer of confidence when it comes to extremeweather conditions. Selling these batteriesis a slam-dunk when they’re presented tothe customer as a valuable alternative.

• Battery Hold-Downs: One of themost neglected items can be the hard-ware that holds the battery down. Batteryhold-downs prevent movement that canput stress on the battery cables. They canalso prevent vibrations from damaging theplates inside the battery. Repairing thehold-downs can help the battery lastlonger and prevent having to use the pro-rated warranty down the road. MM



Don’t Forget About Your Customers’ Visibility NeedsTime Wiper Blade Replacement To CoincideWith LOF Services, Tire Rotation

[ Wiper Blade Replacement ] By Larry Carley, technical editor

Replacing your customers’ wiper bladesonce a year has always been good advice,but some blades last longer and othersmay need to be replaced more often, de-pending on use and environmental expo-sure. Wipers that are seldom used and areon a vehicle that is parked indoors can lastyears. By comparison, blades that are usedfrequently in dusty, dirty environments experience more wear factors so their serv-ice life will be shorter. Likewise, wipers onvehicles that are parked outdoors year-round in hot climates can deterioraterather quickly and may need to be replaced every six months.

A recent Car Care Council survey foundthat 16% of vehicles inspected had worn,damaged or missing wiper blades, and23% (almost one out of four!) had little orno windshield washer fluid in their reservoirs.

A good time to check your customers’wiper blades and windshield washerfluid is when their vehicle is in foran oil change or tire rotation. If thewipers are chattering, streaking,wiping poorly or are damaged, it’stime for a new set. The wiping

edge of the blade must be perfectlysmooth, flat and clean. Dirt and debris onthe windshield has an abrasive effect onthe wiping edge during normal use, andonce the edge becomes pitted, torn orragged, the blade will streak and smear.

Weak wiper arms also can prevent anotherwise good set of wiper blades fromwiping cleanly.

New blades may also be needed for theback glass or tailgate on a minivan, sportutility vehicle, station wagon or hatchback.Rear wipers are often more neglected thanthe ones up front because they’re not inthe driver’s direct line of sight. Even so,good rearward visibility is necessary fordriving awareness, backing up and parallelparking. MM

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Selling Premium Filters On TheBenefits They Provide

[ Premium Filters ]

In most health food commer-cials, the overriding pitch ishow a certain product will helpyou live longer by keepingcancer and/or heart disease atbay. These advertisementsmay show ahiker on amountain, chil-dren playing ina field or peo-ple working out.The visual mes-sage is about the immediate quality of life improvementyou could have by eating the product atyour next meal. The advertisements nevershow a picture of an old person with acaption explaining how many years theylived because they ate the product.

So, why do some service advisors stopshort when they’re selling filters?

Oftentimes, an extended interval or premium filter is sold merely on how manymiles it could last. Some service advisorsnever mention the protection providedwhen the filter is installed, or the immediatevalue to customers when they pull out of

your lot. Not discussing thesebenefits makes it that much easierfor the customer to say, “No, I

don’t I need that.”

What Is Premium?

The job of anyfilter is to cap-ture and holdsmall and largeparticles thatcould damage

the vehicle sys-tems they are designed

to protect. How much and how small determines how long a filter can remainon a vehicle. If capacity is maxed out, thefilter will become a restriction to the system, so instead of protecting the system, it will now harm it.

If an oil filter is restricted, it will causethe oil pressure to drop. When the pres-sure drops, the amount of oil supplied tothe engine’s bearings is reduced. Beyondthat, the oil pump has to work harder topush oil through the filter.

Premium or extended-interval filters last

Customer Education Eases Sales Process

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longer and have higher performance because of their filter media, pleat designand other attributes that allow it to oper-ate longer, while capturing more contami-nates without causing a restriction.

Filter Media

Better filter media can hold more contami-nants before the filter becomes restricted.Premium filter media is engineered in lay-ers, the top layer ofwhich can catch largerparticles. Smaller par-ticles will flowthrough this top layer,which will be caughtby the successive lay-ers. This allows themedia to retain morecontaminants.

To explain filtermedia to your customers, you can tell themthe layers are like screens on windows. Ascreen will keep out bugs and leaves, but itwill not keep out pollen or dust. If thescreen were to be replaced with a papertowel, it would capture the pollen and dust.But, the paper towel would be soonblocked by bugs and leaves. If you layeredthe screen with the paper towel, the screencould filter out the big stuff so the papertowel would have to only filter the finer par-ticles. Combined, the two layers could holdmore contaminants than working alone,similar to how premium filter media works.

Pleats And Surface Area

A premium or extended-life filter is notphysically larger than a non-premium filter,so why is it that a premium filter can catchmore contaminants? A premium filter getsits increased capacity thanks to the pleatingof the specially engineered filter media thatcan give a filter more surface area to capture more contaminants.

Other components in a premium filtercan help it perform better from day one. It

could be as simple asa foam seal on thelip of an air filter, to abetter bypass valvedesign inside an oilfilter. These often-un-seen features canhelp prevent contam-inants from enteringinto the engine. Helping your cus-

tomer understand these various filter fea-tures could help you sell more filters.

Like in the health food example, consumers want the long-term benefit,but they also want a reward now for mak-ing a smart choice. This instant gratifica-tion drives a lot of consumer activity.

People want to see a positive impactwhen they buy a filter, rather than wait5,000 to 7,000 miles to see the benefit.So, if you’re able to offer them a productthat provides a superior benefit as soon asthey drive away, the sale will be an easyone. MM

[ Premium Filters ]

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[ O2 Sensors ]

Why is my Check Engine Light on?Technician: If the signal from the

downstream oxygen sensor starts tomirror that from the upstream oxygensensor(s), it means converter efficiencyhas dropped off and the converter isn’tcleaning up the pollutants in the ex-haust. The threshold for setting a diag-nostic trouble code (DTC) and turningon the Malfunction Indicator Lamp(MIL) is when emissions are estimatedto exceed federal limits by 1.5 times.

Customer Translation: If the oxygensensor at the rear of the convertersees an increase in emissions that ex-ceeds a preset limit, it will turn on yourCheck Engine Light.

One of the toughest components tosell as a maintenance item, or even areplacement item, is an oxygen sensor. Here are some examples of how you can filterthrough the technical mumbo-jumbo regarding how sensors work to arrive at an explanation that your customers can better understand.

How does a downstream oxygen sensormonitor converter efficiency? What is anoxygen sensor and what does it have todo with my catalytic converter?

Technician: The OBD II system monitors con-verter efficiency by comparing the upstreamand downstream oxygen sensor signals. If theconverter is doing its job and is reducing thepollutants in the exhaust, the downstream oxygen sensor should show little activity (fewlean-to-rich transitions, which are also called“crosscounts”). The sensor’s voltage readingshould also be fairly steady (not changing upor down), and average 0.45 volts or higher.

Customer Translation: Oxygen sensors areplaced before and after the converter tomeasure how the converter is changing exhaust gases, as well as how the engine isperforming. One sensor measures what goesin and the other measures what comes outof the converter. MM

Speaking Maintenance:Communicating ToCustomers AboutOxygen Sensors

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[ Maintenance Chronicle ] By Mary DellaValle, editor, ImportCar magazine

If you want your customers to have amaintenance mind-set, get yourself intogear. It should be topof mind with everyvehicle that entersyour bays.

After all, vehicles intop-running conditionensure customer satis-faction in vehicle per-formance, safety and longevity. And,thorough vehicle inspections, comple-mented by customer education on themerits of proper vehicle care, can yieldunperformed maintenance dollars foryour shop. So, for you and your cus-tomers, maintenance really does matter.

In this Maintenance Chronicle, we arefeaturing a six-bay shop located inGrass Valley, CA, that employs fourtechs and has been in operation for 31years. With the average age of the vehicles serviced at the shop being six

to eight years, there should be plentyof preventive maintenance work avail-able on a customer vehicle fleet that’sviewed as a viable form of transporta-tion for many years to come. That is, ifit’s properly maintained and serviced.That’s where you come in.

We’ve documented the shop’s main-tenance service workflow over a two-week process, as a means to showcasethe sales and profit potential in vehiclemaintenance services.

Preventive maintenance checks andthorough inspections by shop owners

West Coast Shop Tunes Into Preventive MaintenanceMarketing Campaign Augments Customer Education Efforts

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Maintenance Matters 15


and technicians can drive the pur-chase and installation of manymaintenance items including air,cabin air, oil and fuel filters, wiperblades, spark plugs, lighting, oil,

chemicals & additives,brakes, batteries,

belts and hose, O2sensors andmore!

Customer Education Is KeyOur featured shop is tunedinto maintenance, promotinggood vehicle care throughservice reminders and out-lining “next” necessary

services to customers, “so that they

Bays: 6

Technicians: 4

Two-week Car Count:

150 vehicles

Peak Day: 22 vehicles

Work Week: Open 5 days, and

shop closes at noon on Friday

Specializes In: Subaru (primary),

Toyota, Honda, Lexus and Acura

Shop Vitals

LOF Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90Air Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Fuel Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Cabin Air Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Coolant Flush & Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Wiper Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Ignition Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Hoses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Transmission Flush/Filter . . . . . . . . . .11Battery Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Maintenance Sales at a GlanceSept. 16-27, 2013 Jobs Performed* *




are more prepared for theupcoming maintenancecosts,” explains the owner’sson and service manager,John Jr. “But, we feel wehave a lot of room for improvement in this area, sowe are currently setting upe-mail marketing to be ableto follow up on services,and offer specials on unper-formed maintenance andseasonal promotions,” hecontinued.

The shop also offers pre-trip and pre-purchase safetyinspections, and often sellsunperformed maintenanceafter the inspectionprocess, including 30,000-,60,000- and 90,000-mileservices, timing belt re-placements, valve adjust-ments and the like, ex-plained John Jr. “Not onlydo we identify unperformedmaintenance, we inform thecustomer about upcomingrepairs and/or maintenance,especially on pre-purchaseinspections, so they canmake an informed purchase.”

This shop’s LOF workflowconfirms that engine lubri-cation is a solid category

were sold when the vehicle was in for other services.

of LOFs were sold based on service reminders.

were the result of new customers making an appointment or returning customers who came back for service.

70%

20%

10%


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for preventive mainte-nance. Performing awhopping 90 oil changesover the two-week peri-od, for an average of 18a day (the shop is openonly five days a week andonly a half a day on Friday), thisshop is serious about keeping its customers’ engines in top-running condition.

John Jr. said that 70% of the shop’sLOF services were the result of servicereminders, 20% were the result of newcustomers making an appointment orreturning customers who came back forservice, and 10% were sold on vehiclesthat were in for other services. The shopcurrently does not advertise LOF servic-es via coupons, but imagine if it did?

“We recommend 3,500-mile intervalson cars using conventional oil. We arealso strongly recommending 5,000-mile

intervals on newer modelvehicles that use syntheticoil, even though the manu-facturers are recommendinglonger intervals,” continuedJohn Jr. “We are seeingmany of these newer vehi-cles with oil consumptionproblems when followingthe manufacturer-recom-mended intervals.”

Hand-in-hand with LOFservices are air filter re-

placements, with techs at thisshop inspecting the air filterat each oil change. Whiletechs “occasionally” noticethat their customers’ vehicles

have gone beyond the air filter mileage replacement inter-

val, installing 36 over the two-weektimeframe, they could also benefit ifthey were to check the vehicle’s cabinair filter at each LOF service. Whilechecks in this area are typically reservedfor larger-scheduled services, explainedJohn Jr., the shop, nonetheless, sold 10over the two-week timeframe.

WipersSixteen sets of wiper blades were soldover the two-week period, resultingfrom recommending seasonal replace-ment and coinciding with National CarCare Month activities. And, the shop’s


Top

Service Jobs

Top Service Jobs . . . . .Week 1 . .Week 2LOF Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 . . . . . . .43

Air Filter Replacement . . . . . .21 . . . . . . . .15

Battery Replacement . . . . . . . .11 . . . . . . . . .10

Wiper Blade Replacement . . .10 . . . . . . . .7

Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . .8 . . . . . . . . .6


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techs also take the time to inspect rearwiper blades, if the vehicle is soequipped.

Batteries & Other Underhood EssentialsAnother solid service category for ourfeatured shop is battery system checks,with 16 replacements done over thetwo-week timeframe. Tests are accom-plished with a carbon pile tester, which“ensures a customer’s battery holds 9.6volts with a 200-amp load. Any specunder that and we recommend replace-ment,” said John Jr.

Keeping with other underhood com-ponents, the shop sold 12 sets of spark

plugs/wires, two hoses and 11 belts.None of the serpentine belts were replaced as a result of belt failure, asthe shop’s techs regularly inspect beltsand recommend replacement at thefirst signs of wear.

Impressively, the shop sold 18 light-ing/bulb replacements over the two-week period, a mix of headlights, tail-lights and turn signals. When asked whythe shop sold so many in such a shorttimeframe, John Jr. explained, “We sellso many because we check all the lightson every car no matter the job.”

A majority of the shop’s eight coolingsystem services (75%) were the result ofregularly scheduled maintenance, versus the customer having a cooling

system/overheatingproblem.

(See page 15 for othermaintenance servicesperformed by this shop.)

Hopefully, by getting aninside look at this shop’svehicle maintenance num-bers, you’ll begin thinkingabout new ways to effec-tively promote preventivemaintenance to your cus-tomers, for their benefitas well as yours. Mainte-nance really does matter— on every job, everyday. MM


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maintenance matters, november 2013

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