As we see more and more new cars on the road and in our shops, many of them are coming in with specialty fluids or procedures for us to service them. Although some of us are seeing the effects of recession or competition in our markets, we must find a way to stay up with the times. We will discuss a few service opportunities that you can add to your menu of options to increase your options on these new vehicles.
A/C Service Options
If there was ever a time to add a service that is catered to hot weather, that time is now. Many of us probably already offer this service in our shops for R134, so why is this the first service that I am discussing? I am sure that you have all encountered the new 1234YF system. This is the system that is now on many of the new vehicles on the road and you are going to start seeing a lot more of them over the next few years. There is a big investment needed, now, for this service. The machine is costly and the freon in the system is triple or more what you are used to for R134. This is the negatives of the service. The positives are going to be in cost of the service. Many dealers are charging anywhere from 600 to 1,000 dollars for this exchange. This is good for your return on investment, as you will potentially be putting a lot more down on the bottom line with this option over R134. But remember, is this the right time? There are not a ton of them coming in and you must weigh whether now is the time to invest.
Tesla Tire Rotations
Now this one is fun to get into it, but if you don’t know what you are doing it can go south quickly. We all love to hate the Tesla and other EVs that are “threatening” our business. I put the air quotes because they are not as prevalent as they were advertised years ago. Now there are few things that you can do on a Tesla, but the tire rotation service is one. To do this, you must learn to put it into the mode that allows you to lift the vehicle. If you don't do this, you damage the suspension. When you do this correctly, the vehicle lifts and the tires stay in place. It's pretty cool to watch. The only negative, aside from potential damage, is the time it takes to get into the correct mode for lifting. So, make sure that you charge a little more than your standard rotation service.
GDI Fuel Services
As we see more and more GDI vehicles on the road, there are also a lot more specialty products popping up to add to your lineups. Most do not know that this engine needs a fuel additive every 5,000 miles or so in order to maintain the warranty of the fuel system. So, you get to be the one that points it out and offers an option. Many of your additive companies carry a fuel additive as a pop and pour, but True Brand has taken it a step further, introducing not only these pop and pours, but also a specialized two-part fuel system cleaning for the vehicle. This gives you a ton of options on stand alone services and packaging to increase the overall ticket prices. As we see this engine technology hit the market more due to the fuel mileage restrictions, you will want to have these in your shops to give you a leg up on your competition.
These are just three things that you can add to your arsenal of options to increase your profit and your customer options. These three also deal with the new technology that I discussed on the road with new freon, EVs and engine technology changes. Weigh out your options and investigate your ROI on anything that you may or may not add. My only advice would be to get in on the ground floor and don’t be the one waiting until it's too late.
