More Than Just Mileage
(Continued)

Operators who have taken the plunge have come away impressed.

“We started using (the fluid analysis kits) for a couple of reasons,” said Monte Benedick, operator of Brake and Wheel Center in Leandro, California. “First, I wanted to have proof of what I am selling customers, that when we check something I have a way to back up what I am telling a customer. Second, I also wanted to be better than the other shops around me. I wanted something that sets me apart from the others. We are always looking to be better than our competition, and this helped.”

Benedick said technicians love the instant fluid analysis because it gives confirmation to their recommended service intervals.

“There are no questions. There’s no need to second guess anything,” he said. “What I like most is I have proof. We put the test paper with the work orders so I can come back to it for any reason to say, ‘See, we tested this fluid and, yes, it needed to be flushed.’”

And technicians aren’t the only ones relieved to see concrete evidence of a fluid’s condition.

“The customers I have talked to all love it. I keep the cards on the desk where the customers are being helped. Customers will pick it up and ask what it is, so we get a chance to talk with them about it. I tell them that we actually test the fluid, not just guess that the fluid needs to be flushed. That seems to put customers at ease. Some of our regular customers even ask to make sure we are testing their fluids.”

Other operators agreed. “We require all of our shops to use (the fluid analysis kits). All of our fluid maintenance services are sold based on the test results,” said Tom McVey, a principal with Quality Tune-Up Shops, a chain of nearly 40 automotive service facilities in central California. “The fluid samples make for a nice presentation, and it makes it easier for the employees or service writers to sell the service. It’s a legitimate chemical test. No one is selling a service that is not needed.”

Neither Benedick nor McVey said they’ve had any questions from customers about the legitimacy of the kits.

“I’ve been present during presentations, and it’s easy for a customer to see he needs the service. I think it makes our shops more credible to the customer,” McVey said. “We use a standard checklist, and we staple the fluid test results to the checklist. As with anywhere else, the stores that offer to do the needed services get the most add-ons.”

Both operators also said they’ve noticed the impact the fluid analysis kits have made on their operations.

“Since we began checking the fluids, our fluid flush sales have gone up for sure. When we checked fluids without the fluid analysis kits, we were not consistent about fluid condition. I have 22 years experience in this business, and I still cannot look at a fluid and say with any consistency whether or not it needs to be flushed,” Benedick said. “With (these kits), I can.”

McVey seconded that notion. “I think this is one of the best ways to aid the sales process at the stores,” he said.

McElroy mentioned that some operations even go so far as to charge for a fluid analysis, but he said he believes shops can get a bigger return on investment by offering to do fluid analysis for free and profiting from the extra add-on sales it can lead to. McVey agreed, adding that they pay for the test kits in a unique way.

“We pay for the instant fluid diagnostics with part of the shop’s advertising budget,” he said.

As with any recommendation, results from the fluid diagnosis must be reported honestly, and the one thing instant fluid diagnostic kits cannot do is guarantee that every car that pulls into your shop will need fluid service. In fact, McElroy said that tests in association with various laboratories have shown that, most often, half of all cars tested will be within the bell curve of what their OEMs recommend as far as fluid maintenance intervals. Further, another 20 percent (like those driven by the little old ladies mentioned earlier) will probably be in a situation where they could extend fluid maintenance intervals past those recommended by the OEM — though to do so could impact any warranty they may have on the vehicle, McElroy cautioned.

It is that remaining 30 percent of vehicles, however, that will need fluid maintenance services before the time/mileage intervals recommended by the OEM, a fact drivers of these vehicles wouldn’t have known if not for the fluid diagnosis.

“This really is a ‘diagnostic’ on the fluid. It identifies a need and gives the customer a call to action. It allows customers to understand a car’s fluid maintenance needs, and that it’s about more than just mileage,” McElroy said.

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