Have you ever had a customer complain about an odor permeating throughout their car, and they have no idea what it is or from where it came? No matter how often they clean, the amount of Febreze they spray or trees dangling from their rearview mirror, the stench lingers. You changed their cabin air filter for them, but the odor is still hanging around like an awkward party guest who refuses to leave.
There’s something else you can offer your customers who want to remove unwanted smells from their car by doing more than trying to cover it up with air fresheners or replacing their cabin air filter. Consider adding A/C odor removal treatments to your service menu.
Once you’ve had your car for a few years, unwanted odors can creep into your cabin.
“When you turn on your car and you’ve been driving for a while, sometimes you start to get those foul smells coming out of the heater or air conditioner,” said Kelley Bolas, marketing manager of LubeGard. “It’s because all of the condensation that happens in the [car’s] evaporator can be a perfect breeding ground for mold, mildew and putrid scents.”
You might be wondering what an A/C odor removal treatment is, how it works and how complicated it will be to train your employees. Well, it’s extremely simple.
“Our [product] expands throughout the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system,” Bolas said. “There are three ways to introduce the foam cleaner to the evaporator. You can go through the A/C condensate drain, cabin air filter (when changing the filter) or through the A/C vents using the provided installation tube. Put the product in, let it sit for 15 minutes (while the vehicle isn’t running) to clean and deodorize. Start the car and put the heater on low to dry the evaporator box. If you can picture Scrubbing Bubbles in your bathroom and how the bubbles clean and scour, [the bubbles in an A/C odor removal product] do the same thing in your A/C until they collapse, turn into liquid and run out the drain tube (after the 15 minutes) leaving the evaporator clean and odorless.”
Similar A/C odor removal products work in a related way.
The best part about offering this service is you don’t need to buy an expensive machine or fluid evacuator.
“Shops don’t need any extra equipment, and it’s truly a consumer benefit service,” Bolas said. “You buy the foam cleaner, use the can and that’s all you need.”
One treatment lasts up to six months, but a customer could get a treatment every time they come in for an oil change.
“I think people who smoke are the ones who would benefit from getting an A/C odor removing treatment done more than once every six months because it flushes out and neutralizes unwanted smells,” Bolas said.
The same could be said for customers who travel with their pets or their gym bag.
When a customer pulls in for an oil change, they usually have their heater or A/C running, and have to roll down their window to speak with the greeter. This is a perfect time for your employees to use their nose to sniff out an A/C odor removal opportunity.
Adding an A/C odor removal treatment to your service menu is a smart investment. With no additional equipment to purchase or extra time spent on performing the task, it’s something a little out of the ordinary to generate more revenue and positively impact your bottom line.
