Hopefully the only hassle most owners will have with the trip to the beach at Christmas is the never ending “Are we there yet?”, “Are we nearly there yet, Are we almost there yet?” questions from the kids in the back seat (and the adults in the front!) But for most peopl,e there is also the concern whether their car will make it. Often this is the longest and most loaded trip the car will do in the year – at potentially the hottest time.
For this reason the lead-up to the holidays is a great time for you to offer your clients some peace of mind by ensuring their vehicle is ready to be loaded to the max with family, all the holiday toys and camping gear and the kitchen sink and driven to their choice of holiday haven!
Why not use a pre-holiday check in your marketing material in November and December – package it up at a good price – it will potentially provide extra work on vehicles that are in fact not ready for the holidays and will also produce a lot of client good-will. This could be an ideal item to promote via your website, within the reception area with signage or brochures, via a local letterbox drop or using newer techniques such as Tik Tok.
There are many ways you can offer this from a basic checklist of items to a more comprehensive check over.
Some of the things you might include in your check either because they are safety issues or because they cover parts of the car that will be enduring extra loads and use could include:
Brakes, suspension and steering – with higher loads likely this is a basic safety check, we are fans of a basic spanner check as well to test security of all the key bolts in the suspension (must be from our motorsport and 4WD heritage!).
Engine – is a service due, visual check for leaks or other issues such as cracked engine mounts.
Air conditioning – a lot of drivers don’t use their air conditioning over winter as they think it is just for cooling, so there may be operational or smell issues when they start using it in summer, so a good opportunity to check the system operation and condition.
Cooling system – long trips with heavy traffic and stop start motoring in queues puts a heavy load on cooling systems, add a heavier load or towing into the mix and the system might get critical – cars stopped at the side of the road in holiday queues with the proverbial steam geyser coming out from the engine bay are not an uncommon sight during the summer holiday break. Test for leaks, flush and replace the coolant if required, check fan operation and drive belt condition as a minimum.
Tyres – check tyre condition and inflation – most motorists don’t check tyre pressures anywhere near often enough, don’t forget the spare as holidays are when it may be needed – finding a flat spare at the side of the road will not make for a happy customer!
Wiper blades – yes, it rains in summer and a good parts opportunity if they need replacing.
Lights – Do a standard WOF style check that all lights work.
Safety equipment – a good up sell opportunity – does the car have some good basic safety equipment such as a first aid kit, fire extinguisher, hi-vis jacket and a rescue tool (to break windows and cut seat belt webbing). Maybe have these on display at reception.
Obviously, there is more to check but this outlines some of the key areas to consider to ensure your customers have a happy holiday motoring experience.
