6 minute read
Maintaining a
from Modern Tire Dealer - August 2013
by EndeavorBusinessMedia-VehicleRepairGroup
feature Maintaining a maintenance schedule
Your customer checklist should cover everything from the engine to wiper blades
Vehicle Make: ____________________ Model: _____________ Mileage: __________ Customer’s Vehicle Concern(s) _____________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________
Prepared by: ___________________________________________________________
1. Maintenance Not Needed 2. Maintenance Needed Soon 3. Maintenance Required Now
Items Inspected State inspection due Service intervals Front brakes Rear brakes Brake f uid Master cylinder Exhaust system Front end Front shocks/struts Rear shocks Tire pressure/tread Tire rotation Body damage Battery Air f lter PVC f lter Hoses Oil leaks Oil change Radiator condition Coolant & antifreeze Power steering f uid Transmission f uid Washer solvent f uid Clutch f uid Drive belts Timing belt Wiper blades Clutch adjustment Window operation Lights/lens/horn Satisfactory Needed Comments ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________ ❑ ______ # _______ ________________________________
The content of the inspection checklist used by the technicians at All Star Tire applies to all the vehicles they inspect, from high-end to broad line, regardless of cost or age. The technicians helped design the form’s format.
By Bob Ulrich
Your ‘Check engine’ light is on, Penny.” T at’s a running gag on “T e Big Bang T eory” television series on CBS. Af er six seasons, Penny’s car has yet to have engine trouble despite the warning.
It is never a laughing mat er when the “Check engine” or “Service engine soon” light is glowing. At a minimum, it is an irritant to the driver.
If the warning isn’t heeded, it could signal the need for a rebuilt or new engine that will cost thousands of dollars. T ose of you who don’t perform major engine work will never see that money.
At this time of year, with the summer heat still lingering and fall only a month away, what should you be checking af er you get the vehicle up on the lif ? With college students preparing to drive back to school (or be driven back by their parents), what should you be looking for or looking to do to make sure the vehicle is trustworthy?
Preventive maintenance is the key. Running an engine diagnostic isn’t a bad place to begin. T e owner of All Star Tire & Auto Service Co. in Indianapolis says inspecting the tires and brakes is a good starting point.
Dan Williford, marketing director for Af ermarket Auto Parts Alliance Inc., stresses the importance of bat eries and wiper blades. “We think it’s important for dealers to start running bat ery checks,” he says. “And they shouldn’t charge for the service. Shops are losing money because they are trying to charge for bat ery and wiper installation when parts suppliers like AutoZone don’t.”
Bat eries are especially susceptible to the extreme heat of summer and cold of winter. “If the bat ery is older than two years, it should be tested by a qualif ed
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technician to make sure it has the starting power to handle the stress of extreme temperatures,” says Steve Popovich, managing director of the American Automobile Association (AAA) East Central’s Automotive Service Department.
Regardless of what you inspect f rst, be thorough. And follow a checklist.
All Star service
All Star Tire & Auto Service is located in downtown Indianapolis, minutes from the State Of ce Building Complex, City Government Building, Federal Building, Market Square Arena, Lucas Oil Stadium — and just three blocks away from Indiana At All Star Tire & Auto Service in downtown Indianapolis, tire storage is available University-Purdue University Indiafor the dealership’s customers’ out-of-season winter or summer tires. napolis. T e urban university caters to more than 30,000 students. Are the pads worn? And we check the brake f uid level. It’s all
“We run an ad in the campus newspaper,” says Bernie part of the interval maintenance schedule.” As for the tires, tread Cooper, owner of All Star Tire. “T e parents, students and depth, wear, inf ation and alignment need to be checked because school staf trust their cars with us.” “any of them might need some at ention.” All Star Tire of ers
Cooper says for back-to-school service, he inspects the tires storage for out-of-season winter and summer tires. and brakes f rst. “For the brakes, check the wear as well as the T e cooling system and antifreeze are checked next, “because pressure of the pedal. Are the rotors worn and scratched? Rusted? in the Midwest, winter arrives before you know it.”
T e 73-year-old, family-owned business was started by Cooper’s father, Irvin Cooper. “Our niche is the ability to of er the customer who works or lives in the Indy downtown area the convenience of professional tire and automotive service while they work at their of ce,” says Cooper. T at includes a free downtown shut le service.
All Star Tire services all domestic and imported cars and light trucks, although it specializes in high performance tire sales to European and Asian imports. Do high-end vehicles require a dif erent maintenance checklist?
“We start with our vehicle inspection checklist,” says Cooper (see page 42). “All vehicles are treated the same — up to the point where a more sophisticated vehicle may have performance or safety options not usually seen on the more mundane vehicles, such as blowers, superchargers, advanced computerization including telemetry, or a diesel engine or no internal combustion engine at all.”
For example, one of Cooper’s customers is a Tesla owner who brings his car in for new tires. Inspections are performed not by the dealership but by the factory through a telemetric computer connection at 2 a.m. — or as necessary — in the owner’s home garage.
“We f nd that the content of the vehicle inspection (with the noted exception of the Tesla) is the same from vehicle to vehicle regardless of cost or age.
“Rather, the dif erence is between the customers, as some see their vehicles as a means of transport, like a horse or a bicycle, while others take great pride in knowing and caring about their vehicle.
“Both customers pay the bills around here, but I really enjoy listening and learning from those folks who have taken the time to learn about their ‘ride,’ and understand and appreciate good service.” ■
Seeing the light
Using a Ford Focus as an example, if the “Service engine soon” light is blinking, the engine is misf ring, according to the Ford Focus Owner’s Manual.
“Under engine misf re conditions, excessive exhaust temperatures could damage the catalytic converter, the fuel system, interior f oor coverings or other vehicle components, possibly causing a f re.”
If the light stays illuminated, the On Board Diagnostics System (OBD-II) has detected a malfunction. Either way, maintenance is required.
As for the engine oil and f lter, the manual says it should be changed every 7,500 miles.
