While raising the awareness of preventive maintenance sounds good in theory, especially during April Car Care Month, the reality is many ­motorists’ ­vehicle maintenance habits just don’t stack up. ­Results of vehicle ­inspections at car care events across the country last April and October reveal that 84% of vehicles needed service or parts, says the Car Care Council, and that’s up 5% from the previous year!

The fact is better-running, well-maintained vehicles boost gas mileage and also prevent bigger-ticket repairs down the road. Taking the time to educate your customers on the ­benefits of proper vehicle care can also yield unperformed maintenance dollars for your shop. Yet all of this is overshadowed by the uneducated consumer mindset toward the value of preventive maintenance and making necessary repairs.

All vehicles can benefit from regular maintenance, even the highly engineered import ­vehicles that you service. So how can you educate your customers about the need for routine ­vehicle checks?

Frank Scandura, owner of Frank’s European Service in Las Vegas, knows very well the value of maintenance and educating customers on its merits, and says the first place his techs start is with the owner’s manual that provides service schedules and documents when certain items need to be inspected, ­serviced or replaced.

There is also this ­inspection protocol among his techs to identify ­necessary maintenance items:

» Each vehicle gets an ­inspection; a written form is used for consistency.
» Review vehicle’s prior service history.
» Review online sources for recommendations and compare that information to the ­factory recommendations.
» Prioritize any maintenance or repair recommendation:
A – Due or overdue now, possible safety-related item or reliability may be compromised.
B – Will be due soon, and should be scheduled soon ­(before next regular service).
C – For the customer to be aware of; not of immediate ­concern; the shop will continue to monitor.

And, when asked what percentage of the time his techs do find items that need to be serviced/replaced, he said it’s a whopping 75-80%!

If you’re not inspecting every vehicle that comes into your shop to identify necessary maintenance, both you and your customers are losing out. Get inspecting now and educate your customers about the value of Vehicle T.L.C.!