Often driven by an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality, most consumers don’t think about replacing cabin air filters – if they even know they’re there at all. That’s why educating your clients on the benefits of cabin air filters can be a shop’s best sales pitch for selling these maintenance items.
A recent survey found that 49% of cabin air filters are sold during the spring. Increasing pollen counts, coupled with the benefits cabin air filters provide against inert allergens, makes for a fairly easy sell at that time of year. You could argue, however, that winter is an even more important season to replace a vehicle’s filter.
Though nearly every car and truck built since the turn of the century has a cabin air filter as an integral part of its HVAC system, many drivers either don’t know it’s there or don’t realize its benefits. Don’t worry – you can educate your customer about the importance replacement can offer in any season.
1. Increased Particulate Emissions
As cars idle on cold winter mornings, the exhaust can pump out damaging emissions that are harmful to drivers’ respiratory systems. A vehicle’s tailpipe particulate emissions are higher when the engine is cold. Scientists found particulate emissions increased exponentially as the temperature decreased, according to a Kansas City Light-Duty Vehicle Emissions Study. In fact, this study found that particulate emissions doubled for every 20° F temperature drop.
Experts say that the air inside a vehicle can contain five times as many pollutants as outside – and consider that, in much of the country, you don’t want to roll down the window in winter unless you absolutely have to!
The one thing that can stop exhaust particulates from reaching vehicle occupants is a cabin air filter. Some cabin air filters can even stop particulates that are as small as 1 micron in diameter.
2. Defroster Performance
In the winter, the benefits of a clean air filter are easy to see. Clogged cabin air filters can restrict defroster performance, making it harder to see out the windshield. If a cabin air filter is clogged, it will create a restriction that will decrease the amount of hot air the blower can deliver to the windshield, which diminishes visibility and adds time that it takes to defrost the window.
3. Mother Nature Can Be Wicked
Summer and Fall can be brutal on cabin air filters, making winter that much more difficult.
Following months of battling heavy pollen, dust, leaves, bugs and other debris, winter is the perfect time to give a customer’s cabin air filter a fresh start.
This debris piles up, restricting airflow through the filter and causing heating and cooling problems. With no leaves, pollen or bugs to contend with over the next few months, replacing the cabin air filter in the winter will address heating problems immediately and help prevent cooling problems from cropping up once spring rolls around.
For more customer service information, visit PurolatorNow.com.
Your customers may not understand the benefit of your service recommendation until you clarify it – so make it a point to explain how important their car’s cabin air filter really is.
This video is sponsored by The Group Training Academy.
