DRiV has launched Installer’s Advantage, a new platform that flags more than 5,000 aftermarket SKUs across its brand portfolio as engineered to address specific service-bay pain points identified by technicians. The Tenneco aftermarket business group announced the program earlier today, positioning it as a portfolio-wide framework rather than a single product launch. The designation will appear at the application level across brands including Wagner, MOOG, Monroe, Fel-Pro, and Walker. DRiV said the parts are intended to speed installation, reduce comebacks, and address known OE design weaknesses.
Highlights
- Installer’s Advantage covers more than 5,000 SKUs spanning DRiV’s full brand portfolio, including Wagner braking, MOOG steering and suspension, Monroe ride control, Fel-Pro sealing, and Walker emissions.
- Each designated part is engineered to address one of five technician-identified problems: installation time, job complexity, OE design defects driving premature failure, durability shortfalls, or recurring customer complaints.
- DRiV technical product specialists visit tens of thousands of U.S. repair shops annually to gather the installer feedback that informs the program, according to the company.
- The launch lands roughly one week after DRiV expanded its Wagner-branded ES pad, ES rotor, and brake bolt kit lineup.
Program Structure
The Installer’s Advantage designation is applied at the application level, meaning a technician searching a specific year-make-model fitment will see which DRiV parts in that application carry the program flag. The designation is not a separate product line. It is an overlay on existing inventory, intended to signal that DRiV engineering has addressed a documented service-bay issue for that specific part.
DRiV identified five categories of installer pain points that qualifying parts must address:
- Installation time: Design features that shorten the time required to complete a repair
- Job simplification: Reduction of steps, fitment workarounds, or rework
- OE design fixes: Engineering changes that address known failure modes in the original part
- Durability: Extended service life relative to baseline aftermarket coverage
- Comeback reduction: Solving recurring customer complaints that drive return visits
Joseph Saoud, vice president and general manager, U.S. and Canada at DRiV, said in a statement that the program creates a consistent framework for communicating engineering decisions across the brand portfolio. “This program creates a consistent way to communicate that commitment across our brands, while reinforcing the value installers experience every day when they choose DRiV products,” Saoud said.
Context for Aftermarket Installers
The launch arrives during a period of sustained aftermarket service demand. S&P Global Mobility’s most recent industry estimate places the average age of light vehicles on U.S. roads at roughly 12.6 years, the highest figure on record. Older vehicles drive higher service volumes for friction, suspension, and steering components — the categories most heavily represented in the DRiV portfolio.
The program also lands roughly one week after DRiV’s Wagner-branded expansion of its ES pad, ES rotor, and brake bolt kit lineup, and follows the company’s earlier Abex air disc brake caliper launch for heavy-duty applications. Each of those rollouts emphasized installation-side improvements — no-core-charge calipers, three-layer noise-reducing shims, ready-to-install rotor finishes — that align with the criteria DRiV has now formalized under the Installer’s Advantage banner.
DRiV has not disclosed how many of the 5,000-plus designated SKUs are braking parts versus suspension, steering, sealing, or emissions components. The company also has not stated whether the program will be extended to its commercial vehicle and off-highway brands, including Abex and Marathon.
For more information about Installer’s Advantage, DRiV directs technicians to its program page at drivparts.com.
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