VERNON HILLS, Ill. — Many vehicle owners only think about ‘winter-proofing’ their cars when the first snowflakes start to fall. Automotive workshops should see the next few months as an opportunity to plan ahead and get their customers into the workshop for a check – including the brakes when the wheels come off, says ZF Aftermarket.
For a safer drive, when customers come in for a winter checkup, the focus should not be on changing the wheels alone, but on checking the entire vehicle. The right spare parts for the chassis system – up to and including air suspension – are available from ZF Aftermarket with its Lemförder, Sachs, TRW, and Wabco brands.
ZF Aftermarket recommends that automotive workshops take advantage of the weeks before winter sets in to invite their customers for a winter check.
To make the winter check a success for both the customer and the workshop, the experts at ZF Aftermarket offer the following five tips:
1. Optimize workshop planning: When a wheel change is necessary, it should not be done at a “pit-stop” pace. There must be time for a complete vehicle inspection to uncover all defects.
2. Ensure transparency: If the customer is not present during the vehicle check, the technician should document the vehicle components in need of repair by photo or video.
3. Expand damage diagnosis: When changing wheels, not only check the condition of the brakes, but all of the suspension components as well. Coil springs damaged by stone chips, for example, can corrode under the influence of salt in winter and break later. Even minimally leaking air springs can cause expensive consequential damage.
4. Carry out a battery test: This should be part of every winter check. Otherwise, there is a high risk that the customer will be stranded on the first cold days – which is particularly annoying shortly after a workshop visit.
5. Market and upsell accessories: When making an appointment (online), customers should be given the option of ordering seasonal accessory packages – for example, care products, snow chains, rubber floor mats or similar.
With its Lemförder, Sachs, TRW and Wabco brands, ZF Aftermarket offers a full parts and service solution for the entire chassis system. New to the range is the Wabco brand with its range of air suspension compressors for many passenger car models. This is proven original equipment technology that has already been installed in millions of vehicles.
The TRW range includes brake discs, brake pads and spare parts for drum brakes, brake fluid, hoses and all other brake service components.
