How To Identify A Flood Damaged Vehicle From Hurricane Sandy Part IV

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cars under waterSo we are indeed at the end of this series. There is still two more thoughts that I would like to leave you with and a link that can help you by providing a checklist that you can print and use when checking vehicles for purchase.

  • Checking for hidden signs of problems-Take the time to make a careful inspection of the vehicle. Look for dirt, water stains or mold and mildew that crooks may have missed. Look in obscure places such as the roof where the fabric meets the cars body, check under the seats where the floors fabric connects to the dashboard. What you are looking for are pockets of water, dried mud, and dirt residue. You can get an “Auto Salvage Fraud Checklist” from NICB’s site to help.
  • Check all screws for rust-This is a pretty quick and easy step to do. You can do it and never be suspected of it by the seller. However, you really shouldn’t have to hide what you are doing. As a matter of fact, I would make it a point to let the seller know you are checking for signs of flood damage. Again, you may discover quickly that this person is a crook. Never take their word for anything. Their word can’t hold water in court. Get it? Hold water? Ha.

So now you have a better idea of what to look for, the list will help you with what I have not covered. My suggestion is to create a brochure or form that you can give to your clients. Being a helpful PDR Technician will go a long way in the mind of a client. You’re not taking away from your business, you’re helping it. They may still need your help on the car they do purchase that may have flaws that you are trained to work on. Good luck.

Help Your Customers Understand How To Buy A Used Car Part III

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Used cars

In educating your customers, you have to be cognizant of the fact that they know very little about what they are doing and they are trusting you because you have worked on or in the middle of working on their vehicles. Help them to understand by explaining what this means to buy a certified pre-owned vehicle. You may even want to create a brochure that briefly covers what is means to own or buy a certified pre-owned car.Owning a CPO car removes a lot of the guesswork about the vehicle’s mechanical condition.  

Let them know that most new cars come with a three year/36,000 mile warranty. Therefore, if you buy a car that is from 1-3 years old, with fewer than 36,000 miles on the odometer, it will still be under the factory warranty. 

You can also help your customer by suggesting that they use an Affordability Calculator to help them with their process. Also, let them know that if they found a car they are interested in at a local dealership and it’s online, when setting up an appointment to go see the car, ask for the VIN so that you can get a report for the car before even showing up for their appointment.

Finally, tell your customer to stay firm on their negotiations, there will be others with more experience closing, under a different title, that will try to make the customer buy extra packages and even say that the original salesperson gave a non-authorized low price and they simply cannot sale it at that low price. Say Sorry and stand firm.

Next, set up an appointment to come and take a look at the car. There are many services you can offer that the customer may need. If there are no obvious dents, which there will be, you could also offer auto detailing, odor removal, interior repair, windshield repair, carpet dying, paint chip repair, headlight renewal and more. If this is their first car or it’s a car for a family member, you can up-sell these products easier than you can imagine. Helping them, will help you.