Salty & Sweet? Or Salty And Corrosive? Part II

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snow storm salt

As a PDR technician, you will want to make sure that the work you do on a vehicle is going to withstand the harshest of weather conditions. This means that there is not one single job you can do that can be less than perfect or you will be the recipient of the worse kind of customer, the one that comes back to you wanting you to redo the job you have already done. Not only is this a huge waste of time, since you will not get paid for the redo, but it is also the worse conditions possible to deal with an angry or disgruntled customer.

Putting together a simple quality control program can alleviate or even prevent any work from leaving that may cause a warranty issue later on. From the start, your main goal should be to eliminate any possibilities and this is why a simple checklist would go a long way for repeat business, not redo business which has no monetary value.

In today’s market, with metals changing and steel becoming thinner in an effort to create a more efficient vehicle, it’s difficult to tell how long before corrosion takes hold of the metal and causes permanent damage. While the metals of today are stronger, if corrosion takes control the vehicle will be compromised and your reputation as a top PDR technician can take a hit.

Unless you use some sort of quality control procedures through your whole repair, you can and will find yourself later taking more time because of an overlooked step. While in your classes with East Coast Paintless Dent Repair Training, you will need to pay particular attention to the instruction on how to apply corrosion protection and the tricks to look between panels for any corrosion. There is not one single thing covered in class that you can afford to miss. Take your courses seriously and you may find later that you will be spared angry customers, warranty breaches, and your business overall.

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.

PDR Technicians: What Does Factory-Certified Mean? Part II

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certified used cars

Buyer Beware!

Not all third-party warranties are “certified”. Unless the vehicle is truly factory-certified, the vehicle’s manufacturer is not standing behind the “warranty”, ultimately this means that you lose if something should happen. Third-party warranties are really just extended service contracts that the buyer must purchase at an additional cost. You can purchase this for any vehicle, but you must be sure that you understand that you are on your own when it comes to the manufacturer backing you up. Any coverage offered or promised aftermarket service contract. A true warranty offers coverage that is included in the original purchase price.

So the benefits of purchasing a certified pre-owned car versus a used car from a private party or used car lot are obvious. You have the factory standing behind the certified pre-owned car, plus you’ll be buying a car that the original manufacturer has inspected to ensure that it is worthy of certification. The only downside to certified pre-owned cars is that they are generally more expensive than other used cars. But in this case, the benefits may outweigh the cost — for many buyers, the peace of mind alone is enough to justify the extra money.

The attraction to certified used vehicles is clear — new car benefits at a used car price. With a used car purchase that has been factory certified and provides a warranty is the sweet deal however, in spite of what was said about getting the new car benefits in a used car body, for a true certification, you may have to pay more for the car but of course it will still be less than it was brand new. I’m sure that we can agree, the benefits far outweigh the cost of the car. For many buyers, the peace of mind is worth whatever extra they have to pay for the certification from the manufacturer.

PDR Technicians: What Does Factory-Certified Mean? Part I

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certified used cars

Certified used vehicles affect you and your business on a few levels. If you’re working at a dealership, it will be paramount that you understand what is expected of you while working in the body shop of a used car dealership. Whether you are there full-time or just swing by once or twice a week, during your time working there, you must uphold the law and do only what you are allowed to do on a vehicle. There was a J.D. Power and Associates study that showed that the sales of certified used cars have increased 46% since 2000. Certified used cars have become affordable alternatives to a new car. These certified used cars feature warranties that extend beyond the initial “when new” coverage.

To be a “certified used” vehicle, the warranty has to be backed by the vehicle manufacturer. The original manufacturer takes this quite seriously and uses its dealer network to inspect the car, determine if it is worth certifying and then offer support for the vehicle for a period of time beyond the original warranty. It’s important to note that not all used cars can qualify for certified pre-owned programs, and terms are not across the board for all vehicles, they vary from one brand to the next. If you find that the car you or a customer are buying is not qualified to be certified, well then the dealership should still be able to provide you with proof of a 100-point inspection of the car. During the inspection of the car, if the car presents problems, the factory trained technicians will fix it or disqualify the car from the program. In addition, the certified warranty protection is typically implemented once the vehicles original factory warranty expires. When the used car warranty begins, it is usually good for a number of years or miles, whichever comes first.