NEWS

CAR dealers can soon order promotional materials to help support the national Tyre Safety Month in October. Campaign kit will be launched on the TyreSafe website next month – with the very canny catchline ‘lifesaver in your pocket’. What’s this? Well the campaign is going to focus on tread depth this year. And, how do [...]

AFTERSALES parts losses will be reduced with the launch of a smart new online initiative for car dealers. Yeomans Partners has developed partsonlinedepot.com, to market a ‘centralised parts warehouse’ to online buyers. Car dealers can sign up and advertise all their slow-selling parts – and raise useful extra profits from sales of fully written-off stock. [...]

BMW has marked its 25-year association with Mondial Assistance, by awarding the firm a new contract. Mondial will continue to provide pan-European breakdown assistance cover for BMW car owners, via its distinctive branded silver BMW 5 Series Tourings. The recovery firm reckons it can fix 84 percent of problems on the road. Car dealers come [...]

RENAULT UK has given RenaultSport fan Mark Crockett the role of services and quality director. The RenaultSport Spider-driving 41 year old Scot joins the UK board, as one of 10 directors under the leadership of Roland Bouchara. After working abroad, Crockett returned to the UK as product marketing manager for Renault, back in 1994. He [...]

FERRARI owners from 1947 can now enjoy FREE breakdown cover, in a bold move by the famed brand. The launch of the ‘With You’ roadside assistance scheme means that owners simply need to register – and get totally free breakdown cover. There’s not a single catch. The deal consists of recovery of the vehicle to [...]

LOTUS Silverstone has launched a new profit-generating service that keys into the lucrative trackday market. The official Lotus-franchised car dealer has introduced a ‘Track Health Check’ – an aftersales service revenue-generator. It’s being launched with an extra-special deal, too. Book the £50 service for August 26th… and get a free track day! This session, run [...]

CAR dealers should educate customers on the risks of skimping on servicing – or warranties may be at risk. Mondial Assistance warns that many new car warranties have terms and conditions that demand servicing only by manufacturer-approved garages. However, some customers are choosing independent garages instead – meaning car makers won’t pay for warranty claims. [...]

VOLVO D5 turbodiesel owners can now buy more performance without an economy penalty from Volvo car dealers. The Swedish maker has launched an aftermarket performance upgrade pack for the 185PS 2.4-litre D5 motor, featured in many V70, XC70, S80 and XC90 models. This takes power up to 205PS, and reduces the 0-60mph time by half [...]

CAR dealer mechanics are at risk of injury or death if they fail to follow procedures when servicing hybrid cars. The petrol-electric models are packed with batteries, which must be completely isolated, warns the RMIF. Cars must also sit for an hour before work can commence. Otherwise, technicians face a 500-volt shock. It is an [...]

DRAGON2000 has announced the latest product-enhancing update for its Service Calendar DMS facility. This, it says, will help increase efficiency for service managers – and increase revenues for dealerships. The changes have been instigated through the current need to maximise service department profits. It is a key area of business for both franchises and independents. [...]

CAR dealers could be missing out on a huge slice of aftersales profits – because of ill-informed customers. Vauxhall has discovered that most motorists do not know they can choose where their car is repaired, in the event of an accident. Most assume they have to go with the repairer chosen by the insurer. But, [...]

CONFUSED.COM has helped stimulate car buyer interest in GAP insurance, with a new marketing campaign. The online giant has teamed up with Future45Ltd, to deliver a headline new GAP insurance scheme. Which it has cannily called ‘car depreciation insurance’. This simple step helps perfectly illustrate the benefits of oft-misunderstood GAP insurance policies. ‘An affordable compliment [...]

ASTON Martin has launched an official seal of approval – and its warranty products are the first to benefit. The ‘Assured’ tag will be used only on factory-backed products, services and schemes. Products will carry an official Assured logo – an image of the Aston Martin grille – to mark them out as special. Aston [...]

VAUXHALL has overhauled its extended warranty offers, to simplify processes for car dealers. The company has also launched a set of products longer than ever before. 10 warranty products used to be on offer – with differing levels of cover, liability procedures and, of course, prices. These have been swept away and replaced by a [...]

MERCEDES dealers are now taking orders for the brand’s new eco-minded entry city commuter. Costing £1099, it’s now on sale at all Mercedes car dealers. Despite being a bike. A folding bike at that, with an eight-speed clutchless ‘gearbox’, discs front and rear, plus all-round independent suspension. The new all-aluminum Mercedes is also Congestion Charge [...]

SANTANDER will offer service plans from The Warranty Group to its 6000 new and used dealer finance partners. This additional revenue stream for car dealers is a new point of sale offer from the consumer finance provider. Santander’s marketing director, Andy Green, said: ‘Service plans are becoming an increasingly important part of the dealer point [...]

AFTERSALES departments are to be given a big potential boost, thanks to a new stock management tool. Dragon2000 has just launched Inventory Management. This analyses a dealer’s parts stock – then compares it to the types of car on the road in that area. If the dealer’s stock is out of sync, it flags this [...]

FIAT and Alfa Romeo car dealers have appointed the country’s first franchise-approved smart repairer. Revive! has been enlisted by Fiat Group to offer the service, which is believed to be the first time car dealers have enjoyed such a manufacturer-supported scheme. Fiat and Alfa Romeo customers will now provide an additional aftersales income steam to [...]

SCORCHING weather this week presents an upsell opportunity to savvy car dealer aftersales departments. Autoglym has revealed that strong sunlight is more damaging to car paint than freezing weather. It’s therefore important car owners protect their motors – by using guidance, and products, from your aftersales guys. Body panel temperatures can top 50 deg Celsius: [...]

CAR dealers can hook their BlackBerry into a groundbreaking new ‘real time’ sales aid. London’s PHM Group has unveiled Activ8 – which initial trials show has increased car dealer parts sales by 5 percent, and customer visits by 15 percent. The successful trials were conducted in Vauxhall car dealers. So impressed was the top-2 car [...]