Outside, it’s beginning to look a lot like winter! However, inside some of your customer’s garages, their vehicles are still equipped for the summer. If your customers still aren’t prepared for the winter weather when they come in for service, like sporting summer tires or using torn-up wiper blades, it’s time to get their car ready for winter.
In this Tire Review Continental Tire Garage Studio video, let’s discuss how to prepare your customers for winter weather.
Tires should be one of the first things you inspect when preparing your customer’s car for winter – for good reason. They provide driving comfort and safety in the colder months of the year and are made specifically to withstand winter conditions like ice, snow and sleek roads.
If your customers still have summer tires equipped, it’s time to change them. Once the temperature drops, the rubber on tires not made for winter conditions hardens, which reduces their overall grip strength. Suggesting winter or all-weather tires to customers is the first step to prepare them for harsh winter conditions. If customers already have a set of these tires equipped, inspect them to make sure they are in good condition.
Next, tell customers to top off their fluids. It’s never a bad idea to change your customer’s oil, replenish their wiper fluid and add antifreeze to engine coolant water.
It’s also important to check your customer’s battery. Ask your customer if it’s taking longer to start their car or if their lights are dim. If so, it may be a sign that it’s time for a new battery. If the lights are dim and the battery is good to go, then it’s time for new lights! Winter driving means encountering rain, sleet and snow in longer periods of darkness, so your customers are going to be dependent on their lights a lot.
Finally, if your customers are still dealing with the screeching sounds of old or broken wiper blades, they need to be replaced. Just tell them to make sure not to run their new blades over ice on the windshield – that’s a good way to tear blades up and ruin them.
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