1. Art and Diseño

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CAN YOU HEAR
THEM KNOCKING?
NEW SERVICE
OPPORTUNITIES
BY BOB CHABOT
I
f you’re an independent shop owner or technician
looking for new and profitable service opportunities you could implement in 2015, where would
you begin? That question was on my mind while
attending the recent Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week in Las Vegas. In particular, I spent a
day at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo
(AAPEX) trying to walk in your shoes.
I prepared a list of 40 exhibitors I wanted to visit. I also
allowed time to visit a few other exhibitors along the way,
should a display catch my eye. To be effective, I used this
question: “Hi. For a shop owner looking for new service
opportunities, what do you have new at this show that I
could consider?”
This question helped sort wheat from chaff. In total, I
visited 44 booths that day. Most exhibitors had nothing new,
so I thanked them and moved on; however, 11 did. From
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January 2015
Photo courtesy Robert Bosch GmbH
Some look at the growing
complexity of today’s vehicles
and see only obstacles. Others
see things differently. With
well-placed investments in
tools and training, the same
complexity can be mastered
and turned into opportunity.
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CAN YOU HEAR THEM KNOCKING? NEW SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
those, four were selected for this article. They represent a mix of new service opportunities—some more costly,
some requiring no additional investment and some somewhere in between—but each offers a profitable
revenue stream worth considering.
Catch the GDI Wave
Photo courtesy Robert Bosch GmbH
At Industry Week, Robert Bosch
GmbH invited MOTOR to a private reception, where several key executives
shared Bosch’s plans for the future in
North America. Among the new service
2020. In addition to our relationships
with European OEMs, significant inroads have been made with U.S. domestic and Asian automakers, to the
point where Bosch content is in almost
every vehicle today.”
“Automotive technology is light years
ahead of where it was just a decade
ago,” said Dr. Odd Joergenrud, Bosch
Regional President for North America.
“Vehicles are becoming much more efficient, but further improvement is
mandatory. Today, automakers must deliver 24 mpg average fuel economy. In
MOTOR met privately on the AAPEX Show floor with several Bosch product managers who
demonstrated the complete Bosch GDI Parts, Bytes, Services concept and provided an overview
of Bosch’s new interactive GDI micro-website. Before the new GDI microsite is launched, MOTOR
will be meeting again with Bosch and will provide further details. A GDI engine is shown here.
and repair opportunities described for
independent shops, Bosch’s plans for
gasoline direct injection (GDI) impressed me as the most immediate new
service opportunity.
“Bosch views the North American
vehicle service market as being underdeveloped,” stated Dr. Uwe Thomas,
Global Chairman of the Bosch Automotive Aftermarket Division. “We see that
as an opportunity for us to grow the
Bosch Aftermarket service shop network by 50% in North America by
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January 2015
order to reach the federal 55-mpg target by 2025, manufacturers must more
than double fuel economy.
“To meet future mileage requirements,” noted Dr. Joergenrud, “automakers have been trending toward
lighter weight engines equipped with
GDI and turbocharging technologies.
Of Ward’s Top Ten Engines for 2014,
five have GDI, four have diesel and one
is electric. Bosch technologies powered
eight of these engines.”
According to Dr. Joergenrud, GDI
is poised for rapid growth. He stated
that in 2015, nearly 50% of vehicles
sold in North America will include
GDI systems, and by 2018, that number will grow to 18 million North
American vehicles. If you aren’t servicing GDI systems now, you’d better
be able to soon.
“Servicing of these sophisticated and
precise systems requires the use of
high-quality parts; bytes, which includes diagnostic scan tools, specialty
tools and equipment; and services,
such as testing, training and technical
support,” Dr. Joergenrud cautioned.
“Shops and technicians that don’t prepare properly for GDI service, or who
take shortcuts in adding or providing
GDI service—with substandard parts,
tools, procedures and training—negatively affect emissions efficiency, performance and safety.”
George Kostopoulos, Bosch Vice
President, OES Sales, said, “Speed in
the service bay matters; it’s where technicians spend the majority of their
time. Our goal is to provide shops and
technicians with the ability to service
the 37 current and new GDI-equipped
vehicles entering the North American
market. Quality parts, advanced scan
and specialty tools and complete knowhow are essential. A shortfall in any
area can make a GDI service or repair
much more time-consuming, if not impossible, to effect. To that end, Bosch
is uniquely positioned as a convenient,
one-stop source for shops and technicians to acquire everything they need
to competently, efficiently and safely
provide GDI service.”
Capture Revenue Before
It Leaves Your Shop
“There’s been a material change in accessory belt drive systems that shops,
technicians and even most automakers
haven’t adjusted too yet,” shared Robert
Basset, Gates Corp. Manager of Training. “Belt material has recently changed
from neoprene to longer lasting ethylene propylene dyne monomer (EPDM)
rubber. Today’s EPDM belts can run
well over 100,000 miles before being totally worn out. In other cases, they can
wear out sooner, yet appear brand new
because of their EPDM construction.
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ple spray bottle test can help direct the
technician to the cause of a belt noise: If
the noise increases when the belt is
sprayed, it’s tension-related; if it goes
away and then comes back, it’s a system
alignment problem.
“Modern accessory belt drive systems
are engineered as a system and should
have recognized this,” Basset went on.
“But the few that have say it will take
time to amend their service information procedures. That’s why Gates is
offering training to independent shop
technicians and working with partners
like M OTOR to help inform technicians and shops of this profitable ser-
Chart courtesy Gates Corp.
“While loss of tension in the accessory belt drive system (ABDS) remains
the root issue with most customer
complaints, most shops routinely replace serpentine belts without identifying the actual underlying root cause,”
Basset added. “The belt may not be
the problem; even worse, other com-
Gates has developed the DriveAlign Tensioner Multiplier, a calculator shops can use to determine how much revenue they’re losing annually
by not suggesting a tensioner at the same time they sell a replacement serpentine belt. Call your Gates representative for a demonstration.
ponents within the system may soon
fail, resulting in a comeback. For example, belt slippage creates problems
such as belt noise, heat for the bearings, loss of efficiency for the accessories, false codes, comebacks and loss
of profits for the shop. Just 5% belt rib
wear can create loss of tension, noise
and heat in the system. And when loss
of tension occurs, excessive heat is generated, which migrates through the
belt into the pulley, shafts of the accessories and then into the bearings, creating premature grease boil-out or
bearing failure.”
Basset considers belt noise a symptom of an ABDS systems issue. More
often, he says, the loss of tension is
more likely caused by a failing tensioner, which generally doesn’t get replaced,
or ABDS system misalignment. A sim-
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January 2015
be treated as such when serviced,” Basset emphasized. “If something in the
ABDS is amiss, replacement of the belt
may not be enough; other components
may also need replacement. That’s why
we recommend ABDS inspections begin at 30,000 miles.
“If either the belt or tensioner is failing, less energy from the crank is transferred to power accessories, until both
the belt and tensioner are replaced,”
Basset said. “Not explaining this to customers and suggesting that both the
belt and tensioner may need replacement is a decision by the shop that reduces revenue from vehicles already in
the shop’s service bay. In addition, failing to take a systems approach sets a
shop up for a comeback and an unhappy customer.
“Some, but not all, automakers
vice opportunity. The end result will
be a more satisfied customer and increased shop revenue, without any
additional investment.”
Making Old Better Than New
Walking the show floor, I ran into Ron
Bilyeu, owner of Pro Dyno Tech in
Thorntown, IN. A performance tuner
for more than 30 years, he also provides training and other resources to
aspiring tuners.
“Consumers are keeping their vehicles longer,” he told me, “but even
with new vehicles, owners are often
not aware their vehicle can be tuned in
areas such as engine performance, suspension and ride, body controls and
others that better suit their driving
habits or needs. Examples include improving torque and horsepower, fuel
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high-airflow headers and other components.
“But tuning isn’t as easy as going to an
auto parts store, buying tricked-out
camshafts, cylinder heads, turbocharger,
etc., then bolting them onto the vehicle.
To make the most of the upgraded parts,
you must have a detailed, drawn up
expectations, which keeps both them
and the shop happy. Too often, I’ve seen
people spend thousands on components,
equipment and shop time to tune a vehicle, then find out the upgrades installed
will not work, or will require more components and tuning time,” Bilyeu said.
“Required tools and equipment in-
Illustration courtesy Pro Dyno Tech
economy, shifting, ride and other enhancements.”
Bilyeu said that performance tuning
“is a viable opportunity for the savvy
shop to attract new business from customers happy to see you and, when
done right, it provides a lucrative revenue stream. For example, it takes me
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According to Ron Bilyeu of Pro Dyno Tech, the ELM 327 Dongle and OBD II Tuner Box (displayed above) are two essential tools that allow a performance tuner to determine whether the desired performance upgrade is doable and, if so, to modify existing or install new vehicle software.
30 minutes to provide a $400 performance dynotune for a customer.” Just
sharing that intrigued me enough to sit
in on his class at the AVI Training Conference, co-located at AAPEX.
“Most vehicles leave the factory set
up for the average driver’s expectations and conditions (however that is
calculated),” Bilyeu began. “Performance upgrades leverage software
and hardware—cold air intakes, throttle bodies, intake manifolds,
camshafts, valvetrains, turbochargers,
plan,” Bilyeu emphasized. “Tuners need
to know if what they want to do can be
accomplished by the hardware and software installed. Planning out your build
and making sure the upgrades you want
will perform on your vehicle, before you
purchase any upgrade performance
components, will avoid nightmares.
“Savvy automotive performance tuning shops will explain up front to customers, before starting any performance
upgrade, why having all the correct hardware matters. This helps meet customer
clude a dynamometer, blank programmable read-only memory (PROM) integrated chips, underdash interface device,
tuner box and good quality read and
write software. Personally, I use the
ELM 327 Bluetooth OBD II Wireless
Transceiver Dongle, which facilitates the
communication of data, settings and software,” Bilyeu continued. “I also use a
Computer Automotive Tuning Systems
OBD II tuner, which provides me with
access to genuine OE software data
packets and files, such as spark, power
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CAN YOU HEAR THEM KNOCKING? NEW SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
enhancement, torque, fuel and diagnostics tables—which I use to test and
rewrite vehicle software. Together, these
two tools are key to 1. helping me determine whether the desired performance
upgrade is doable, and 2. allowing me to
modify existing or install new vehicle
software. And don’t underestimate or neglect the value of quality training; it helps
technicians learn the nuances of performance tuning. It also separates professionals from hacks. And besides minimizing comebacks, training can save you
eating the costs of hardware components
and wasting your valuable time.”
•The software-based scan tool is internet-based, so all the latest vehicle
data and software updates are downloaded automatically.
•Teacher subscriptions include access to Identifix, which will provide
access to genuine service information
in a standardized format, making navigation for service information more
uniform.
•The new tool also includes built-in
J-2534 pass-thru capability for reflashing and reprogramming.
Other useful functions of the TechPRO include the ability to conduct
and functionality. The new service opportunity the TechPRO presents is
clear: Its speed, ease of use and low
cost of ownership will allow shops and
technicians to expand service beyond
one or two specialized vehicle lines to
any or all domestic and Asian models.
The new service opportunities outlined here are available now to independent shops, as are others. I’m reminded of a scene in the film Patch
Adams, with the late Robin Williams.
One of the characters engages Adams
in a conversation that’s analogous to
recognizing new service opportunities.
Many independent shops focus on servicing and repairing one or two primary
vehicle lines. MAHLE Service Solutions’ new TechPRO diagnostic scan
tool—a versatile, software-based, laptop- or tablet-enabled diagnostic scan
tool—is a worthy new entry to the category that allows such shops to affordably
service any domestic or Asian nameplate, in addition to other benefits.
“At its core, the TechPRO diagnostic
scan tool was produced to help professional technicians quickly analyze, diagnose and repair today’s sophisticated
computer-controlled vehicles,” said Max
Dull, General Manager for MAHLE
Service Solutions. “Designed to help
technicians work smarter, not harder,
TechPRO is all about making technicians more efficient. For example, our
new tool features the ability to decode a
vehicle identification number (VIN) in
one second with one click. Plus, the
speed of diagnosis is measured in seconds, vs. minutes for competitors’ tools.”
There are a number of key features
of this innovative diagnostic scan tool:
•It was engineered so the vehicle
communication interface (VCI) and software can be used with a technician’s current desktop computer, laptop or tablet,
making it unnecessary to buy, lease or
learn the nuances of extra hardware.
•The tool will be affordable, as it
won’t require a large initial investment
in scan tool hardware; rather, the TechPRO will be sold via annual subscription. MAHLE will begin selling the
TechPRO this year and will release the
annual subscription fee shortly.
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Photo courtesy MAHLE Service Solutions
Expand Your Car Count
The new MAHLE TechPRO scan tool’s speed, ease of use and low cost of entry ownership
advantages affords independent shops and technicians the opportunity to expand service
from one or two primary vehicle brands to any or all domestic or Asian models.
and display cylinder balance tests,
compression testing, key relearn and
misfire graphing.
“The TechPRO has evolved from
years and years of R&D and technology deployment that providing advanced diagnostic scan tool software
for vehicle manufacturers,” explained
Dull. “Now that same powerful technology is available for use in the independent aftermarket.”
Having seen the TechPRO demonstrated on several vehicles at AAPEX, I
was impressed by its speed and versatility, as well as its depth of information
“How many fingers do you see,” he
asks, holding up four fingers.
After Adams replies, the character
offers this advice:
“Some see four, others eight, but
the point is to see what no one else
sees. See what everyone chooses not
to see, whether out of fear, conformity or laziness.”
That’s where service opportunities reside. Seeing them is your challenge.
This article can be found online at
www.motormagazine.com.