Safety inspections an entry point into National Car Care Month

Utilizing the heightened attention on car maintenance during April's Car Care Month can boost vehicle safety inspection awareness and necessity. Vehicle safety inspections are not mandated in all states, but support of the practice — both for sales and safety — should become common law throughout the supply chain. In fact, with legislation moving through the federal level, it just might become mandatory.

"It brings work into the shop. Naturally, you go through lots of safety things, brakes, front ends, and you want to look at it real close," says Bud Vollmer, owner of Vollmer Motor Sales, New Brighton, Pa. "If there is a problem, it has to be corrected or else you could lose the license."

"A safety inspection program will help consumers identify and correct potentially serious problems as well as help them avoid more extensive and expensive repairs caused by neglect," says Steve Cartwright, curriculum manager, chassis, Federal-Mogul. "The shop and distributor will have the opportunity to develop a stronger relationship with the customer, potentially leading to additional services over the life of the vehicle."

There is support you can draw on from the Car Care Council as it continues to promote National Car Care Month overall. And spreading across the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) is additional support for safety inspections and incorporating the two together.

"A lot of our members are repair shops, and during Car Care Month we support safety inspections. It is good for business, but it also teaches the public to have their cars maintained properly," says Aaron Lowe, AAIA legislative liaison.

Asking For More Money

Yet despite the benefits, safety inspections are not always overly popular among consumers.

"The problem with inspections is a lot of the car owners just don't like the inconvenience of getting their cars inspected," Lowe says. "Inspections aren't very popular. We need to do a better job of explaining those benefits to the motoring public."

And with economic concerns weighing heavy on everyone's minds, cost is also a key factor. "Nobody wants to spend anything they don't have to, so it can be hard to use inspections as a selling opportunity for a shop," says Skip Potter, executive director of the Chesapeake Automotive Business Association, a non-profit organization with warehouse distributor members in Delaware, Washington D.C. and Maryland.

One main challenge is in educating consumers about the importance and eventual benefit of the inspections.

"People are limited on the amount of money that they have as far as expendable income. What we try to do is educate them that an ounce of prevention goes a long ways," says Alan Mosher, parts, brakes & engine category and inventory manager at manufacturer UNI-SELET, which sponsors annual inspection events during Car Care Month. "Changing their oil regularly, looking at some of the maintenance issues on the vehicle, this will help them get more longevity. You're going to probably have a better chance of not having that big break down, which is going to be more costly in the long run."

The Car Care Council is using more of a community-focused approach to push the value of car care, especially during times of high fuel prices, lower new car sales and closing dealerships. The group aims to bring "attention to what the aftermarket can do," says Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council.

"People buy from people. This is like if you had a chance to talk to an attorney or a doctor in your area for 20 minutes free. Well that's a pretty good service, and chances are when you are really looking for someone, you're going to remember that person who took their time," he explains. "And that's the same thing that happens at these events, they're not selling events, but more community, civic oriented educational events. But they help reinforce loyalty among a shop or store's customers, current customers and it attracts new customers."

Vollmer says shops and their distribution partners are missing out on sales and service by not performing these checks. Getting a checklist together beforehand, like the one the Car Care Council offers, will help make your event smoother.

"You don't tear up the rotors and drums like you would if you didn't check them. You don't have the exhaust falling off, which is tearing up more exhaust. And things like that," he explains. "So I really think if I was in the Ohio area (where safety inspections are not required), when my customers come in for their oil changes, regular customers that you know the vehicles, I would really watch them at least once a year if not twice. Other customers that are hit and miss, I check them every time they come in. Because naturally, if you get a brake job out of it or something, there's more money in the bank."

Efforts on the legal front

Currently, legislation mandates periodical vehicle safety inspections in 19 states. But three decades ago, 60 percent of states had requirements.

The Highway Safety Act of 1966 mandated that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) create uniform standards for states and highway safety programs. States failing to meet the requirements were denied federal highway funding, says Bob Redding, Washington representative for the Automotive Service Association (ASA). At one point, about 31 states had required inspections.

But the Highway Safety Act of 1976 revoked DOT's authority to withhold money, resulting in many states dropping their programs.

New legislation to re-regulate state inspections federally — H.R. 259 — has again been proposed and should be viewed as favorable for both consumers and the aftermarket. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, has introduced the bill, which would establish national standards for state safety inspection programs. It would require vehicle owners to have their vehicles inspected annually and meet established state safety standards. The bill also included the ability of the federal government to withhold a percentage of state highway funds.

The minimum requirements would demand operable seatbelts and speedometers. But there could be more each state could require, especially if shops and distributors back tougher mandates.

"Obviously inspections impact sales, because there are a lot of people who don't take care of their cars, and this would force them to get them fixed. And this will be really good for the industry," Lowe says. "But it is also good for the motoring public when our cars are safe on the road."

The ASA also supports the proposed legislation, but would like to see some of the bill's language fine-tuned to make sure there is a "smorgasbord of safety options" checked, Redding says.

"In the universe of repairs, there will be more repairs in the marketplace," he offers. "That doesn't mean each shop doing the inspecting would get the repair. That's not what it's about. There are a lot of repairs out there that should be made, service items, some safety and some not safety related. And generally there would be more repairs for independents."

Not everyone is on board with the legislation, however.

Bob Pulverati, executive director of Independent Garage Owners of America, a non-profit association serving the independent automotive repair, service and collision industry, says reports in North Carolina indicate there could be a bill introduced calling for the elimination of the state's inspection program. He says the North Carolina Legislative Program Review Division has stated there is no link between vehicle safety inspections and driver safety.

From his position in the aftermarket, Pulverati says the possibility of that elimination is a real issue.

"If we eliminated the safety program, our members lose out on the inspection fee and the related repairs," he says. "And you take that a step further, and the parts distribution centers will also lose out on those related parts sales. It is a trickle-down effect and in an economy as soft as ours, I don't know that we need to do that."

Deep Impact

But how much of a profit boost can vehicle safety inspections actually return?

Sale spikes can be seen across many part categories, including tires, brakes, brake pads, rotors, calipers, hoses, suspension parts, wiper blades lighting and driving belts, says Pulverati.

"In general, we check the windshield for cracks, wipers for operation and quality, check all the lighting, the aim of the headlights, the tires, make sure there are no bulges and they are not bald," he says. "We check brakes, brake pedals, fade, the emergency brake, front-end components, seat belts and we check the glass for tint. Fluids are not mandated, but it is good business to do so."

Hella has seen a large sales boost in emissions parts throughout California, Georgia, New Jersey and New York — all states the require periodical emissions inspections — says Fred Snow, company vice president of aftermarket sales.

"A lot of emissions parts, when they break, they go unnoticed. The number one thing we've seen drive the sales of those parts are the emissions laws," Snow says. The impact is "fairly difficult to ignore. We have really seen a difference in emission parts, showing these inspections drive sales and safety for the end consumer and our environment."

Add with that the timing of Car Care Month, and sales can move upward even farther. Cartwright, with Federal-Mogul, says April and May usually are strong months for sales as drivers perform maintenance and repair on issues uncovered during winter.

"We also see a correlation between tire sales – which are generally stronger in the spring and fall – and other undercar repairs, particularly brakes and steering and suspension components," he adds. "Any time the vehicle is on the rack, it's a great time to take a look at steering linkage components, ball joints and other undercar parts that can affect overall driving safety and affect tire life. Again, it's like having a routine checkup with your doctor; these can help save your life by identifying emerging problems before they cause more serious issues.

The April Advantage

Car Care Month can be used as an entry point to begin encouraging safety inspections because of the focused push on vehicle maintenance throughout the supply chain. White, with the Car Care Council, says there are several factors converging that make now a good time to encourage your customers to incorporate these inspections and free Car Care Month events into their plans.

"You've got the gas prices creeping up higher, so there's still gas prices at top of mind. And there's vehicle maintenance that you can do that will improve your fuel efficiency. People are not buying new cars. They're hanging onto their cars," he says. "And another thing is the dealerships in many communities, thousands of communities are closing down. There are many more consumers who may have gone to a dealership, they will no longer be going to a dealership and are looking for other places to get their vehicles serviced and maintained. This is bringing attention to what the independent aftermarket can do."

The aftermarket can get on board with Car Care Month events, such as the one Mosher says Uni-Select USA does with Alfred State College. They incorporate vendors such as WIX Filters, Moog and Deyco into the events, as well as running service bulletin checks, giveaways and basic inspections.

At Vollmer Motor Sales, Vollmer says he uses a checklist sheet during Car Care Month events to check vehicles. They also start contacting customers about a month before the event telling them about the free safety inspections, and then tie in that checklist.

"And then hand it to them and say, 'Hey this is what we recommend' and try to get it scheduled to get it handled. So it does kind of help scheduling a little bit," he adds.

Any little bit of scheduling or inspections – free or required – can help make the aftermarket stronger. White says the Car Care Council is making Car Care Month events this year more local than in the past, focusing on getting the word out about the importance of vehicle maintenance.

To get more involved with vehicle inspections or Car Care Month events, the Car Care Council has set up a Web site with kits and suggestions you can use in your shops and also offer your customers. For more information, visit www.carcareindustry.com.