If you count the number of broken-down vehicles on the roads, you can see that the fleet is aging and that we have a vital role to play in keeping it healthy.

It’s a phenomenon I haven’t seen for decades. Cars with their bonnets up on the side of the motorway and distraught families waiting for help.

This deplorable and stressful scene for motorists brings us right to the heart of the current situation. There are more cars on our roads, people are driving as many if not more kilometres than before the pandemic, and new cars are long overdue. Their prices, like those of used cars, have risen sharply in recent years. Consumers are also faced with interest rates that encourage them to keep their vehicles longer.

As key service providers in this context, our independent workshops have a role to play in ensuring that these ageing vehicles do their job, and do it safely.

Review the inspection

In my opinion, it all comes down to inspection. You shouldn’t look at a car with 200 or 300,000 km on the odometor with the same eyes as you would when following the maintenance guide for a recent model. Let’s not forget that not so long ago, a car with 100,000 km was virtually at the end of its life. These days, we agree, they’re better built and, if properly maintained, can achieve mileage that could take us to the moon (384,400 km for your curiosity).

As in the case of humans, maintenance changes with age. For the car, the inspection must be thorough and take the time needed to paint a clear picture of its health. Fittings and hoses, spark plugs, belts and chains, cables and brake fluids, as well as steering and suspension parts, to name but a few, all need to be checked. Things as simple as exhaust system brackets and interior and exterior bulbs are all too often forgotten. And what is the condition of the battery?

Trust and safety

We serve customers who have placed their trust in us, sometimes over several generations. We don’t want to find out that one of them, because of a lack of rigorous inspection and professional recommendations from our technical advisors, ends up abandoned by the roadside in appalling conditions.

You’ll see cars that are getting on in years and that people would normally like to get rid of. It’s up to you to make sure they can drive safely and with confidence. A quality preventive maintenance service also guarantees revenue for your business.

And don’t forget that when these customers get their hands on the new or used car they want, they’ll remember you favourably.