Digital Dealer - November 2017 - 47

THE AVERAGE VEHICLE TRAVELS 11,800 MILES
PER YEAR, THEREFORE $.054 PER MILE EQUALS
$637 ANNUALLY. FIFTY-THREE BUCKS A MONTH!
LET THAT SINK IN; ONLY $53 PER MONTH TO
MAINTAIN A $50,000-DOLLAR MACHINE."
return on investment.
In the early years of
ownership, the cost is
much lower since most
cars only need a couple
of oil changes and tire
rotations a year. At $50
for a LOF and rotation,
that's only $100 maintenance for the first year.
Only 5 ½ cents
per mile to maintain
a $50,000 high-tech,
computer-controlled
machine that practically
drives itself. What a
great deal!
Service advisors
who communicate this
simple truth to vehicle
owners early and often
will have much smoother sailing when they
start offering 15,000mile, 30,000-mile, and
60,000-mile services. A
price tag of $500 for a
30,000-mile service due
at about the three-year
mark sounds like a lot
of money at first blush.
But, in the big picture, it
fits perfectly into the annual cost of ownership
when amortized over
three years.
When you compare
the "cost to maintain a
vehicle" vs the "cost to
stay healthy," it proves
to be an even better
value. Proper diet, ex-

ercise, supplements, and
preventive medicine isn't
cheap, but it's worth it to
maintain your health.
Proper vehicle maintenance IS cheap and it's
necessary for Americans to maintain their
second-largest capital
investment-their car.
Listen, don't overthink

you are on a 5,000-mile
service interval, in 60,000
miles, the customer
would do eight 5,000-mile
services, two 15,000-mile
services, one 30,000-mile
service, and one 60,000mile service. Include
OEM requirements and
your local dealership
recommendations in your

THE MORE YOUR
CUSTOMERS INVEST
IN MAINTENANCE,
THE MORE FINANCIAL
RETURN THEY'LL
RECEIVE."
this; selling preventive
maintenance services
to your customers is the
noble, right, and honest thing to do, and it's
within everyone's budget.
Frankly, the purpose of
this article is to dispel
the myth (read that as
"excuse") many advisors,
techs, and managers
often bring up when
discussing maintenance
cost. "It's too expensive."
No, it isn't.
Try this quick exercise:
look at your service menu
and add up the cost of
every service interval
up to 60,000 miles. If

totals. When you divide
the total cost by 60,000,
I'm guessing it will be
less than 5 ½ cents per
mile. If so, then go with
that smaller cost-per-mile
number when talking to
your service customers.
There is one other
factor to consider: the
cost-per-mile of gasoline;
which is, of course, the
greatest expense a vehicle owner has. AAA says
it costs $.0688 per mile
for gasoline in a small
sedan compared to $.109
per mile for a 4WD SUV.
So, here's where the
two factors-mainte-

nance and fuel cost-
intersect. Well-maintained vehicles get
better fuel economy
(meaning the gasoline
cost-per-mile drops).
Clean, deposit-free
injectors, intake valves,
throttle plates, and
combustion chambers
increase fuel economy.
Clean, sludge-free
engines, transmissions,
and differentials do,
too. Therefore, preventive maintenance becomes a force multiplier
that is a double-win for
customers.
Automotive maintenance is a necessary investment that
produces a fantastic
return. The more your
customers invest in
maintenance, the more
financial return they'll
receive. Happy sales
to you!
CHARLIE POLSTON is
an Automotive Customer
Retention and Profitability
Consultant with BG Products, Inc. Charlie has been
with BG's Fixed Operations Division for over 34
years. He has trained over
5,000 dealers, managers,
and technicians - and has
been a frequent workshop
leader at NADA's annual
convention. EMAIL:
cpolston@bglsi.com

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

NOVEMBER 2017

47
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - November 2017
