Automotive tool specialist, Draper Tools is outlining some of the key considerations for garages this winter.
Winter brings mixed fortunes in the garage, working conditions get colder and darker and extra precautions are needed to keep the garage safe, compliant and comfortable. Equally, the colder months can offer opportunities to give your customers added peace of mind and boost your bottom line at the same time by offering a winter health check and cross selling seasonal maintenance jobs.
Offering a winter health check presents an opportunity for garages, alongside giving motorists some much needed reassurance. Include essential checks such as battery health, tyre condition, fluid levels, lights, brakes, windscreen wipers and anti-freeze to help give your customers confidence. These simple but important checks can be a significant source of added income, whilst also helping to make a real difference to road safety at this time of year.
Once you provide these services, you need to make sure you communicate the importance of these added safety checks during winter to your customers. According to data from Direct Line Group, the top reason for a winter breakdown is a flat battery, which accounts for over 440,000 (35 per cent) of call outs in winter. As a garage you’ll likely have your own experience of how frequently you deal with battery problems during the winter months too, you can use this knowledge to highlight how vital battery care is.
The age of the customer’s vehicle battery is a key consideration too, if it’s older than four or five years, it could be nearing the end of its life – meaning it’s well worth recommending a battery check-up. Don’t forget to offer your customers some advice on best practice for batteries too, such as using a trickle charger and minimising the use of power-hungry accessories.
To perform a battery check, ensure you check battery condition with a visual inspection and a test of the voltage output and charging rate of the battery, using a multimeter or basic battery tester.
Make sure you’re well-stocked with battery charging equipment and jump starters to help you deal with the winter influx of battery related issues. A battery charging station to charge multiple vehicle batteries at once is a good investment for any garage.
Talk about tyre safety
Tyre pressure notifications are easily ignored by many motorists and tread depths often go unchecked, partly because people are unaware of the serious dangers that unsafe tyres pose. There’s a lot of confusion on this topic for consumers, allowing garages to become a local source of expertise on the subject. For instance, while the legal limit for tread is 1.6mm, most of us in the trade understand that once tyres are below 3mm, stopping distances increase dramatically. When you combine this with winter’s wet and icy road conditions, it makes for a real risk to road safety. So, be sure to talk about tyre safety and let your customers know that stopping distances, grip and braking control are all affected by poor tyre condition.
In any winter service or health check, make sure you pay extra attention to overall tyre condition and check the wheel nuts too.
But preparing for winter doesn’t just mean providing extra care for your customers’ cars. Working conditions and onsite customer safety are essential to consider alongside vehicle checks. When cold temperatures set in, a good pair of mechanics gloves will keep hands warm during pre-drive vehicle inspections and during deliveries. An electric heater is another worthwhile investment when the weather turns. Look for energy efficient models, such as PTC heaters to keep costs down.
Winter’s poor lighting conditions can make it worth considering some extra lighting options, these could be anything from site and flood lights or simply some compact magnetic inspection lamps, allowing for hands free working under the bonnet.
Tool storage is another area to think about when the weather turns, especially power tools. Extremes of temperature should be avoided, along with any kind of damp, moist environment. Choose a secure tool chest for storage when not in use and this will also avoid dust and debris.
Be sure to prioritise your customers safety on the premises. In winter, flooring could be wet for example, make sure you’ve got adequate safety signage, lighting and first aid kits on site – and check these haven’t expired.
- Draper 3 bank charger station: This is a high quality, microprocessor controlled 6V/12V bank charger station with capacity to charge and maintain three vehicle batteries simultaneously. It is a fully automatic smart charger, capable of continuously monitoring and reacting to battery condition to prevent overcharging, reverse polarity and short circuits. A handy addition for any garage, it comes fitted with lead connectors and supplied with terminal rings and alligator clips.
- Schumacher Giga 12/24V Lithium Booster: Thanks to a partnership between global battery care brand Schumacher and Draper, you’ll find greater availability of their industry leading chargers and boosters. This professional jump starter is suitable for starting difficult vehicles, and with the built-in memory saver, the vehicle’s parameters such as the radio and clock settings are preserved during the battery charge. Additionally, it features an override mode, allowing the vehicle to be started without the battery.
- Draper 230V infrared cabinet heater: This heater is highly efficient and converts 95 per cent of the input electricity to heat. It is the ideal solution for larger garages where heating the entire area is either impractical or too expensive. (See main image)
- Draper COB LED rechargeable 2-in-1 head torch with wave sensor: This adjustable headband is fitted with a bright LED spotlight and COB floodlight to create a powerful head torch. The LED headlamp is great for long distances, while the wide-area COB light offers an incredible field of view and eliminates the need for head movement to illuminate the desired area.
- Draper Expert USB Rechargeable Inspection Light with Charging Station: This durable inspection light provides a wide angle of illumination and features a long distance torch beam for added versatility. It includes a 180° swivel stand for adjusting the beam direction, as well as strong magnets on the back and base, and an integrated hook for hands-free use.
- Draper 400V PTC Electric Space Heater: This energy efficient PTC heater is a great option for the garage and able to self-regulate in order to warm up your space (and keep it that way) quickly and efficiently.
