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Ullderileath the arches...

2nd April 1992, Page 50
2nd April 1992
Page 50
Page 50, 2nd April 1992 — Ullderileath the arches...
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

elling a truck should be just the beginning of a dealer's partnership with a truck owner; the dealer should resolve all an operator's aftersales requirements. Compared to what I've seen in other countries, operators do not entrust enough work to their franchised truck dealers.

The franchised dealer should try and sell as much equipment as he can to his customers, such as lubricating oil or filters.

He should also try and get as much repair work as possible. I'm very surprised that there are still operators giving their trucks to people under railway bridges to repair. In Continental countries, except maybe in Italy, Spain or Portugal, this does not happen. An operator cannot expect a reliable repair from underneath the arches.

If he spends five pounds the job will be done for five pounds. But two days later he'll have to go back and spend another five pounds.

And at the end of the year, when he .adds it all up, he's paid as much as he would pay at any big garage where the service is OK.

Vehicles are becoming more and more complicated and advanced. Backstreet repairers haven't got the tooling or the expertise or the training.

At Renault we are perpetually training our people, as are our competitors. We use electronic diagnostic kits which fit in a suitcase. Backstreet repairers would have difficulty adjusting an electronic speed limiter or ABS without it, and if they merely tamper with ABS it can be disastrous.

My hobby horse is lubricating oil. It is pointless for operators to try and economise on it by trying to lengthen the oil drain periods, or buying oil at very cheap rates.

After 200,000 or 250,000Iun this causes big problems with an engine, which operators then blame on the manufacturer. It's very important to maintain the quality of oil.

In terms of quality a dealer should be able to match any requirement and be able to beat the prices of backstreet repairers. Big garages should not ask their customers to pay their big overheads; they should be competitive and give value for money.

When you get a vehicle maintained by a franchised dealer, at the end of three years it will have been looked after properly. Backstreet operators may make the necessary repairs but that doesn't mean the vehicle will be kept in a safe condition.

It is wrong to try and minimise costs by going underneath the arches... in the long run it is not worth it. y

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