Tire Dealers Association of Canada Convention - Autosphere

tPMS: a Money-maker or a Money-loser
Customer Education Will
Make All the Difference
B ut
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that doesn’t necessarily translate
By now, tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) are probably
hardwired into your brain. The phase-in period for their federal
mandate in the U.S. is complete, and that’s had a profound
influence on the number of cars in Canada so equipped.
into an easy sell with your customer,
and dealers will have to focus on training,
equipment, and knowledge to remain
profitable when it comes to TPMS. That
was the message from Kevin Rohlwing,
senior vice president of Training for the
Tire Industry Association (TIA), during his
presentation at the TDAC Convention in
Halifax earlier this year.
The difference between making and losing
money is in being able to sell the value of
maintaining the TPMS to your customer,
and then continuing to service the vehicle
correctly so that it continues to monitor
the tires, he said.
Numerous obstacles
Unfortunately, there are a lot of obstacles
in your way. For consumers, there’s the
price: at approximately $50 per sensor,
you’ve got to “sell” the customer on something
that can represent one-fifth the price
of each tire.
On your shop floor, you’re going to need
tools, updates, parts, resources and scanners,
and possibly the most expensive
of all, staff who are trained in proper
mounting, dismounting, testing, and calibration
of the various systems. That’s not
made easier by the fact that there is no
32 Tire News tn October 2008
standardization for TPMS, and worse,
no quick, comprehensive guide. If your
technician doesn’t know the difference
between a valve-mounted sensor and a
banded one, for example, you could be
looking at an expensive repair that will be
your responsibility, not the customer’s.
Communicating the importance
Another problem that will affect independent
shops, Rohlwing said, is that the
TPMS industry has not effectively communicated
the importance of system maintenance
to customers. Not only are many
drivers unaware of what this new warning
light means, but they’re also likely to ignore
it once the vehicle’s warranty has expired,
or will find ways to disable it, rather than
pay to have it repaired. That’s not the news
you want to hear when your shop is ready
to go with expensive tools and training.
And TPMS can even go the other way, as
a new survey released by J.D. Power and
Associates following the TDAC convention
shows: when asked about satisfaction
with their tires, vehicle owners reported
nearly 20 percent more complaints about
“slow leaks” in their tires in 2008, when
compared with 2007. The problem? J.D.
Power suspects that drivers were monitoring
subtle, non-problematic pressure
changes or false readings on their digital
TPMS readouts, and mistakenly blaming
the tires.
An uphill battle
Jil McIntosh
jil@ca.inter.net
So what’s the solution? Education,
Rohlwing said, with OEMs and suppliers
emphasizing the safety aspect of TPMS
to consumers; as the number of safetyconscious
drivers grows, so does the market.
Even so, independent shops face an
uphill battle, as consumers become weary
of paying to repair or replace components,
and realize that the car will still work even
if the warning light is on.
TIA, meanwhile, is introducing a new TPMS
chart that will become the foundation for
its advanced TPMS training programs,
with relearn summaries, part numbers,
and torque values for all domestic and
import models.
And at the retail level, dealers need to
stay on top with training at all levels of
the shop, from the service counter to the
shop floor, with the aim of “relearning” not
only the TPMS system, but also its owner.
Seatbelts, airbags, anti-lock brakes, and
electronic stability control all had to be
“sold” to the customer in their day, and
now they’re considered essential. One
day, with the proper emphasis, TPMS will
be there also. tn