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Garage
The mechanic’s advice
Interview of the “Dayco mechanic” – Alessandro Confalone
Alessandro Confalone, owner of the
garage of the same name in San Giovanni
Teatino (CH), was the first Dayco spare
part dealer to use the Long Life +1
promotion. When he opened his garage
in 1998, she was only 21 years old and -
he stresses rather proudly - «the
youngest tradesman in Chieti». We have
asked him his opinion on the Dayco
products and services, based on his long
experience in the field”.
For how long have you known and
used Dayco products
Since I started my activity, that is about
13 years ago.
Why did you decide to use Dayco
products
Because for us, independent repair
shops, installing Dayco spare parts
provides performance levels identical to
those of original equipment.
What are the benefits, for an
independent garage, of providing this
service to the customer
I can recommend to my customers a high
quality product that gives optimal results
and, at the same time, allows them to
save money.
Based on your experience, does the
car owner know the difference
between the various spare parts
Sometimes customers ask to install a
specific belt, often a Dayco belt, but in
general it is our job to promote the best
product. It is important for us to build
customer loyalty, establishing a relation
of trust through quality assurance.
According to you, what are the
reasons that make customers
request a Dayco product
I think that the reason is the excellent
value for money.
How did you get to know about the
Long Life +1 initiative
Through a card in a kit, which advertised
the current promotion and explained how
to use it.
Was it difficult to obtain the warranty
extension
Not at all. All you have to do is register to
the Garage area on the Dayco Web site,
dedicated to repair shops. Once you are
registered, you just have to find the
application through the Technical
Information pages, then enter the
customer’s data and print the warranty
certificate.
Did you find the procedure intuitive
or did you have to read the
instructions on the card or the
tutorial video
No, it was quite simple. The only thing
you have to remember is to keep the box
to enter the bar code.
Was the customer satisfied with the
warranty extension
He was very satisfied, not only for the
additional year, but also for the high
quality and performance level of the kit
installed.
Would you suggest this operation to
your colleagues
Yes, especially because it allows us to get
information on installation details and
specific equipment. Today, with the new
systems, if you don’t have the right tool,
you can’t work efficiently. I am thinking
of tools such as tensiometers, torque
wrenches, universal kits.
Did you already know about the
Virtual Garage
Yes, I’ve known it for about a year. Before,
I used to work with Dayco USB, but I find
this system much simpler.
Would you recommend its use to your
colleagues If yes, why
I would certainly recommend it. Both
before purchasing the product and when
installing it. Whenever there is an urgent
work to do, it is always useful to take
some time and log in to consult technical
information, assembly sheets, as well as
the codes of the required tools, in
particular when special tools are
required.
Why is it particularly useful to have
access to this information
If you want to do a good job, information
comes first, then all the rest. If you start
directly with the purchase, without
reading the technical specifications and
without knowing the appropriate tools,
you run the risk of installing a
noncompliant product, thus
compromising the whole procedure
Approximately how many works do
you perform on timing systems every
month
About 5 or 6, depending on the periods.
What do you think of the kit offering
Do you recommend it to your
customers
Yes, exclusively Dayco kits, since they
have been available.
What benefits do they offer
Kits reflect the manufacturers’ recommendations.
Even though the initial
expense for the car owner is higher, he
quickly realises that it allows to avoid
further disassemblies, such as the water
pump or tensioner bearings. This is a
great benefit for the customer.
They don’t have to go back to the
garage after a few months.
Yes, they don’t have to pay twice for
labour.
Beside the product, Dayco offers a
series of consulting and supporting
services. Do you know, for example,
the toll free number
I know it and I have used it several times.
I discovered it through my work, but also
through a team of technicians who
helped me personally, more than once,
to understand some technical aspects
related to my job.
Although you have been working for
many years, you represent, at your
age, the new-generation mechanic.
As part of the improvement of the
repairman professional figure, how
important is the capacity of using
sophisticated instruments such as
the tensiometer or the torque
wrench
It is very important. For example, to install
some kits, you must be able to perform
an electronic resetting, which is an
important procedure, including for
diagnostics.
What would you recommend, in
general, to your colleagues
It often happens that, when working on
an engine, I discover that only some
components of the transmission have
been previously replaced. This means
you have to start again from scratch. My
advice is therefore to follow the manufacturer’s
recommendations.
In your opinion, what is the
percentage of errors imputable to the
product or to incorrect maintenance
As far as new-generation cars are
concerned – meaning cars that have
been in circulation for a decade or so,
which I those I mainly work on – I would
say that, in 90% of the cases, errors
result from improper maintenance or
incorrect assembly.
To work in the best possible way,
how important is it to be able to be
continuously updated and find the
most “up-to-date” information
Updating is definitely very important.
Personally, when I work I usually refer to
some manuals that I have found myself.
The fact that Dayco now supplies the
same service through its website is
certainly a great help. In fact – as I said
before - when a car gets to the garage for
the timing control, before buying the
product, you have to check the
registration documents and make sure
you have the right equipment. And Dayco
has done an excellent job in this sense:
you log in to the site, you browse through
a few pages and you can check the code
and tool correspondence. And work can
only benefit from this, in terms of
efficiency and speed.
MAY 2011
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