Cabin filter replacement – easy profit
Replacing the cabin filter is a procedure performed about once a year. It often co-occurs with the need to replace the engine oil as well as oil and air filters. This procedure is obvious to all car mechanics, yet not always understood by the garage customers.
It is a good idea to educate your customers on the need to replace the cabin filter, for example, during the aforesaid service repairs. This brings mutual benefits for both sides. The garages have an opportunity for extra earnings and increasing profit. The customer can be sure that their car will be fully operational after the annual service and ready to drive.
Depending on the car model and the location of the filter, the filter replacement procedure lasts from a few minutes to about an hour, therefore, it can be the “quick and easy money” kind of a task. However, it sometimes happens that the car manufacturer placed the cabin filter in a difficult to reach spot, and its replacement requires special tools and more time – once more leading to the garage profit increase due to charging for more man-hours.
It is also important to discuss it with the car owner and receive their consent to replace the filter. If such repairs are performed without their knowledge, they may refuse to pay for services which they didn’t consent to. It is also important to take the car owner’s opinion into account and provide them with various options to choose from – both cheaper filters having a simpler paper structure as well as those equipped with a charcoal element and guaranteeing better filtration of dust, harmful gases, fungi and any allergens. The customer must have the right to choose whether they want to invest in a more expensive filter or opt for a cheaper one. The range of cabin filters in the automotive parts market is currently very wide, so everyone will certainly find something suitable for their cars, but the task of making the customer aware of the benefits of buying a better replacement part lies solely with the mechanics.
If the customer decides not to install a new part, it is a good idea to offer them the service of checking and cleaning the old cabin filter. This is particularly important if the car covers great distances on gravel roads or in areas with high air pollution. When the mechanic presents the condition of the used part to the owner, then they may change their mind about the need to replace it with a new filter.
Car owners notice the fault of the cabin filter only when they have problems with demisting windows and the efficiency of the entire ventilation system, or the inside of their car becomes filled with unpleasant or musty odours caused by decaying microbes on the filter or bacteria activity. A great number of drivers believe that the pollen filter and its replacement is significant only in the case of people suffering from asthma or having allergies. This is obviously not true because a clogged filter allows for the passage of many harmful substances (for example gases from vehicle exhaust), leading to headaches and increasing tiredness even in healthy people present in a vehicle with a faulty filter. That is why it is vital to remind car owners about the need for replacement and maintenance of cabin filters.
