MOTORING NOTES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 31 July 1929, Page 6

MOTORING NOTES

CAKE 01 s THE CAR SERVICE AFTER SALES (By Gwajty Ely Iw "The, :M*il."| IiONPON, tßth July. Service after purchase, which in the old days meant nothing much more to the'average car agent than doing a job of work to the car and charging a, good price for such work, is in more modern times looked 'upon as (Involving all sorts of novel obligations. Our local car agents are as eager as (hose of any other place to take a personal interest in the after-purchase life of a car. They will teach a. car nurchaser how to drive his vehicle; they will listen sympathetically to a recital of faults that may develop after a car has been bought and rectify them free if construction or workmanship are to blame; and generally speaking they will act as guide, philosopher and friend to their customers. But the ideal of service after purchase seems to bo even more highly developed in London, for according to a booklet which has been sent to me by ono of the West End motor car sales depots, there is practically nothing that this firm will not do for ils customers. To begin with they will see that your car is insured, and they will take upon themselves all the formalities connected with driving and car licences. They will also obtain registration numbers and fit the appropriate plates (though, of course, they will charge for the plates and fitting thereof). They will also assist you in applying for membership of any motoring organisation desired and fit the appropriate type of badge. FREE CHAUFFEURS These little, services arc, by the. way, performed by any local agents without bragging about them. But the firm in question is certainly entitled to tell the world about some of its other services. They will, for instance, gladly provide free a fully qualified, uniformed chauffeur for three days after purchase to enable the purchaser to have at hand during the first critical period expert advice, and if the purchaser should desire at any time to take a trip abroad in his car they will obtain for him the necessary passports, international travelling pass and all other documents, and even reserve snace on a cross-Channel boat. Suggestefl itineraries will be supplied and. m the words of the booklet, "everything possible done to make the tour as pleasant and trouble-free as possible."

While it is gratifying to find motor agents ready to go to such lengths to serve their clients, I should myself prefer to se c an extension of service after purchase in more practical directions. There is no doubt that as competition in the sale of cars intensifies agents will try more and more to secure custom by the offer of additional service facilities. PERIODICAL INSPECTION When that time comes—if it has not nlready come—l hope they will not try to follow London fashions too slavishly by supplying free chauffeurs and free touring itineraries. The extension I should like to see is that of free periodic inspection and free adjustment. What I have in mind is a. service schemo whereby the purchaser of a new car will be able to take it to the shop or depot where it was bought originally and have it inspected, say every three or four months, free of charge. ' Under such a scheme the car would be looked over by competent mechanics who would tighten such nuts as required it, adjust the brakes, see that play was taken up wherever necessary, look at the steering, focus th e headlights, test the batteries and lubricate the chassis all round in case any grease points had ! been neglected by the owner. Naturally I should not expect the service depot to carry out even a minor repair without charging for the work, but there is a clear difference between a running adjustment and a repair. ' That the idea is not so Utopian is evident from the fact that some manufacturers and traders have already instituted schemes for free inspection and adjustment and are finding it a paying proposition. After all, it is to the direct interest of the manufacturer and trader that a man who buys a car should remain satisfied with it throughout his period of ownership. By free inspection of the car at regular intervals and the forestalling of trouble, the goodwill of the customer is secured, and a.s motorists as a class are not less grateful than any other section of the community, it follows that the owner who obtains free inspection and adjustment from his garage proprietor will make it a point of honour to let him have all Uie business he can, from a new car to a row plug, besides, of course, all the rcttol and oil he requires. It goes witliout saying that this garage owner wilt aiso be asked to undertake all repair and replacement work necessary on the ctr.