The Washington times., 1923-03-25
SERVICE NEEDED BY
DEALER AND OWNER
Would Be Solution of Used Car
Problem, Says
C. w. Nash.
BY C. w. NASH.

Rloslaent the Nash Motors Com
pany.
Rack in the early days of the
Nshicle industry. when the whip
socket was discussed and the car.
bnretor unheard Of, service was a
mighty important matter with the
manufacturer and the dealer. 1t is
OF Ear greater importance today; In
the automobile industry, but some
times wonder whether with a great
many dealers and makers the word
service" has not lost its meaning
and developed into a mere figure
OF speech or an establishment for
automobile advertising.
When man bought wagon or
d. carriage back in the early days
he was accorded every courtesy and
consideration II he drove up to the
dealers place Of business. Maybe
> he Just wanted one of the boys to
tighten nut in the whiffletree, or
tie wheels needed little grease.
Whatever 1t was the customer
needed, his requirements were at
tended to with alacrity. and Incl
dentally those vehicle makers and
dealers who served best were the
ofes who developed largest.
Toe to an automobile owner is a
good deal more complicated than
that accorded q driver of the old
single seated buggy or farm wagon;
but I maintain that the spirit to
serve should be just as great to.
day as It was twenty-five or thirty
years ago.
Usually the dispenser of service
OF the careless type has a banker.
Ing to begin Immediately to "fix"
the carburator. whereas the aver
age carburetor is perfectly all right
until somebody starts to Elk" il
Having fumbled about with the
cgrburetor until he satisfies hIm-
self that 1t is not the cause OF
the trouble, the owner and his FAM
iiI are informed that '.the shops
al full: cant take you in now;
better come back tomorrow or the
next day"
Hanging out in front of tho ga
ra8e. Tapping in the wind, you will
see big sign bearing the inscrip.
tin service in letters two feet
high. But the owner of that ga
rage and the men he employs have
mo- idea whatever what the word
signifies.
This picture is not true of the
dealer body as whole. for IL it
were the automobile industry would
soon cease to exist. AS q matter
% fact the average dealer today
handling standard line OF auto
mobiles is as thoroughly alive to
the value OF service as is the mer-
chant in any other line OF goods in
his town. It Is just as much to
the interest of the dealer as to the
owner to see that cars OF the make
he IL handling are kept in good
condition always. Resale value is
almost dependent upon the con.
d39on q car il In.
@Hhen. too. the car owner going
to- his dealers place or BUSINESS
H8ds to feel that he is entirely well
cua1le, and that whatever adjust.
nkht or work on his car is neces-
eafy viii be taken care OF prompt
~ and efficiently. That's the way
the public felt back in the early
days of the Jump seat. the surrey
and the victoria, and so far as I
know human nature hasn't changed
one particle since then The public
was appreciative of good service in
the horse and carriage age, ana is
just as appreciative OF good serv-
ice in the gasoline age of today.
The driving public appreciates.
too. that one OF the vital auton1o-
tive problems of the day is the used
car and its resale value. This prob.
lam eventually will become one for
the manufacturer to solve in con-
Junction with the dealers and dis
tributors the country over, and, re-
dnced to it's fundamentals, it is a
problem Of proper service while cars
are In active use. The car that is
properly serviced is the car that
Is worth while both for dealer and
owner when the time comes to
trade Il in.
Our organization has attempted
70: anticipate this condition and to
build up automobile service to a
point where replacement will mean
mutual profit to both our owners
and dealers.