Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-31

il'9 venture III prOpnNldCtlC aut
Service experts point out that serv-
Ice VIII be more important factor
tlan ever before because of a number
at recent improvements in car design
which, in eliminating much of the
drudgery of ear care have at the
same time put the average car owner
IN position where he finds himself
out of practice.
Bring New Problems
Service stations are being called
upon TO handle work which the aver
age motorist formerly did for himself.
and the new situation is calling for
ney type of cooperation. In addition
many of the ConvenienCeS offered with
the new ears have developed new
service problems which the average
owner is in no position to cope with
individually.
There Is also the financial considera-
tiOn. Legitimate service has never
been profitable business. At this
late date many Of the most progress
Slvc dealers are actively engaged in
Analysing and revising their elaborate
systems with Il view to making them
pay while at the same time making
ii more economical for the motorist
10 have his car SerViCed regularly
whore he bought il.
Flat-rate service systems have been
subject of national discussion in the
automobile business. and no solution
IS in sight until the American car
owner realizes the part he must play
Sn the success of such plans. The
flat-rdte idea is based upon volume.
Every one has witnessed what volume
production and sales has done for
motordom. Now this idea is to be
applied to service.
Needs Maximum Volume.
\ large distributor in New England
has come to the conclusion that service
cannot he profitable. either for dealer
or customer. unless the volume of
work is Al a maximum and kept con-
slant. Viewing the situation from
the other angle, il is evident that car
owners are not enjoying the advan-
faCeS OF systematized service at mini
mum rates because they do not take
their cars to the service station regu-
larly.
1t has been estimated that IL all car
owners during the past 10 years had
been satisfied to keep their open cars,
forego the new innovations in design
and patch up their cars as best they
could, the 1926 car would be double
the price and not nearly SO attraC-
tive. Car owners. however, still seem
satisfied to risk mistakes in tinkering
with their own cars and feel that they
cars over to back alley repairmen.
\ number of innovations in service
methods are impending, but they are
awaiting the financial success of the
average service station. Plans are
under way for unit requirements
whereby q motorist in trouble would
he enabled to use his car with a
substitute generator, starter. cylinder
head and valve gear, transmission
and so on. while the ailing unit was
being repaired. All-night service
whereby the car will be repaired
while you Sleep is another novelty
1n store for the motorist when he
hwakens to the Importance of volume
IN service. However, little progress
can be made until service stations
are put on a paying basis.
Have False View.
The car owners role in this connec.
tion involves some interesting fea
lures. Even psychology Is involved
one service manager contends that
s. is depressing and demoralizing to
the service business the way many
car owners eXaggerate their troubles.
lie feels that this is largely the re-
suit of the mistaken idea as to the
purpose of a service station. Owners
view service stations as trouble sta
tions rather than as maintenance
quarters.
Little progress will be made in
tervice until owners grasp the idea
that progressive dealers are selling
r1aintenanCe systems" he explains
'The custom IS to neglect the car until
IL develops some serious complaint
and then seek the service station when
inexperienced roadside mechanics
have taken a shot at it without any
success. Comparatively few motorists
take the attitude that they are bring
ing in their cars to prevent trouble.
Ono of the reasons why so many
automobile dealers have failed to make
progress with fiat rates is because car
owners have overlooked the mainte-
rance thought in modern service. 1t
IS a. comparatively simple matter TO
find the average cost OF grinding in
valves or of refining brakes. and an
equally simple matter to add a per-
Centage for profit and arrive at a
fiat rate. But if car owners fail to
ward off serious troubles by giving
their car the advantage of regular
ma intenanCe the service stations be-
come overrun with special work which
completely upsets the carefully pre-
arranged plans. Dealers who have
tried to put everything on a f1at-rate
basis have met with immediate fall
IRE, while those who do not carry
the flat-rate idea to extremes find
that the special work more than off.
sets Inc advantages OIL the nat rates.
Compared to Dentist.
All this is the result Of wrong at
titude toward service. The dentist
can estimate in advance the cost Of
cleaning the teeth or photoSraphing
them or of filling cavities that are
1ust developing, but when he Is of
fered complex work the cost cannot
be predetermined. Unless he IS amaz-
ingly accurate in estimating, he will
have to load his charges somewhere
along the line in order TO come out
ahead. SO long as most of his pa
1ents take the preventive treatment.
however, he can risk lower rates and
smaller profits per job. The automo-
bile dealer Is in very much the same
position. If anything, the dealers po-
Sition is even more precariouS, be-
cause he is selling the time and labor
of his mechanics rather than his own
personal skill.
With view to simplifying this fea-
ture of the problem. one progressive
dealer has put all of his mocha MICS on
n piece work basis. Men get so much
for every job they do. This stimulates
speed and efficiency, accuracy being
assured through an arrangement
whereby each mechanic guarantees
his work. But here again the matter
Of volume in service is directly de-
pendent upon the car owner. Me
ChanicS can make more money on this
basis, and favor il provided the vol
ime of work IS high. AS long as work