Auto Service Professional

FEB 2016

Magazine for the auto service professional

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41 | February 2016 Circle 113 on Reader Service Card By Bob Weber Bob Weber is president of Virginia-based Write Stuff. He is an award-winning free- lance automotive and technical writer and photographer with over two decades of journalism experience. He is an ASE-certifed Master Automobile Technician, and has worked on automobiles, trucks and small engines. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and numerous other automotive trade associations. He has worked as an auto service technician, a shop manager and a regional manager for an automotive service franchise operation. T ire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) are a signifcant advance in driving safety, but most motorists are unaware of the system's importance or what to do when the warning light comes on. You owe it to your customers to replace malfunctioning sensors, but it is not always an easy sell. Motorists generally detect no problems — no noises, no vibrations, no major drop in fuel economy, no bulging tires. They may balk at paying for something that seems unnecessary and may even ask you to simply disable the light so that they may go on their way. That is why it's important to educate your customers on the benefts of replacing sen- sors. Once informed, the job may sell itself. The Car Care Council reports 70% of the vehicles on American highways are being driven with one or more low tires. A national survey commissioned by Schrader International Inc., a TPMS manu- facturer, showed that: • nearly one-half of drivers (46%) could not correctly identify what the TPMS icon symbolizes, • one-third (32%) admit they don't know what the icon represents; and • one in 10 (10%) incorrectly identifed it as some other warning. The Chassis

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