Additional Technical Information For Workshops
“Warranty claims are a necessary part of the automotive aftermarket and correctly handled are an important revenue stream for the workshop,” says Shaun Greasley, commercial director UK and Ireland for parts data specialists, TecDoc.
“However, they are also the source of much dispute when the final costs have to be met by the party that is ultimately deemed to be responsible for the failure of the component.
“Often it is the time taken to fit the replacement item that lies at the heart of these disagreements and it is in this difficult area that TecDoc can again come to the aid of the independent and provide clear guidance for installer, distributor and supplier, through its TecRMI technical data.
“As well as providing the detailed information needed to ensure that the part is installed in the correct manner and that any specific guidelines stipulated by the vehicle manufacturer (VM) are properly adhered to, it also provides the labour times that the procedure will take. As these repair times are stated as prescribed by the VM, they subsequently provide the correct formula to determine the labour cost element of the warranty claim.
“If we take a warranty claim for a dual mass flywheel as an example, we might find that the official VM prescribed time to replace the clutch is 4.7 hours. It is quite possible that the same job, although carried out with the same care and attention by an independent workshop, could take six hours because they might be less familiar with the installation or not have immediate access to the specialist tools needed for part of the process.
“The danger here is that although the garage has submitted a cost for how long the job genuinely took, the claim is likely to be rejected and eyed with suspicion because the claim is for 1.3 hours too much.
“Workshops utilising TecRMI however, are armed with the labour times information they need to allow them to submit the correct figure for the claim and therefore defuse the argument before it is encountered.
“This aspect of the TecRMI system might initially be overlooked and although the comprehensive vehicle specific technical data for cars and commercials is at its heart, this labour times function is another element that adds enormous value to proactive workshops looking for a competitive advantage.”
For more information about TecDoc, please contact Shaun Greasley on: +44 (0) 1829 752888 or email: shaun.greasley@tecdoc.net