Clear intent: Dealers want to buy equipment

July 28, 2010

Independent tire dealers appear to be in a buying mode, at least according to the 2009-2010 Modern Tire Dealer Automotive Service Survey.

When asked, "Do you plan to buy or lease new service equipment in 2010?" respondents answered in the affirmative. Here's the breakdown:

Equipment                   % of dealers

Air compressors         10.3%

Lifts                                10.3%

Brake lathes, on-car      4.8%

Brake lathes, off-car      4.0%

Battery tester/charger    4.0%

Refrigerant recycler       3.2%

More than half of the dealers surveyed said they purchased from automotive jobbers, with warehouse distributors a close second.

Automotive service accounts for 41% of the average tire dealer's sales volume. The MTD Automotive Service Survey breaks down service bay usage even further, so that you have a benchmark to which you can compare your own dealership's performance.

It covers everything from the average number of bays and technicians per dealership to what services are being perfomed in those bays. We already have addressed engine diagnostics, exhaust service, brake service, battery/electrical service, air conditioning, chassis/suspension, shocks/struts, cooling system and oil and lubrication service on our Web site, www.moderntiredealer.com, and in our bi-weekly "Auto Service News & Best Practices" e-newsletters.

For more survey information, check out January's Modern Tire Dealer Facts Issue online as well!