Hybrids first began making their appearance on U.S. highways more than 10 years ago. Depending on your source, hybrids today make up roughly 3 percent of the total U.S. fleet. That’s about 1.6 million vehicles, and according to John Forro, the author and presenter of “Green Bullets: Hybrid Vehicle Service,” they all “need maintenance” and those maintenance needs “have very few differences” when compared to their gasoline powered counterparts.
They all need their oil changed, their coolant flushed and their brakes serviced. And hybrid customers can be good customers to have. According to industry sources, most hybrid owners made their purchase decision based not on fuel economy, but environmental concerns. The typical hybrid owner is a professional, earning a better than average income,and thinks the dealer is the only place to have his car serviced. But attendees of Monday’s “Green Bullets” session learned there are ways to branch out into this potentially lucrative market.
The first half of the seminar focused on the “need to know” information to service hybrids and thus meet the goal of the class – making money on hybrids. Forro covered how different hybrid systems work and how to safely work around the high voltage systems. He also shared his extensive knowledge of high voltage component testing techniques, scan tool usage for problem solving and pinpoint testing methods.
By reaching out to your customers and explaining that you know how to perform these services on their hybrids, you can build your bottom line with the new services.
And there’s a larger real value in the second half of “Green Bullets” this morning. In the second half , Forro says he shares pattern failures and their fixes using the same format he used with such success in his “Silver Bullets” series.
Forro also is leading a Mode $06 seminar Wednesday morning. Heled the charge in deciphering Mode $06 and was instrumental at making it an effective diagnostic tool for techs. If you are unfamiliar with the term, Mode $06 is one of the nine modes incorporated in your scan tool's global OBDII format. It is a listing of many of the engine control modules internal testing results, and can help in diagnosing a variety of problems if you understand how it works.
Forro is an ASE Certified Master Technician with L1, has contributed material to a variety of industry publications and has authored 13 automotive manuals. His book, “Silver Bullets” won industry awards in 2000 and was a compilation of pattern failures and their fixes, serving as a shop reference to working technicians.
