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Car repair shops are often required to at least partially repair air conditioning systems, particularly where there has been a front impact. If they already have the equipment to charge air conditioning systems are repairs, why not offer other related services and diversify their business and revenue streams? All you have to do is choose the most appropriate tool for the task.
Once reserved only for luxury vehicles, air conditioning has now become standard for even small city cars.
In the event of a front impact, the components of the air conditioning system can be easily damaged and will more than likely need to be replaced. Once the system has been repaired, it will then need to be charged with refrigerant gas. This will require an air conditioning charging station. Additionally, air conditioning systems also need to be regularly maintained, checked and recharged.
If the repair shop already has a charging station, why not also offer maintenance services? This is a great opportunity for workshops to strengthen their relationship with the customer and see them more regularly.
This air conditioning specialist now recognises the importance of R1234yf gas, the refrigerant used to replace R134a since 2017. SNDC is the only French designer and manufacturer of automotive HVAC solutions and now offers two models of charging station under its ECOCLIM brand :
These two models also have an R134a version for the many vehicles still in circulation that use this fluid.
According to SNDC, “There are many key factors to consider when choosing an air conditioning charging station. It is important to consider the type of operations carried out and the annual volume of this kind of work.” This will have a key influence on which model is most suitable for the workshop.
Once the type of charging station has been chosen, it careful attention should be paid to the quality of after-sales support :
All of this will be important to take into consideration. The warranty period is also not something to be overlooked, and some manufacturers may even have planned obsolescence built into their machines. Another key factor will be the capacity of the unit. If this is too low, it may make operations more complex and repetitive and harder to maintain traceability, which is an essential part of conformance to regulations.
Carrosserie is the FFC's newspaper focusing on all the news related to industrial and automotive bodywork.
