PRODUCT TRAINING
BY VESNA BRAJKOVIC
ASSISTANT EDITOR
920-563-1645
Vesna@VehicleServicePros.com
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Look for information
on stocking and selling
the following category:
AC Service & Repair
(February)
Get to the bottom of line repair
Extend sales opportunity from technicians to shop owners with line repair.
Because technicians perform line repairs on
vehicles and shop owners often purchase the
required line repair kits for shop-wide use, this
tool category offers mobile tool distributors an
opportunity for in-depth sales.
Consider creating relationships with shop owners
and perhaps finding new opportunities for existing
shops on your route by putting a focus on line
repair sales.
Line repair decisions for technicians
Major fluid lines in a vehicle system include fuel,
brake, A/C, transmission, power steering and coolant
lines. When one of these lines is damaged there
are two routes a technician can take: repair a damaged
portion or replace the entire line.
A technician replacing a line completely can
purchase pre-made lines which can be installed
after the damaged lines have been removed. But,
if a technician is performing a repair, oftentimes
they will need to fabricate a new line.
When a technician fabricates a line, they are
deciding which line material to use, and which fittings
are needed to connect a line. They decide how
they will prepare a line and which flare is needed
on the line to make a connection. While there are
many decisions a technician needs to make, it’s also
a relatively standard service most shops can provide.
“I think the ‘fabrication’ word is sometimes
an intimidating word,” Keith Stewart, S.U.R.&R’s
sales director says. “It has sort of a connotation to
people. The bottom line is, it’s very easy to make
these lines with the technology that’s out there …
The last decade or so has really seen a major change
in terms of technology that makes these repairs
easier for people to perform.” S.U.R.&R supplies
vehicle fluid line repair solutions.
Different line materials allow technicians to
route, bend and connect lines easier, Stewart says.
Those were some of the key barriers technicians
used to struggle with.
“Shop owners don’t like surprises,” Stewart
says. “Shop owners definitely don’t like surprises
with lines that don’t hold their fuel and leak and
cause problems. So, the introduction of easier to
use materials and better flaring tools, as well as
28 Professional Distributor I December 2018 I VehicleServicePros.com
quick-connect technology and different types of
fittings and adapters ... these developments have
really changed the industry and made it easier to do
this kind of work faster and more reliably.”
Knowing which materials are used for a repair
can help determine which products to sell.
Fluid lines are most often made of steel, aluminum,
rubber, nylon or a combination of these
materials. For example, A/C lines are usually made
of aluminum, while brake lines are made of nylon.
Power steering lines are made from a combination
of steel and rubber; transmission lines tend be steel,
or nylon and rubber; and coolant lines are aluminum
and rubber.
Technicians using metal materials may need
tube cutters, deburrers for removing metal shavings
left behind after cutting metal tubing, or calipers
to accurately measure the outside diameter of
metal tubes. Technicians working with rubber may
need a hose cutter or a crimping tool to properly
close hose clamps. Other products to offer include:
benders, tube straighteners, fluid line stoppers and
flaring tools.
“With the onset of some more advanced flaring
tool technology, by our company and others, that’s
really been a game changer for people,” Stewart says.
Common causes of damaged lines
One of the biggest factors of line damage is corrosion.
This is driven primarily by the application
of salt and brine on the roadways in colder regions
of the U.S.
While effective in its intended purpose, the
unintended result of these anti-icing road treatments
is advanced vehicle corrosion.
“Not just lines, but virtually everything under
that vehicle – including the frame – is subject to a
material that is much more damaging than conventional
salt,” S.U.R.&R's Stewart says. “I’ve had
people say they’re doing more brake line repair than
they’ve ever done in their career. I’m talking about
30-, 40-year veterans of this industry.”
Brake, fuel and A/C lines see the most corrosive
damage, Stewart explains. But because of compact
vehicle design other lines, like power steering for
example, are being routed differently to use every
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