The inside of the engine, cooling system, and transmission can be a mysterious place, especially when something stops functioning as it should. While some customers think a mechanic can hook a car up to a magical machine to find out the issue, it’s often a painstaking task that requires the use of your senses, mainly listening and looking. In the past, taking off the accessories and tearing down components until you find an obvious problem was the only diagnosis option. However, a recent rise in the use of borescopes has streamlined the diagnosis process at shops all around the world, which they’re finding is actually increasing the customer satisfaction and retention rate.
A Borescope and Its Uses Around the Shop
Backing things up a bit for someone who isn’t familiar with what a borescope is, it’s a simple, yet complex piece of equipment. They are optical devices that have a rigid or flexible tube, and have a eyepiece on one end with objective lens on the other, and they are linked together by a relay between the systems. There are many different varieties, and some are even outfitted with a video device for recorded viewing.
There are several uses for borescopes that make them an important, even critical, shop tool. Obviously, the biggest benefit is the access to components without the teardown, which any technician is going to find quite handy. Mechanics put them to use inspecting engine cylinder, pistons, valves, crankshafts, and so on to save themselves time and money. For example, instead of having to pull a set of cylinder heads and invest in the teardown, then charging the customer for a set of head gaskets and new bolts, techs can see if there’s an issue at step one, not step ten.
A Surprising Benefit of this High-Tech Shop Tool
As most owners already know, the customer’s mistrust of the diagnosis process is the biggest caveat when it comes to explaining why they’re getting a bill before work is ever done. The normal driver doesn’t understand the manpower and time it takes to tear down an engine to find the issue, so charging fees upwards of $75/hr plus replacement parts is often confusing to them. What shop owners around the country are starting to find, is that when they are able to diagnose issues in less time, and are able to charge the customer less in parts during initial diagnosis, they make more money on each job in the long run. This process is actually creating a new level of trust between the technicians and the customers, as customers are far less suspicious that they are being ripped off by the mechanics.
So now, with the time cut down to a fraction of what it would have been without a borescope, and no need to replace gaskets and bolts when the problem wasn’t even with the areas that had to be torn down for a visual inspection. This makes upselling the customer on other services, more expensive parts, and other repairs easier for the mechanic. Customers are also far more inclined to exhibit more patience while their car is being repaired since they saw a high level of professionalism during the repair process. This all, ultimately, will lead to a lot more return business and referrals, something that any shop needs to thrive in this competitive field. When you need an edge in the industry, you need a borescope.
About SPI Borescopes
We are not only a leading brand in the borescope industry, we work to connect with the consumer to determine the need, and then find a solution. The information above was gathered during one-on-one meetings and interviews with shop owners and technicians. Offering a quality product is our top priority, but we also want to make sure to connect with our customer base to ensure they’re getting the most out of any borescope they may have, or are looking at using.
