March 11, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by Luxury Auto Mall.

Picture this: Your “check engine” light is on.

Or you’re due for a scheduled oil change.

You bring your vehicle into the service shop at Luxury Auto Mall, explain to the adviser why you’re there – and then the technician takes over.

And while technicians typically assess the entire vehicle, “you don’t generally see the inside and underside of your car when you bring it in for servicing,” said Neil Maxfield, a service manager at Luxury Auto Mall.

“The technician and the customer generally haven’t interacted. Usually, the technician talks to the customer through an adviser.”

That’s now changing because, instead of simply looking at the vehicle, Luxury Auto Mall technicians are using iPhones and iPads to photograph and take a video of what they see.

The new multipoint video inspection will be done automatically whenever vehicles come in for servicing, such as general maintenance, transmission services, brake work or car detailing.

“Think of it as what the doctor is seeing with your car,” general manager Mike Chaplin said. “Good or bad. In some cases, you’ll have peace of mind everything looks fine. But it won’t become a situation where one day you’re a healthy 20-year-old and the next day you’re injuring yourself at 40 and asking what happened.”

With the new video inspection, vehicle owners will get an easy, comprehensive look at everything from tires and the four-wheel-drive system to brakes and fluids.

“Now that we’re well into winter, we’re seeing customers come in with seasonal issues or services, so when you do, it’s an opportunity to take another look at the rest of the vehicle to make sure everything looks in order or to make us aware of anything we should be watching,” Maxfield said.

“It’s a way to predict what you likely will need in six months or a year, eliminating surprises.”

There also are photos taken of the exterior, including the glass, “so we can tell if you have a chip that could turn into a crack,” Chaplin added.

“The whole approach is about giving customers insight into what’s going on with their vehicle and the knowledge they need to ask questions.”

Customers already are finding a lot of value in the video inspections.

“Customers love it,” Chaplin said. “It all goes back to transparency and trust. It gives them unique insight into what’s going on with their vehicle and why we might need to fix it.”

Luxury Auto Mall also can send customers photos and videos electronically, “so they can instantly see what’s going on with the car no matter where they are and approve or deny recommendations,” Maxfield said.

“And the inspections also are stored electronically for as long as you have your vehicle, so if a customer wants to go back and review it, they can, or it could add resale value when a buyer sees how a vehicle has been maintained and the condition it’s in.”

Luxury Auto Mall can service any vehicle and is a convenient stop for BMW and Mercedes-Benz owners as they complete their annual routine maintenance. It’s also a GM-certified shop for factory warranty repairs.

Is your vehicle in need of service? Click here or call 888-710-3852