Whether you lease or buy a fleet, you want to make sure that your vehicles are taken care of so they remain in good condition for years to come. A vehicle doesn’t do much good if it’s constantly breaking down. Additionally, it will be much harder to remarket a vehicle that is in poor condition from misuse or lack of proper care.
A fleet can be more difficult to maintain than a personal car because fleet vehicles often have multiple drivers, and because fleets tend to experience much harder use than a personal car does. For example, consider a fleet of rental cars. Per year, hundreds of different people drive each vehicle. As the owner of the fleet, you can’t always control how these drivers treat the rental cars. A passenger gets car sick and throws up in the floorboard. Now the floor mats are stained. A child opens the door too quickly and hits the car next to it, scratching the paint of the rental car and possibly denting the door frame. Rental car drivers tend to be most concerned about getting from point A to B and aren’t thinking about how to treat the car so that it lasts for years.
So what can you, the fleet owner, do to maintain your fleet and keep it in good shape when you can’t always control what happens in and around the vehicle?
Regularly schedule cleanings
Making sure your fleet is regularly cleaned and detailed is so important to the appearance of your company. A clean and shiny fleet vehicle looks much more professional to a potential customer than a car with “wash me” written in the dirt on the back windshield. Plus, in the incident that something is spilled in the interior of the car or mud is tracked onto the floorboards, regular detailing can prevent stains and extend the life of the interior of the car.
Perform routine maintenance
Performing routine maintenance might seem like common sense to most, but that doesn’t make it any less important. In fact, it’s probably the number one way to maintain your fleet. Going months and months without an oil change can ruin the car’s engine. Avoiding a tire rotation can prematurely age your tires. Set up a schedule for each vehicle in the fleet and stick to it. Routine maintenance will keep your fleet running smoothly and in some cases, can allow you to catch any potential issues that may arise early on, before the damage becomes irreparable.
Take care of major maintenance as soon as possible
Some people may find it tempting to ignore the “check engine” light when it pops up, thinking it’s not a big deal, but putting these warnings off can cause even more damage to the vehicle. Address these warnings as quickly as possible to cut down on costs and to make sure the vehicle is back up and running in a reasonable amount of time. Plus, taking care of these necessary repairs quickly can help extend the life of your automobile.
Fleet maintenance doesn’t have to be a big point of stress for your company. We offer fleet maintenance programs to help ensure that things continue to run smoothly. We will help you with your maintenance schedule and will remind you when your vehicles are due for a check-up. Our National Fleet ID cards allow your vehicles to be serviced at the best auto shops in the business with uniform pricing, so you can manage your budget and keep costs low, while our Corporate Claims Management partnership offers you safety training, collision repair, and subrogation. Learn more about our fleet solutions today, and get the most out of your fleet.