Page 19 - On The Move - Volume 17, Issue 3

Auto Dealers’ New Challenge: “It’s a safe bet no auto programs help dealers fulfill their commitments
to customer safety,” says Jim Maxim, chief
executive officer of DealerMax. DealerMax offers
DISINFECTING vehicle sanitizing business.” free training and tools, including a customizable
dealer ever thought he or
dealer-branded COVID-19 “Protection Promise”
program, which includes a safety checklist of
she would also be in the
disinfecting steps and processes for all operations
of the dealership, including vehicles on the lot and

products is articulating to customers how you’ve
MOVING INVENTORY in service. "Equally as important as using the right
created a safe environment for them – or they
likely won’t buy from you,” Maxim says. “We
are selling safety and have to be doing what we
say consistently, with accountability.”

DEALERS SPEAK

“Our process for all vehicle cleaning is the same –
we have homemade 8 by 11 heavy stock COVID
Dirty and COVID Clean signs for vehicles, which
we place on the driver-side dash, to identify
their sanitation status,” says Lou Bregou. “We
use 98% alcohol in spray bottles and disposable
paper towels to sanitize vehicle interiors. We
DEFINITIONS HELP world, he said. Further, he suggested that, with clean a car in about five minutes, though trade-
the liability potential, dealers should consider ins, which we sanitize before we move those cars
Colucci explains that the word “antimicrobial” bypassing the use of sanitizers for disinfectants into recon, take longer.”
could be confusing, as it’s “an overly-broad containing antimicrobials.
category that includes everything from the Rubbing alcohol solutions having at least 70%
most sophisticated sterilizing agents used in Colucci advises dealers evaluating disinfectant alcohol is effective against coronavirus. WebMD
organ transplant surgery, to mold and mildew products to insist on seeing and reading the reports that this treatment should be left on
treatments for swimming pools. And that’s products’ EPA Master Label. It defines what the surfaces for 30 seconds to ensure they will kill
where the confusion stems from.” Unlike product does, its safety profile, correct use and viruses. Pure or 100% alcohol, the site notes,
sanitizer and disinfectant, antimicrobial is weakly the marketing claims you can make about its use evaporates too quickly.
defined as any product marketed with any claim in your store, he says.
related to killing or inhibiting the growth of any Bregou says his disinfectant process follows
microorganism. The EPA has yet to register any disinfectant NADA guidelines for disinfecting automobile
product as capable of killing COVID-19. Some interior “hot spots.” John Napoleon’s approach
Antimicrobial products must be approved for disinfectants, such as PermaSafe CLEAN, have to inventory sanitation is similar: treat vehicle
registration with the EPA. The exceptions are been approved by the EPA for use against SARS- interiors with a long-acting antimicrobial spray-
those capable of achieving the efficacy standards CoV-2. This virus is the novel coronavirus that on product and then use placards that state which
of a sanitizer (must kill 99.9% of bacteria) or causes the disease COVID-19. vehicles have been treated.
a disinfectant (must kill 99.9% of bacteria and
viruses), or even a hospital-grade disinfectant “COVID created unique new challenges for Jim Leman has been writing about
(99.999% of bacteria and viruses), they’re not dealers, but as the industry has always done in automotive retail variable and fix
viable options in today’s new microbe-conscious a crisis, it knuckled down to meet it. Consumer operations since 1992. You can
awareness and vehicle disinfectant protection reach him at jimleman@gmail.com

On The Mo
On The Move 2020 17ve 2020 17