WARREN, Mich. — A box that sends puffs of new-car-scented air into his Chevrolet dealership’s service lane is just one of the tricks Tim Colussy is using these days to entice buyers to come to his Pittsburgh-area dealership for servicing.
Colussy Chevrolet in Bridgeville, Pa., also has repainted and sealed the floors, brightened the lights and added new signs and displays in its service area. In the customer waiting area, there’s a new flat-screen TV, Wi-Fi access, workstations and a coffee bar. Dealerships typically get half their profits from service, with the rest coming from new- and used-car sales. But with new-car sales plummeting, dealers are racing to renovate body shops, add dedicated lanes for oil changes and compete more with independent repair shops and big chains.
