WHEN IT COMES TO WHEEL PROTECTION, ALLOYGATOR CANADA’S WHEEL PROTECTION SYSTEM IS GETTING DEALERS RESULTS
Curbed wheels. They are a pain for customers and dealerships alike, especially when the dealership represents a high-end brand, and its courtesy vehicles end up with mangled wheels on a weekly basis.
For that reason, there are many protection plans out there, making wheel issues a great profit centre for dealerships. There are opportunities to generate revenue through the sale of F&I protection plans or through the repair and replacement of these wheels.
But these are all “after the facts” solutions. How about a solution that helps prevent curbing?
This is where AlloyGator Canada steps in. The company distributes the AlloyGator Wheel Protection system, a product which is installed on the rim of the precious mag wheel to stand in-between the harsh object and the precious wheel finish.
“Our product goes on rims and prevents gouging of the wheel,” says Pete Sargent, COO of AlloyGator Canada. “It is made of tough nylon composite and will fit on wheels between 13 and 21 inches in diameter. Our product has been designed and is made in the U.K. and has been tested under rigorous conditions, even earning the MIRA certification.”
The AlloyGator product is a round piece of flat nylon reinforced material that sits on the edge of the rim. Sargent says the material is flexible enough to withstand small hits without breaking and will be sacrificed for bigger hits and deform or break, instead of allowing damage to the rim.
“We have had great results,” says Sargent, “with some dealerships adding the AlloyGator to their fleet of courtesy vehicles and reducing the time down and the value of damages, but also with sales in the F&I office and in their service drive-through.”
Sargent adds one BMW store currently has a penetration rate of the product at over 30 per cent.
The company says the product can be installed easily by a service department, and adds it will not set a specific sale price. This allows each dealership to set their own per their respective market. While it is distributed for $159 plus shipping, Sargent has seen dealerships sell it back to the end user for between $299 and $399 per set.
“The beauty of this product is that it is not a one-time sell. Customers come back to have one replaced after it has been overly damaged,” says Sargent.
“Another aspect,” says Sargent, “one which we did not see coming is the bling factor.” He says the product comes in a choice of 10 colours. “The product is as much a hit for its protection properties as for its bling factor.”
AlloyGator Canada, which started distributing the product in the fall of 2014 and incorporated in January of this year, now has a warehouse in British Columbia and another one in Ontario. This helps the company cover the Canadian market.
