Fixed Ops Journal - December 2021 - F29

FIXED OPS JOURNAL
possible in-house.
" We get it done quicker, with better eyes on
the quality and the quantity, " he says.
Eliminating outsourcing can boost gross
profi t margins - reaching up to 75 percent in
the case of window tinting.
Salinas credits Nathan and Stanley Flores,
make-ready manager, with hiring responsible
employees skilled at detail work, arranging for
specialized training, installing proper equipment
and carving out space in Friendly's shop
to set up booths for spray-in bedliners and
window tinting.
Friendly often will take an F-150 XLT from
inventory, add leather interior, 35-inch all-terrain
tires on 22-inch wheels and a leveling kit
to raise the front and price the upgrades at
$9,000. Salinas points out the customized
pickups and SUVs not only generate buzz in
the showroom, they grab the attention of customers
in the service lane. He estimates that
20 to 25 percent of the dealership's aftermarket
sales come from service customers.
" Our goal is to be a one-stop shop, " Salinas
says.
For 2022, Friendly has set its sights on doing
a lot of lifting and wheel-and-tire packages for
pickups and Ford's new Bronco SUV.
" Ford has let the dealers know that their goal
is to have the Bronco become the No. 1 accessorized
vehicle in the world, " he says.
New Nissan accessories
Nissan also is on board with pickup and utility
vehicle personalization. Last month, it
showed off a new line of Nismo accessories
for off -roading as well as the growing trend
known as overlanding, in which enthusiasts
go off the beaten path - and often the grid -
and use their vehicle as a home away from
home.
Some of the components in the works for
Nissan's Pathfi nder midsize crossover and
Frontier midsize pickup are Nismo-branded
2-inch lift kits, 4-inch driving lights, performance
off -road suspensions, cat-back exhaust
systems, heavy-duty bumpers, overlanding
bed racks and roof top tents.
" We have dealers who are installing the
parts now, " says Colin Price, a Nissan spokesman.
" For over four decades, Nissan Pathfi nders
and pickups have helped our customers
start their adventures where the road ends.
Th e Nismo off -road accessories make our vehicles
more capable than ever. "
Muscle memory
Th e role of electric vehicles in the U.S. generates
headlines, but Dodge is betting there's
plenty of gas left in America's love aff air with
New Nismo accessories for the Nissan Frontier include a rooftop tent.
muscle cars. It plans to market Stage 1 and
Stage 2 high-performance tuning packages
under its resurrected Direct Connection
brand.
Dating to 1974, Direct Connection was
Chrysler's line of performance parts. Th e new
initiative will off er kits that can net up to 100
additional hp and remain 50-state emissions
legal if installed by one of Dodge's new certifi
ed performance dealers - and the upgrades
will not aff ect the warranties of contemporary
Challengers, Chargers or Durangos.
Th
e modifi cations are engineered to be installed
in order and unlocked at each stage
with a Direct Connection tuner/controller.
When a new car is ordered, the kits also could
be installed by the certifi ed dealer before the
buyer takes delivery.
Gearheads, V-8 die-hards and racers will be
able to whet their aftermarket appetites
through a Direct Connection website, hotline
and parts catalog expected to be ready this
week.
Not everyone, though, is racing after aftermarket
revenue. " We do not do a lot of vehicle
customization at our dealerships, " said
Geoff rey Pohanka, president of Pohanka
Automotive Group in Capitol Heights, Md.
" We have tried at times, and it has not
worked for us. "
Pohanka's stores include Chevrolet, Toyota,
Lexus, Honda, Acura, Hyundai, MercedesBenz,
Nissan and Volkswagen.
" Th e accessories off ered by the manufacturers
are overpriced and often do not meet
real demand, " says Pohanka, a third-generation
dealer. " Th us, we would have to rely on
aftermarket accessories which are not under
the manufacturer's warranty. Many of these
aftermarket accessory makers go out of business.
If there is a quality issue, it might be diffi
cult to get these companies to back their
product. "
Th ere's also the issue of aff ordability.
" Banks would have to be willing to fi nance
the customization, or the customer would
have to come up with more cash down, which
is often a challenge, " Pohanka says. " We fi nd it
is not worth getting into this business. " 
DECEMBER 2021 PAGE 29
Fixed Ops Journal - December 2021

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