81 Maintenance of the timing belt on an 8 valve engine costs around R$ 120, including labor. If you do not replace it at 40,000 km, the belt can break. If it does, the valves and pistons, among other items, can be damaged and corrective maintenance will include maintenance to disassemble the cylinder head, bringing the total cost to about R$ 5,000. These figures come from Roberto Barroso, commercial and institutional manager at the Road Safety and Experimentation Center (CESVI), and illustrate the importance of preventive maintenance. “Every company that has a fleet and depends on it for the smooth running of its business needs to have a regular vehicle maintenance program so that it is never left in the lurch. In the case of rental and leasing companies, this is critical: it must be part of the company’s culture and always be included in the annual planning,” he stresses. Preventive maintenance includes checking a number of items in vehicles before the components fail - especially those that are worn out over a given mileage, or which degrade over time, such as lubricating oil. Generally speaking, each item has servicing and replacement intervals given by the vehicle manufacturer - which are included in the owner’s manual. The main items inspected are the suspension, brakes, tires, wiper blades, engine oil, brake fluid, and coolants. “It is a simpler procedure than it looks. But, oddly enough, there are many vehicle owners - and companies that have fleets - that do not have a systematic program of checks for such simple things as oil,” says Barroso. When he talks about lots of many companies he is not referring to car rental companies, which, in his opinion have a proactive attitude that makes their business even safer, carrying out checks ahead of the periods recommended by the vehicle manufacturers. This is correct, says Barroso. After all, depending on way the cars are used, some parts must be replaced before the end of their usual working lives. “Shorter intervals between maintenance can be especially positive for companies that have fleets that are used more intensely, such as cargo carrying, constant driving on unpaved or steep roads, used in mining, or just heavy traffic. This is the case, for example, for car rental companies in cities like São Paulo, where traffic jams cause wear and tear for lots of components,” adds Barroso. Choice of workshop | Equally as important as the maintenance is the quality of products and services. Roberto Barroso recommends that the company carefully assess the workshops they use. “An ideal partner should have a portfolio of clients that the rental company can analyze as a reference. If other reputable rental companies use their services, it is a sign that provides peace of mind,” Barroso explains. He adds that one of the workshop quality indicators that can be checked is the certification.” And there another important reference. One tip is to check if the workshop is approved by CESVI Brasil,” he says. “IQA-CESVI workshop certification helps consumers and businesses identify the establishments that offer quality technical services. The approved workshops get an IQA-CESVI Certified Workshop seal. This is valid for one year. Afterwards, it has to be reassessed, checking its level of quality or showing it has evolved since the last analysis,” he explains. When it finds a workshop it can trust, the rental company can even transfer the management of its maintenance to it, controlling intervals and costs. “For example, the workshop must notify the rental company about when it needs to change the oil, or replace filters,” Barroso says. Anticipating damage Preventive maintenance can cost 40 times less than corrective maintenance and prevents long stays at workshops. It is also important to choose the company that manages the maintenance of your vehicles Para consultar a relação de oficinas, acesse o site do Cesvi Brasil: To see the list of workshops, please visit the Cesvi Brazil at: cesvibrasil.com.br/site.aspx/ oficinas-certificadas produtos e do serviço. Roberto Barroso recomenda que a empresa avalie muito bem a oficina que fará esse trabalho: “Um parceiro ideal deve ter uma carteira de clientes que a locadora possa analisar como referência. Se outras locadoras bem conceituadas fazem seus serviços ali, é sinal de que dá para ter tranquilidade quanto à qualidade dos serviços prestados”. Ele acrescenta que um dos indicadores de qualidade da oficina, que o empresário pode checar, é o aval de órgãos certificadores. “Eis aí outra referência importante. Uma dica é verificar se a oficina está na relação de reparadoras capacitadas segundo o Cesvi Brasil”, aponta. “A certificação de oficinas mecânicas e de funilaria e pintura IQA-Cesvi contribui para que consumidores e empresas identifiquem os estabelecimentos que oferecem serviços com qualidade técnica. As oficinas aprovadas na avaliação recebem uma placa com o selo Oficina Certificada IQA-Cesvi. A classificação que a oficina recebe tem validade de um ano. Após esse período, a oficina deve solicitar uma nova avaliação, na qual pode confirmar seu grau de qualidade ou demonstrar que evoluiu (ou retrocedeu) desde a última análise”, explica. Ao encontrar a oficina de sua confiança, a locadora pode até transferir a gestão da manutenção para ela, que fica com a responsabilidade de controlar prazos e registrar custos ao longo do tempo. “Por exemplo, a oficina deve avisar a locadora sobre quando ela precisa trocar o óleo de seus veículos, ou sobre quando estiver chegando a hora de trocar filtros”, sugere Roberto Barroso.
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