The used car check for novice drivers and safety-conscious car buyers

adminonJune 27, 2022February 11, 2022Leave a Comment

The first own car is a real highlight for novice drivers. But before the new freedom begins, you should have the vehicle of your choice carefully checked by one of our experienced experts during a used car check – so that you don’t experience any unpleasant surprises in road traffic. The offer of the so-called professional check is of course not only for novice drivers, but for anyone who wants to buy a used car. After all, technical defects in older cars are among the most frequent causes of accidents. Our vehicle test provides clarity: are the brakes, chassis and steering in order?? Does the airbag work?? our proficheck tells you and gives both novice and experienced drivers the good feeling of always being safe on the road.

Driving schools can also make clever use of our used car check in order to convince with exemplary all-round service and thus increase the recommendation rate: point out this attractive offer to your driving students and thus offer them a real plus for even more safety. Because new drivers in particular are grateful for helpful advice from real experts when buying a used car. in short: with the tip for the professional check, you will achieve even higher customer satisfaction and thus conquer the pole position. Of course, you can get the appropriate flyers from us.

You have further questions about the proficheck? We are here for you. Contact us online or via our free hotline 0221 – 806 9000.

Vehicle test by a professional: play it safe when buying a used car

During the used car check, our experts examine the brakes, chassis, steering and much more.

Whether you are new to driving or an old hand, the practical used car check at a price of 29.90 euros is a worthwhile investment in any case. Our experienced experts check the vehicle thoroughly and tell you whether you can buy the used car with a clear conscience.

30 checkpoints: the used car check gives you a good feeling

As part of the vehicle test, our trained experts check a total of 30 points on the car and inform you about any weak points or safety deficiencies. This puts you on the safe side when buying a car. The checklist for the used car check includes:

Steering
Brakes
Airbag
Bodywork
Underbody
U.V.M.

But safe: the used car inspection from the expert

After passing your driving test, you want to explore the world in your own car and are looking for a suitable vehicle? You have a used car on your shortlist and need a well-founded expert opinion? Then come to one of our nationwide inspection stations before buying a used car and take advantage of our professional check. Our experts tell you if the car of your choice is really safe.

The proficheck from TuV rheinland

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Free of charge – if you are a novice driver and introduce your first car to us!

You will receive the voucher for the proficheck z. B. After passing the practical test by our tester or in our download area. Without this voucher, you pay 29.90 euros for the proﬁcheck. A small amount compared to the money it can save you.

When it comes to a new watch, budget and looks have to be right. But buying the right one – that can be difficult. quartz watch or mechanical movement? New or used? Watch professional frank miquel explains what really matters. see current quartz and automatic watches in our photo show .

Fine quartz and automatic watches

Photo series with 5 images

Quartz or automatic watch?

"If you are looking for an inexpensive, uncomplicated watch, a quartz watch is often the best choice," says miquel. "But for anyone who wants to wear mechanical precision on their arm, without a battery and running for decades only through the movement of their hand and body, an automatic watch is the right choice."that’s where the differences start: "a quartz movement requires far fewer components than a mechanical movement. Therefore, the models can also be manufactured in unusual designs. Due to their design, automatic watches cannot be made particularly flat."

Automatic watches are completely reliable in normal everyday office use, but not as robust as quartz watches. "Violent impact-stopping movements, such as when working with a hammer or spade, playing golf or tennis, can trigger defects in the watch rotor or the ‘unruh’ oscillating system," says the collector and dealer. "You can easily repair such damage, but it takes a few days."quartz watches with a good movement do not get out of sync in this way. "For those who do manual work or daily sports, I recommend a quartz watch."

the main reason to wear an automatic: pure mechanics instead of batteries. Precision instead of plastic. the cheapest models start at about 200 euro. Important: not all watches in this price range can be wound by hand – and that is important. to get them just by moving them on the arm through rest periods like at night is very difficult. you should have 36 to 42 hours of running time, so that you don’t have to reset the watch all the time.

It depends on the right movement inside

According to miquel, if you want a piece of precision craftsmanship, you have to spend a little more money: "with a watch of about 500 euros, you’re wearing quality on your arm. However, the upper limits are open." important is a swiss movement, which the buyer should ask for in the store: "if it is from the manufacturers ETA or selitta, you are not wrong at all. Even their cheap movements run and run, they can be repaired even after years of service. However, i recommend maintenance every five years to maintain precision."

But even with quartz watches, it can be worth asking about the clock: "if the movement comes from the swiss manufacturer ronda, for example, that’s a good sign." the cliche that a cheap quartz watch can only be thrown away if it is damaged is not true: "you can often have a new movement installed by a specialist for little money. sometimes you can pay 50 or 60 euro for it." movements from ronda can also be repaired without problems.

The glass has to be hard – really hard

There are also significant differences in the quality of the glass: "the most expensive and best glass is sapphire crystal. It’s extremely hard, and it takes a lot of pressure to scratch it," says miquel, who knows from experience. A 30-euro watch, on the other hand, usually comes with a cover made of hardened mineral glass and is much more sensitive. Plastic lenses are currently the lowest category and the most sensitive in everyday use. But in the meantime, some watches are even equipped with sapphire crystal for less than 100 euros.

Which functions are important?

Date display, stopwatch, perpetual calendar, time zone display or moon phases are part of the repertoire of many manufacturers. "Mostly such watches are bought because of the optics. Only very few wearers know how to use them," reveals the expert.

Often the watch categories chronograph and chronometer are confused: the chronograph is a watch with additional stop function. The stopped time is displayed on a maximum of three integrated dials in seconds, minutes and hours since the start of the watch. But in frank miquel’s experience, such functions are more susceptible to failure than watches without extras: "every additional function requires gears, springs, axles and discs. This increases the risk that a part fails its service."

The chronometer on the other hand has nothing to do with it. It refers to a particularly precise running clock, as they once needed ships and aircraft for navigation. Watches manufactured in switzerland may only bear the designation after acceptance of an official quality test. They are from about 1.500 to 2.000 euro.

How water resistant is the watch?

People wear watches – whether they are cleaning, watering the garden, riding their bikes in the rain or going swimming. But statements like "water resistant 30 meters" are "completely misleading, warns frank miquel. This is due to today’s testing procedures far away from everyday life. "If the watch says ‘water resistant 30m’, the watch is protected against sweat and splash water. Nothing more." at "50m" or "5 ATM" are you allowed to water the garden or wash the car?. Only at "100m" you can go swimming – but not jumping or diving. This is only the case with high-priced watches in the "200m" category," warns frank miquel possible.

Which brand? What price range?:what your watch reveals about you
Gift wanted?:women’s wristwatches from classic to chic
Timers:vintage watches: expensive treasure or ticking scrap metal
One millimeter is critical:recognizing counterfeit watches

Buying watches used

If you fall in love with a watch but don’t have the budget, you can always buy a used watch from a good dealer. But when it comes to making a choice, it’s first a question of seriousness and then of price, emphasizes miquel. "A good dealer has very good advice, a business address in germany with a landline telephone number, a store with fixed opening hours and a contact person for questions after the purchase." to find the right piece, precision in many details is important – not just price and appearance.

Start now as a car dealer after the covid-19 crisis with the right marketing measures in online sales fully through.

The digital qualifying is over – the car industry is in the middle of the digital race for the best places

Even before the outbreak of the corona crisis, the automotive industry was not having an easy time:

The diesel scandal, falling CO2 limits, more and more new driving bans in inner cities and an unsatisfactory range of electrified mobility – all these circumstances ultimately led to a strong sense of uncertainty among consumers as well. The COVID-19 pandemic turned a crisis into a full-blown crisis, exposing digital deficits in the auto trade that existed before the crisis.
The new power of the customer, created by digital transparency and a host of new competitors such as disruptive online sales platforms, are further shrinking the already thin margins of retailers. A similarly challenging situation is also expected for garage sales up to 2025 – which could thus develop into the next problem child of the auto trade. this realization is based primarily on the increasing number of low-maintenance electric vehicles, fewer accidents thanks to innovative driving and safety assistance systems, and an increasing share of shared mobility. (cf. Bain& company)

Today, it is no longer enough to be number 1 locally!

80% of car purchases are already made through digital channels. out of an average of 24 contact points through which a consumer buys his car today, 19 are already digital. Here, the entire phase of dealer selection takes place exclusively online – before a seller even has a chance to get involved!
One in eight car buyers already orders online, and a good 80% of online buyers buy from a different dealer than originally planned! (cf. Manager magazine, DAT)

the corona crisis is greatly accelerating the trend toward digitalization and, above all, the creation of digital sales opportunities for consumers. However, most car dealers are only just waking up from their digital deep sleep and are now desperately trying to make up lost ground in the online race.

According to the ZDK, only 7% of German car dealers have a digital strategy, i.e., a digital vision that is subordinate to the corporate strategy, dedicated digital fields of action, and digital measures that pay off in terms of achieving the goals.
Consequently, many companies lack the right mindset to understand digitization as a "relocation to a digital business model" and also lack the internal capacities to be able to achieve the digital goals that have been set. In 21% of retailers, an employee is only responsible for digital marketing on a "sideline" basis. That is, in addition to managing the sales team and ensuring that targets are met, a z.B. A sales manager has to perform digital analyses, identify optimization potentials, manage agencies, optimize the online presence, improve the google ranking, expand the fan base via social networks and plan, execute and measure targeted online marketing campaigns, to name a few tasks at this point. (cf. ZDK)

Customer expectations have changed dramatically – now it’s time to meet them

Influenced by the trend toward online shopping and the great experiences consumers have had with amazon& co. Collecting every day, the demands on the online channels are correspondingly high. Consumers are now comparing their experiences across industries. For example, anyone who has had a positive experience with an online identification process for opening a bank account (cf. DKB), also expects this in the contracting process when buying a car. For consumers to get all the information they want in the AI-based chat when buying a washing machine (cf. Miele), it’s incomprehensible why you have to wait on hold for a tire change appointment. Dealers can easily meet these expectations proactively, as there is already a wide range of proven technical solutions on the market.

An optimal linking of online and offline channels is not only important for the test drive request, the sales talk or the arrangement of a service appointment – the digital experience for the customer should also be in the focus of attention. With the creation of a high-quality customer experience (engl. customer experience), however, it is like searching for the holy grail. Customer experience does not mean setting off a fireworks display with elaborate presentations. It already starts in a small way and is a development process. The journey is the destination. strategy, data, design and people: all these factors play a role in creating the wow factor between customers and car dealers.

Hopefuls exist in the automotive retail landscape.

In the era of corona, it is wonderful to observe that the few exceptions among car dealers who have already created a good digital foundation are now turning on the digitalization turbo. For example, the emil frey group presented its new internet platform for online car buying, with a proud online selection of 10.000 available vehicles. The dealer group has recognized digital developments and changing customer expectations and has set the right course internally to make the auto trade fit for the future.

This fits in with the trend – because two out of three car buyers can already imagine buying their vehicle online, from the information search to the conclusion of the sale. (cf. Think with google)

Digital alternatives for end consumers buying a car, such as live video sales advice or digital contract processing, are also very much in vogue. salespeople with an affinity for digital technologies are evolving at the speed of light into modern online advisors who configure dream cars together with their customers via tablet or provide used car buyers with on-demand videos online.
In addition, digital service consulting is also experiencing a significant surge in development. Customers of modern car dealerships no longer have to come to the dealership for service, but can conveniently view, approve and also pay directly for any additional work that needs to be done via video in the office.

95% of all search queries in germany start with google

to create new online sales opportunities, car dealerships need to create awareness for their business – they need to optimize their online presence and achieve high-quality top 10 google rankings. An example of alternative drive systems: according to a recent google study, every second search is for "hybrid associated with a brand, e.B. "BMW hybrid". The opposite is true for electric vehicles. For example, 80% of search queries are still generic (z.B. "electric car") and illustrate the need for information on this topic. In order to open up online sales opportunities here, content and SEO measures must be tailored to the consumer’s search queries. Once the visitor has arrived on the website, the task is to arouse interest in buying with converting landing pages and attractive campaigns.

We at rpc keep a close eye on the digital trailblazers in the market, because one big advantage of digitization is – not everything has to be reinvented. digitization is already here and provides many good practical examples – in the end, all you really have to do is implement it.

As a car dealer, can I still take advantage of the digitalization wave??

the diverse online sales channels offer car dealerships the chance for easy access to new customer acquisition. Car dealerships don’t necessarily have to become innovators – adapting existing successful models offers every opportunity. First and foremost, you should be transparent about your own digital strengths and weaknesses. Real-time measurement of success enables efficient allocation of the marketing budget and helps to continuously optimize online activities, aligned with customer needs.

a variety of tools and digital service providers are usually needed for targeted online marketing. Accordingly, the dealership should have the internal know-how to bring together all the information and derive promising recommendations for action. this can either be implemented on your own or you can book our rpc autohaus online marketing training and use the expertise of our excellent digital trainers.

Vehicle test by a professional: play it safe when buying a used car

30 checkpoints: the used car check gives you a good feeling

But safe: the used car inspection from the expert

The proficheck from TuV rheinland

Free of charge – if you are a novice driver and introduce your first car to us!

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