For decades, service departments have relied heavily on standard maintenance menus and rigid mileage intervals to drive recommendations. But as consumer expectations evolve and vehicle technology advances, top-performing dealerships are shifting toward a data-driven, highly transparent model.
On a recent episode of Service Drive, Nolan Armpriester, General Manager of Twin Pine Ford in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, joins us to discuss how fluid testing, dedicated video walk-around teams, and mobile service operations are transforming fixed operations into a primary revenue driver.
Recommending major fluid flushes based strictly on a 30,000- or 60,000-mile menu is rapidly becoming an antiquated strategy. According to Armpriester, menu-based recommendations often boil down to guesswork rather than actual vehicle need.
“Going off a menu is just guessing. So the best thing to do is actually test each fluid individually, look for that additive broken down, and then present the customer the results from there.”
A primary driver behind consumer confusion is the shift in factory service intervals over the last decade. As OEMs pushed to advertise lower total costs of ownership, many extended recommended maintenance windows, which ultimately stretched transmission service intervals from 30,000 miles to 150,000 miles on identical parts.
However, fluid breakdown isn’t determined by a calendar or an odometer alone; it is driven primarily by heat and driving conditions.
Building trust
To eliminate the perception of dealership gouging, Twin Pine Ford introduces fluid testing early in the ownership cycle, starting at 20,000 miles. By presenting customers with physical testing samples on a bi-fold card during every visit, vehicle owners watch their vehicle’s fluids gradually degrade over time. When a technician eventually flags an exception, the customer has followed the breakdown process alongside the store.
“Seeing is believing...We're not necessarily telling them their fluid is going bad; we're showing it to them. We're showing them the additive breaking down.”
While video Multi-Point Inspections (MPIs), Armpriester said, are proven to boost trust and approval rates, many service directors struggle with technician compliance, especially among veteran mechanics hesitant to step in front of a camera.
To overcome this hurdle, Twin Pine Ford created a specialized process:
- A dedicated media team member(s) to ensure clear and effective video walk-arounds. According to Armpriester, Twin Pine selects two articulate, tech-savvy team members to conduct comprehensive walk-arounds of the entire shop.
- Streamlined operations with master technicians can focus on repairs while dedicated specialists capture video MPIs and fluid samples for every vehicle on the drive.
- Customer confidence is built when customers receive clear video proof of worn brake pads or leaking components, often sharing this evidence with spouses or decision-makers at home.
2026 dealership earnings
With the average age of vehicles on American roads extending past 12 years, a trend accelerated by the pandemic, fixed operations has solidified its role as the economic backbone of retail automotive.
Armpriester, whose background is rooted in fixed ops, notes that process-driven dealership leaders are uniquely equipped to navigate today’s market dynamics.
Beyond traditional bay work, Twin Pine Ford leverages two strategic growth channels:
- Service Drive Appraisals: Partnering with ZapMoto, the dealership automatically screens incoming service appointments and reaches out via text with soft appraisal offers, seamlessly converting service traffic into high-quality inventory acquisition leads.
- Mobile Service Expansion: Operating a fleet of 18 mobile service units covering three to four states, the dealership actively provides off-site maintenance. Armpriester plans to scale the operation back toward a 33-vehicle, multi-shift model, citing Ford Motor Company’s OEM incentive support as a key enabler for mobile profitability.
As retail automotive moves through the second half of 2026, Armpriester remains bullish on both fixed operations and vehicle sales. By prioritizing transparency over high-pressure sales tactics, dealerships can secure higher customer retention and sustainable bottom-line growth.
