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Fritz Imbacher (right) with one of his technicians
The landscape has changed for the after-sales sector of the motor industry, in particular the small and independent workshops. With the advent of greater use of electronics in cars from the late 1980s, the workshop industry has had to upgrade itself in order to be able to handle the modern generation of cars. No longer is the previous ‘apprenticeship’ approach sufficient for someone to learn the trade and then start his own small workshop. EFI, ABS and other electronic features mean that a degree of formal qualification is needed as well as specialized equipment. No longer too can the old and experienced ‘Ah Chong’ tune an engine by just listening to its sound and twiddling with the carburetor. In fact, his son would probably be more adept at the task of engine tuning, having grown up in the electronic age!
Because of such a major change, workshops today have taken on a more professional image and the days of the ‘cherry tree’ mechanic are numbered as the cars such mechanics can work on diminish. Even entry-level models like those from Perodua and Proton are becoming more ‘sophisticated’ and without proper training and diagnostic equipment, it is difficult to service them properly.
Into this landscape comes Fritz Imbacher and German Motors, offering motorists service standards that are claimed to be comparable to those of the authorized service centres at ‘cost-effective’ rates. Asserting that there is a huge gap between the big authorised workshops and the ‘under the tree’ workshops - both in terms of cost and repair quality – Mr Imbacher’s newly opened service centre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, is said to be more professional and personalised in the way it operates.
“I see that there is demand in Malaysia for more professional workshops, particularly for owners of Mercedes-Benz and other German makes,” he said. His workshop will focus on Mercedes-Benz passenger models because he has some 32 years of experience with the products, having worked with the company since 1975.
Germans Motors specialises in Mercedes-Benz and smart models but will also accept other German cars
“I’ve spent most of my life at Mercedes-Benz in the service and after-sales side. I helped establish after-sales services and facilities in Thailand and India and I was also with the service centre at Si Khiong Star [now Hap Seng Star] from the time they began operations until September last year,” said Mr Imbacher.
Because German Motors is an independent workshop, it also accepts other makes but will specialise in German brands. “Of course, if our regular customers who send their Mercedes in also have a Honda at home and would like us to provide some basic services, we would oblige but we would not be equipped for more sophisticated jobs,” he explained.
When asked how German Motors can stay abreast of advances in the technologies in new models, Mr Imbacher said that he has a ‘network’ of old friends he can get assistance and information from. He also has the required special tools needed for working on certain engine components and of course, the diagnostic equipment.
Proper reception area reflects the professional approach German Motors has
“You could say it’s the ‘German way’ but we have invested a big amount of money to get the genuine and proper tools for our work. We don’t compromise on this because it is vital for the quality of the work,” he said, adding that a million ringgit had been spent to set up German Motors.
Like the authorised service centres, German Motors has a very professional look with a proper reception area for customers and a waiting room looking into the service area. There are 10 bays with spacious dimensions so that the technicians can move around the cars comfortably. Currently, German Motors is able to handle 6 cars per day; however, the service centre has a capacity for a throughput of 20 cars/day.
He does not aspire to make German Motors a giant service centre (“no need for a palace”) because he wants very much to offer a ‘warm environment’ to customers. His aim is to make sure the personal touch is always present and it has to be ‘from the heart’, something that he emphasises to his staff. Needless to say, he will meet every customer himself and personally look at work being done as well as provide guidance to his technicians where necessary.
“As an independent service centre, we can be more ‘flexible’ when it comes to parts that our customers’ cars need. By this, I mean that while we would recommend the use of genuine parts, we can also discuss with our customers the possibility of more affordable parts made by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) if their budget is tight and we can even assist in getting reconditioned components, if that is what they request. Of course, we will first provide them with the necessary advice and understanding and they make the final decision. Everything will be totally transparent and no customer should ever feel they are over-charged for something,” he said.
In this respect too, German Motors would be able to get business from owners of the ‘gray imports’ which are usually turned away by the authorised service centres. In his view, the cars are no different but the policy of most authorised service centres is that they won’t touch gray imports due to lack of proper documentation.
Genuine parts and special tools are used but where parts are concerned, German Motors has 'flexibility' to recommend customers alternate brands and even reconditioned parts if they accept them
Dato’ Frank Steinleitner, the former CEO of the DaimlerChrysler Malaysia (now Mercedes-Benz Malaysia), is a major shareholder in German Motors and explained that he made the investment because he sees a lot of potential for such a business in Malaysia. Like Mr Imbacher, he believes that there is a lot of room between the non-authorized service centres and the authorized ones in terms of the service environment and professionalism.
“With an experienced German like Fritz personally running the company, you can expect German standards which I am sure customers want. Furthermore, I share the idea with Fritz that this is a long-term venture and if this one works well, we can look at opening others in future using the same approach,” he said.