“Air-conditioning an untapped opportunity,” says Bee Cool founder David Fry

“Skills gap could mean lost opportunities in A/C”

The ability to effectively service and repair vehicle air-conditioning systems is an untapped, growing opportunity, according to the owner of the country’s largest air-conditioning specialist, Bee Cool.

David Fry, owner of Bee Cool ACS, states that “the profit in air-conditioning is not in the re-gasing but in the diagnosing and repair of problems. The air-conditioning system on modern vehicles is working hard across a number of areas and will play an an even bigger role in the future with the cooling of hybrid and electric vehicles. As we have proven, air-conditioning repair can be a standalone, all-year-round business.”

Fry goes on to add that as with electric vehicles, there is a skills shortage on A/C repair and has set up a Bee Cool licensee programme to upskill independent workshops and technicians.

“I don’t want to leave this industry without the chance to give back and demonstrate the air-conditioning opportunities available to garages nationwide. With well over 98percent of new vehicles fitted with A/C, there is scope for workshops and technicians to add another service to their business and raise their professionalism, ensuring they keep hold of customers.”

Annual servicing of an A/C system is also not carried out as standard, argues Fry, and this leads to a build-up of moisture in the system, which can lead to breakdown and potentially cause internal damage to the A/C system.

“Workshops have an opportunity to promote effective A/C system maintenance,” Fry says. “Annual checks should include a refrigerant and oil change, check of refrigerant quantity, pressure and temperatures, checking of hoses, drive belts, wiring harnesses and changing of pollen filters.”