Mechanics Tool Supply

Right now - through the end of June 2010 air conditioning service shops can add to their diagnostics mechanics tools in a big way while upgrading to Recovery, Recycle, Recharge machines that keep 20% more R-134a Refrigerant to bump profits and speed up work.

 Robinair, the maker of the 34288, 34788 and the new 34988 RRR machines is giving an Infrared Refrigerant Leak Detector  with each unit purchased - FREE. That’s right, a Robinair 22791that often sells for four or five hundred dollars is free. ADD that to the greatly improved efficiency of the new RRR machines and you’re looking at air conditioning profits taking a jump up in the profit column.

Robinair has introduced the newest in it’s line of Automotive Air Conditioning RRR Recover, Recycle, Recharge machine with the 34988. It’s a fine tuning of the 34788 and has the additional leak detection capabilities of automatic injection of dye into the system. It also injects the proper amount of oil into R-134a automotive air conditioning units.  But what continues to be the real advantage of these units (the 34288 is the semi-automatic model) is that they recover a whopping 20% more refrigerant than earlier units.

Nobody has to tell an air conditioning pro what’s happened to the cost of referigant in the past few years so you do the arithmatic to determine the value of 20% more refrigerant. You’ll soon come to the conclusion that even if your present equipment is “working fine” that doesn’t mean it’s working efficiently and making you money.

So, put the pencil to your current A/C shop equipment and, for that matter your mechanics tools, and see if it isn’t time to take a close look, a very close look, at the new Robinair units.

Cash back in your pocket is always a good thing and the folks at Robinair are offering to do just that for you. For just a few more days, through April 30, you get $200 back from Robinair if you purchase their 34788 Recovery/Recycle/Recharge machine.  It’s state of the art and does everything that the very latest SAE and regulatory agencies require. In other words, you’ll be up to date for some years to come, you’ll be operating the most cost effective equipment available AND you get $200 (or a $500 refrigerant identifier) back.

It’s even better. If you elect not to take the $200 back, you can ask for a Robinair 16009 DiscovR 134a Refrigerant Identifier instead. This has a retail value of $500 so if a new identifier is on your wish list this is the time to update your whole AC capacity.

Of course, this is more than getting a big piece of extra value, it’s about having the most sought after air conditioning mechanics tools available. The cash or identifier are just a reason to act now. Only a few more days left to spend a little less and get a lot more.

Sometimes we’re so focused on the immediate job at hand that we momentarily forget the real reason we work for a living. Well, remind yourself every now and then - we work to make money! There should always be a routine of things that can be checked in a quick moment that will point out some of the things on your customer’s car that needs attention BEFORE they develop into a serious problem down the road. You’ll be helping your income level go up and also keep your customer’s cost level down in the long run. That’s good business and that’s good customer service.

One of the things we like in a technicians arsenal of customer service money makers is the  ROB 75134 Econo-Clean Coolant Test Strips from Robinair. There’s only a few pennies involved in using one EACH and EVERY time you have a car in the shop but they can really pay off for you and your customer - (you buy them 70 at a time for small change).  In just a second you know the pH and freezen point of coolant and if you cross reference that to the car’s manufacturer’s specifications - you know that cooling is adequate OR that you need to take care of any problem that’s found. If everything’s Ok, you can tell your customer and build loyalty, if you find a problem, you can point out the money savings involved in correcting the situation right now instead of when the tow truck delivers the car to you later on.

Of course the key is to have the test strips right there at the fender along with all of your mechanics tools that are generally in greatest need. If you have to go across the shop and fish around for the strips, you’ll probably not do it - just human nature. Buy some extra and keep them right there with you and use them every time and some back up shop supplies so you can replenish your stock at hand. Remember, you work to make money; at least that’s the concept that drives most of us to the shop day after day.

Now is the time for mechanics and shop owners to ramp up for the summer Auto Air Conditioning season. In 2009 the sun will shine, and it sure will be hot. A must have in automotive mechanics tools is the Robinair 34288 and Robinair 34788 in the Automotive A/C air conditioning tools and equipment category. These RRR machines also known as RO34288 and RO34788, meet the SAE J-2788 standards which are designed to help the ecology as well as save technicians time and consumers money! Both units are automatic with the RO34788 being the most fully automatic. A noted feature is the fact that you can walk away after setup and start, and return to the auto later at the finish line. Mechanics Tool Supply is positioned well to provide you with all of your Auto Air Conditioning Tools and Equipment needs

Not only does the EPA require shut-off  valves to be within twelve inches of the charging hose end (for containment of refrigerant) but technicians require ease and flexibility in order to get the job done quickly and correctly. That’s exactly what the people at Mastercool deliver with their set of shut-off valves; (part number Mastercool 90262). That’s what’s expected of an automotive air conditioning manufacturer that leads the way with innovative up-to-date  mechanics tools for A/C applications.

They use a proven ball valve design and with only a quarter of a turn with your thumb, the flow of refrigerant is turned off or on and the likelyhood of accidental (and illegal) venting into the air is practically eliminated. These shut-off valves are color coded to match the AC hoses that they screw into so they present no additional chance of error.

All the legal requirements are met. EPA, SAE and UL are all happy so your customers will be too. You’ll want to make it a point to get that message to your customers with either a waiting room sign or maybe an inexpensive flier that you hand to them with their invoice just to make them aware that your shop is completely up to date.

Sometimes it’s the most simple tool in you box that makes the job go smoothly and if you don’t have it, things have a habit of becoming a time and money-consuming annoyance.

What comes to mind are simple air conditioning mechancs tools to remove the valve cores from R-134a systems. They hardly cost enough to even think about and shops that don’t do a lot of A/C work will usually make do with whatever works in spite of the extra time and fiddling around. We all know that’s not a good idea and we all also know now’s the time to overcome it.

You see, the R134a valves a sunk a little deeper than other valves so getting them out without a big hassle requires a valve stem remover that gets in a little farther. BUT how many of us just make do and rig something up to get around the problem? It isn’t that we’re trying to save a dollar, we just don’t think much about it until we’re doing it - kind of like the old adage about not fixing the roof because it’s not raining or not being able to fix it because it is raining.

What all that means is that every now and then we need to take a close look in our tool boxes and make a list of those things that we really need to add on to our next order. That Robinair valve core remover is a great place to start.  The part number is Robinair 10588. You may want to take a look at other A/C service “small stuff” while your at it like refrigerant can taps or fin straightener. It’ll save you a little frustration when the A/C season gets rolling and you might not have to “mooch” little stuff from your buddy working in the next bay.

Ok, it’s nice to know that you buy mechanics tools that will last you a long time and get the job done according to the needs and standards of professional technicians. Nobody can argue that and hopefully everybody knows it. Knowing it kind of leads into the point of our comment.

When there’s equipment and specialty tools such as air conditioning units sitting around that have a name on them that looks something like a strange spelling of Bangkok Biscuit Company as the manufacturers name and logo - that just isn’t doing a thing to tell customers that he’s entrusted his car to a shop and technicians that he can rely upon.

Top quality tool manufacturers have spent years developing a reputation and promoting the names on their products in such a way that people recognize those names and relate them to professional quality. You should be taking advantage of all that effort, you pay for it when you buy quality tools and it should help you make money.

As a matter of fact, I’d suggest that if there’s an opportunity to let your customer see you use high quality professional tools, do it. Some will recognize top drawer instruments and those that won’t will certainly be impressed by the “wizards magic” that seems to take place when a skilled technician operates this tool. Frankly, it just looks good! Seems to me that too many technicians and shops fail to realize the marketing boost that comes from letting customers see a real pro with real top drawer technical equipment at work. Think about it: next time you use that Robinair 34788 recovery recycling recharge unit, let that customer get a look at it.

Buy the best and show it off! You probably can’t walk up to him and say “I’m really good!” but you can show him.

The Robinair 16910 is an air conditioning refrigerant identifier made for the pro! It’s not made for weekend garage and backyard mechanics and just having these mechancis tools on hand to service customers should assure those customers that he’s in a professional shop that knows what they’re doing.

This valuable piece of shop equipment identifies R12, R134a and R2 refrigerant to start with but than provides percent of weight concentrations of refrigerant vs hydrocarbons and determines refrigerant to be pure as long as it’s 98% of the mix.  It the hydrocarbon content is too high, technicians get both an autio and visual alarm that the refrigerant is contaminated.

It doesn’t count air as an impurity because air is removeable but it will tell the technician how much air is in the system and offers to purge it. All the technician has to do is tell it it yes and the air is removed.

AND . . . . it still doesn’t stop there! There’s an on-board printer port that lets you hook up to a printer so that you can show your customer exactly what you’ve learned about the inefficiency of their automotive air conditioning system. Helps to make sure you get the whole reading and also makes for excellent customer relations and return business from a satisfied customer.

When you have thousands of dollars or hundreds of dollars tied up in a recovery, recycling, recharging unit it’s worth taking care of. Frankly, these things just aren’t cheap and until you need to, you don’t want to buy a new one. You want to get your money’s worth out of the one you’ve already invested in as well a a few extra dollars in profit.

One of the quickest ways to send your recover, recycle, recharge unit off to air conditioning shop equipment heaven is to let any and all sealants that might be in a car’s system get into and clog up expensive mechanics tools - especially when you don’t have to.

The sealant remover made by Robinair (part number RO17622) is the answer and compared to the cost of your RRR unit it’s a bargain that’s as good as any in the automotive service industry.

It’s easy to hook up; it goes between the car’s system and your RRR and simply removes all the sealant in used refrigerant get the opportunity to gum up your unit. It work equally well with equipment with either internal or external pressure gauges and with refrigerant in either gas or liquid form.

This valuable filtering unit will add lifetime and dependability to your unit and that means more profitability through savings. It’s the foolish technician that doesn’t use it.