Wheels Service Center

What do you do if you have ten floors of prime space, which are more than enough to house car showrooms? You may allot a big space for an automotive repair center. That’s exactly what Wheels Inc. — dealer of Hyundai and Kia vehicles and exclusive distributor of SsangYong vehicles in the Philippines — has done to its monolith building along E. Rodriguez Avenue in Quezon City. To date, Wheels Inc. has the biggest service center in the country. Wheels Inc. takes pride in its one-stop shop Service Center which offers a whole range of services for owners of Hyundai, Kia and SsangYong vehicles.

Complete Services

From top to bottom, says Wheels Inc. assistant vice president for Service Operations Ritchie Velasco, the auto shop provides a variety of services: minor to major repairs, body repairs, preventive maintenance, including pickup and delivery assistance, towing services and car accessories.

"We also have registration and insurance services. All the owner needs to do is to bring the car to us and we take care of the documents," Velasco says.

At least six floors of the 10-storey building are devoted for service-center use. At the second floor is the reception area where there’s a separate room each for Kia and Hyundai costumers. Adjacent to the reception room is an air-conditioned customer’s lounge equipped with comforts like TV and VCD, with free coffee or tea served.

The third floor is entirely devoted as service center for Hyundai, and the fifth floor is for Kia. The fourth floor serves as general body repair area. The reception area for SsangYong is at the ground floor while its service area, facility and equipment are set at the 6th floor.

Specialized Technicians

"Our technicians and specialists are trained by the manufacturers themselves. There had been a separate training for each technician for each car brand. Our latest training focused on specialization like automatic transmission and engine overhaul of new product lines. Our technicians can do all types of repairs but they have already specialized in automatic transmissions. Not all technicians or mechanics can work in automatic transmission," Velasco says.

The expertise is buttressed by the use of modern equipment supplied by the Korean car manufacturers. Authentic and reliable, the equipment are an assurance that the car owners can enjoy high quality repair for their vehicles.

The service center is equipped with the diagnostic tool called high scan pro for each of the three brands. The machine, once plugged to the vehicle, can detect the trouble in the vehicle. This makes it easier for the technicians to locate the damage and do repair immediately. These specialized machines cannot be found in ordinary auto repair shops.

10-Step Process

Wheels Service Center is manned by more than 100 professional service personnel. The service center follows a 10-step process in attending to a repair concern. This guarantees a professional approach for the repair and eliminates costly downtimes for such a crucial job. Step 1 involves setting appointments, which directs and evenly distributes the workflow to prevent backlogs; Step 2 is greeting the customer, anchored on the basic tenet of keeping the service department friendly and efficient. Step 3 is the diagnosis, where the problems of the vehicle are checked and verified. Step 4 is writing the diagnosis on the repair order, detailed write-up of the work to be done on the vehicle. Step 5 is the discussion of the pricing, a key consideration before the work is carried out.

Step 6 is performing service work where the technicians fix the problems in the vehicle. Step 7 is following service work, where the repair is taken to completion. Step 8 is the inspection of the completed work. Step 9 is the vehicle delivery, where the vehicle is returned to the owner and made to understand the repair done. Finally, Step 10 is the follow-up, to make sure the customer is fully satisfied.

20 Years Of Experience

With the presence of other auto repair shops, why would an owner of a Korean-made car prefer Wheels Inc.? Wheels Inc., Velasco said, boasts of an expertise honed by more than 20 years of service experience, particularly more than 10 years of handling Korean brands, among which are Kia and Hyundai. For Starex vans alone, Wheels Inc. was the first in the country to import these vehicles and, as such, stands to date the most knowledgeable of these vans.

Velasco cites a number of reasons. One is security. With Wheels Inc., customers are guaranteed that their vehicles will be safe lock, stock and barrel while confined in their premises. The service center also uses genuine parts and accessories sourced directly from the manufacturers.

Moreover, Wheels Inc. grants 1,000 km. warranty for the overhaul, which entitles the car owner free check including minor adjustments like belt tightening, fining, etc. It also charges competitive rates for repair works, with discounts of 10 percent for cash transaction and 5 percent for card transaction.

Proof Of Reliability

A testament to the reliability of Wheels Inc. is the numerous awards it has earned for its high quality of service. In 2002 and 2003, it was the recipient of the Best After Sales Service Award from Kia Motors Phils., in 2003 the Service Advisor of the Year Award from Hyundai Resources Inc., as well as winner of the Technician of the Year 2002 2nd runner-up from Kia Motors Phils.

This summer, make sure that your vehicle brings you safe and sound to your summer get-away. Have your car checked up by a dependable service center like Wheels Inc. Wheels Inc. Service Center is located at 222 E. Rodriguez Ave., Q.C. with tel. nos. 414-9048, 416-3836 to 41, and fax no. 416-3842.