UK Subaru Dealerships Buy 50 Brake Lathes

Following a recommendation from Subaru of America, UK dealership have purchased 50 on car brake lathes from Pro-Cut. According to the company, when the discs are resurfaced using an on-car brake lathe, mulitple repairs for brake judder, squeals and squeaks are virtually eliminated. The PFM 9.19 is the latest generation of on-car brake lathes and can skim an axle in under 20 minutes whilst the brake pads are being changed.

Subaru of America recommended the brake lathe in response to brake discs being classed as consumables and as such not covered by warranty. All Subaru dealerships and service centres have been advised to skim discs rather than replace them, saving the workshop time, saving the customer unneeded expense, and saving the environment by recycling reusable discs.

Judy Williams, Director of Subaru Dealership CVC in Cardiff told T&A: “It (the PFM 9.19) is one the best machine we have in the workshop and we make more money on warranty, service and sales jobs because of it. I was sceptical in the beginning because I thought it would only be used on warranty jobs but it gives us a great saving on sales cars (combating lot rot) and we use it as a feel good factor when giving customers their bill and they (the customers) perceive it as a bargain.”

Guy Carter, Managing Director of Pro-Cut, said: “We are delighted with interest from the UK Subaru Dealerships who have identified the profit potential in the lathe. We have 50 Subaru dealers already using the lathe on average 4 times a week, we are now after the remaining dealerships. The beauty of the lathe comes from its fully automatic feature allowing technicians to prepare one hub whilst machining the opposite side. We’ve had clients who can machine all 4 discs in 30 minutes and change the brake pads, offering the car owner better braking performance for half the price they would have to pay for new brake discs in a quarter of the time.”