The Monroe Ride & Drive training experience, which has helped thousands of automotive professionals explore the advantages of premium ride control technologies for domestic and import vehicles, will return in an expanded format this year as the Tenneco Technology Tour.
Monroe shocks and struts and the new line of Monroe premium brake pads are manufactured and marketed by Tenneco Inc.
The Technology Tour will visit 38 major North American cities and is expected to attract more than 8,000 professional technicians for ride control and brake system test drives, in-depth diagnostic and sales training, and a preview of innovative new technologies from Tenneco’s global original equipment portfolio. The Tour team also will provide on-site ride control and brake training for an estimated 5,000 additional technicians through shop visits and distributor-sponsored clinics throughout 2006.
Technicians participating in a Technology Tour event will be able to compare the steering, stopping and stability characteristics of vehicles featuring worn original equipment ride control and brake components and identical models equipped with premium Monroe replacement products. The Tour’s ASE-certified instructors will then help participants learn how to better communicate the need for ride control and brake replacement to vehicle owners.
“Many technicians who participate in our ‘ride and drive’ events tell us they’ve never experienced anything like it before,” said Darin Dullum, sales training manager, Tenneco. “Throughout its history, Monroe has set the standard for technical training in the ride control category. Now we’re taking the value of this hands-on learning experience to a new level with the addition of brake system content and a look at new Tenneco technologies being implemented by global automakers.”
The Tenneco Technology Tour is an integral part of the Monroe brand’s “Safety Triangle” trade and consumer education campaign, which focuses on how the interrelated system of shocks, struts, brakes and chassis parts affects vehicle steering, stopping and stability.
In addition to behind-the-wheel technology demonstrations – conducted on a test course designed with input from the U.S. Auto Club – participants will see and use the new in-shop Monroe Suspension Tester and learn how to perform and communicate the benefits of comprehensive undercar inspections.
“The Technology Tour is another demonstration of Monroe’s unique commitment to driving the growth of the ride control and brake categories,” Dullum said. “We’re investing in the future of our customers’ businesses by enhancing the skills and confidence of thousands of front-line professionals.”
For more information regarding the Tenneco Technology Tour, please contact your Monroe shocks and struts or Monroe brakes supplier, visit www.monroe.com, or write to: Monroe Marketing, One International Drive, Monroe, MI 48161.