Fleet maintenance agreements: how small businesses avoid downtime

Short answer: A maintenance agreement means the workshop — not the business — keeps track of servicing, EU inspection deadlines and tyre changes for all the vehicles, and that the cars get priority slots when something comes up. For small businesses it is the difference between planned workshop time and acute downtime in the middle of a working week.

What does a stationary vehicle really cost?

The real cost is rarely the workshop invoice. It is the tradesperson who cannot reach the customer, the goods that are not delivered, and the hours spent improvising logistics. Unplanned downtime always hits unevenly — and a business with few vehicles has no spare capacity to draw on. Most acute breakdowns also start as something small: a tired battery, brakes left too long, a warning light nobody followed up.

What a good agreement should cover

• A service plan per vehicle — following the manufacturer's schedule, with call-ins from the workshop
• EU inspection — the workshop tracks deadlines and books the cars in
• Tyre changes and tyre hotel — seasonal changes on a schedule, with condition checks
• Priority slots when something acute happens
• A dedicated contact person and one overview of the whole fleet

What we see most often at the workshop

The small businesses that struggle most with their vehicles rarely have bad cars — they just lack a system. Responsibility is spread across "everyone and no one", and the workshop visit only happens once a car will not start. Our customers with an agreement have remarkably few acute visits: small faults are caught at planned services before they become downtime.

How to get started

Start with a list of the vehicles: registration number, mileage and the next known deadline. That is all we need to set up a plan. Read more about our company-car agreement and what we do for businesses — or call 41 17 32 24 and we will sort it out by phone.