You’ve built a new car dealership, signed all the licensing agreements, and started bringing in a fleet of vehicles for your showroom. There’s only one final detail left to figure out — how do you pick the correct auto dealership door? Every customer and business opportunity enters or exits the dealership through these doors. They are the leading impression-maker and represent your auto dealership’s aesthetics, convenience, safety and security, and maintenance. 

Selecting doors doesn't have to be a complicated part of designing or remodeling your auto dealership. Learn how to pick the best door for your dealership based on the factors you, your business, and your loyal customers value most.

Importance of Doors at Auto Dealerships

What impact does a car dealership display door have on your business? Believe it or not, doors significantly contribute to a business's reputation. We trust security measures like high-quality doors to keep out intruders, thieves, and unwarranted visitors. The valuable assets inside an auto dealership can include new and used cars, expensive machinery and tools, replacement parts, and legal documents. These items require protection beyond standard-issue garage doors.

Most car dealerships have locations on major highways and roads where potential customers can spot them. People judge a business by the exterior. Your dealership's exterior appearance plays an equally critical role as the interior. Doors will provide a welcoming and trustworthy environment for customers in the market for a new or used vehicle or drivers requiring routine maintenance or replacement parts. 

Customer Experience and Aesthetics

With the introduction of online and automated car buying processes, car dealership storefronts have prioritized targeting potential customers and establishing long-term relationships. How can you make your car dealership's customer experience more appealing than the convenience of online sales? Build and design your car dealership for comfort and aesthetics. Most drivers come to a dealership for replacement parts or routine maintenance. Overall, the showroom floor doesn’t attract as much traffic as you might assume.

Car dealership owners and architects are starting to extend the showroom's high-end design features to the service area. Customers often have to wait for an oil change or tire services, making comfortable seating areas with amenities a popular addition. How do doors play a role in customer experience and aesthetics? By installing a rollup door with extended visibility, customers will have an inviting entrance and viewing area of the garage. A car dealership display door allows customers to see the services performed on their vehicle, providing an extended element of trust and a welcoming environment. Elevate your car dealership's look and feel with a high-performance, high-visibility rollup garage door.

Convenience

One of the most frequent questions customers ask car dealership owners is, “How do you get cars in and out of the showroom?” Auto dealership doors need to be convenient and functional as employees must move vehicles to the showroom, parking lot, test-driving station, servicing dock, and the auto mechanic garage. 

For servicing areas, consider doors with an automated opening function, making it more convenient for mechanics to round up vehicles from the loading dock. Car dealerships can control automation with remotes or button fixtures placed within the garage's control panel. The door will need to be high-powered and energy-efficient to lower the cost of electricity bills and decrease the environmental footprint. Door convenience benefits employees and customers, so it's a crucial consideration when choosing the right fit for your car dealership.

Safety and Security

Showrooms are full of new or used cars. Servicing rooms have lots of expensive car replacement parts and tools. To prevent break-ins and accidents, you must pick doors for dealership safety and security. Some doors offer additional protection with fire-rated listings and insulation. Fire-rated doors compartmentalize blazes quickly to prevent the spread of smoke and flames, while insulated doors provide a barrier for sound transmission and air infiltration. 

Intruders aren't the only concern. Natural weather events such as hurricanes with high winds and intense storms should be taken into account, too. Protect and secure your car dealership no matter the circumstance. Cookson offers durable rollup security doors with fast response, delivery, and installation with security, plus aesthetics and quick lockdown options for immediate defense. 

Maintenance and Performance

Mechanics work hard to service vehicles and install new car parts for your loyal customers. The last thing you need to worry about is constant upkeep for your auto dealership's doors. Consider low-maintenance doors that offer self-servicing manuals or videos to save on outsourcing repairs. High-performance doors made from thick, dual-layer materials are most suitable for auto dealerships. 

Additional support is necessary to keep vehicles and workers safe within your car dealership. Strength and durability assist maintenance and performance. Rollup doors with customized commercial-grade materials and minimal maintenance will keep operations running smoothly every day.

Cost

Finding the ideal dealership display doors doesn’t have to break the bank. Upfront costs require the majority of spending, but mean there is little upkeep after a door is purchased. Most commercial garage-style doors rely on springs, which can need repair and replacement down the line. Springless high-performance and high-speed rollup garage doors have a considerably longer life without as much required maintenance compared to standard commercial garage doors. Rollup doors are versatile, allowing you to choose accessories that fit your budget, along with your choice of colors and architectural features.

Depending on which works better for your dealership operations, you can choose fully automated or self-servicing doors. Cookson's high-performance doors are designed to handle up to 50,000 open/close cycles and engineered for daily use, ensuring you will receive the best quality for your money.

Door Safety for Car Dealerships

A car dealership is a hub of activity as families make memories of buying their first cars and upgrade their vehicles. Behind the scenes, there's a busy environment of service representatives, managers, mechanics, security guards, and more. 

This constant activity means that high-performance garage or storage area doors open hundreds of times a day, which is a primary safety concern for any dealership. Manufacturers have designed several high-quality safety features for enhanced security throughout dealerships. 

Door Safety Features at a Car Dealership

Car dealerships can mix and match several door safety features to create the perfect fit for their layout. Worker and vehicle safety is a top priority to protect time, money, and people.

PHOTO EYES

Photo eyes are a convenient safety feature that can prevent countless accidents. These devices resemble miniature video cameras fixed on both sides of the rolling door. They use an invisible infrared beam to sense employees, vehicles, and even animals. 

If there's an obstruction, the sensor automatically stops the door from closing to prevent an accident. The photo eye also alerts car dealership management to let them know that something is blocking the door. 

ACTIVATION SENSORS

There are several different types of door activation sensors available depending on the activity at a car dealership. A few of the main options include: 

• Manual activation: Instead of automation, manual activation uses remote controls or push buttons in low-traffic areas.
• Automatic activation: These sensors rely on hands-free methods for opening and closing doors, such as floor loop sensors, motion and presence detectors, and more.
• Enhanced activation: These sensors target the area in front of the door and allow the user to target the surrounding area with programmable sensors.

REVERSING BOTTOM EDGE

The reversing bottom edge can be a life-saving addition to a high-performance rolling door. If there's an obstruction under the door, sensors in the bottom edge will reverse to prevent crushing anything underneath. 

The technology uses two electrically conductive contact elements within a foam cushion on the bottom edge of the door. When the cushion touches an object, the edges compress and cause the contacts to touch. This connection sends an electrical signal to the motor control unit to stop or reverse motion. 

SAFETY LIGHT SYSTEMS

Safety light systems provide sensing technology to notify the automatic door if there is an obstructed path. An important safety light system is the warning light. A flashing amber light can warn nearby auto dealership employees that the door is about to close so that no one accidentally steps underneath. The light should be as bold and bright as possible. This feature will warn people walking on foot or riding in vehicles from any angle approaching the door. 

Commercial Rollup Doors by Cookson

If you're looking for high-quality rollup doors, Cookson has several customer favorites available in various materials, finishes, and have additional benefits. Cookson is one of the leading rolling service door manufacturers. As such, we prioritize providing you with high-quality products, safety solutions, and services throughout the entire door selection process. No matter your need, our rollup door support team is here to help you find, design, or specify the best door for your project, plus provide installation manuals and support. 

Find a dealer or contact us today to request your quote or get product information on a door that meets your requirements.

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