Jeff

I run into that a few times a month. Many of the folks will ask if they can make payments. NOPE!! I do let them know if they leave the car it will acrue storage charges after a period of time. That will generaly get them moving. It is tough when ya got operating capitol tied up.

I use a local bulk house brand...made by Amalie Oil. Meets all engine requirements per API SN. Correct me if I am wrong BUT I thought if the oil was API approved it met current manufactures requirments as long as the correct weights were used, outside Dexos and such. And I have never had an engne failure where the oil was the cause.

I went to Jacksonville the first of the month for the Mitchell 1 seminar. My son, who is a very capable mechanic, took charge and ran the shop while I was gone. And guess what...EVERYTHING WAS OK WHEN I GOT BACK! Just goes to show that I can take time off without everything falling apart! The point is I learned that with proper policy in place and having someone you can trust to fill in can make running a shop a bit easier!

When my ex worked in the shop she was the boss. Dont make mama made at the shop...supper wont be good and the laundry piles up!

This is what sets us apart in a field that is littered with undesireables. Hands on customer service...the personal touch!

I add 10% to the tows. As far as insurance...a quality towing company has the coverage from hook to drop. Your insurance would not kick in till it hit the ground at your shop. And yes I ask if they have towing coverage they may not know about. I was pushing the BG road service BUT they recently cut the tow from the $100 limit to 5 miles OR $100 which ever comes first.

I keep a varity of sodas and bottled water, coffee and fresh fruits at the shop. It amazes me how people are taken when you offer them a cold drink and a piece of fruit. Most look at me and say theu were never offered anything at the "big" shops! Just vending machines that dont work half the time!

YEP!!

Nice..Thank You!

you can filter out the bottom feeders in the 10 minutes. As soon as you pull the codes or do the visual they will want a quote with out the testing. Those are the ones that you probably will want to send on their way. As far as phone quotes..I will do a quik est for them and tell them the final cost will be based on our complete inspection. You pay good money to make the phone ring,,,try to get em in!

That is a sore point with me here in Florida. Fix my a/c forget the cord bare tires! I prioritize repairs, SAFETY, PERFORMANCE, CONVENIENCE. When a customer refuses a safety repair is noted on the RO and they are required to sign off before leaving. We have no inspections here.

That is the point I wanted to make Joe. Give them 10 minutes up front. You will spend that much or more trying to explain why you need the test time anyway. Then after pulling codes and doing a visual you are better "equipped" to sell the testing time. I will give 10 minutes to make 1-2-3 hours and the customer will be more comfortable with the process going forward.

Welcome. Great place to hang out!

Yea when pigs fly. These guys are making way to much money to stop the freebies!

Why should I share my info with carfax, who profits from it, just to get a vin decoder?

Yea I heard 2 years ago that AZ was no longer doing the free scan. Guess they forgot to tell the local stores!

I have met a lot of Cubanos since moving to Florida. I guess it is the same there. The 1950's cars are still very common and run like they did the day they were made. and yes they REPAIR everything. Good ta have ya back Gonzo.

Phnny I understand what your saying. I will not do a full blown scan for free. I WILL pull the codes and give the customer some some direction of the testing we will have to do. That will start at 1/2 hour and go up from there. Spend 10 min pulling codes 15 min explaining to customer the process. I believe that will help us to sell the work. They are getting codes for free at the parts stores, Why not spend that 10 minutes here? If nothing else it allows me to capture another customer to market to. The key is to limit any losses to the 10 minutes spent pulling the codes.

XRac how many vibration balances do you farm out in a mo/year? I am thinking it could be a good investment if OTHER SHOPS were willing to pay for the service. And for me just getting started in tires that is one of my biggest fears...not being able to resolve a vibration issue after installing new tires.

I HATE "free" work. BUT I have started thinking a little differently of late. I bought a low level scan tool that I can quickly check codes with. No diag work ( it does have some diag ability) just check the codes to get some direction. I felt like if I used the checker then the customer could see the difference in the tools therefore understand the cost to fully test. I don't advertise anything free like the other shops. Here is the problem I and probably a lot of us face. Every shop in town and even some dealers are advertising "FREE". When I asked my lady friend and her friends what they were attracted to in an auto shop add they all said ""FREE". I certainly don't want to jam up my shop with bottom feeder freebie hunters BUT I am loosing a good market share to those who do the FREE. And I had a very wise man tell me "Ya gotta play ball in the field your in" My take is get them in, give them the "free"..gets that warm fuzzy going. Then educate them. Some will learn and appreciate it..others will leave!! Either way I now have another customer in my data base I can direct market to. I haven't got it fully in place yet but still trying to figure the potential.

ANY time spent with a tech in a car is billable, in my opinion. Now with that said I am probably the worlds worst at giving away time. Yesterday I had a first time customer with a suziki no a/c. Was a compressor. had about 15 min in it. Turns out they were here on vaka and her husband had a stroke. Really felt bad for her. Comped the ticket and asked her to see me when or if she decoded to have ot repaired.

Factory parts are not that much better or they would not have service departments that are jammed with warranty repairs! i worked for Chrysler for 11 years and made a fair living doing warranty work all day.

UNBELIEVABLE!!! It is hard enough to keep a customer satisfied today with all the internet and "shed" shops out there. Now we have to deal with this? I remember a friend of mine tried a similar program with his home remodel biz. The discounts and fees about put him out of biz! I have heard it referred to as the "Wal-Mart" mentality.

hahahahahahahaha!!!