Jeff

Not at this time. BUT I have been looking into it. Last week I was out to supper with my girl at the diner where she works. One of her co-workers had just dropped 2G on his car. Asked why he didn't bring in for me. Because I don't offer credit and he didn't have the cash. GE Capitol is the primary provider for all the Box stores, excluding Goodyear and Firestone. There are others out there that will take 6 checks, draft accounts and the such. Fees are steep for all of them. I am seriously considering GE as they seem to be the most legit.

Tried the carts,no response. Tried the back of receipts,no response. Even tried the trash cans in front of the stores. Ya know the real nice ones that have a poster on each side. That was a huge flop. I figured the old men waiting for their wives would take note. As it were, the trash cans would get hauled around back of the store for cleaning and never make it back out front.

I use BG products. Their road side assistance covers tires if installed here. I also like the added warranty features. Some folks seem to think that the time and mileage requirements for the warranty are a bit much BUUTTT it is cheaper in the long run than a new engine, trans, diff, etc!

My approach is this. Any new customers, at the point of cash out, get 3 cards. I got a little joke that goes along with the reason for 3. Gets a little chuckle and lightens the mood. Then I ask them to hand off the extra 2 to family and friends. Most times they will ask for more cards. I then tell them if they would like to put their names on the back when they are returned I can better track their referral and pass along a coupon or gift card. Rarely get the cards back but I do get a lot of word of mouth! Better than anything I have ever paid for!

The truth!!

I use Sun Trust. They were solid thru all the 2008 shake out. Fees are reasonable and,at least at my branch, the folks are very helpful.

I am in the same boat. ran reports last week...I have over 7 grand on the books. tax man asked me why we dont write it off. I told him I leave it there to remind me to never allow charges!!

I was always taught that a target number was 80/100 part to labor. Every 80 in parts should get 100 in labor sales. I can never seem to hit that...my parts are always higher. I will say I have stopped discounting jobs and giving away time! Always felt sorry for folks...aint no one feelin sorry for me tho when I cant pay my bills!

I would let them tow it in. Then you have a hostage. They wouldn't get it back till ALL WAS PAID! Not sure what the laws are for your location but in Fl they can dispute the bill. The owner has to pay 50% in kind at the courthouse then they can get their vehicle. At that point it becomes a court issue to get paid. Never been there but friends tell me it is a royal pain in the arse!

I think I would have a sit down with the father son team right off rip! let them know that, although they are producing well now, I would be monitoring production. As time went on there will be changes made. I feel if you dont set YOUR standards in the beginning it may be an issue later. Just my $2.98 (2 cents with inflation and obamma health care taxes)

Welcome!

Thanks folks. I knew there wouldn't be much profit in it. Just trying to keep as much work in house as possible. The real money seems to be in the mounting and inspections. Down side for me is I wont be carrying a huge inventory. I can get next day on about anything. I guess the next step will be to find additional wholesalers in order to be able to shop out the prices. Thanks again!

OK...so I am getting into the tire biz. I was farming it all out but got a deal on a balancer and I had a mounting machine for a while now. My question is how do you folks mark up your tires? I have one wholesaler set up and in comparing like brands and sizes with other stores ( tires Plus, Kingdom etc.) it doesn't appear to have much margin. Thanks for the input. Jeff.

As to repair info that might be a challenge on older stuff. Flea markets are full of OLD repair manuals. Internet has everything. If ya can stand the hit then I would finish a couple of classics and get to as many car shows as possible. Get your name in front of the folks lookin and buyin those types of cars. Buyin a functioning body shop might be the way to go since it would give you a cash flow. Just my $2.98 (2 cents with inflation). Good luck!

Good story Gonzo...and full of truth. These people expect us to finish the repairs that couldn't be handled at the "cheapo" shop. I had a call earlier this week. fella tells me he has a 2001 T-100 with a leaky heater core. I explained if he wanted to bring it in I would diagnose and estimate the repairs. He goes on to explain to me that he has already pulled the core out twice and it continues to leak. Then why are you calling me? He just wants me to look at it to be sure its done correctly. WHAT!? Ok I ask where he got the replpacement core. FROM THE INTERNET!! I explain to him that it sounds like he may have gotten a bad part. "But I got a radiator and water pump that are OK" I again explain that if he wants me to look at it I will need to diagnoses and most likely replace the core with a locally sourced quality part. His next statement about floored me! "I been fixin cars for years and never had a problem with internet parts. You just don't wanna work on my truck. Sounds like you might be tryin to rip me off. I will just have to find a shop that wants to work on my truck" It was all I could do to hold my tongue! OK, good luck and have a nice day. I think I might have had my first one on one personal contact with the elusive "Some Guy"!! LOL

The Marine part scares me more than the size!! LOL!

I ain't a big person 6' 175 pounds. But in my younger years I trained in a variety of martial arts, bounced night clubs and was the enforcer in the motorcycle "club" I rode in! I recently had words with one of the other tenants in the building I rent. Parking wherever, their children running around naked in the lot, cursing and swearing when I have customers here...! Now don't get me wrong, I am not perfect and on occasion will let go a tirade. Anyhow I had finally gotten fed up over some parking and asked nicely to move the crap they had in my parking spaces. The father, about 45 and very obese, bowed up and threatened to whup my arse. I calmly informed him he needed to loose 100 pounds to make it an even fight. When he finally stopped his woofin I advised him I was the 3 people he didn't want to anger..a biker, a hillbilly and an Irishman! As i was leaving he was still shouting. At that point I called the landlord and advised him if he didn't get a handle on this I WOULD handle it! Oddly enough the following week everything was moved and they even came down for coffee one morning! I may not be as good as I once was BUT I can be as good once as I ever was! As far as the working on cars here it just aint gonna happen!! Funny how folks attitudes change when they get the full back round!

Thanks folks for the input. I wasn't about to give them anything till I got more input. Their spiel was I have someone looking into the business credit. If I don't validate my info (for the small fee of $399) I may not get credit approval or good insurance. And for the small sum of $950 I could validate the info and provide MY OWN credit report! Sounds kinda hokie to me. The thing that concerned me the most is how they could benefit me. Being a sole prop all my credit is based on me personally. I am in the process of trying to get some new equipment, but had not submitted any paperwork yet for lease or finance. And I really don't want to have to jump through hoops to change something after I re-structure the biz. Thanks again! Gotta love these forums!!

Nice add. Do you send those out as post cards or in local print?

Thanks x-rac.

Anyone here familiar with Dunn & Bradstreet services. I just got a call from one of their reps trying to get me to pay for my listing with them. Was told my listing was incomplete and would not fulfill a creditors credit check. First off I am familiar with who they are and what they do. I WAS NOT aware that they charge for their services. And being a sole proprietor I didn't think it was something I needed to be concerned with.I will add that I am looking to set up an LLC or S-Corp the first of the year. Does anyone here use their services? Thanks for the input. Jeff.

Gonzo...ya aint heard!! Any buffoon can go to sears, buy a set of tools and call themselves a mechanic! How do ya think "Some Guy" got his start?

Infrastructure don't necessarily indicate reliability. In my area we have many "shed shops" that are unlicensed and under equipped. Brick and mortar, bottom of the barrel labor rates, parts at cost, etc. When I tried to point these out I was told by those in power that they were understaffed and I must be afraid of the competition. As far as mobile goes...a very good friend of mine had an old u-haul truck he used for mobile service. Fully equipped...compressor, generator, scanners, a/c recovery, etc. Fully licensed and registered in the state where he lived. He offered the same warranty as the "brick and mortar" shops. Did very well for himself. As far as standardize I think the biggest beef is not your business structure, ie; higher labor, parts at cost, but the way we approach selling diagnostics, selling the "free" stuff, proving that we are professionals and not just a "shed shop". Like I have said before your business models is yours...if it fits great! As long as we are all playing with the same rule book!

ya gotta try the ihop cinnamon pancakes if ya havent already!!

Next to Sonic...across from Krispy Kreme. I would weigh 400 pounds!!!