mmotley

Feed back on Honda / Acura would be appreciated

Do you add this on to the ticket as a specific line item?

Get a copy of their sales tax exemption form, keep it on file. So I've been told

Good point, the customer may have requested the whole harness be replaced, instead of being repaired (especially if they thought you would foot the bill). I know for a fact that Toyota sells connector ends, sometimes pig tails, and terminals. Regardless, more info is needed.

SHOULD be repairable. It would be nice to know which circuit was affected. I am very suspicious as to why the replaced the entire harness ($$$ is probably the reason).

Dealer I previously worked for charged something like $3-$7 a week...

Interested to see what others report here. I'm getting a (used) hunter road force balancer this week, hopefully. Next will be a tire machine, then an alignment rack. Are others just mounting and balancing, and is it worth it. Or is the real money in selling an alignment with every set of tires? Road hazard? Life-time balance? Warranty? Are you stocking tires or do you set an appointment and order before hand?

Was thinking about this today... Probably going to send out hand addressed and signed cards to everyone and promotional coffee mugs to those customers who spent a certain amount at the shop

I bought a used 2 stage off craigslist. It was a steal, some old man had dreams of restoring a jeep and bought a ton of nice equipment for his garage... He passed away and kids were selling all of it on craigslist, they just wanted it gone. Included a free air hose real, hose and drain (all very nice, compressor still on pallet). It is serving me well so far

Yes. It was a headache as most insurance agents have no experience in this area. You'll have to exercise some patience in handling this. Your best bet is to call around and see if you can find out if anyone local has any experience with this insurance situation. Obviously, laws will be different state to state so it's difficult to give advice.

Something to remember about how many cars drive by, how fast they are going. 30k going by at 75 mph isn't gonna do you much. 20k cars going by when your location is at an intersection and the speed limit is 30 mph or 40 mph is way better. Just FYI

I'll take a stab at this, I am training a new guy in the shop right now. 1. How important is it that a new technician looking for employment with your shop has previously attended a dedicated automotive technician program? Do you prefer that the individual had gone to a nationally recognized school or a local community school? Are there any schools you are more inclined to hire from? Are there any schools your are less inclined to hire from? Somewhat important, but attitude, eagerness, and other qualities can make up for lack of formal training. However, schooling is always a plus. National or local would be fine. Not biased to any school. 2. What sort of tools do you expect a new technician entering the field have on day one of work in your shop? (Detailed lists welcome, but not expected.) If it's a completely new guy with no experience, basic hand tools. Probably some sort of craftsman kit. Honestly, if I can get him/her early enough, I would prefer them to wait for me to make suggestions on what tools to buy. 3. What level of pay do you expect to pay new technicians fresh out of school? (A range is best here, it's just to give them expectations.) I'm in Texas, I would start out at $10. 4. With this job being all about experience, how do you intend to handle technicians growth? Will you start them with oil changes and then keep feeling them out with more and more difficult jobs until they have the experience needed? Do you like to let them work alongside your more advanced techs to learn? (I find most technicians learn best from observing and then doing, rather than book instruction.) They will work alongside a technician, but will focus on oil changes and tire rotations if there is one to be done. Their main goal will be to learn to do and oil change, tire rotation, and properly inspect a vehicle and make recommendations in a timely manner. Once they have that down, the will advance to brakes, etc. 5. What sort of information do you look for on an application and/or resume? Do you want a detailed tool inventory? Should they provide pictures of their tools? What sort of contacts do you prefer (remember this is for new technicians) to have listed? Experience is the first thing I look for, followed by schooling. Contacts would be previous managers. 6. What is your expectation for the amount of mistakes they will make? What sort of mistakes do you expect? What sort of mistakes do you expect to not see? Mistakes are expected, in fact sometimes mistakes have to be made to learn. As long as we don't repeat mistakes, we're good. Expected mistakes - cross thread bolts, round off bolts, roll a valve cover gasket, back a car into another car or object (you work on cars long enough, in a shop, and test drive, in a hurry, your gonna do it eventually). Not expected - too difficult to say. Sh!t happens, we're all human, as long as you keep us in the green. 7. How can a new technician identify if they have what it takes or not? What level of learning is too slow? How can they identify if they have what it takes??? Best answer I can give is, if it is truly what they enjoy. If their youtube feed, facebook feed, and google history is about modding cars they don't own, if they have worked on their friends families cars for free, they probably have what it takes. No level of learning it too slow, you just may be stuck as a lube tech all your life 8. How much time over book do you expect and allow for them to complete jobs when they are new? Will you speak with them when they are not meeting your expectation, if so, will you work with them or let them go? No telling. Some guys just naturally work fast. Others will take their time to make sure they do everything right (they are new and don't wanna screw up). I'd speak with them before letting them go though. 9. What indicates to you that a tech is hungry to learn and how much are you willing to do to advance him beyond oil changes and other basic tasks if he shows aptitude/interest? My new guy just came in on a Saturday, off the clock, to do valve cover gaskets on one of our loaner cars... It is a PITA job (ES 330, gotta remove the intake), and I never once heard him complain. If he is constantly watching over your shoulder instead of playing with his phone, that is a good sign. 10. What are some bad habits that you would like new techs to be aware of and avoid? Show up on time. On time means if we open at 8, be in your stall ready to work at 8. I don't care how much you work late, if I have customers here at 7:55 AM wanting their oil change done, you staying after 5 PM does me no good. In your stall, tool box unlocked, uniform on, ready to work. I pay you on time, you get here on time. 11. (Final question.) In your opinion what is the best way for a new technician to develop diagnostic and electrical skills that are in short demand in this industry. Experience, plain and simple. Learn basic electrical concepts early on and ask for the electrical problem cars. Once you truly understand voltage, resistance, and amperage, electrical is a money maker! As far as general diagnostic, experience/education plays a roll. Hope this helps.

Again, http://www.ratchetandwrench.com/RatchetWrench/August-2014/Managing-a-Fleet-of-Loaner-Vehicles/

http://www.ratchetandwrench.com/RatchetWrench/August-2014/Managing-a-Fleet-of-Loaner-Vehicles/

Can't help but feel like you answered your own question there buddy...

For tune-ups, I ask if they have had their spark plugs done, if the diff fluid has been replaced, what about a fuel induction service? Oh, and your cabin filter? Oh and one more thing, what about brake fluid? And do you know if you have ever had your coolant or trans fluid replace? By this point, they usually get the point that we can't really give a price for a tune up over the phone. We NEED/HAVE to see the car to give an accurate price. If they persist, we price an oil change and tire rotation with a complete vehicle inspection.

FROGFRINDER, topped of with fuel? Really?

Thanks OEScan. I'm definitely glad I made the move. I've thought about branching out to other brands, but my business is still growing as I stay strictly with Toyota/Lexus/Scion. Doing so has allowed me to use the factory scan tool, which means I do everything the dealer does (including cutting and programming keys), minus navigation updates (Toyota has restricted it to dealer only... And most people just use their phones anyway). Part of me being exclusive to T/L/S is what has convinced many folks to try me out and why most stay with me. I don't mis-diagnose cars, I have all the special tools, I have connections for parts (almost always overnighted to me), factory repair manuals, and Lexus loaner cars. The only way I would ever branch out to another brand is if I can replicate what I'm doing now.

The number 1 return on investment for me has been mailouts. Combined with a professional looking website, those 2 have brought in the most. Facebook brought in none. A few from google ads (probably count them on 2 hands). Maybe 1 on Yelp, but I don't pay for Yelp. Most people say they got my mailouts, then they checked out my website. After that, it's word of mouth. I've done 5 mailouts and only been open 17 months. Each mail out consisted of at least 1,500 pieces, 2 where over 10K pieces. Getting ready to do another one in December or January. I also have an ad running in a small retirement 'golf' community newspaper. Surprisingly good return on it. Very cheap to advertise in.

Links to products and services that shops use or that are being discussed... There was an article about a shop using a plug-in in the OBDII port that sent information back to the shop and how much customers loved, but no information on how to sign up for the service if you wanted it in your shop. Or there was an article in September's issue about accountants vs financial planners and it was mentioned to start at " with the International Financial Planners Association" but no link or anything was provided for the IFPA. If you google it, you get IARFC.... is that the same as what was mentioned in the article? I think it would be helpful to provide these links in the article.

I only have 2 employees and I share those numbers every once in a while. I make sure to share both sales and expense. I also let them know when I'm having to pay taxes. The reason I do this is that it is very easy to see customer after customer come in and spend $800-$1000 every day and assume the business is making a ton of money. However, they don't see you on the computer paying advertising bills, insurance, rent/mortgage, taxes, shop maintenance bills, paying for new equipment, etc. It is also easy to forget that not all of a ticket is profit. There were some parts that had to be paid for. And commission too. And CC processing fees. And electricity. And management software. And tanks of R134a. And you get the point. Sharing these numbers with my service advisor helps him justify why we charge what we charge. Sharing these numbers with my other mechanic helps him understand why we need to make additional recommendations, fix cars right the first time, and pay attention to waste. I also reward my guys when we have a great month and pay them well too. Because of all this, they show up on time, they stay late if asked (sometimes I don't have to ask), they'll show up on a Saturday if needed, I know they aren't out looking for other jobs, I get to hear them brag about how much they like working for me to their friends, family, and customers. I know some will say you shouldn't share these numbers, so let me be clear. I don't break it all down and put it into a pie chart and graphs and show them my bank account. I do however share with them when a few tickets here and there that have really high profit percentages and a few tickets that are really low percentages. I definitely share with them any ticket I loose my ass on (mis-diagnose, break a part, mis-quote, etc). This way they don't just see a $3,000 ticket and assume I'm going out to party when the customer pays. I'm interested to see what others say though. I've often wondered about how others say they don't share these numbers, but use Mitchell Manager that has a 'profit' hot key that shows how much money is made on each ticket.

Did you quote more than the book calls for? If so, why?

Like Joe said, be nice but firm. Explain insurance no longer allows people to come into the shop area. I have a few close friends that stop by from time to time, and I'll just be polite and say 'Well it was nice talking to ya, but I really have to get back to finishing this job. The customer needs their car back ASAP'. They usually get the point. All great advice here.

Bill Connor does training videos for RLO training - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rlo+training Is he a shop owner or does he sell automotive shop technology?

For every inspection performed, a slip with your name goes in the hat at the end of the week/month. A drawing is held for a TV, gift card, $100 bill, etc. Or you could have it that with every BG service that is sold, your name goes in the hat... It might sound cheesy or you might not have enough guys for this to work very effectively, but it's an idea. To answer your main question though, I only have 1 helper and he is paid strictly commission. Pay rate X labor hours produced.