mmotley

I had my first customer yesterday that mentioned extended warranty when I told him about an oil leak. He had no paper work in his glove box or anything for it, so he said he would get back with me when he finds it... Hearing your story, I'm dreading having to deal with it now.

Absolutely right, Joe! I decided last week to have a slide show on our TV in the office, instead of a satellite/cable TV feed. The slideshow displays the different services we offer, so during the write up and check out process, they are constantly being reminded of what we offer now.

http://www.aloa.org/NASTFSDRMDocs/ $375 gets you a license for 2 years ($75 app fee to cover background check, $300 for 2 year membership).

I agree, Jeff. That being said, you can stroll over to bobistheoilguy.com and find some very smart guys testing oils and doing experiments with their own cars and giving feedback on the results. Long story short, synthetics do improve gas mileage.. when they are used in the engine, transmission, and differentials together... and the increase in gas mileage usually isn't greater that 1 mpg or so. The thing about oil (like you said), they are all held to SAE standards. Synthetics will perform better in extreme conditions (foaming, extreme heat, etc), but for an everyday driver, it won't make a difference. Phynny, not trying to be rude or sound condescending, but engine oil and transmission fluid are VERY different. You sound like a smart guy from what I've read, so you have to know the friction modifiers built into the trans fluid to allow for a certain amount of slipping w/ clutch discs and such is completely different than engine oil providing lubrication for 2 (usually) similar metals. E.g. Oil is tested and rated to SAE standards, transmission fluid is very vehicle specific (depending on additive packages) Sorry, don't mean to look like I'm arguing. Wes, I have found MOST of my customers don't ask about oil brands. The few that do ask, usually already have their favorite brand in mind. For those, I allow them to supply their own oil for the oil change. I do keep (2) 5 quart bottles of Mobil 1 5W30 in the back for the occasional customer, but that's it. Also, it depends on your shop image/branding. If your a performance/race shop, you would probably benefit from keeping Mobil 1 in stock or some royal purple. If your a quick lube shop, you can get away with whatever flavor is cheapest that month/week. Hope I've helped some... ***Edit: Just realized, I should have been using API in place of SAE when discussing oil ratings (additive pacakages, not viscosity grade). I'll leave the old paragraph with the mistakes, so if someone wants to research the difference between the 2, they can reference it.

Sent a PM

I know my shop is very different than most others, since I specialize in the same brand (Toyota/Lexus/Scion). This allows me to focus all my time/money/energy onto just those vehicles. With that, I now cut and program keys for those vehicles, perform rock chip repairs, wheel repair (curb rash), Hybrids are a breeze, minor body work, ECM and other module programming, air bags, theft modules... There isn't much the dealer does that I can't do. Come to think of it, about the only thing they probably do that I don't, is detail/car wash, window tint, and leather/interior repairs (I mean leather tearing, cracked dashes)... That being said, you better believe I've been searching for a mobile window tint guy and a detail shop I can trust and work out a discounted price with them... Leather and dash repair is tricky, so I've found a place that does that, but I don't do it in house... Give me 3 more months of talking to folks and networking, and I'll do everything the big boys do, but for less. My biggest problem, is trying to get all this information to a customer. I tell them I do everything a dealer can do, and they follow up with questions like "what about keys? Can you do them?" or "My air bag light is on. Is that something I have to take to the dealer?"

I think this might be a rare case, so I'll do my best to explain it. The OIL they sell is the same price for me as it is for the next guy/gal in line. They sell it so cheap though, the bulk suppliers could only match the price. The explanation I got from the dealership is that it helps 'fluff or build up' the numbers, and somehow that in turn helps the dealer with returns/stocking/pricing/I dunno. Again, it is soooo cheap, even the parts guy selling it to me thought it was a mistake with the prices first came up, but parts manager said it was correct. As for the filters, I do get a discount on those. I buy them by the case (12). It's not a HUGE discount, but combine the discount with the fact I can use 'Genuine oil filters' as a selling point over the 'quick lube generic oil filter' and my customers seem to like it. Yes, I could increase profit PERCENTAGE numbers by going with a cheap generic filter, but the increased sales (car count and dollars) I get with 'GENUINE' parts/filters (every oil change car gets looked over, bumper to bumper), it's better for me to stick with dealership filters... On top of all that, buying my oil and filters from the dealer 'fluffs' my numbers with them. So when a $1300 drive shaft needs to be replaced, and the customer balks at the price, the dealer doesn't mind helping me out a little with the price a little. Get more bees with honey

Not really trying to start an argument here (kind of off topic), but if your price change went from $30 to $70 and the customer is saving money because they can go 6k miles now, that means before they had to be doing oil changes every 2500 miles or less to be saving money with the $70 oil change... (if my math is correct) As for the whole bulk oil question, I actually got some prices a few weeks ago on bulk oil from a local supplier... they were the exact same prices as what I can buy oil from at the Toyota Dealership! Granted, I have to deal with quart bottles, boxes, and go pick it up, but it becomes a selling point for me 'Genuine Toyota Oil and Filters!' Never would I have thought I would have got cheap oil from the dealership parts counter... PM me if you're that curious about the prices On top of that, I'm not exactly on Main Street, so even though I have lots of traffic out front, none is slow enough for me to do a significant amount of oil changes to justify a tank and pumps with reels. My oil changes are usually just add on's when the customer brings it by for a check up/inspection or for other repairs. However, I would also be interested to see what some of you guys are paying for your pumping systems, or if it's rented or leased from the bulk oil companies.

Guess I'm the weird one in the group, but I can't wait to put my wrenches down! ASE Master Certified, blah blah blah, I'll take a desk job with slacks and a Polo/button down shirt any day over bending over a fender and busting knuckles! However, I have always been very social, told I have the 'gift of gab', etc. On top of that, service writers USUALLY (not always) make better money. And they don't go home with cuts on their greasy hands, a snap-on bill, and a bad back. Sure, 'wrenching' might be fun, but for a career, I know what I want! That's like choosing between playing football and golf. Football might be fun, but golf isn't gonna beat you to death. I'm sure not everyone will agree with me, just thought I would give my opinion. Brian, I would go for the opportunity, work your butt off, read some books on relationship building & friend making & sales, learn to shave daily, smile, and put the wrenches down. Worse case scenario, you unlock your box again, and pick the wrenches back up.

Ugh, please, no more gov't regulations and/or laws!!! Let the free market work it out! Joe, if you stop buying the cheap CATS, those companies stop receiving income... and eventually go out of business and/or increase the quality of their product. Yes, it is tempting, but eventually you gotta learn to stop touching the stove. You've been burned.

I read the first post, then just kind of skimmed the replies... Here is how I see it: If the detail side of the shop was making any kind of profit to be substantial, why would they give it away to someone else... Let me re-phrase that. If the detail side of the shop was making ANY PROFIT AT ALL, why would they give it away. Even if it is just breaking even, they should want to keep it. Doesn't sound like a smart move, just my thoughts though

I've always been too scared to use anything but factory transmission fluid. These days, on these newer transmissions, I'd rather not risk it. But then again, I've never done research on universal fluids either.

So, any new feedback/updates on the service? I spoke with customer link today, and they sounded pretty good. Just curious about your experience so far.

Just another point of view, but he might not realize he is complaining all the time. You might just try bringing it to his attention... Kinda like the whole 'you have something in your teeth' or 'your breath stinks' or 'dude, you got a booger hanging out your nose' Some people just don't realize it, and if you tell him, the response might be 'holy crap, my boss is right. I do bitch/moan/complain all day!' If you do go this route, I wouldn't bring it up first thing in the morning, though. Wait till he is complaining about something around mid-day and point it out. Something like 'I'm not trying to be rude man, but have you ever noticed you complain a lot? Sometimes it can kinda wear on me.' ... However, I was so happy to see the very first part of your post. 2 years to hire your first employee! I've been wondering what the normal growth rate is of a shop. That is a valuable data point. Anyway, back on topic!

Looks great I think. The pics of your shop look great btw. Very clean looking.

I never even knew this was an option with Mitchell. However, the sales rep pretty much installed the software and left me to figure out how to use it...

I completely agree with Joe and Jeff. Just my opinion, but I think even saying that the customer is getting "10 minutes" is a stretch. A ~$50 scanner from Harbor Freight, that you keep in your desk drawer, and use to pull codes for free is GENIUS. I am assuming a lot here, but I bet this is how things probably go for a customer at Joe's business Cust - "My check engine light is on. What does it cost to find out what is wrong with it?" Joe - "Well, we don't charge anything to hook our scanner up to your car. Let's go out there real quick and take a look" ~Literally a 30 sec. walk out the front door and plug in the scanner~ Joe - "Hmmm, that's weird. It is showing a P0300. That is kind of a vague code, so we'll have to let one of the mechanics/technicians do some diagnostic work to figure out what is setting that code" TIMER ENDS HERE. At this point, Joe probably walks the customer back inside and starts taking down customer information. Lets them know about a $49.99 fee to check spark plugs, fuel test, etc. All in all, he spent $50 on a cheap scanner and AT MOST 10 MINUTES. In reality, probably more like 4 minutes. And he will get more customers in his shop because he 'doesn't charge to check out cars' Scenario #2: Customer - "My car shakes when I drive down the road. How much do you charge to check it out" Joe - "We don't charge just to take a look at it. Let's go for a quick ride" At this point, you could walk outside and see a flat tire in the back on the passenger side. Skip the test drive and sell a flat repair. Inspect brakes while you have it in the shop. Or maybe the tire shop down road forgot to tighten a wheel and it's about to fall off. You see it and save the day! Now you are a hero, tightened the wheel for free, and probably have a customer for life. Or you go on to test drive... Literally drives the car 3 miles and come back Joe - "Hmmmm, I've never felt or heard something like that. Strange. I think we'll have to put it on the lift and get some diagnostic tools on the car to locate the source." Again, Joe walks a new customer into his shop and starts taking down information. All while the other shops who told that customer they charge 1 hour diagnostic time to even look at it, are sitting around wondering why no one is coming in. And it's all because Joe is giving away FREE diagnostics Let's admit it. Refusing to even look at a car without diagnostic time is really translated as "I want money up front because if it's something easy, I wan't to get that money for doing nothing." If it's hard or complicated, stop, ask for diagnostic time, then proceed. Something tells me Joe has given away more "free" diagnostic time that, in the end, made him 10x what a 'diagnostic fee' would have made him. . . . . Or I could be completely wrong, and Joe will correct it... for free

This is true, and I agree for the most part. However, it sounds to me that if Cardone was a car manufacturer and was experiencing these kinds of problems, they would be issuing a recall, much like many car manufacturers do. When a problem is that common (like what Joe is talking about), car Manufacturers can be forced to issue a recall. Aftermarket part manufacturers are not held to the same government rules and regulations of liability. I'm not saying they are perfect (if they were, there would be no warranty work being done at a dealership), but I think most of us would gamble on a factory OEM part then we would aftermarket. Why? Because of experiences like Joe is having with the steering rack. Does this mean I am saying use OEM everytime? Of course not, you would loose too much business, profit, and on older cars, it isn't always available. It's really up to you and your customer where you get your parts. I was just trying to offer the idea of maybe sourcing your parts from the same place the dealer gets them. It's not always possible, but in some cases you can save a lot of money and get a good quality part. After all, we aren't stuck with just O'Reilly or Autozone.

I would think if the economy improves, you would see more people buying new cars, not holding on to older cars that are in need of repair.... Just my thoughts. Also can't help but wonder how the 'Cash for Clunkers' program affected the numbers in this study... I would think the average age would be higher since the gov't created an incentive for people to trade older cars (and subsequently destroyed and removed from the market) in for new ones.

How are you liking the Akebono pads (or are you even still using them)? I've tried them on a few cars and had mixed results. One I didn't like was on a LS430. The shims came glued on...CROOKED! Pad design on a LS430 is the style where 2 pins pass through the backing plate to hold the pads in place, so glued on freaking shims that don't line are kind of a pain. I'm considering trying Advics(from worldpac) on the next brake job that comes through. Supposedly those are OEM for the cars I work on (Toyota and Lexus). I'll probably call my worldpac rep tomorrow and asking if he has any feedback on them. Anyway, thanks!

Just curious as to how others handle towing fees. Example: Customer called me today and said they needed to have their vehicle towed to my shop. They informed me that the belt had some off and the radiator is leaking. The customer was at work, but had left keys in the ignition before he left. Do I go ahead at the first opportunity to give him the cost of towing? Do I take a credit card number down??? I don't usually ask for credit card information or money down before performing repairs, so it doesn't feel right to ask for CC info for towing services. Do you roll this into the cost when you quote the repairs? Also, is their any sort of special deal you can work with local towing companies? Are these folks I should be sending pizzas for lunch to earn their recommendation or handing them 3-5 business cards when they drop cars off? Still new to this end of the business (in other words, treat me like a dummy and assume I know nothing). Any advice and/or scenarios would be helpful or things to look out for. Vehicle walk arounds, etc.

Wow, that's pretty crazy! Best advise I can offer is aggressively seek out the parts direct from the OEM (the Denso/Toyota example I gave earlier). As far as Cardone (the original topic), that's a bummer to hear about their quality. Even being aftermarket, that kind of performance is unacceptable. In this case, do you simply change brands for that specific component or go to a completely different parts supplier? Also, how did you handle the customer that lost their steering? I imagine 'I'm sorry' can only go so far with a situation like this.

I'm really surprised most folks on here are using A1 parts (really, not just A1, but aftermarket period). I know I'm fairly new to running a business, but my experience in working on cars has taught me a valuable lesson. Cheap aftermarket parts are just that...CHEAP. There is a reason why the Original Equipment Manufacturer parts last 80,000+ miles. And if they aren't lasting that long, the car manufacturer is putting pressure on the OEMs to fix the design flaw and make it right. Also, make sure you know the difference between aftermarket, OE spec, and OEM. Aftermarket is just that. Doesn't mean its cheap, it just means it's not factory. It's probably not gonna perform the same as the original. It might last longer or perform better. Or it might not... Also, aftermarket is sometimes the only option you have (particularly on older cars). OE spec (built to OE spec, etc). This is a very arbitrary statement. OE spec could just mean dimensions. Or materials. Or appearance. Point is, you don't really know what they mean and the manufacturer of the part isn't really being held to any certain standard or inspection process. I know one could argue that the customer is holding them to a standard, but a few angry customers is nothing like GM or Chrysler or Nissan calling them up after a multi-million dollar contract and saying the parts they received are failing. Really, this category is the same as aftermarket, but there seems to be a line of products that advertise they are 'OE quality". They usually aren't. OEM parts. Original Equipment Manufacturer. These are parts from companies that originally manufactured them for the car when they rolled off the line. They usually are manufactured to the specs provided by the car manufacturer and have the most R&D behind them. You don't necessarily have to get these from the dealership either. Many of these parts are available directly from the manufacturer. I.E. Toyota gets a lot of their parts made by Denso. A Toyota air filter literally has Denso still written on the air filter. Same with the oil filter. Same with O2 sensors, etc... Point is, you can sometimes get OEM parts directly from them at a discount, instead of going to the dealership. I know some will say I'm just a fan of OEM parts, and that is partially true. Only because of the success I have had with them. I have dealt with struts that don't fit, new modules that won't communicate, seals that are the wrong size, and parts that are just boxed/labeled wrong. Yes, I have had issues with brand new OEM parts, but not at the rate of aftermarket parts. I also understand that there is a significant price difference between the 2. Personally, I just don't see the extra profit being worth the headache and loss of customer trust. I have given customers the option of using aftermarket parts from Autozone, Oreilly, Napa, etc... I just make sure to let them know of the possible issues with cheaper aftermarket parts and that the warranty on repair will not be the same as when I use OEM parts (also gets printed on the RO). If you aren't doing this, I would say be ready to assume responsibility for the part failure. At least that's how the customer is going to see it. They brought you their car to be fixed because you are supposed to know how to fix them. This includes knowing what parts to use. Just my 2 cents. I'm sure everyone has a different opinion on the matter as most of us all have some sort of loyalty to one brand, distributor, parts guy, or whatever. A lot of this comes from experience working at a parts store, independent shop, and dealership. Hope I didn't step on anyone's toes.

I stumbled upon this website the other day and Wes reminded me of it. http://www.vag-info.com/ Might be of some help to someone out there. From their site: "Edilock Ltd company specialize in developing of car diagnostics software, key programming and immobiliser pin code reading devices, odometer correction software and devices for bypassing the immobilizer of petrol and diesel cars from VAG Group. All our products are genuine and we do not sell chinese copies. Most popular products are BMW Key Programming Device for CAS 3 module via OBD II for all E - series 2003 - 2012, AVDI hardware and special software functions , Toyota Key programming via OBD II, TANGO Programmer, OMEGA - ORANGE Programmer, TAG Key Tool, BMW EWS 3 Key programming Device, VAG Pin Code Reading, DASHCODER - Odometer programming tool and more... "

I agree... kind of. I just got rid of my 254 area code cell phone number this week, so I know the area you are in. Grew up in Glen Rose, have visited buddies going to college in Waco... Nobody around there uses Yelp, period. Well, maybe a few out of towners, but not enough to leave you sleepless if you get a bad review on there. However, Google reviews are different. I have run into quite a few people pay attention to those around here and you part of the woods... After all, your smart phone comes with google maps on it, and the map will give your star rating as soon as your business pops up (excluding iPhones). Anyway, point being, nmikmik is probably right. Ditch the logos and go with some google reviews, or even just a customer quote. Coming from a shop that specializes in Toyota/Lexus, I get phone calls and questions from my customers every week, asking if I work on Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and VW, even when the sign says 'Toyota and Lexus Specialists'! So I don't think you'll have an issue with customers wondering if you work on 'their car too' Other than that, I think it looks great. Love that you have a map on the first page. I'm gonna have to apply that to my site. 'Opening Hours' sounds a little weird to me. Maybe try 'hours open' or 'hours of operation'.