CarER

I know this topic has been covered before and many people handle it in many ways. Me personally, the only thing I quote over the phone is an oil change, and even then I only quote a range. For example: If someone asks me how much an oil change is, my reply is "Our oil change packages range from $30.49 to $76.95 depending on the type of vehicle. This includes an oil change, 51 point inspection and unlimited fluid top off. I have an appointment available at 9 am or 2 pm tomorrow, which one works best for you?"

Xrac, No, he most definitely was not a technician. In the very very short time that he worked for me he managed to put brakes on backwards, back into our break room and break the entire wall down all with a customers car, and much more. It was crazy, actually I guess I should say I was crazy for even keeping him long enough to do all that.

I hate to even admit this but I once had a technician do the exact same thing...

I just got started with Mitchell's CRM program. By that I mean not even two weeks ago. I'll try and keep you updated on how things go.

So, earlier today I was on Ratchet and Wrench Magazine and I ran across this article which I found to be very interesting. (or maybe a mistake?) http://www.ratchetandwrench.com/RatchetWrench/September-2015/My-Auto-Service/ What I"m talking about is this: The article states that the shop does 700 vehicles a month with a annual revenue of $550,000. That brings the ARO to about $65.48. Is it a completely different business model than what I'm (or most of us) are striving for? I mean, it doesn't look like a quick lube, but it's the home of the $10 oil change. And in my experience (and I believe in all of yours) doing something like a $10 oil change only brings in the "bottom feeders." Now please don't get me wrong - I am by no means dissing this shop, I do not know them or their business. But it seems that everything that I've ever learned on ASO goes against how this guy is surviving? I just found this article interesting and thought it would start a good discussion. Hope you all are having a great day!

Has anyone ever tried anything like this? Obviously it needs some work in order to make it look more presentable, however they're completely programmable and much cheaper than the alternative. Nothing that a few cans of black spray paint and some taping can't fix. What do you all think? http://harrisonburg.craigslist.org/bfs/5171434769.html

The way I do it is very similar to the way that stowintegrity does. The only thing I will give a price for is an oil change. Even then, I say "Our oil changes range from $30.49 to $76.95 depending on the grade of oil, type of filter and type of vehicle." Almost 100% of the time, if they are shopping JUST for price, they will say "thank you" and hang up. I have yet to answer a "but what does it cost for my car" question after I say that line. Also, if they ask me what the price is for a specific item, (i.e How much for a water pump?) I say that I would be more than happy to give them a price and ask them whether they would like to bring it in now or would later this afternoon would work better. And explain to them that I would be delighted to give them a price but I would have to see the vehicle first absolutely free and no more than a few minutes of their time. Again, don't take any more than 10 minutes on the free inspection.

I used to have a tech that once he emptied a quart of oil into the engine, he would throw the empty quart bottle on the ground. If he ever spilled oil, he would continue working, sometimes even lay down on the ground IN IT . Yeah, talk about a mess.... It's safe to say that he is no longer with me anymore.

TJONZ, Take a look at my website: www.car-er.com Matthew Lee is the one who built and maintains my site. PM me if you have any questions. Thanks!

Alfredauto, I got pretty lucky as far as that goes. My next door neighbors (an A/C and Heating Shop) have a forklift that they let us use to take out all of our equipment. So it didn't take us very long to move all of our stuff.

Thank you all so much for the great suggestions. I will be doing what most of you suggest, which is parking "preferred brands" out front while still continuing to work on everything. For the time being, that will probably be the best solution. Looking into the numbers, about 3/8 of my customers vehicles are domestic where as the others are Asian (very few European as I tend to shy away from them.) So for the time being, all of my calculations tell me to stay the way I am.

Hey all! My shop has been open for almost 3 years now. As all of you will know, the first couple of years are some of the hardest. Thankfully, we've made it and now we're starting to slowly make some money. Now we have an established customer base with mostly the type of customers that I would like. But now, I'm thinking of becoming a more focused shop. Focused more on servicing and repairing Japanese vehicles. So my question is this: What is the best way to start making this change? Changing our website, putting it in our newsletters, marketing campaigns? Have any of you done this before? Thank you in advance! Any and all input is greatly appreciated.

ncautoshop, Thanks so much for letting me know! That's definitely something I need to look in to. So far it's been holding up great. We'll see how it goes...

bstewart, that is what I'm hoping for I've been really getting on my guys to keep it clean for a while now so now I think they're ready for coated floors

Thank you everyone for the kind words! mspecperfomance, To be honest, I was surprised we got it done in one day but we started promptly at 8 and finished at 4:50 so it turned out perfect! The floor coating I used was Rustoleum Epoxy-Shield Professional Series in silver grey semi-gloss (they also have garage series made for less vehicle traffic) We also used their crack filler to fill any dips and cracks in the concrete, let that dry for 8 hours. Then we rented a floor sander, sanded the entire floor (mainly to remove and old stains that would affect adhesion) washed it, acid washed it, squeegeed it all out, let it dry and applied it. It was really easy to use but I guess the real test will be starting tomorrow. ncautoshop, your shop looks fantastic as well!

So me and my team took today off to do some repairs on the repair shop. We did not accept any appointments, took all of the equipment out including a lift, (usually sits next to the two post lift) and coated the floor with an epoxy coating. It definitely lightens up the shop, the semi-gloss finish definitely reflects the sky lights much better. Now I'll be filtering everything that comes back into the shop to try and keep it this clean. Attached are a few pictures of the before and after. All opinions and suggestions welcome. Let me know if anyone has any questions about the application, or anything for that matter. Cheers!

I have a phone screening process that I do with anyone that's interested in becoming a tech for me. I then "grade" them based on the answers to those simple questions, and if they have a good enough score I schedule an interview with them.

The Trusted Mechanic, I did the exact same thing one time, after a series of issues I told myself that I will never again install customer parts.

I advertise free rental cars if the vehicle is scheduled for that morning and it doesn't get finished by 5. I call enterprise, they come pick up the customer. The customer gives them their credit card for incidentals, and the customer is responsible for the gasoline but I pay for the actual car rental. Enterprise just sends me the bill.

Yeah, but I'm making it just something to laugh about but actually try to bring a point across. Maybe some people will understand. Had a guy ask me today if it would be cheaper if he brought his own parts, when I said no he asked if I could use the cheapest parts I could find and not give him a warranty. Seriously....

This is great! I made one based off of this one and printed it off as soon as I saw this one, hah.

Thank you all for your great responses and constructive criticism. It's amazing having people like this to turn to and learn from. My business wouldn't be anywhere near what it is today without ASO. P.S - If anyone is ever in Harrisonburg, VA or going through on I-81, please stop by. I'd love to meet as many of you as possible.

xrac, That is a terrible picture of me, I am young but that picture makes me look like I'm 12. I'm actually getting our website manager photographs of our shop, crew and myself. So hopefully within a couple days that will be changed.

One thing I forgot to add is that now we're a repair shop, although we do have a body section.