Jimbob661

I would be interested also!

I am in a rural area and we get some yelp reviews. They send me a report every month or so telling me how many views and so forth we get, so it is useful. I just don't agree with the filtered review thing. I understand that they are trying to keep people from loading their site with bogus good reviews, but it makes it look like the reviews you do get are not to be trusted. There might be a better way, I just don't know what it is.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I found a company who has a nice rack with key holder for a good price.

We use a plastic folder that we keep the tech worksheet and keys in until the job is finished. Then the invoice is placed in the folder with keys so everything is together when the customer picks up their car. I want to install a repair order rack to place the folders in to free up some space on my counters and make them easier to find. The problem I'm having is that all the racks I find are not "thick enough" to hold the keys with the folder. Some companies offer a rack where one hangs the keys beside of the repair order. I would prefer to keep it all together, I guess I'm funny that way. Any suggestions on a potential source?

Why is it if you fix a car and the repair goes south, they come back at light speed demanding you make it right, but if they come in with a problem someone else fixed, they refuse to take it back to them and then complain about what you charged to straighten out someone else's mess?

We use a labor matrix where we add .1 for every full hour the book gives, and then some for broke bolts, rust, etc. I pay a full hour for scan tool hookup and have a charge for each test ( fuel pressure, sensor test, smoke test etc) but he complains that enough time is not allowed for test drives, etc . I guess what I don't understand is that he wants to be paid more than some master techs make at the local dealer who have 25 plus years experience. I'm all for paying a guy what he is worth , but where do you draw the line ? Or am I looking at this wrong?

I've watched this guy closely and talked with him and it seems he just wants the money. He doesn't take any time off and the only other thing he does is work on stuff at home. He normally is 85-93 percent efficient. Right now he is strictly flat rate with $1 bump per hr at 35 hrs and .50 cent bump every 5 hrs after that. I haven't checked his hours yet this week but he is going to be 100 percent plus. Now today he tells me what he " needs " to bring home every week and it's more than I make. He graduated from a community college program a few years ago and this is his second job as a tech. He is a master tech and does a good job, but I can't pay him what he wants so I'll guess I may be looking for help soon.

I currently pay fate rate. I'm looking at going with a hybrid system with an hourly rate for 40 hrs plus an hourly rate for hours produced. I also want to add some type of bonus system, I guess on hitting a hours produced goal. I keep running the numbers and it seems that the less hours they produce, they more they make an hour, but if I lower the hourly rate, they make less than on flat rate. It also seems that the closer they get to 40 hrs, they less they make compared to flat rate. I'm going crazy running numbers! They are all starting to run together! Am I looking at it right? Or am I overlooking something? Also am I using the right bonus system, or do I need to base it on sales? Any help would be appreciated . Thanks guys!

We have had a Pro-cut for 4 years now. My guys really like it. We don't have the issues with comebacks or the rust issues you guys have up North. We also have an FMC bench lathe that we still use a lot. We do a lot of brake jobs and it makes it handy when you have 2 techs doing brake jobs at the same time. No one isn't waiting their turn on the lathe.

Right now I pay actual time on the tear down and the rest of the book time on completion. It's just a pain the next week trying to remember how much you have already paid him for. I would rather give him the benefit of a doubt than cheat him, but I don't want to cheat myself either. I also try to keep up with my gpm each week and it looks like it messes up my numbers if I split it up.

I always wait to send their last paycheck after all uniforms, keys, etc are turned in. If they are short any uniforms, I deduct it from their last check.

Wondering how other shops handle this. A tech starts a head gasket job on Thursday. The head is sent out to the machine shop for a valve job. It returns the following Monday and the job is completed on Tuesday. Do you pay him that week for the teardown or wait till the following week and pay him for the whole thing? It seems kind of confusing sometimes if you split it up and then you are wondering the next week how much time you paid him for the previous week. Don't want to cheat yourself or the tech. Any better ideas?

Anyone in Nc use RLO? Would love to talk to them

Well, I talked with the store manager today. I just asked if someone bought a particular part # on a particular day and how much they paid for it. I just said I had a warranty issue I was trying to work out with a customer and wanted some facts before I proceeded. He told me the time and date it was purchased ( which was correct ) and that he paid in cash in the amount of... wait for it.......$184.90! That's right, the same as my cost. He apparently ran it through the company he used to work for ( a county school bus garage ). I guess it goes to show that customers don't always tell the whole truth. Thanks ncautoshop. But you guys are right. I need to concentrate on the customers who recognize the value in the service we provide and not worry about the rest. My lot is packed as we speak with customers who value our work and know that it is a small price to pay.

Mspec, we do little European work for that very reason. People buy these cars at a bargin at a local used car lot and then don't understand why a repair costs more than it did on their mom's ford Taurus. Part of the problem, at least in a rural area like mine, is that almost everyone has a brother, father, uncle, cousin, or some other relative who works on cars and knows more about it than you do! These are usually the same people who don't want to pay a testing fee for their check engine light because "autozone told me it was an oxygen sensor" .

Ok guys, I just need to vent . Had a customer come in Monday with a Suburban needing a state inspection. Turns out, he has no brake lights and so he leaves it to have us look at it. Later on that day, my tech does the nessasary testing and so forth and determines he needs a multi-function switch. My SA makes a quote and calls his house and talks with his wife and gives her the quote. She says she will relay the info to her husband and get back to us. By now, it's close to closing time, so I'm not expecting to hear back from him today. I leave the shop and stop at a local national-chain parts store to pick- up some hose we will be needing first thing in the morning. Now this store is one we never have dealt with much over the years for various reasons, but their outside sales rep has been coming by a lot over the past several months trying to drum up business. So I've been warming up to them and "testing the waters" so to speak. I get out of my truck and run into, you guessed it, the owner of the Suburban! He tells me that he just can't afford the price we quoted him and he felt it was just to much. I talked to him about how we used only quality parts and insure trouble free operation and such, trying to build some value, but he keeps insisting that he feels it is too much. I told him I understand how he felt and if he refused the repairs, all he owed was a testing fee. Then he asks if he supplied the part, how much would I charge him to install it. I told him what the labor would be and that there would be no warranty. He agreed and handed me a new switch from said national-chain parts store and said to call him when it was ready. Then he said, " I know your in business and such, but your price for the switch is just too much. It only cost $162.00! " This is the part that ticks me off. My cost from the same part store is $184.90. That's right, they sold it to a guy off the street for less than I could get it for. I'm sorry, but if you want more of my business, this is not the way to do it. I'm cooling off some before I say anything. Should I take it up with the store manager, the sales rep, or call the owner of the company?

I've been using Motologic for a little over a month now and I'm well pleased. The diagrams are great and everything seems very easy to find . I use Mitchell now and hate the prodemand. It takes so long to find anything, if you find it at all. I'm waiting patiently to see if they will offer a management system and will consider switching if the price is right and options are right.