xrac

We use a checklist but we don't give it to our customers. I will check out the one you use.

Not at this point in time. Do you?

Cash for Clunkers is another of those dumb ideas that only a politician out fo touch with the people down in the trenches can come up with.

Telling a customer that their car is really in good shape and that you can find nothing wrong builds confidence. It tells the customer that we do not invent repairs or maintenance that are not necessary. Often I will preface a recommended maintenance service with the fact the car is in good shape and that they obviously take good care of the vehicle.

We guarantee our techs a fair base pay but have a commission stucture. We wind up paying more than most shops in our area other than the dealers.

I try very hard not to fire anyone. Recently we had a guy who wasn't working out and we found him a job at a different shop. He wasn't a bad employee he just didn't have the skill set we needed or believed he possessed when we hired him.

Locally it was just announced that the Whirpool plant is closing (after 52 years) and the production is going to Mexico. 1,100 will lose their jobs and others who work in affliated businesses. How many of them were in the cash for clunkers program and how many will NOT BE ABLE to afford the car payment once they lose their job??? Was it right for our government to give incentives for people to take on on extra debt in the midst of the worst recesssion we had since the great depression????

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405...1645819464.html

How have sales been during August? Our July was strong but August has been VERY soft. We will probably be down 10% below last August. Here is something that tells me that we are not out of the woods yet. Every year Evansville has the Frog Follies which is a show and swap meet for the old Street-Rods. This generates about 4,000 Street-Rods and about 20,000 people. You usually can't get a motel within 60 miles for that weekend. The event is next weekend and a friend who works at Drury Inn says they still have rooms available as of this Friday. That is unheard of and says that there are a lot of people who are staying home. http://www.frogfollies.org/

Find out how much you know about cars. I got 15 correct. http://www.cramersweeney.com/brandprix/

Car Dealers As Pitchmen Billy Mays had nothing on the antics and sales gimmicks long used by Car Dealers in radio and television commercials blaring the urgency of buying a vehicle now, with special deals galore. However, all that could be changing, as GM experiments with selling new cars and light trucks through its California Dealers on eBay. Haggle Online About 90% of GM Dealers in California (a market in which GM has only about two-thirds the share it enjoys nationwide) will offer new cars and light trucks (Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Pontiac) through the eBay on-line auction site. Vehicles will be priced below sticker (at GM's supplier price), and consumers can "haggle" on-line with Dealers for better pricing and terms. For added excitement (and confusion), the "Cash-For-Clunkers" rebate is also in play. Cars will be picked up at the selling Dealerships. Showroom Experience All this seems fine. GM will be using a direct-selling approach to computer-savvy consumers who, in turn, can electronically communicate with GM Dealers in "sealing the deal." However, this begs the question: "What about the showroom experience?" How does the consumer decide which vehicle he wants, based on sitting in the vehicle, savoring that new car smell, and test-driving the vehicle? While eBay can serve as a connection between consumers and Dealers, it cannot replace the "showroom experience" which helps consumers decide to buy a vehicle and select a specific model. Bigger eBay Sales Tent A major result of GM Dealers selling on eBay will be an expansion in the number of Dealers with which a buyer can negotiate in order to get the "best deal." Dealer Disconnect One strength of the existing Dealer network is that it creates relationships between consumers and local Dealers. Many times, vehicles are purchased from a nearby Dealer because of the convenience of servicing the vehicle and handling any after-sale issues which might arise. With GM Dealers in California placing new cars and light trucks on eBay, the distribution of Dealer sales could significantly shift, concentrating sales among fewer GM Dealers. Consequences For Dealers While the showroom experience has been an essential part of how U.S. consumers purchase vehicles (it is unlikely this will soon change even among computer-savvy consumers), it seems inevitable that placing vehicles on eBay will work to the advantage of some GM Dealers and to the disadvantage of other GM Dealers. Several results (or a combination of both) are possible: fewer Dealers, or a division between Dealers who sell vehicles and those who service them. In either case, the Independent (non-Dealer) aftermarket is likely to gain business among consumers seeking convenient vehicle service, especially for newer cars and light trucks (five years and younger) which traditionally are taken to Dealers for service. Possible Changes For Dealers It all depends on how the new GM views Dealers, who in the past were seen as valuable sales partners. However, if the eBay trial proves successful, Dealers could become less necessary in the overall sales and service strategies of GM (and other car makers).

I agree but we are sliding down the socialist path at the hands of our elected officials. What do you think about this. FOCUS THIS WEEK: GM On eBay, A Glimpse Into A Changing Dealer Future "Last week, over 225 California GM Dealers began selling new vehicles on eBay. While many Dealers have been offering used cars and light trucks on eBay, this is the first mass effort to sell new vehicles through the world's largest electronic marketplace." "If this four-week trial succeeds (GM sales are very weak in California) and the eBay new vehicle program spreads nationwide, it could lead to a dramatic restructuring of Dealer networks. The aftermarket implications of such a development would be enormous. Following are Lang Marketing's speculations on what the future could hold." Jim Lang

I sometimes think we have already went too far and that we will eventually end up in anarchy with a different government. I have thought about politics including running for office. However, I live in a different county from my business and don't have the contacts in my county that I do in the adjoining. I am considering becoming more involved.

Well said! At least you and I are sane!

Obviously, I am passionately against this reform. Here is portions of an email I received:

This is a GREAT story about an 89 year-old woman and the car she has owned for 45 years. She has driven this car 540,000+ miles. She drove it to her 70th High School reunion and really knows how to protect herself... Glad I didn't sell her any lifetime parts. http://growingbolder.com/media/technology/...oad-259598.html

YouTube - John Stossel & 20/20 Take On Health Care Reform - President Obama's Proposed Health Care Obviously, this post and the previous post indicates something about my views. Basically I believe in the free market and I do not want the government controlling health care or making health care decisions for me. Everything the government runs is filled with fraud, sloth, waste, and don't care attitude. Eventually this whole think will add to our tax burden. SS and Medicare are both slated to run out of money and instead of fixing those this administration wants to take on more programs and expenses.

http://www.heartland.org/custom/semo.....;/pdf/25813.pdf Example from the study: Obama’s CEA Spills the Beans A recent report from President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors (CEA),21 which he has touted as showing how his plan would reduce health costs, describes explicit and comprehensive government rationing of health care. Looking systematically at what works and what doesn’t in order to provide more high value care and less care that is of low value. For many types of medical conditions, a patient may have a choice of several methods or treatments, each having different benefits or risks. Systematic examinations of the merits of different treatments and dissemination of the results of these examinations to patients and providers is one mechanism for promoting high value health care. 22 (bold in the original) In other words, a health care bureaucracy in Washington, DC – not you and your doctor – would decide what health care works and what doesn’t, what is high-value care and what is low-value Care. Of course, this bureaucracy would not know you or anything about your illness, as your doctor does. But like all good central planners, the CEA and President Obama assume the Government is omniscient. 21 The President’s Council of Economic Advisors, The Economic Case for Health Reform, June 2, 2009. 22 Id.

What are you Saturday hours? Sorry but you post elsewhere answered this question. Has Saturday hours increased your sales?

How long have you ran the extended hours and how much has it benefited you. What are your hours otherwise?

Good to have you. Where are you located?

The problem we face is the customer's ignorance. Our shop has a modest basic diagnosis charge but all the time we hear that _______________ does it for free. The ________ is a local shop that does FREE diagnosis and then gives a long shopping list estimate of repairs that are needed. I saw them sell a fuel pump because the pressure was marginal to fix a lack of power. Then the guy brought the car to our shop still complaining of a lack of power. You know what we found? The brake calipers were seized and the guy was driving around with the brakes on. Then you also have to deal with the "free diagnosis" from Auto Zone or Advance, a $7.50 per hour kid with a $300 code reader. Yet the public is sucked in by all of this. Recently we had a guy with a Ford pickup who had spent $400 just in parts not counting time, labor, and mileage chasing parts trying to fix a running problem. The guy had a $50 vaccum line repair problem. Much of the general public has the perception that they are getting nothing when we charge diagnosis time. I don't know if we will ever overcome that issue.

A friend emailed this to me. Have any on you saw these rims? "Plastic Rims! We are getting more calls about wheels with plastic fronts found on some GM, Jeep and Dodge products. Please see the following link for some detailed information on the rims (thanks to Ben for digging this up). They have a plastic fascia bonded to an alloy rim. The plastic is chromed so it not visually obvious. They sound hollow when tapped. You can see them at http://www.wheelsandcaps.com/Chrome_Clad_Wheels.html We have some preliminary notes on handling them. Balancing: These wheels must be back cone mounted. The front is not structural and we have already had reports of cracking the plastic on the front of the rim from front coning. A pin or fixed finger is highly recommended and may be mandatory on some styles. Plus, on some rims a standard cone will go through and strike the plastic center before seating on the structural taper. A short cone should meet the need on these wheels. Tire changing: When breaking the rear bead, the bead loosener pads must be in good shape just as with any chrome rim to avoid scratching. Having the tire square against the pad for support and making sure the BL blade does not touch the rim are also critical. Duckhead clearance is critical. On some rims, the plastic sits high so the “high spoke” plastic grey Duckhead (8184432) is highly recommended or required. With a steel head, set the clearance higher and out further. This means adjusting the shaft lock at the top which most techs are not prepared to do. Having said all that, this is a sales opportunity against a center post style tire changers. Putting a cone down through the center will easily crush this plastic. Clamping the back of the rim eliminates this risk."

Joe, I have an advantage on you. I don't know how to fix cars so hence I have to be surrounded by qualified people. My place runs as good without me now as with me maybe better. We are now exploring opening a second location which will present different challenges.

Anyone care to say what kind of gross margin you run? Also what kind of pricing markup matrix on parts? How about tires? We are taking a look at ours.