xrac

I agree! The tech who will invest in tools is usually a better tech. They also need to see the tool guys for warranties and repairs. My techs tools are their life blood and the tool guys are all my friends and welcome in my shop. I also make purchases from them at times. We have Mac, Matco, Snapon, and an independent who call on our guys.

Gonzo are there really any advantages of being older? I am older than you and Joe individually but not combined!

We have used tire places here that sell pure garbage. Saw a guy yesterday who just got a set put on and wanted an alignment. We couldn't do an alignment because he had three different size tires.

When people come to my place for something and they talk about "my mechanic" I wonder why they have to come to me. All the time you hear things like "my mechanic" told me to just ignore that check engine light.

Joe, was he humbler after that experience? Recently, I received a call from a customer who had gotten his gas tank down and the fuel pump out but couldn't get the replacement one back in. He wanted to know how much we would charge. I shot a high figure and low and behold a month later it was towed in. What he didn't tell me on the phone was it was a used fuel pump. O well it was in our parking lot and so we replaced the fuel pump only to find out that the fuel pump wasn't his problem. The problem was the car NEEDED a motor. These people who are self diagnosing their cars are costing themselves hundreds of dollars. We charged $200 to figure out they had a junk motor whereas we would have diagnosed that issue for $87 or less. Plus they had all of their time, aggravation, and towing.

I do not discourage anyone from pursuing their dreams. Yahoo, Facebook, Ebay, etc. are all based on some young person with an idea. However, realistically I think there are better fields to pursue software creation for then for the automotive industry. I am being realitsic as to what I think he is dealing with.

I would not do a shower because I installed lockers but found no one ever used them. I would only have a shower as part of an eye wash station for safety purposes.

I just do not see the opportunity for a new software program developed because someone is a programmer. First there are hundreds of programs out there and some of them are very strong and those companies have deep pockets. Second the shops who he is currently working with are put together on a shoe string and are mostly the ones still in the stone age (doing it all by hand or with Quick Books). These are not the shops who are usually profitable and who are willing and able to spend money on software. The shops who are willing to spend money are the ones who are profitable and those usually have been around a while. They already have software packages in place. It is a big undertaking for a shop to change. They have to be very dissatisfied with what they have but they are also experienced enough to carefully evaluate new software. To succeed a new software developer will have to develop a good product with some competitive edge, will have to put together a large marketing sales campaign, and will have to be able to do support and training. This is more than one man can do and requires capital. To be successful one will have to burn through a lot of money before you can make any money. A huge issue for me would be that I want to be certain that I have a software provider who can give me support and who will be around. There was a software package in a different industry that I use to use. It was a good program that worked well for the purpose. However, the guy who developed this program died unexpectedly and the widow just closed the company. No support, no updates, and if you had a problem it was over. I do not know about anyone else but I consider my customer list and repair history to be very valuable and I would not trust my stuff to a uncapitalized startup.

There are a lot of software packages available. Why reinvent the wheel?

I mean that I am not a technician and I never worked in a repair shop before buying and opening a repair franchise as an owner/manager. Some people ask me how I got into this business. My answer is a temporary moment of insanity.

Remember that I am not a car guy but I have worked in this business for 15 years. I do not ever remember reading or having anyone ever tell me that I should replace rotors in pairs. I know that it recommended to replace hydraulic components (hoses & calipers) in pairs.

Gonzo, I love this article. God bless all of our veterans.

Nice site!

First, I would be absolutely certain that there is nothing about the wiring in the door that interfaces with the air bag and seat sensors. My guess is that there is a connection but if I am absolutely certain that there is not I would be inclined to tell him there is no relationship between the work you did and the sensor. I would then stand my ground unless he can have someone show you otherwise. This guy does not sound to me like he is worth investing the kind of money that this repair might cost to save the relationship.

No one can answer these questions for you. You alone must answer these questions. It is called a business plan. You may want to consider taking some automotive sales/management training classes like those put on by Elite Worldwide or similar organizations before you ever start. If you haven't ever worked in an automotive shop as a service advisor or manager I would recommend that you find a successful shop that will allow you to spend a few days behind the counter with them. Spend a week working for free. Watch all of their systems and process. Listen to how they handle phone calls, selling, interacting with the technicians, etc.

My experience is similar. People who bring there own parts tend to cost you a lot of extra time and aggravation. First, they misdiagnose the problem. Second, they have the wrong part because the counter people at the Autozone/Advance that they buy parts from on the weekend and evenings tend to be less than first rate and often supply the wrong part. Third, if you run into additional problems they don't want to pay for the additional work. Unless we are super slow I avoid customer supplied parts jobs.

Here is an article I read in Tranmssion Digest that I think has some validity if you sell many big tickets. What do you think? http://transmissiondigest.epubxp.com/issue/304596?token=MWNjZDczMGU0NzNmZDdiNDI5ZmNiNTE4NzYwN2E3NTVkMjU0YjlkZQ== Can't get it to link. It is page 52 of the May issue.

This thing can depend upon who the buyer is and whether there is a commercial bank involved or not. If the buyer is willing to assume liability and has the cash to purchase a property then there is no law that requires that any environmental study or Phase One be completed. The same is true if there is owner financing then they could get by without anything. If a commercial bank is involved they will probably require something. They do not want to be involved in lending on a deal where the environmental liabilities lessen the value of their equity or that saddles the owner they are lending to with unanticipated expenses. The rural and small banks are more casual about this than the bigger banks.

This is a big issues. There are several things you can do to help yourself. First, learn to identify potential environmental issues: USTS, asbestos, underground lifts, surface staining, drum storage, etc. Second, find an environmental consultant that you can trust. They are out there just like good shops. Third, become very familiar with your city's zoning. Zoning can make or break a deal. It has for me. If you have any specific questions PM me your phone number and I will call you. I worked as an environmental consultant doing Phase 1 & 2, permits, and remediation for 10 plus years.

Joe I gave done something like that many times. I need to learn to step back and take it all in until I know ALL the facts.

There are some customers that I would rather see go to my competition. They are not worth the time and headache. Life is too short. I had one yesterday.

Thanks for posting it. It us definitely though provoking.