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Unfortunately, Cardone is often junk and is also the only aftermarket part available. Joe, are you using any Cardone parts?

Encourage drop offs. Our mornings are usually filled with cars dropped off the night before or by vehicles we are waiting on parts for that will arrive that morning.

We have used ValPak with o.k. results. However, ValPak is no longer present in our market.

The dealer has no liability once that car is out from under warranty. Who can prove or disprove what the dealer did? It is the independent that has to prove proper service to the dealer not vice versa.

I had a tech close an overhead door on a Jaguar last year. Only busted the windshield. However it was a $600 windshield with automatic sensors. Ouch!

Gonzo, I too liked the story.

Which of the Schneider Books is the best? Any recommendations?

Couldn't agree more!

I had a partial demo of MaxxTraxx today and it seemed pretty good. I really like the guy I was talking to he was first rate and very helpful.

Chuck it is great to have you. This forum contains a lot of good information and ideas from a lot of great people.

We have a sales training course taught by Bill Haas of AMI available to us. Has anyone been in any of his classes? Comment?

If you find something you like be sure to post it here,

Do not let it go without payment from the insured or guarantee of payment from the insurance company.

We close at 5:30 but the techs quit at 5:00. The latest I will take anything is an oil change at 4:30 or say a tire repair. The latest I will take other types of work is 4:00. There are exceptions mostly for out of towners or emergency type stuff. I will sometimes ask if someone is available to stay over and pay them extra. They usually only have to stay over 30-60 minutes.

All of the places doing super cheap work eventually disappear. That business model cannot be sustained.

That is strictly a decision you will have to make. I usually will go 3 months. Once I held onto a car we put an engine in for over a year but I finally got paid.

Good article Gonzo! The problem with this trade compared to almost all others is every Tom. Dick, and Harry can call themselve a mechanic/technian and work on stuff. They don't carry insurance, have almost no training or none, have a few cheap tools, and hang on the cheapest parts they kind find. They collect the money and if there is a big screw up the person who paid them is SOL. We have worked on stuff like that where the mechanic didn't replace the stuff they said, sold used parts as new, used JB Weld to fix freeze plugs, and Right Stuff instead of a proper gasket. They put Bosh spark plugs in everything and generally have little clue as to what they are doing. If there is a problem they just disappear or refuse to do any warranty work. Other trades are more regulated. Most plumbers, electricians, carpenters, concrete guys, etc. can't get away with that stuff because there are government license, inspections, permits, etc. and often they are working outside or have a truck parked outside which an inspector sees or a licensed tradesman calls in. I personally don't want more government regulation but on the other hand it would eliminated some of this stuff.

It is not "unfair" competition. In my book it is stupid competition. The problem is that guy is neither a businessman or a technician. He is a parts swapper who is just barely getting by if he is getting by. Those kind come and go but you just have to outlast them.

What do you know how to do? What are you good at? What do you enjoy? How much money do you have to invest? Some business that come to mind for the young and ambition are: landscaping, lawn maintenance, custom concrete, tax preparation, painting, computer repair, insurance, etc. My question to you would be what kind of jobs have you held?

I used to work environmental engineering. I do not work on cars and will never work on cars other than changing a tire, battery, air filter, wiper blades, or oil change. I started in this business green. However, I can tell you that 1-3 years working somewhere else, answering the phone, doing quotes, dealing with problems, operating the POS software, doing inventory, closing out each night, etc. would have been invaluable.

Like I said "get hired by a shop". You need experience in the automotive field. Your chances of success with experience is much greater.

My advise would be to get hired by a shop and work for at least 6 months to a year as a counter person, salesman, service writer, etc. What you need to business experience.

I haven't had time yet to look at it.

I understand. We are putting a motor in a 2000 Ford Focus to use as a shop car even as we speak.

I would be very careful about doing a used engine in a vehicle that old. We as a rule won't do an engine or transmission unless we can get one from LKQ with a 12/12 warranty (less than 100K for LKQ to do that). We did a transmission in an older pickup truck a couple of years ago without it only because it was about 3.5 hours. However, by the time we installed the 4 used transmission we had had enough. Finally had to do a rebuild.