xrac

I have to agree with Frogfinder. Sounds like there was something else going on with this guy. Recently, I had a customer get pretty short with someone on the phone only to call back 5 minutes later apologizing.

Which system did you purchase?

I have no experience with large metro areas but I can tell you that November has not been a time that I have gotten good response to any of my advertisements. The easiest time to drive new business for us is February-March. Personally I dislike $19.95 oil changes because of the customer types it drives. We prefer to do a $29.95 oil change with a free tire rotation. We tend to get a customer a little more concerned about their car.

http://photos.sgvtribune.com/2012/12/06/photos-attack-on-pearl-harbor-december-7-1941/#7

Gonzo, I have a question for you. How do you manage to operate an auto-electric repair shop, participate in trade shows around the country, write books and articles for magazines, post on websites, moderate chat rooms, and play golf every week? It just hit me this morning how difficult that must be to pull off.

Talk to the Hunter service rep for your area and see if he would have a used upgraded unit he could sell you. We have always used Hunter but have never owned a new machine. In fourteen years we have had two machines. We used the old unit until it we learned it was soon going to be unable to update it any more. Then we purchased the unit we have now about 6 years ago. We had about $4,000 in the original machine and about $6,000-$8,000 in this one if I remember correctly. That does not include the rack which was a new drive on Rotary. I would love to have a new machine but the cost has been more than we can currently afford. I looked at buying a new machine about 8 months ago. I will probably eventually buy one but it is still a little ways out. I have turned out a lot of dollars on these two used units.

We have an older Hunter alignment machine that was overhauled, upgraded, and sold to us by our Hunter service rep.

The most important thing for me is fast service on my machine if I have a problem. Locally the Hunter guy will usually be her the same day. No one else in this market has the same kind of service or anyone as close.

You need to replace the woman with a service writer is the way it sounds.

We have one large colllision shop here that is moving into general repair.

A+ story Gonzo! Two thumbs up!

One of the problems with the custom market is there is much of that segment that wants something cheap. Here in Evansville we have the Frog Follies every year. We literally have hundreds of customized hot rods built on old car chassis. These people as a general rule are terrible customers. Many of them are do it yourselfers and they are constantly shopping car shows and the internet. Many of them do not understand the difference in quality parts. By shopping the internet they can usually buy stuff as cheap as we can. It is hard to do business with that segment and make any money. In additional a car will have a brake setup off of one year and a totally different setup under the hood. These cars are hard to work on and waste a lot of time. While we are not a custom shop or in the truck market our general strategy is not to work on that kind of stuff period. We concentrate on the customers where we can make our full margins. My suggestion is that if you are doing the installlation of customer supplied custom parts charge a premium on your labor hours (at least 15%-25%) and be sure to charge a fee to cover shop supplies and miscellaneous.

This is dedicated to Gonzo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lZ5-M0CmYTs

Just goes to show the truth of these words: "the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” NIV

Consider supporting this cause: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GC6BtKwKaUY

I believe that is one of the best things that a service writer can do. However, it is hard to not write down you interpretation instead.

We had a potential buyer and the owner of an 1989 Chrysler 5th Avenue in our shop for a used car inspection a few months. The owner of the car thought it was in tip top shape. However, we found about $1,500.00 worth of needed repairs including dry rotting tires that were about to come apart. I don't think the owner ever believed us.

Gary is correct. We own our equipment. Welcome to the forum Steve and good luck with your business.

I have also hulled and sold black walnuts as a kid for $.05 per pound and blackberries for $1.00 per gallon. Jeff, we may have been poor but no one could top the things we got to do or the fun we had. It was better than a trip to Disney World. I have got to do things most peoplenever dreamed about. I have had a lot of wonderful times. I even helped rob a bee tree when I was a kid.

The only BG machine we have is the transmission machine. You can use their products with other equipment. We purchased our transmssion machine.

Salary plus a % of gross.

Jeff, I am a Kentucky Hillbilly. I too have trapped muskrats, coons, and possums. I use to hunt squirrels first with a shotgun and latter with a .22. I have killed six squirrels with six shots. I have also ran a trot line and I have jugged and used limb lines. I also have dug and sold ginseng, golden seal, and bloodroot. Sounds like you and I have a lot in common.

I learned this year that my heritage is both German and Scottish and that my great, great, great, great (something like that) fought in the Revolutionary War. I am a country boy. Jeff where are you a hillbilly from?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdlKRcK3Nv8