xrac

Sounds like the dealer didn't like you taking business from them. I would be furious.

Welcome to the forum. There are a lot of great people here.

If we are not careful we can be giving the shop away by all the things we do and do not charge for.

I would and I have. I have one guy who worked for me for about 5 years was gone six and is now back and I am glad to have him. He was only 17 when I first hired him and he has grown and matured and is one of my best people. Good techs are hard to find.

Usually we do not install customer supplied parts. We are busy enough that we don't need to talk it on because we are making higher margins on the work that we have. When we do take something like that on we will usually charge a little more for the labor. CARMandP is right very often this type of stuff results in the wrong part and a lot of wasted time.

Joe, I think you meant 45% ad 55% otherwise I read 110% which we all wish we could do.

You want to be on a major throughfare, preferably 14,000 cars per day or more. Preferably in a retail destination. Like with everything else it is location, location, location. Don't dare to go into some industrial park.

Before you start on this path be sure to read the EMyth. Utilities will vary greatly depending upon the building size, construction, utility rates. In this area I would probably expect to spend somewhere between $800-$1200 monthly. What would benefit you would be to take a week or at least 2-3 days and go somewhere and work behind the counter of a successful shop. Watch the operation and work flow and pick managements brain. You might find it invaluable. What you do depends upon what your captal is but personally I wouldn't do less than 6 bays. Car-x says you need a population base of at least 80,000.

Joe, we have saw the problem with corroding sensors especially on Chrysler. Have you encountered batteries dying on sensors?

Have you considered something per mile to cover gasoline. Gas at $4.00 per gallon is a significant expense.

I have a spot reserved for you!

Earl Monroe and Walt Frazier were absolutely awesome. Unfortunately, I am giving my age away.

I think the following factors have helped: 1)The economy is a little stronger now than in the last two years. 2)People really are fixing cars that they would have traded before. 3)We have the most stable crew that we have had in quite some time and two technicians in our crew are exceptionally productive and driven. This is allowing us to get more done. 4)We are getting a lot of new referral business from Discount Tire that opened up the down the street. This probably averages 2-3 cars per day. 5)Our word of mouth referral business is steadily growing due to our above average customer service. People enjoy dealing with myself and my service manager. 6)A new VA clinic which employees almost 200 people has opened behind us.

Friends I would like to report that February was a record month for us. Our sales exceeding our best month by about $6,000. We are already up over $24,000 compared to last year.

Jeremy Lin could turn me into a Knick fan. I also root for Josh Harrelson from Kentucky. I hated the Kicks when it was Patrick Ewing. However, I liked Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Dave Debusshere, Bill Bradley, Jerry Lucas, and Willis Reed. Those were the days when they beat the Lakers in the finals.

I copied this from another forum. I think it say a lot.

Welcome! Good to have you. Good luck and we will try to help.

I think it sounds like a good idea. The seminar thing is always good at building good will and publicity. Maybe you can get AutoZone and Advance to kick in some door prizes.

Good one Gonzo. We had a guy in this week who had done his own brakes (pads and rotors), his own hub bearings, etc. He had a noise in the front end and wanted us to find out what it was. We do free inspections of suspension related problems so we spent somewhere between 30-60 miinutes driving and checking out the suspension. From what we could tell it was something in the brakes. The pads were not lubed on the metal contact points which we always do or it was something else in the installation. We told him and he had us do nothing and took the truck. He had the GALL to call Friday and say that wasn't what it was because he lubed the pads and he still had the noise and wanted to bring the truck back in on Saturday. Guess what! We were too busy to get him in Saturday and Monday. If he calls again we are going to tell him we can't find it and recommend that he goes to a certain drive line shop where they will find something real or imagined.

I am not venting but just want to say that this month could potentially be a record month for our shop. It will at least be one of the three highest. This is much better than last year. I have a much better and stable crew and the economy is stronger as long as high gasoline prices don't kill it. I am counting my blessing and giving thanks to God for it all.

Joe, I know you do not like the things the discount part stores do such as read codes on cars for free, install batteries, etc. Neither do how. However, you could consider offering a discount for the customer they refer to you. It might be a way to gain new business.

I just tried it from this my desk top and it worked fine but I was getting kicked off on my laptop last night. So maybe it was in my browser. I tried the laptop and it kicked me off so it must be my browser.

Thanks. That worked. What was wrong?

Tonight the chat forum kicks me off as soon as I log on.

How many times have you looked at something for free and then told the owner what it would cost to fix it and they couldn't afford it. I have seem them not able to afford $50. What in the world were they doing at a repair shop? The best thing about a person who gets cold feet when they find out there is a charge is you do not waste time on them.