LynxStarAuto

I’m loving the diagnostic dice! Now I know how some of the cars I receive were approached by other repair shops!

The Carquest acquisition only really helped us (the repair facilities). They now are the biggest distributor for the commercial segment, and added other part houses to the mix like Worldpac. Advance Commercial is giving Napa a run for their money. That is always a good thing, because competition keeps ppl honest.

Wow! Perhaps it is market specific? In my area all shops who use Direct Hit, pay 128.00

Well I went ahead and purchased the program, or add-on if you will. Basically, Direct Shop is the same as Direct Estimate with more added features, and the ability to convert an estimate into an invoice and cash out. Anyone who uses Direct Hit many be familiar with Direct Estimate. Direct Shop works identical. It was just a natural jump for me, and I use Direct Estimate a whole bunch, as it it clear, concise, and very simple to interpret. As for cost, Identifix has always been "one price fits all". That has never changed. I pay 128.00/ for direct hit which is basically what the service costs everyone. There are cheaper alternatives out there, namely through Napa, and Carquest. I believe if you sign up for the service through those two you get a 15.00 discount. The Direct Estimate cost 59.00 for the core version which is what I use. They have an Elite version which caters more to the bigger shops that runs inventory, and employee times etc. At the moment, my two man operation will suffice with Core. In closing I am running Direct Hit/Direct shop for 187.00. I think that is a bargain for what I am getting.

Hey gang, was wondering if anyone has taken the new Identifix Direct Shop, shop management system for a spin? I am a Direct Hit subscriber, and got their promotional email for their new shop management program a couple of days back. I signed up for a demo/test drive. Was wondering if anyone here had already done it, and could provide some insight and feedback. I will soon as I get set up. Currently, I use the good ole paper invoice method, and ShiftMobility from my mobile device. I was never a fan of Mitchell, or Shop key. I do like RO Writer, but it was just too much money I felt for the product.

Absolutely. Total is a big European brand of oil, and FYI European oil standards are much more stringent than here in the US. The garbage Mobil 1 sells as a synthetic does not fly over there. Anyway, Total is good stuff, as is LiquiMoly. Both brands that I use.

I actually like talking to people, and selling stuff. My issue is I love fixing stuff more. I find myself routinely getting too technical with customers and usually by the end of the convo they are out there floating by the moon, That is where my buddy comes in. He has a very direct, passive aggressive approach. I laugh at how stupid he sounds sometimes, and ppl are like oh ok! Yeah lets do it.

Bosch is better suited for the Euro cars or HD application. Very popular supplier for these brands. It has cache if you will, to have that gold and red sign outside. Gives your shop more reason to standout, and be more professional, and competent in "appearance". But as MSpec said, Bosch is not recognized as an industry leader like say K&N or Remy for example. Also if you do research, you will find mixed reviews of their products. Their QA is not the greatest. I would argue that some of the lifetime parts from the retail chains will bring more value to a customer. Their braking products for example are terrible. Made in China most of it, and just too expensive for what it is. Napa is not bad. Very, very popular with the general service industry, and their coverage, and range is the biggest of all the retail chains I would say. The also have products like shop management, and repair info. I believe Napa is in bed with Mitchell, and offer you special pricing on that subscription, I would also point you in the direction of Advance Auto. They purchased Carquest jointly with Worldpac. So technically, they are the biggest supplier now for the industry. The great thing about them is location, and delivery times. Pricing is competitive, and they also have great programs for shops too. Give them a look over if you can.

It probably changed since you signed up MSpec. http://sg-ww.bosch-automotive.com/en/ww/workshop_concepts/bosch_car_service_2/voraussetzungen/voraussetzungen_1 You will commit to participating in our Bosch Car Service campaigns as well as following our standard workshop processes. We also ask you to use Bosch original spare parts and products, as well as refraining from participation in any competitor workshop concept. I have been diligently looking into this. Not only do you have to sell Bosch inventory, they expect you to buy Bosch service equipment as well. Of course their is pros to this. You get free training for life on all their equipment and tools, and if you service only German brands well Bosch is an OEM supplier of many components of these brands. Still though, Worldpac to me has been unmatched thus far. My only issue with them, is delivery times which suck.

I can second the "grand opening" or social event. Originally, I was hesitant to do this only because I felt like giving away free food would only draw the attention of freeloaders. Once I was open for a month or so, things were definitely slow. I was a mobile tech before I upgraded into a brick and mortar shop. I saw a lot of my customers jump ship. Many of them just decided I would hike my prices I guess, and decided to find the next civil servant who would go to them. Eventually, one of my neighbors hooked me up with a social group of businesses, entrepreneurs, etc etc. I went to a couple of their meet ups, and they really sold me on getting involved with the community. So I decided to throw a small meet and greet at my shop at a local park just minutes away from my shop. The turnout was incredible! hundreds of ppl with cars that needed service, looking for a humble, honest, repair facility. I had a great time, met some great ppl, and produced a bunch of sales. The weekend following the party, I had ppl showing up asking for info, and scoping out the location. I been pretty steady ever since. Some more advice I can give you is be honest with yourself, and the customers. I'm sure you will generate a ton of leads. The last thing you want to do is fall short on your promises to a customer. I started to turn away the bigger jobs (head gaskets, transmissions, etc) in favor of the tires, alignments, general maintenance, and same day jobs. It has worked out for me thus far. We are just a two man show. I eventually want to add more help, and start taking on the bigger jobs.

I have also been considering it. I have already done the research. In my area their reputation is pretty good. I know another shop that does Euros and they use Bosch, and they saw an increase in their workload thanks to Bosch's marketing, and referral program. They only issues I see with their program is that you have to use a certain amount of their inventory to stay a member. That is where it kind of does not workout too well for me. Firstly, their pricing on parts is not as competitive as what I get from places like Worldpac, or The Finish Line. Secondly, they push a lot of their brakes, alternators, and starters on you, and quite frankly I have not had the best of luck with Bosch branded stuff.

omg ever since loooooooooool

You speak of what the dealership typically uses, Matrix pricing which is typically 10-15% above list? It must be a market thing. Here in my area, you will not last a month giving customer's matrix pricing. Too saturated, too much competition. I typically markup my prices where I make a decent return, and my customer still saves a bit. It's win/win everyone goes home happy. Now yes, that doesn't mean there are not ppl out there who expect to receive the part at your cost no markup which is ridiculous.

Well if on the RO it was stated the car came in with a skipped timing belt, then yes, that can lead to engine damage if it is run that way. Its like a bad thermostat. It sticks occasionally, but eventually if you keep using it like that, the car will overheat and cook the head gaskets. Now I think where you have a case is, the vehicle was STOLEN. if it was stolen, the theft IMO supersedes whatever, pre-existing condition the vehicle has. Its like if I have a car with a weak transmission in my driveway. A thief steals it in the night, and blows up the transmission. One thing has nothing to do with the other. The vehicle was stolen, and damaged further/destroyed during the theft. So yeah sounds like you have a nasty case of litigation ahead of you.

The easiest way I handle this, is I tell the customer that I have a credit account for the parts, and I am billed at the end of the month. I then give them a list price list of the part, from the supplier I acquired it from. Regardless, you are not in the wrong. It is common practice to mark up parts, and common knowledge that we get a discount on the parts we purchase. Customers also know that they cannot attain said prices on these parts. I guess an argument can be made if you markup above list price, it can look a bit greedy, and unethical, but again, this commonly happens in our industry.

Whoa what? I disagree wholeheartedly. All it takes is a slight hiccup of oil pressure to grenade a turbo. Especially an old, probably very used turbo. I mean some manufacturers even call for bleeding of the system just to purge the air from the oil feed lines when doing an oil change. That is how important lubrication is to the TC. You also have to figure that the system was compromised to begin with. That is a giant red flag. You don't want to be anywhere near the thing, because it is as fragile as a baby's tooth.

I think the fact that you put it back together, and started, and ran the thing gives the customer leverage to claim liability on your part. If the rotating assembly is compromised, there will be no oil pressure, or very low oil pressure. Starting and running the engine in this condition can cause additional damage (like the turbo) to engine components that require lubrication to function. Not to mention, you could be pumping shavings, contaminants, etc all through the system. For the next go round, the INSTANT you find something you were not expecting, or something additional relevant to the outcome of the repair, you put everything down, document, and discuss with the customer immediately. Don't get caught up chasing payment for the job which many shops tend to bury themselves in. and end up costing them more in the long run. Now, I would have a sit down with the customer, and try to diffuse the situation. Talk with them, try to find peaceful means. Maybe cut him a discount for the current repair bill, or give him a coupon for a future repair. I would err more on just having the customer remove the vehicle from my shop as peacefully as possible. if it means taking a hit on google so be it. What you don't want is to marry the car/customer.

There will always be a need for body shop tech. Be it a restoration job, or just accidents that are not collision related (theft, vandalism, transport damage, etc, etc, etc).

I used to have a TJ, and had this exact same issue, except my problem was excessive crankshaft end play. In my case, like yours I would only set the code during cranking. Sometimes, it would have an extended crank time before starting. I chased the problem on my free time for a couple of weekends, checking all sensors, and data pids. Found nothing out of the ordinary The refresh rate on many scantools is just not quick enough to capture any glitches during cranking. These systems are old and slow. You can also check the cam and crank sensors manually, by passing a flat bade screwdriver (without magnetic tip) across the tip of the sensors. I did this, while hooked up to a scope. I heated and cooled the sensor, nothing abnormal. eventually I got to thinking and said "ok, this only happens during cranking." I disable fuel delivery, hooked up a remote starter and just would crank it over and over while observing data. Nothing abnormal. I eventually caught the glitch inadvertently, when i jumped in and stepped on the clutch and cranked it with the key. Occasionally, I would lose an RPM signal. I said hmm. Cranked it with my remote starter, all is well. Step on the clutch? Intermittent loss of RPM signal. Checked crankshaft endplay, and it was out of spec by several thousands.

That is why you must, must, must, charge proper diagnostic times. I charge 120 flat fee. It is what it is. I explain to customers that it is not just pulling a code. I need to review data, and apply other equipment. I also invite my customers to witness me diagnose their vehicles, so they can see just how involved and tedious of a procedure it is. You also have to sell it right. For my demographic, it is an easier sell. Since I work on German cars, I always use the line of "your car is an efficient, intricate piece of engineering. it employes systems, that are not commonplace on standard vehicles." That one always gets them to fold. I learned that trick from an old service adviser buddy back in my dealership days. He would tell me 'Gabe, never, ever devalue a customer's vehicle. No matter how big of a POS it might be, always treat it like it is the cream of the crop. If you don't value the customer's vehicle, they won't either, or worse, will take it to someone who does." So much truth to that.

Drones delivery is already a real thing. I see it here in my area on occasion. With the autonomous cars, it's a reality, and its on the horizon. It will happen much sooner than later. Of course, they will be implemented slowly, like the hybrid car was, and there will always be human drivers on the road.

There are a ton of weird people out there. Some do it to try and have their way, others do it because they are just jaded, and bitter individuals. They have lost all hope, and think everyone is out to get them. Others are just a mess and irresponsible, and others are just plain loonie: I had a guy bring me an X5 with the rear suspension on the ground. After looking at the car I found all kinds of DIY disasters. I took pictures of everything, and noted it on the inspection sheet. Except the guy would not sign. I told him Sir, this is in both of our best interests. It is for insurance purposes. I am required to do this. He would not sign. Said I'm not signing anything, pulls out cash, and says here this is for checking it. I'm good, I got the cash. I went back and forth with him, explaining it is not about the money. It is for liability purposes, vehicles have to be inspected, and signed off on prior to any work performed. Florida law. Guy says, well take it down, I'm not signing anything. So I did. Parked it outside, and guy jacks it up in the parking lot, and commences to tinker with it in my lot! I just left him be, figured not worth to expend the energy. I probably should have called law enforcement when I think about it though. Eventually he left, but not without leaving bolts, trash, and wire ties all over my parking lot. Another case I once had was with a customer who brought me a MINI Cooper. It arrives on the tow truck. Guy seemed really cool, really friendly. Tells me "I'm a bus mechanic at the county. This here has a bad oil pump. I don't want to get into it though, rather let someone else handle it. Too tight in there." I was already skeptical but w/e. Signed off on the quote, and got started. Once I opened up the engine, it was apparent the guy had never done an oil change to save his life. I mean it was sludge city in there. Car also had 158k miles. I contacted him about the findings. I tell him buddy, your problem is further than an oil pump, that engine is sludged really really bad. We need to pressure flush the entire lubrication system, and see where that takes us. My advice would be to remove the rod end caps and inspect all the rod bearings, before proceeding forward. No sense in trying to salvage a bad engine. Well, when I pulled the oil pan, I found a rod laying in all it's shattered glory, at the bottom of the pan. I got a bad feeling instantly, but I called the guy anyway. Told him about the bad news, but that I had a spare MINI engine with under 80k miles verified. Guy's response to me was "No I can't do that, how much to rebuild the one that is in there?" I tell him a lot more than just swapping engines. Plus the down time, and honestly, I just don't have the time right now to dedicate to such a large project. His response was that the car was a lease, and he could not swap the engine because they check that. Car was over 5 years old, and had 158k miles. If it even was a lease, that would be the least of his worries.

Typically any phone call that starts with an automated message, or starts with "Hi may I speak to the owner?", get swiftly hung up on.