TheTrustedMechanic

Repair Ticket Complaint: Clunk//Thump in rear when turning. Technician's Diagnosis : Test drove, noise confirmed. Removed bowling ball from trunk. Test drove, noise corrected. Or once when I was first starting in this career I worked at a Cadillac dealership a very attractive single woman brought her Eldorado in for the rear suspension not working properly. Of course in order to diagnose the performance Cadillac tells the technician to put weight in the trunk. So the tech who had the job called us "Quick Service" dweebs over to sit on the rear bumper. When he opened the trunk (with us dweebs standing there) we found her collection of "toys." You can use your imagination as to what I mean. No, none of us could look her in the eyes when she came in to pick it up.

Nice Reich-wing propaganda. Truth is, if there were more decent paying (usually union) jobs then maybe our customers would have enough money to maintain their cars instead of just fix them only when they are broken. Why is it all the right-wing pontification slams the workers with a decent wage, benefits and some level of security? Is it jealously? Envy? Why are we being sucked into subscribing to the race to the bottom? Hey I used to tease my wife about having one of them there cushy government union jobs, that was 'til the tea bagger commissioners got in and gutted everything they didn't like, AND raised local taxes and fees. And there was no deficit or budget shortfall current or projected. I may be a business owner without the nice benefits and wages of a cushy union job, but I chose my lot in life. Only the truly pathetic cop tothe attitude of "I don't have it so you shouldn't either," like seems to be the case all the time with the republicans when it comes to worker's benefits. I also remember that what is good for (big) business is not normally good for the average citizen. And when they suffer so does my business. When the average citizen is doing well then my business does well also. So all the "business friendly" rhetoric really is not a benefit to truly small businesses. But when the politicians stop repaying their campaign buyers and actually do something that benefits the people, then truly small businesses benefit too. Flame suit on.

It makes sense to lower your prices to drive more sales to your door. We do it everyday in this business when we run a special. But to unilaterally or universally lower prices, you by necessity have to lower your standards too. Like xrac wrote, the shops that run the low prices make it up somewhere. I'd just like to know where, and how. Because I can't seem to do it. but then again I have honor, ethics and morals. But if you are lowering your prices to try and drive more sales at the lower price and you are losing money, you certainly can't make it up in volume. It just comes back to you have to determine your actual, factual, realistic costs and set your prices accordingly. if you are fair and reasonable and still can't make a profit, then maybe your costs are out of line, or your market just won't support a professional, competent repair shop and the residents will get exactly what they deserve, poor quality, short lived repairs at the low value prices they demand.

I don't have employees at this time, but thinking back to being an employee, the best way to make one mad is to deny them vacation time when it works for THEM, not for you. The reason for vacation time is for them to get away, relax and have fun. If you deny them the ability to do that when they want to, it isn't fun anymore and defeats the purpose. Like Frogfinder pointed out, many take their vacations when their spouses or kids have time too, and that is not in October or January. Sure losing the employee's skills and abilities hurts, especially when you are paying them for their time off, but shouldn't that be figured into the year's budget just like warranty come-backs? And since you are dealing with people (humans not just technicians), who are inherently selfish by nature, they will want to take their vacations when they will enjoy them most, not when it is convenient for you, so shouldn't that be factored into the equation too? How do you try to encourage them to take their vacations during off peak months? Do you simply deny them the time off? Do you exhibit an attitude or displeasure? Do you offer them extra time, extra pay or simply just tell them that you want them to wait until November? You might be able to get away with instituting a policy that no one can take vacation during a single month, presumably your busiest month, but I highly doubt you will keep your best people if you encumber them too much. Two years ago my wife wanted me to take a real vacation, a week off. Something I hadn't done in 15 years. So I looked back at my sales for each week over time I was in business and found my slowest week was the beginning of August. So that's when I closed and went on vacation. For you with many employees you may institute some restrictions like only one guy off at a time, no one can go the week of July 4th (or any single week/month you see fit) or you could say gee the first week of each month is pretty busy, so no vacations. Or, depending on your vacation plan, typical of my knowledge is 40 hours for full time regardless of average hours billed (flat-rate) or overtime worked (hourly wage). You could incentivize them to take their vacations during off-months by adding hours, like maybe 5 hours if they take vacation during the winter or $25.00 extra if they go anytime except June/July/August. But if you are going to keep your best techs happy, it must be their idea, their choice and there has to be a tangible incentive to them.

Sounds like my experiences. I think Froffinder didn't understand your reply. Frog is right that how you treat the customer on the phone is important, but I have experience to tell you that nothing you do or say will change the mind of the folks looking for the cheapest price, and the easiest way for them to do that is on the phone. Ten minutes and they've wasted the time of a 12 shops working up quotes. At this point they are not your customer, they are a consumer, consuming your time and energy. At this point they deserve respect and to be treated kindly and honestly. They deserve no more than that until they become your customer and show they value your skill, expertise and integrity by spending their money with you. I routinely ask phone shoppers if they are looking for quality repairs or the lowest price. Invariably they claim they want quality repairs but when I call them with the price all I get is either, "Well I've got to talk to my husband/wife about it, I'll [never] call you back," or "Well, Shop XYZ will do it for $$$ less," when $$ is all the mark-up I have on the parts. I will not give away my work for cheap or free. If it comes down to that I'll close up shop and work at McDonald's where at least I'll get an hourly wage. Example, 2001 GMC G2500 van, needs a fuel pump. I quoted a price and the guy complained that he just got one put in his other van, identical MMYE, for less than half my price. I am still trying to figure out where and how he got it done for $300.00. I find the customers who call on the phone, if they are serious about wanting me to do the work for them, they will almost immediately tell me how they found me, who referred them or why they chose me above the others in the phone book. Otherwise I can explain to them what goes into the proper repair and what I do that most shops do not in order for them to meet the cheap price, but I rarely close the deal with the price shopper. I can also give them the advice to make sure they are getting quoted for the same complete job because there are a few shops in town who give the low-ball price to get the car in only to get it torn apart and then hit the customer with the real price, often higher than mine. But it doesn't sink in, that low-ball shop is still, "Better because they were cheaper, I just needed more than they expected." When in reality all the customer needed was what was realistic and typical for the repair.

Yep from what you wrote I knew exactly who you were dealing with. I had two customers with that money sucking company. One they claimed the failure occurred before they accepted the policy, two weeks after he purchased the van. One needed a wheel bearing and they wouldn't even pay half my COST of the economy bearing. They'd ship me their part but then I had to provide the warranty. And their allowed labor time did not match Alldata or Mitchell, who know where they got it. I assure you I will not be accepting any work where I have to wait for a check or a credit card from CARS. The one I did do I insisted they pay the customer, not me. But don't refuse to work with extended warranty companies just because of this company. Not all are this bad, in fact almost all I have worked with were very decent to deal with. You just have to remember, it is a contract and they will not willingly go beyond what the contract specifically obligates them to do. And you don't have to accept what the first adjuster you talk to says they will cover. My dad had a warranty with a different national company and for one of his covered repairs the adjuster refused my labor rate because, even though it was the same as 6 months before, it was "higher than their local average." He also questioned my diagnosis and why it needed all that I wanted to do. What really whizzed in my Wheaties was when he made the connection between last names, stated "Oh, Moore, he must be your brother then," and insinuated it was a collaborative effort to defraud them. I denied, truthfully and demanded to talk to his supervisor. He refused and hung up. I called back, spoke to another rep and finally got to talk with a supervisor who agreed with me that although their customer was my dad, he was still their customer and I still had the obligation to do do the work and warrant it. Ans since they had the right to send an adjuster, I surely wouldn't be recommending phantom work. I also pointed out that in our local phone book there was 2.5 columns of Moore residences listed so there were a few that I was not related too. In the end, the supervisor authorized the repairs that were covered, at my labor rate as of the date of the last claim (same rate). And I was told that the original claims rep would be "dealt with" regarding his very unprofessional behavior. Like I wrote, don't run away because of one bad company. But like has been mentioned many times, just make sure your customer knows that you will work hard to make sure as much gets covered as possible, but it is likely that the company won't cover it all and the customer will be responsible for the rest. You did not build it, buy it or break it. You are not obligated to underwrite your customer's decision to entrust their mechanical repairs to an extended warranty company. As long as your prices are in line and the work you propose is legitimate, the customer is still responsible to pay you your full invoice, they simply are paying you in part with the extended warranty. Similar to when they pay part with credit card (think warranty company) and part with check (think customer obligation for the balance). For example, if you are adhering to the labor guide and list prices, if your labor is $100.00 and your parts are $125.00 but the warranty company will only pay a total of $190.00 then your customer should be responsible for the remaining $35.00. That said when I deal with a warranty company I forgo shop supplies because I haven't dealt with a warranty company yet that pays shop supplies but I also have a higher labor rate for extended warranty work, just like doctors have a higher rate for insurance vs cash the day of your visit. I also look up dealer MSRP because that is the max most warranty companies will pay.

Sounds like you were dealing with CARS, and it is nothing but a rip-off. If you do an internet search they have had many lawsuits. There are some decent extended warranty companies out there. Just bear in mind that they are nothing more than an insurance company. Accordingly they have their rules and stick very strictly to them. Most extended warranty companies won't pay for diagnosis, shop supplies or fluids. In addition they will pay up to the OE list price. ALWAYS make your customer aware that the warranty company likely will not pay for everything beyond their deductible and they will be responsible for the difference but you will work to get everything covered that you can. There are some extended warranty companies, like insurance companies, that care about honoring their obligation and taking care of your mutual customer. There are some very good companies and some, like your experience that are little more than money grabs.

I've read all the comments here and I find that I am floundering with my position. I am an ASE CMAT. I persevered to reach that level because I care about my professionalism and wanted to demonstrate my competence.. But it is my feeling that the industry does not care, ASE cares only for the money we pay them, and pay them, and pay them. And I really don't think the consumer either knows or cares enough to demand a certified, competent technician, if it seems right when they leave, and it was cheap enough, it was good enough. All that comes from the lack of education of the consumer. Oh, sure ASE has their website, but unless a customer is actually looking for it and the information there, why would they ever care, or even know it exists? And I was at a NAPA conference once where one of the attendees was being recognized for having achieved certification in every area ASE sells a test for. This guy was maybe 50 yo. and he had the requisite experience in every area, and demonstrated competence? More like he was good at pick-and-pray tests. At that time I lost a great deal of respect for the ASE certification process. Even if this guy had worked on all things mechanical since he was weaned I can't believe he was experienced, skilled and competent in every single area of certification. Maybe it's just because I live in Michigan and the state requires all automotive repair technicians who expect to be paid for performing repairs on motor vehicles for the general public to be certified, but I really don't see any value in the ASE certifications beyond, "I did it! See there's the patch". Now if ASE put more effort into educating the public, and instilled some integrity into it's certification process, then I might change my mind. As for the mandatory certifications and loathsome lack of skill or caring that is complained about, maybe the industry should either establish some legally binding standards, like the BAR associations or the AMA, or work with the government to establish some regulations. But since we are much more comfortable sitting around and whining, I doubt much will ever change, except on the micro level. But it was great article Gonzo, I enjoyed reading it and you are completely right.

As a one man shop I find it hard to find the time to write up the work, do the work and finish the invoice, but I still try to ask where they heard of me. Another parameter I've been told to track is what station is on the radio in the car. If you have a lot of customers listening to NPR maybe you should "support" your local NPR radio station, if your customer base has a lot of hard rock listeners, maybe that would be a better station to advertise with.

I have never personally seen the devastation you describe but I do remember reading a tsb, tech-tip or some such info about it as a possibility. As we all know backfires can be quite violent and given the reduced structural integrity of the plastic intake manifolds this type of failure is not out of the question. I think the info I read was more along the lines of possible cracking and vacuum leaks because of it as opposed to catastrophic failure. I have seen a MAF damaged by a backfire as well as a Chevy 4.3 or 5.7 (I don't remember which, the gaskets are very similar) that blew out one valve cover gasket after a backfire.

As I wrote, I was not meaning to seem like I was attacking or impugning you, I truly hope you did not take it that way. Also as I wrote, you would be best served to find a lawyer who is knowledgeable in this area. But in Michigan any waiver of estimate, long-term or one time (such as night drop) must spell out the following as applicable to the type of waiver in question: that the customer is entitled to a written estimate and is waiving that right the date of the waiver the duration of the waiver including an expiration date for long term waivers that the waiver is granted voluntarily the exact amount of repairs authorized, if an amount is known in advance the limit of repairs authorized if an exact amount is not known the ramifications of granting the waiver such as acknowledging the financial obligation. sufficient information to identify the specific vehicle the one-time waiver applies to This is not an all inclusive list nor is it to be construed as meeting any or all legal requirements of any state. The State of Michigan motor vehicle repair facility manual provides sample waiver forms, your state may as well.

I am in Michigan and we must have the same, signed written estimate or waiver of estimate if the estimated repair will be over $20.00. But at last I read the statute the waiver had no time duration. There were two types of waivers though, a single instance and a long-term. The long-term did not specify a length of time as I remember. But this is Michigan, not NC so you would be better served to investigate your State's law. But on a side note, are you wanting a long-term waiver so you don't have to have a written estimate but can instead call the customer and get verbal approval, or are you wanting to circumvent the consumer's legal protections and then "ambush" them with the bill when they pick up their car? Do you have a lot of night drop-offs? Or do you not have policies in place to consult with the customer, establish their concerns to be addressed and then document them on a work order and have the customer verify the accuracy of your understanding with a signature? Or is your customer base one that trusts you completely and simply throws you the keys and says, "Just fix it then call me?" The only reason I bring this up is you didn't state why you needed/wanted the waivers but maybe you would benefit yourself if you evaluated the circumstances under which you need the waivers. I would imagine a caring repair shop would always get the customer's approval BEFORE performing any work beyond the initial request unless specifically told to do so. I know this is beyond the scope of your question but wouldn't that simply be respectful? I'm sorry i couldn't answer your question, but even a shop in NC would be dangerous to take advice from without verifying it yourself to make sure you were in compliance. I hope you understand my other part was just points to ponder and an opportunity to look at your situation from a different perspective, it was not intended as an attack on you.

I really appreciate your outlook on doing things the honest way. And I too will do a battery test for my customers, for free. But that whole scenario bothers me. Why do we, the service professional need to invest our time and money into the relatively expensive equipment to perform a service to our customers for free? Why are we expected to do so much for free? A doctor doesn't do anything for free. Call a plumber and it'll cost you $150 just for them to show up. Why do we have to do brake inspections, "quick peek" inspections, battery tests and a myriad of other things for free? Well I guess that is another topic. But like I said, I really like how you emphasize value to the customer based on honesty, I won't run my business any other way. And I too found that when I started testing every battery that came in I ended up selling more batteries in the first three months of winter than I had in a year before. It sure is nice to have a tester with a printer though. Now if I can just get customers to understand the difference between a professional grade battery and a wally-world or Dontalast special.

What really irritates me is that this makes customers automatically resistant to our recommendations. We may go outside of the manufacturer's recommendations and recommend a transmission service or a fuel injection cleaning based on real world specific vehicle conditions, and we will be looked at as crooks too. But the underlying cause is very simple, it is management by numbers. The employees were held to a quota and that is flat out wrong. But that is what so many of the "expert" management consulting companies promote. And we wonder why this stuff happens. I know I am a terrible businessman because I don't track and aggressively target an average R.O. I refuse to because every vehicle that comes into my shop will need what it needs, not what I need it to need to make my average R.O. and nobody is going to change that. Sure there is xx billion dollars of unperformed maintenance "left on the table" each year. But how much of that is the type of maintenance pushed by these quickie lubes? How much of that unperformed maintenance would have been performed if the vehicle owner had been made aware of it? I review manufacturer's recommended maintenance with my customers and I'm finding even the "imports" are recommending less and less. And of the maintenance that is recommended, if it's more than an air filter it's a major event to get it even scheduled, let alone get them to show up to have it performed. rant over

Love that response Joe, talk about tact. On the topic of the oil change intervals and Honda recommending 10,000 mile intervals I noticed no one mentioned that their filter would fit in a pop can and Honda recommends replacing it every 20,000 miles. In my shop, for most cars I use a group 2 base stock semi-synthetic oil in the 5w20, 5w30 and 10w30 flavors. I always check AllData for the fluid specifications and if my oil doesn't match I will price out the oil change with the proper oil. I will not buy an engine because I knowingly used the wrong oil. I have customers who request 5,000 mile intervals so I do that and they have no problems. Otherwise I use a standard filter and follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule. I counsel my customers on the "Severe" Service vs "Normal" service definitions and most fall within the "severe" service definition which typically calls for 3000 mile intervals anyway. And I print my own oil change stickers on my laser printer and I have a line for the mileage interval so my customers know and if they want to go longer or shorter they have the knowledge to do so.

Let's see, they aggressively market the free check engine light "diagnosis" (we all know that routine, diagnosis by shotgun). They have the "Loan a tool" program and now I see they offer free online repair information. So they sell the parts, loan the tools and provide the repair info for free. They are actively and aggressively working to eliminate the DFM profession, competent repair shops. I had a customer with a 3.1L Grand Am set an appointment for an oxygen sensor because, "That's what the code said it needed." What code? "The code they read at the parts store." What code? "I don't remember, they said needed an oxygen sensor." So I started it up to pull it into the shop. It started HARD, blew black smoke and stumbled and misfired. I grabbed the scanner and checked data, O2 stuck above 950 mv, fuel trim -30, code was P0172 Fuel System Too Rich, well DUH! I asked him if he wanted me to put the O2 sensor in, or if he wanted me to fix the problem. He opted to let a professional actually diagnose and fix the car. So I put a fuel pressure regulator on the car, test drove it and verified the O2 switched fast and full scale and fuel trim was within -5 to 5. But they told him it needed an oxygen sensor. My biggest problem with AZ is that if I were to buy a Duralast part I don't know whose part is in the box. Sure you cna say that about NAPA, CarQuest, etc. but if I order an ignition control module and it's a Wells product that may not even make it out of the driveway, or a wheel bearing that may be a Timken and will outlast the OE, how do you know? You don't know. And as long as it is a private label you don't know if they changed suppliers. And with their claim to fame being cheap, what is the incentive to keep the good part after they build their aftermarket professional customer base? I looked up a clutch for a Honda Prelude, there were two listed, one was $99.99, and the other was $199.99, both were Duralast and both offered 12 month warranty. What's the diff? I've also looked up parts and had AZ be more than the two "professional" parts store I primarily deal with. Example, Specta Premium radiator, I don't remember the specific vehicle. My cost from AZ was almost the list price from NAPA for the exact same part number. As for Advance Auto Parts, no thank you. Shortly after I first opened I used them because of their lifetime parts warranty, trying to provide value to my customers. First failure was on a V-6 Mustang, I did four wheel brakes, pads, rotors and calipers. The new set of semi-met pads on the front wore a groove in the rotor, like an old LP record, and caused a horrible squealing noise. I was paid $25.00 to diagnose and replace the faulty brake pads AND the damaged rotor. The following year, same car rear axle, one of the brake pads delaminated and lost the friction material. The other three pads were at 90% or better and I was told that it must have been a defect with something else in the brakes. The whole set up was new the previous year from AAP! No warranty. No thank you. The last straw was an '03 Trailblazer alternator. 27 days after install the truck comes back on the hook, not charging, alternator is bad. So I got to test the system, replace the alternator again and pay the tow bill, for what, .5 hr at $25.00/hr. No thank you, NEVER again.

Whereas I am a supported or the "Hand Up, Not Hand Out," philosophy, I had to laugh (LOL) at your post because the title is so appropriate. Too funny. Thanks for the chuckle. (seriously, no sarcasm)

Joe, One thing you need to do is talk with your insurance agent. I asked mine about it and he told me if I charged a "rental" fee my insurance would be astronomical, but that was not what I wanted to do, as I don't think that is what you want to do either. I am a one man shop as you may know and I have one company owned loaner and one personally owned truck that is my back-up loaner. I find it to be a great incentive. Granted most customers who enjoy the use of it are regulars, but it sure frees me up from being under the gun to get their car fixed if I fall behind. Right now the car is out so I can have the customer's car to try and catch an intermittent no start that has plagued the car for a few months now. With you size operation and the fact that you can afford (I am not insinuating you have lots of money, just you have personnel to do it) to shuttle customers around, I had to stop everything and leave, you may not need loaner cars. Only you can judge the demand within your customer base. I find that the rental car idea puts off a lot of people because the last customer I had use a rental told me it went from $60.00 a day to a final cost of $100 a day with insurance and taxes. I believe the loaner car is a great idea. I have days in a row when the car sits in the lot unused and I have other days when the car is returned and loaned out again within an hour. And I got a $1200.00 job because I had it available, the customer could not be without a car because of work so either he would have done only part of the repairs or put them off completely if he had to be without a car or get a rental. I firmly believe that my company's loaner car is a valuable marketing asset. And I am on the lookout for another. With that said there are a few things to consider about what you pick for a loaner car: Who will you let use it? Over 25 only, over 21, or 18? My insurance covers anyone over 18 with a valid driver license. This has come in handy a couple times. Where will you let it be used? Mine is only local, within 25 miles of the shop Who will pay for the gas? I find if the customer takes it to work and back or only a few hours they do not want to fill the gas and as long as the needle is on “F” they don’t, so by the third loan the tank needs an extra couple gallons and the last customer is upset because they had to pay for extra gas. You will have to accept the expense of fuel used to some extent. Be careful how nice a car you have. Of course you want a nice vehicle because it is a reflection of your business. Mine is a 2002 Mercury Sable GS. It’s very clean. I have had customers comment that they didn’t want to bring it back and pick up their car because they like mine better. Then I had one lady complain about numerous things, I think she’d complain if she was hung with a new rope. How are you going to police the condition of the vehicle? It was recommended to me, but I’m a one man shop so it doesn’t apply, to either drive the car home myself or have a service writer drive it home periodically to make sure everything is OK. Don’t rely on a short test drive or inspection to find everything. You certainly don’t want to let your car go out with a customer if it isn’t in primo shape. That's all I can think of for now but I check back too. I can fax or email you my loaner agreement if you wish, it is in Excel 2007 format.

In my experience, allowing a customer to make payments is a good way to make a "good customer" some other shop's customer. I've tried it and gotten burned almost every time. I've written up a payment agreement spelling out deferred interest and such and it still does not make a difference. I tell my customers that I have an agreement with my banker, he doesn't fix cars and I don't make loans. There are enough payday lenders out there that if someone doesn't have a credit card they should be able to get the cash. And if they don't have a credit card, why? As Joe mentioned, "If a customer cannot get credit by one of these companies, WHY WOULD YOU EXTEND CREDIT???" I know there has been a lot in the economy lately, but why should you be their credit source? I've heard form a couple shop locally that GE Capital was very tight with their credit, and they charge you 5%, 7%, 9% or more depending on the term of the credit extended to your customer. 9% seems like a lot, but if you agree to carry the note and the customer doesn't pay, then that good will gesture just cost you 100%. In short, DON"T extend credit to your retail customers.

In my opinion it is very simple, the OP is a marketer for nitrogen generation machines and will fight to the death to defend the position that every car must have nitrogen in the tires in order to generate more demand for his product. The claim is that, "The arguments you are using have all been disproved by thousand upon thousands of on the road tests by NHTSA, Private Fleets, Government Fleets and Military vehicles." Well it would be interesting to know all of the facts that were available and also what facts were used to try and prove this position. As we've seen in politics lately, figures don't lie, but liars figure. Any position can be substantiated if you select from the facts and statistics available the ones that support your position. As for the thousands upon thousands of road tests, what was the intent of those road tests? If they were to prove the effectiveness of of nitrogen as opposed to compare the performances of each inflation gas composition then the results would be skewed also. As for the assertion that, "over 40% of the dealerships ... now have nitrogen," if it was so important, wouldn't 100% of dealerships have nitrogen because of the manufacturer's would require it. And in my area almost all of the dealerships aggressively sell "maintenance fluid flushes" whether they are needed or not, so claiming that because the dealers do it makes it right is a patently false assertion. And just like BrianP wrote, I agree, "The real questions are: a) how do you keep oxygen on the outside of your tires from causing oxidation?, and does it really matter since every single tire I’ve ever replaced was because of worn tread and not oxidation?" I have had a couple customers need to replace their tires due to oxidation and degradation of the sidewall, but that was on the OUTSIDE of the tire, not the inside. So the question still begs what difference does it make if you eliminate all oxidation on the inside of of the tire and extend it's life span beyond what the atmospheric and wear conditions on the outside of the tire will permit? When credible evidence can be provided, from independent peer reviewed sources, not self-interested nitrogen generation equipment manufacturer/sales sources, then maybe I will subscribe to the practice. And even then it will be more cost effective to buy a tank of nitrogen from the local industrial gas supplier than to buy the grossly overpriced nitrogen generator and the consumable permeable gas membranes. Regardless though, this whole thread has been an attempt to market a product to the members of this forum, and I for one take offense to that. i did not join Auto Shop Owner to open myself up to sales efforts. Advertising on the pages just like all other webpages you visit is one thing, a direct sales pitch posed as a forum post is insulting and abusive of the members.

Remote car starters are great accessories, however they must be installed correctly. The problem with a professional repair shop installing them is you would have to cut your labor rate by at least half, and then only charge for a portion of the time required to install one correctly. But when the electronics stores are paying their slam-it-in guy minimum rage they can sell a remote car starter installed for far less than you can. And since few if any customers are willing to pay you for your expertise, ability and care when they can get what appears to be the same thing for less, it's not a competitive market to enter. You and I know the difference between scotch lock connections and proper electrical connections. We understand the importance of testing a circuit to verify it's operation prior to clipping a scotch lock onto it but that takes time. We understand the critical importance of wire size and current carrying capacity, especially in today's modern vehicle where engineers are cutting weight and costs anywhere they can. And scotch locks cut wire strands internally of the insulation. You and I understand the importance and difference between these installation techniques, but the customer only sees your cost of $500.00 and the chain electronics store costs $350.00. And we all know that everything is the same except for the price. I will install them, but I am not competitive on costs, so I install only one or maybe two a year. Good luck.

I almost ordered that phone for myself. But the non-replaceable battery killed it for me. That and three reviews I read said they dropped it from about couch height onto a soft (carpeted) floor and the Gorilla glass screen shattered. Anyway I've had my Nokia E71 (NOT AT&T's E71x) for about four years. I don't change phones every two years because I really don't care about the "latest and greatest". The Droid Razr had great reviews, but like all 4G LTE phones had terrible reviews regarding battery life. So if the battery dies after 6-8 hours, how long will it last. If after 16 months the battery takes a dive and has to be replaced you have to send it in, be without it for 2 or 4 or 14 days while the battery is replaced. With most normal phones you can just pop the back off and replace the battery yourself, no sweat and only minutes of downtime, not days or weeks. But I did almost order Motorola Droid Razr. The phone I did chose is not really important as it was a personal choice. Since I'm changing from AT&T to Verizon I did have to buy a new phone ans can't just keep going with my trusty old friend the E71 so I did some research and ordered the HTC Rezound. I really don't care about the Beats music but someone else may like it really well. I refuse to consider anything Crapple so the overhyped iphony was out of the question. I found reliable reviews at Cnet.com, Retrevo.com and TestFreaks. There was another but I can't remember where it was now. I also read user reviews and look at the low ratings reviews and look for patterns, like the Gorilla glass breakage from three people with similar conditions. I expect most 1 star and 5 start reviews to be a lot of puffery so I try to look for patters, repeated complaints or other things that especially resonate with me. Otherwise you will always have some idiot who really hates one minor-to-you characteristic and will rate the otherwise great product a 1 and make it look terrible when it was really a minor issue.

I have only had one wheel fall off. It was this year on a Volvo XC70. Brilliant me, I was doing brake work and putting her summer tires/rims on. Well one front lug bolt was missing so I decided to be nice and replace it, no charge. So I ordered up another. The bolt had been missing so long the threads were badly rusted and wouldn't take the bolt with out force so I "dressed all the threads in that hub with a rethreading tap, not a thread cutting tap. I ALWAYS install the wheel nuts/bolts with a torque stick and then hand torque them to the manufacturer's recommendation in AllData. She talked to me about a week later. She had driven it about 50 miles before the tire came off. Luckily she was still on a slow back country road. She said her neighbor who was kind of a car guy snagged a lug bolt from each of the other wheels and put the tire back on and TIGHTENED, she emphasized very tight, the wheel bolts. She drove back home and the next day started back to town, a total of about 4 miles and the wheel came loose again. So she stopped, tightened the bolts herself and drove back home to get her truck. So I towed the Volvo in, replaced the wheel bearing/hub assembly, replaced all the missing wheel bolts and the ones that looked damaged and she's been driving it for four months now with no issues. Just another reason I hate eurotrash. I don't really blame the car, but the problem was on a euro car after all. I review all of my work orders with my customers before I have them sign and I put a disclaimer on all work orders where the tires were off, "Improper, uneven or excessive wheel nut (or lug nut) torque can contribute to brake rotor distortion and eventually brake pulsation. Care must always be taken to properly and evenly tighten wheel nuts when rotating tires or when a tire is removed for any reason. Wheel nut torque MUST be rechecked after approximately 50 miles." I know 50 miles is really soon, but when the average customer comes back, when the remember it, which is typically 100-200 miles later I don't see a problem.

In a normal year I would be open. A few years back when Christmas fell on Thursday I was open the next day. I was the only shop in town open that day too. But a s general rule I am open the day before/after Christmas and the day after Thanksgiving. This year however I hope to be able to close the week after Christmas and go 700 miles away to visit my oldest son stationed in Maryland and see my twin baby granddaughters. Born September 8, 2011 and my first grandchildren. Not much in my life gets me worked up or bothers me, but "Grandpa"sure seems to be doing it, good and bad. So at this point I may be closed the week following, but normally I am open.

Joe, I don't think your plan for when they take an extra day off is legal or fair, regardless of if it's in writing or was presented at time of employment. A salary is a promise of a minimum amount of pay for a job done, regardless of how few hours are worked. If they work an extra hour or two and 12 do they get extra pay? Do you value your service writers? Your pay plan does not show that your salary set up is for anyone's benefit but yours. I cant say it is unlawful, but as I understand wage law as it applies to salary, you can't use it as a maximum, it is the same as long pay regardless of the number of hours, up to the maximum in your agreement as long as they substantially perform the job for which their salary applies.