Joe Marconi

Back in the early 80s when I started, an oil change was priced about the same price is it now at many repair shops. This is a controversy that is debated with many different opinions. We did not care back then about oil changes, we were making too much money on broken cars. Plus, you did not have the competition you do now. Truth is, cars don't breakdown like they used and everyone now is a Total Car Care Center: Just look at Transmission shops, Midas, Tire Centers, and even Body shops now do services and repairs. Oil changes are still the one service that drives your customers back to you. So however you look at oil changes, with regard to price and profit, I don't think we can survive with them.

Great story Gonzo. True to form of who we are and what drives us.

How to capitalize on the tough winter Spring is here… well technically it is. There will be a lot of winter related work and we need to capitalize on this. Take care of your customers. Make sure you inspect every car. Don’t get tunnel vision and just focus on the immediate concern. Remember the concept of total car care. This strategy will benefit the customer by identifying key services and repair issues, saving the customer in the long run. It’s all about taking care of your customers. And the added benefit? What it will add to your bottom line.

I may have been the boss but for the first 10 to 15 years in business, but I spent most of my time in the shop. This was a time when we did not have office staff, a service advisor, clean up crew or a foreman. The duties of those positions were carried out by yours truly. I would spend of my day running around, working on cars, greeting customers, did the banking, cleaning bathrooms, doing repairs on the equipment, selling work, all the bookkeeping, on and on and on; Until I reached the breaking point. Fast forward some 15 years later, and I now run the business, and all the positions that were once my responsibilities are now in the hands of selected employees. We have grown because of this, but sadly, there is a disconnect. I feel I am no longer Joe the boss/mechanic/one of the guys. I am the just the boss. It may be my perception, but perception is reality, so they say. Coping with this is hard. I got into this business because I love the cars. I still do. I love this business. When I speak to my people, it’s The Boss speaking, not Joe. Is this a common situation, and if it is, how to you cope? Or is it really a problem?

Mitchell/Shop Key will have a workshop May 1-3 in Altantic City NJ. If you use Mitchell or Shop Key, this is a worthwhile workshop. The tips and information you will learn will help you with your day to day operations. For more information and to register, click below: http://www.buymitchell1.net/form/m1usersinfo.htm

Are there shop owners make it mandatory that their techs attend training each year? if so, what type of training and how much? Also, how many shop owners pay for the training and also how many pay the tech's time if the training is after work hours. One more thing, what about other staff member training; Service advisors, etc? There appears to be vast differences between shops with regard to training, available training and how much training.

If the customer correctly guesses at what's wrong with his/her it's nothing more than that, a guess. And again, respect and attitude trumps everything.

Gonzo, I have to tell you that your article really hit home. I often speak to my wife about this very issue. I have never had an issue or problem with a car, it's always the owner that gives me grief. Now, let me say that there are a lot of fine people out there. But, there are too many that walk the earth with attitudes that are close to criminal. I remember this one customer who would complain each time he got his bill. 50 cents for a bulb would be too much. He would throw the money at me when he paid his bill and say, "Here, take my money, take it!" It's hard to focus on the good people when there are so many nuts running around. Well written on a touchy subject.

MotoLogic is a real nice program, and layed out nice too. Easy to use and navigate. They need to fill in the gaps. It's a product from Advance Auto Parts.

Marketed correctly, an alignment machine can be a goldmine. Hunter is perhaps the best out there, it's what we have. The new Hunter is real nice, quick and easy. If you do go for it, make it part of your inspection process, when you can. For example, when we have slow day, I put one tech on the align machine to get a qucik read out for all the cars on the schedule. With the Hunter it's quick and easy. We then disucss the print out with the customer, if the alignment is out. For the winter months, it's an easy sell and you are doing the customer a real value by extending the life of the tires. You can create a package also: Alignment, tire rotation, balannce, suspension/steering check.

You do not have to rehire former employees, and you should proceed very carefully if you are considering any former employee. Your employees represent you, your company and the culture of your company. Be very careful who you hire from this point on.

It is amazing the stories people tell and how they explain the problem they are having. It's more amazing when a husband and wife start to argue with each other over who's version of the story is correct! But, as you said, in the end, it makes an interesting day at the office.

Source: Will you adapt and cope with changing automotive technology?

Will you adapt and cope with changing technology? I remember back in the mid 70s, my boss complaining that electronic ignition was going to destroy our business. “They are taking away our tune up business”, he would say. In some ways, he was right. Technology and change is something that we cannot control. In fact, “change” is perhaps the one thing we Can count on. And, as in life, it’s how we deal with change that matters. I guess the blacksmiths of late 1880s viewed their future with apprehension. Those that aligned themselves with the horse and carriage, faded into oblivion, those that viewed themselves as someone who could adjust to the change, became our first mechanics. We are at a critical crossroads again. Hybrids, electric cars, hydrogen cars and other new technologies will bring great changes to the automotive world. How will we cope with these changes? In the mid 1980s, Smith Corona, a 100 year old type writer company, vowed to never abandon what made them so successful; the typewriter. In 1995 Smith Corona filed for bankruptcy. Smith Corona looked to the past, when it should have been looking to the future: The Personal Computer Age. To secure your future, look to the future. There you will find opportunity. Oh, it will be different, but there will be opportunity for those who adapt. It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change. -Charles Darwin

Selling tires is not necessary, especially if your shop is small. The advantage of selling tires is that you are offering your customers another service, rather than going somewhere else. But, again, most shops can build a lucrative business and not sell tires. For large repair shops, it makes sense, since they can keep the business for themselves, while still performing all other hire level repair and service work. However, I do think that you will need a balancer and tire machine. This items are essential shop equipment. Also, have the ability to repair flats. I hope this helps.

I am not a big believer in additives to solve problems. We do promote Preventive Maintenance, and we use BG products. BG also has a Lifetime Protection Plan if you start the service before 75,000 miles. So they stand behind their products. I also tell my customers that are keeping their cars for a long time to service all the fluids BEFORE they turn color. For example, when the tranny fluid is burnt and brown, it's too late. Like I always say, "The time to start thinking about taking care of yourself is not when your in an ambulance after having a heart attack"

We have all been down this road, and if there is one thing I cannot take is rudeness and how some people don't respect what we do. If you think about it, the first red flag was the fact that he took his MERCEDES TO PEP BOYS. I am not putting down Pep Boys, but they "target low price, get it done cheap". Most of us do not operate like that, we offer the very best at a fair price. Another lesson to take care of your profile customers, and let some pass you by.

Welcome to the site, your perspective should be different, but I imagine you encounter many of the same issues everyone else does.

Will do Gonzo!

Truer words were never spoken. Take a look around at the industry and it's no surprise the public has little to no idea what it takes to keep their rocket-ship-on-wheels moving each day. I have been to many conventions and participated in many industry panels and organizations, and I can tell you that there are countless people that really care about this industry and want to make a difference. Sadly, it sometimes gets diluted with all the negative the public sees. My hope is that we are on the right path, with people like you Gonzo spreading the word, we have a fighting chance! Thanks for the update.

It is truly amazing how these companies get away with this. I hope we, as an industry, do not cave under these tactics. As I tell my customers up front. "Your extended warranty company or insurance company will most likely not pay my entire bill, you will have to make up the difference". If we all do this, we can make a difference. I do not work for the extended warranty or insurance company.

No one charges for diagnostic testing? This is a problem, wouldn't you agree? The world is changing around us. All the gravy work is slowly being removed. Even belts will be a thing of the past as more and more components will become electronic. The future will require more and more testing. Sorry for getting off topic. I just want to learn how we as an industry will survive in the future if we cannot charge for testing. Thoughts?

We learned the hard way that this can only lead to trouble. A few years back a customer insisted that we install a TPS that anther shop diagnosed (turned out to be AutoZone). We installed it and when it did not fix the problem, an argument erupted because the customer refused to pay the labor to install it. We now have a strict policy, We do not waiver from our procedures and policies. It's not worth it. Would you tell the doctor what to do? Well maybe some would, but it still isn't right.

I have been in many heated debates, with shop owners and techs, about when to change fluids. First, I think that the owner's manual and the car companies do an injustice to us and the consumer with the extended services and lifetime fluid. Nothing is lifetime. If a car gets stuck in a snow storm and spins the wheels out of control, burning up the trans fluid, that fluid is done. No engineer will or can dispute that. My real issue is how many shop owners, consumers and techs have bought into this extended service notion or lifetime fluid. While technology has come a long way, I rather take a proactive approach, rather than wait for my coolant or transmission fluid to decay to a point where it may have done damage. We inspect fluids every day, but many do not suggest changing fluids unless it's in the "Book" or if the fluid is visibly bad. When a fluid is visibly bad, it's too late. It's like tire rotations, you don't wait for the front tires to wear out on the edges before you rotate, do you? No, you rotate tires to insure they wear evenly. I don't know how you feel about this subject, but I am a proponent of changing fluids, such as transmission and coolant, BEFORE they go bad, not after we KNOW they are bad. Your thoughts?