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bigdonstang

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Everything posted by bigdonstang

  1. bigdonstang
    $85 Charleston, WV
  2. bigdonstang
    It appears the greatest generation bred the worst generation who ultimately gave America the choice between Stalin in a pants suit or a pumpkin spice Hitler.
  3. bigdonstang
    Who else here has heard a lions share of life stories from clients? We sure have. I think if you've earned there trust and you're a mechanic then they feel like they could tell you anything. Should we charge therapist rates instead of labor rates? Because I think our bottom line would improve lol.
  4. bigdonstang
    Send em to us.
  5. bigdonstang
    We stopped using carry in parts a few years ago. Best decision ever.
  6. bigdonstang
    Funny story. We had an elderly lady come in on a hook a few weeks ago. 1999 cavalier. Quick evaluation revealed a locked up engine. After explaining to her that the cost of a replacement engine would far outweigh the cost of the vehicle. Especially when you consider the rest of the car was roached out and full of issues. So we advise her to have it towed to the boneyard in the sky. Still she insist that the engine could be somehow cheaply fixed. Long story short we didn't charge her a dime. Mainly because it was a super quick diag for me and also I'm a softy for old folks. So the tow guy gets to the shop to pick it up and she tries to get the driver to haul it to autozone so they can do there free diagnostics. Obviously he refused and also tried to explain to the lady that this is not how any of this works.
  7. bigdonstang
    We have a term for these vehicles. We call them "good ol' neighborhood cars". Sometimes I think we are stuck inside the fence and the gate already has been welded shut. Countless times we've declined to touch them because you end up marrying them.
  8. bigdonstang
    Sometimes I feel like we are fighting an uphill battle in this industry. Smh
  9. bigdonstang
    Oh that's $12.78 if it passes. It's $11.78 for a fail. It is a loss leader for sure. We get approved to do the repairs approximately 50% of the time so that helps. But even so you are right. We lose money on the 1/2 hour one of my bays is tied up plus all the paperwork associated with the inspection.
  10. bigdonstang
    For the life of me I can not understand why every state does not have annual safety inspections. If they only knew how dangerous some people would let there cars become. Thank God our state does an excellent job with the state inspection program. My only problem with it is we aren't allowed to charge more than $12.78. However it feels nice to slap a rejection sticker on some death trap with no brakes, bald tires and rotted out frames. Especially since these folks are the hardest to deal with. They leave here sometimes cussing and calling us crooks. Totally hilarious.
  11. bigdonstang
    It was an issue with the client. He was wondering why it was so high. We worked things out with him and he's cool with it now. They are on pace to do $200,000 with us this year so we bend over backwards to make them happy. I was worried I may have been overpricing them.
  12. bigdonstang
    We had an issue with one of our important accounts about the price of an air filter of all things. 2014 Dodge Charger. Air filter price installed was $51.00. Our price was $25.48. This is for a premium filter as the economy grade was not in stock anywhere and this client demands a quick turn around. Our pricing on filters is based off a pretty standard matrix and we do not charge labor. One of my techs inadvertently got into the debate and tells me how "down south" (he worked in North Carolina for a stint) they only mark filters up $10 and don't charge labor on filters either. Seems unrealistic to me but nonetheless I still would appreciate actual shop owners input on this subject. Am I too high, too low, or in the ballpark? How do you guys price smalls such as filter, blades, etc.?
  13. bigdonstang
    All you need is a small PA system. Mixing board, amplifier, speakers and a few mics. You could even use a channel for a shop stereo and another channel for phone ring.
  14. bigdonstang
    Both insurance and OSHA. We have the yellow chains as well. Some people climb right over them like they weren't even there. I tell them the chains aren't there to us in.
  15. bigdonstang
    Had one of these yesterday!
  16. bigdonstang
    We have three paks in our shop. A pair of 2 post and a 4 post alignment lift. Going on three years with zero problems. Would recommend.
  17. bigdonstang
    What do you believe is the best way of keeping track of this? Do you recommend any software to make the process easier or will an old school calender do the trick? I've personally never booked a customer more than a week in advance but I'm very interested in getting a good system in place.
  18. bigdonstang
    I was wondering what everyone's average daily car count was as well as average repair order. Also how many bays are guys running? We operate 3 bays with 2 full time techs and we are averaging 7 cars a day at around $150 per ticket. Seems low to me.
  19. bigdonstang
    Autolite - plugs and wires Moog - chassis Wearever - rotos KYB - struts, shocks OE - for anything
  20. bigdonstang
    In the words of the great Ron White "you can't fix stupid." I had a customer yesterday tell me that I wasn't a good guy and he was going to tell all his friends about me because we failed his car for having horribly dry rotted tires. I take pride in doing state inspections as honestly and as thorough as I can. So it hurts on a personal level when someone tells me I'm a bad person. But I just have to tell myself that guy is stupid and I can fix his car but I can't fix him.
  21. bigdonstang
    None of the independent shops around our area charge for diagnostics either. Except for us. And you know who get's a bunch of diagnostic work? We do! Apparently the other shops diagnostics are not worth paying for. When you charge for diagnostics (correct diagnostics) you eventually get a good rep around town and people will come in willing to pay to have there car fixed correctly. The people who have a problem with it are C or D customers most likely. I had a guy once tell me that if someone is not willing to pay $70-$100 to find out what's wrong with his car then he probably ain't serious about getting it fixed anyways.
  22. bigdonstang
    That's a tough one but we see it all the time. It usually comes from some redneck dude who thinks he knows just about everything about cars. And they usually bring in there own parts. Most people we can talk into going ahead with our diagnostics. Some folks though are just hard headed. We will do the repair, but explain to them the consequences first and have them sign off on it. The only reason we are doing this now is because we need the work. Someday when we are established enough we will no longer use carry in parts or do the whole home diagnostic thing.
  23. bigdonstang
    Be careful cleaning your own rags. Chemicals and solvents in these things have been known to cause flash fires when drying. There was a shop in the area that burnt to the ground several years back. You can use a household washing machine and get them "kinda clean" but don't put them in a dryer. Recipe for disaster.
  24. bigdonstang
    What they said. Third times a charm. He will get himself fired and you will have all the documentation you need to justify termination.
  25. bigdonstang
    Natural gas all the way. The bigger the better. It won't have to work so hard to keep up with the demand of your garage doors being opened and closed all day long.

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