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Have Some People Kept Their Cars Too Long?

Joe Marconi
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HarrytheCarGeek Experienced

HarrytheCarGeek

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Yes, I am seeing this. In my opinion, this is a ruined customer to a certain degree. You will have to balance your perspective as to what kind of revenue you will expect from this type of customer if he is the type that is rolling the dice.

 

If they have neglected maintenance, any major work you do, they may expect the car to be "fixed" for another "long" while, just to be back in the following week.

 

If they have been the regular maintenance customer, I am not afraid to keep up their cars since I have probably replaced struts, wheel bearings and other major components.

 

The point is, don't get stuck with neglected old clunkers, ask for deposits, and always watch your bottom line like a hawk!

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Aftercrashman Newbie

Aftercrashman

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New car sales are experiencing sales that are showing very promising signs to a recovery of sorts for some, this good news is for those twisting wrenches on the newer stuff (collision services) that rely heavily of the dollar value of repairs needed not exceeding the thresholds set up by those who profit from someone else s loss (Insurer and re builder of salvage) as salvage has been in record territory at the auctions for the past several years.

 

As for keeping them running for as long as possible consumers can be suggested to but never demanded of and should a VO (vehicle owner) choose to negate necessary services we can not "Not" service them when asked to.

 

Just pity the folks who purchase the old cars showing up with little or no service records and the song and dance by sales people how well this car has been meticulously maintained all the years it's been in service with the previous owner. Pity? Perhaps but certainly it's all business all day!

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

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      Want to End Your Technician Shortage? Focus on Retention!
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      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”

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