Leonard Lee

Oh boy, there's so much to learn about wages and all. From calculating the hourly rate of the shop to what employees should be paid and how they should be taken care of It's probably information that should be common sense but it's really not working out for me cause i'm starting out. *bows to all the masters here*

www.syncrowerkz.com.sg is mine. built with wordpress. not a wordpress expert. i'm adept at asp.net / mvc / .net C# :|

mmmm i tried sending SMS's before and it sure did work but it also meant there was a lot of messages to check out. i stick to emails. easier to manage.

It's always terrible to be on the receiving end of customers that just have to have a price and ask why it's so expensive - all over the phone. however, i've always taken it as someone who doesn't understand the gravity of the work required and as such, the only metric is 'price'. the best way so far is to have them come in and we can find out for ourselves why they were asking for a service. The guys in our immediate area shop around and never dare to tell you that they did. I would rather they be honest and tell us they did. I just don't see the point with hiding things if the whole point was to get something fixed. the thing is, they may not even be shopping based on the solution. It might just be a misguided diagnosis and now they're just running around asking for a useless service. *shrugs* I find the guys who come in to the shop and allow us a good look at the car, to be more sincere customers because they see the big picture. If they spent their time shopping based on price alone, they're just missing the whole point of finding the right solution. The ones i've encountered, just end up fixing item upon item up item without actually clearing up the fault... low prices never did businesses any good. high prices too. however, i find that giving prices for basic services online helps to give customers a ballpark and i maintain that it's a ballpark. If they wanted something accurate to the dollar, contact us!

Good points there mspecperformance!

I currently have a paper-based form which I get all new customers to fill out. Sometimes doctors hand writing prevails and my data entry person can get it wrong. lol... Theres a plan to have customers fill out e-forms on a tablet in the workshop to reduce the amount of interpretation errors. It's all about time since i'm a software developer! It would be awesome If i could then have it tie in to my accounting system! everyone can have dreams. If you want my paper-based form, let me know or email me at [email protected]. more than happy to send it through mate Cheers!

Wow! How in the world you guys in America do such low priced oil changes? What's your costs? I think that giving something of no 'real' cost to us during an oil servicing works very well. for my shop, I give their car a safety inspection & a clean at the end of the servicing.

Quinn, i always refer to the worlds encyclopedia when in doubt or the factory oil specifications guide. Customers that don't know what they are paying for should always get what their car needs unless they have an awesome reason why they want something else. I prescribe because i have the knowledge and because i want the best for the customer. In terms of stock, i stock a certain weight of oil, eg 0w40 or 10w40. But if the vehicle requires a different viscosity, i will order it in from my supplier just for him/her. We are the car doctors. Their interests should be our 1st priority. I wouldn't necessarily trust what was placed in before.

On my end, i've undergone a little bit of training at an oil facility in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. For starters: to be US friendly: - 1 kilometre = 0.621371 miles. 120,000 kms = 74,564 mi | 60,000 kms = 37,282 mi - Left = Wrong side. kidding Weights 1) Always refer to the vehicle manual to determine the recommended oil when it's new. e.g. 0w20 or alternatives 5w20 or 0w30. 2) Discover kilometers (sorry Americans; which is everyone ) since a brand new engine e.g. Travelled 110,000kms 2a) Every 60,000kilometres, go UP an oil grade e.g. 0w20 to 0w30 to 0w40 and onwards. 2b) In this example, 110,000kms = 0w30. When it hits 120,000km, recommend 0w40 as a starter. 3) Disclaimer: Some cars are in even better condition and the 60,000km marker is a guideline. It could be more. Specifications 1) Always refer to the vehicle manual to determine the recommended/required specification. 1a) Regardless of age, it always stays the same. e.g. An Audi A4 requires VW 502 and VW 505 2) Check Oil for the matching specifications. If it's not shown, i'ld be a little wary about using it in the vehicle. 2a) Most people would say it's alright. Its not my car so if anything goes wrong, the business supplying the oil can be liable. 3) In the case of API, any rating after will be A-ok if nothing else more specific is specified. like a SN used when the car specifies SJ. Base Oils We don't need to go to that level however it's useful to know the various types. In my case, I service 2 brands, Volkswagen & Audi and use 2 brands of oils. Certain car models should only use certain oils within the 2 brands. My life is easy and customers are guaranteed oil that is top notch, good quality, compatible and recommended by the manufacturer. Doesn't get easier than that! A little bit of research is required at the start but it's work worth its weight in gold.