Podcasts, Webinars & Live Streams

Your weekly broadcast production with wisdom shared by our guest host and a virtual shop tour. There is a trivia challenge.  Dwayne Myers talks about technician career paths. Dwayne’s previous episodes HERE Virtual Shop Tour by Jonathan Ortiz from Foreign Affairs, Palm Beach, FL. Jonathan's previous episodes HERE Trivia Challenge:   Dorman gives people greater freedom to fix vehicles by constantly developing new repair solutions that put owners and technicians first. By always innovating, Dorman has led the way in growing the aftermarket. Here you will see a few examples of a Dorman OE Fix. An OE FIX is a Dorman repair solution you can’t get from the original equipment manufacturer. It means they found a situation where they believe the OEM wasn’t giving repair professionals what they wanted, so we fixed it. Everything Dorman does is centered around providing customer value, both in the quality of products, and the creativity of solutions. Our engineers and designers go out of their way to save repair technicians time and save vehicle owners money. Want to really go under the hood? Take the Dorman Virtual Tour at www.DormanProducts.com/Tour Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio

Well, I've done a bit more digging.  I had my tool guy reach out to RobinAir to check on those items in the video above.  They only have one machine in the US that supports this connection and it's not a popular item.  Further, the H2N2 Forming gas is also readily available in Europe, in disposable cans, but less so here.   You can purchase it in a 300 CCF cylinder from AirGas as a special order.  This size would be an Inheritable supply. However, I overlooked a 6th method for leak detection: 6) Shop Air and Soapy Water 150 PSI of shop air and soapy water looking for bubbles However, you are introducing moisture into the system. Is this a best practice?   Is this a bad practice?   It's a free test.  Instructions here: Stepping back from tooling, the question is what problem needs to be solved? Some leaks are bi-directional and can be found with either a vacuum test or a pressure test Some leaks will pass the vacuum test, but will fail under pressure We want to find both leaks.  Ideally, we should run both types of leak tests in an AC Service. The low cost of R134a, the availability of dye and the vacuum leak test of the RRR machine allows for a reduction in overall testing. In other words, we can skip the pressure test.  How many leaks will only be caught with this test method?   This reduces the cycle time and labor involved to the customer, keeping the service prices reasonable and allows the shop to remain profitable. R134a, $3/lb with dye finds pressure leaks affordably. Customer drives away and returns for a complimentary leak check.   Our material cost is about $5 and the labor cost is near $0 as the car leaks and dye shows where it is.  The higher cost of R1234yf begs the question, do we add in the pressure testing step to every service? This costs the shop extra labor that will need to be billed to the customer.  Service pricing increases. R1234yf pricing is about $60/lb.  So, our material cost is about $100.   Is this an acceptable shop cost for leak detection?  Should this cost be passed on to the customer?  Technically, it is only a burden to them if we didn't find the leak with the RRR machine. The RRR machine only does a partial R1234yf charge and stops for you to execute a Manual Leak Test using a handheld scanner Since this step exists, one can ask if it is an acceptable leak test?   The ability to find a leak is dependent on the quality of the tester and the skills of the technician in operating the unit and the leak size. At this point, you don't know if you have a leak, so you are scanning for a potential leak.   How much time do you invest in searching for a non-existent leak?   No leak is good.  Would an impatient technician pencil-whip this test? Who loses money if it's not found with this type of testing? Let's say we detect a leak, how do we find it? We need to inject a detectable agent.  At this time, it seems a partial charge of R1234yf is a viable solution. RRR machine comes into play again Back and forth equipment setups increases the overall time and labor costs for this job Again, I'm approaching this from a HOW TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE PROFITABLY perspective.    These are my thoughts as of today... Equipment exists that will definitively tell you if you have a leak. This lowers my risk of both costs or hits to goodwill R1234yf service cost is going to be higher everywhere. Machines are more expensive due to the purity testing function Cycle times are longer for the same job (machines are slower) Refrigerant is currently more expensive. Will the customer notice adding in an expense for leak testing?   They'll already be in sticker shock. Makes sense to burden in a material and labor charge for pressure leak testing now It provides a more consistent pricing to the customer vs letting them pay for lost refrigerant Probably .5 - 1.0 hours Fieldpiece Digital Manifold with a Nitrogen setup will give a definitive leak result.  I like this because you can read the answer. I like it because it frees up the RRR machine for overlapping jobs (only an optimist would go here) Plan to use my IR Leak Detector, but have to inject R1234YF into the system If a leak is found, then additional labor to find the leak, fix it and another leak test to confirm I do not intend to equip for handling contaminanted (refrigerant) vehicles and recycling thereof.  I'm thinking out loud.   It would be good to hear from someone that practical experience.   I've talked to a few folks that are just using the RRR machine with a No-Warranty clause on the refrigerant.    I'm not expecting that this level of leak testing will be the most popular practice in the US.   It's all fine and dandy until it's not and somebody will be eating lost refrigerant cost.

Mike Davidson is from Parkway Automotive in Little Rock, Arkansas, been in the industry for more than 30 years and a business owner for over 18. Mike is an AMI graduate, an ASE Master Technician, he belongs and contributes to Elite Worldwide and was recognized as the Arkansas NAPA/ASE tech of the year seven years in a row. He’s been doing radio and TV over the last fifteen years talking ‘service’ in Little Rock. Mike helped start the Little Rock chapter of ASA and is currently an officer. Look for Mike’s other episodes HERE. Key Talking Points Leadership deficit in world- hunger and need for true and authentic leadership Leadership is influence and a skill that can be learned  Every person born has the ability to lead themselves- doesn’t have to always be a group of people.  Can’t lead others until you lead yourself- get others to speak into your life that you know, love and trust. Be intentional when leading yourself Leaders need mentors/coach - speaking into your life regularly   Everything rises and falls with leadership- look at issues within the business and discover you are the problem and the solution Employees want consistency and they do not want surprises- create policies/procedures for them to follow “We need to be a leadership company that happens to sell automotive service” Leadership within the business- grow as a leader (out of work) and get your team on board to be leaders themselves “The bridge from good to great isn’t long, but it is built by the nails of discipline.” - discipline is building processes for your life  Servant leadership- how can you better serve someone? Equipping- what areas do you need to equip yourself in so you can learn and grow? Attitude- how is your attitude about life and people?  Blindspots- if you don’t have people around you to point out and discuss your blind spots, you’ll start thinking you don’t have any. Pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes. Weak character- don’t have guidelines Thanks to Mike Davidson for his contribution to the aftermarket’s premier podcast. Link to the ‘BOOKS‘ page, highlighting all books discussed in the podcast library HERE. Leaders are readers. Listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spreaker, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Podchaser, and many more. Mobile Listening APP’s HERE Find every podcast episode HERE. Every episode is segmented by Series HERE. Key Word Search HERE. Be socially involved and in touch with the show: Facebook   Twitter   Linked In   Email Join the Ecosystem – Subscribe to the INSIDER NEWSLETTER HERE. Buy me a coffee This episode is brought to you by AAPEX, the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo. AAPEX represents the $740 billion global automotive aftermarket industry and has everything you need to stay ahead of the curve.  The Virtual AAPEX Experience 2020 is in the record books. Virtual AAPEX lived up to presenting leading-technical and business management training from some of the industry’s best and brightest. Now set your sights on the homecoming in Las Vegas in 2021. Mark your calendar now … November 2-4, 2021, AAPEX // Now more than ever. This episode is brought to you by Shop-Ware Shop Management. It’s time to run your business at its fullest potential with the industry’s leading technology. Shop-Ware Shop Management will increase your efficiency with lightning-fast workflows, help your staff capture more sales every day, and create very happy customers who promote your business. Shops running Shop-Ware have More Time and generate More Profit—join them! Schedule a free live demonstration and find out how 30 minutes can transform your shop at getshopware.com/carm Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio

Panel: Leon Anderson, owner of Integrity Auto Care, South Beloit, Illinois and Belvidere, Illinois. A long career with Ford dealerships starting as a technician and ending his Ford career as a General manager. Celebrated by Ford Motor Company for Customer service satisfaction. Lessons learned during that time were the growth of female customers in total purchase decisions. Twelve years ago Leon started Integrity with the thought that he could employ some of the people that lost jobs during the closure of dealerships that were going on in the area and hopefully move some of the customers that were orphaned into longtime customers. Integrity Auto Care caters to customers with a focus on women and baby boomers, as the main customer base.   Brittany Schindler, GM of her father's shop in Bellingham, Washington for over 10 years. She loves working at the shop and being able to help people every day. Brittany has learned so much over the years by going to classes with great trainers and having a great business coach. One of her main focuses is to raise the standard of the automotive service and repair industry. Aden McDonnell is a second-generation shop owner, his parents have been in the business for 64 years. Aden has owned and operated since 2003. He worked for Ford dealership for 9 years and was the youngest service manager in Montana during his employment. Aden believes in coaching and has been with ATI for 8 years. He attended his first SuperConference in 2019 and it was a big change in his thought processes and operations. Aden is married and has two daughters. Key Talking Points Too prideful- Thinking you can do everything yourself instead of training people what to do. Too proud to call customers to ask for a review/ask how they are doing/when they will come back SOP’s- be prepared for daily SOP’s and unpredictable events that take the owner out of business. What is going to make you dispensable? Write down answers to questions your employees have to ask you. Establishing second in command- letting teams manage and be accountable. Trust and empower the people you put into place. Have your second in command go through training and train others in shop. Margins- believing in your shop and the benefits of going there as a customer. Believing you are worth what you’re asking for. Procrastination and pushback from the things you need to do- listening to coach/mentor.   Definition of insanity- doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results  Trusting people- giving authority to employees to handle customer situations immediately.   Establish expectations with employees- too often owners get stuck wearing management hat and never switch to leadership hat. Instead of managing, you need to continue to grow your people.   Mistakes when growing (inner growth, outer growth, shop growth)- getting lean with processes to get customers in and out as efficiently as possible   Never taking a vacation- if you say you don’t have time for it then it’s not a priority to you  20 groups/coaches saving a marriage- surrounding yourself with people you want to emulate. Having accountability in professional and personal life.   A special thanks to Leon Anderson, Brittany Schindler and Aden McDonnell for their contribution to the aftermarket. Books Page HERE Listen to all Remarkable Results Radio, For The Record and Town Hall Academy episodes. Facebook   Twitter  LinkedIn   Instagram  Youtube   Email   Mobile Listening APP’s HERE Join the Ecosystem – Subscribe to the INSIDER NEWSLETTER HERE. Buy Carm a Cup of Coffee  This episode is brought to you by Shop-Ware Shop Management. It’s time to run your business at its fullest potential with the industry’s leading technology. Shop-Ware Shop Management will increase your efficiency with lightning-fast workflows, help your staff capture more sales every day, and create very happy customers who promote your business. Shops running Shop-Ware have More Time and generate More Profit—join them! Schedule a free live demonstration and find out how 30 minutes can transform your shop at getshopware.com This episode is brought to you by Shop Marketing Pros. Your guides are Kim and Brian Walker with a rich history as shop owners and industry veterans. When someone searches for a shop, who are they finding? Your competitors? It should be you! The good people over at Shop Marketing Pros know how to drive website traffic and make Google work for you! www.shopmarketingpros.com Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio

Barry Barrett, a Certified EOS Implementer As an EOS Implementor in his company, Business With Purpose brings dedicated support to Leadership and Sales teams in all types of organizations, helping them structure the six key components of their business to make it operate with the best processes for their specific industry, using the EOS Model. Barry’s energy is contagious no matter if he is in a session with a client, giving a keynote address, or rolling up his sleeves in a workshop. Barry is a business coach with his positive mental attitude, incredible work ethic, and determination for excellence, his results-oriented approach is matchless. Barry is driven, caring, and passionate; traits that he uses to help his clients grow their businesses in a positive way. Find Barry’s other episodes HERE.   Key Talking Points Data- 5 to 15 most important numbers that drive the pulse of your businessYou can’t manage your business by only looking at the money in the bank  What are the numbers you need to drive your business? What are they for you? What do you want? What do you think?  Not using “KPI” acronym- use “measurables” instead to keep it simple and keep all employees on same team  Measurables- numbers don’t lie or have blindspots Company, departmental, individual- different layers that work together to drive success    Every individual should have 1-3 measurables they are accountable for each day Employees obtain clarity with job when they know the company’s core values, understand 5 major roles and measurables  Accountability leads to fulfillment and job satisfaction  Review measurables weekly- the goal is the minimum expectation  Managing motivates- never be afraid of aiming to high because what’s worse is when you aim too low and you hit, or not aim at nothing ‘Accountability slide’- missing the mark and being okay with it and making excuses for itHave consequences for yourself when make a mistake ScorecardIn business and life- ranking from 0-5 Have goals in each scorecard Thanks to Barry Barrett for his contribution to the aftermarket’s premier podcast. Link to the ‘BOOKS‘ page, highlighting all books discussed in the podcast library HERE. Leaders are readers. Listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spreaker, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Podchaser, and many more. Mobile Listening APP's HERE Find every podcast episode HERE. Every episode is segmented by Series HERE. Key Word Search HERE. Be socially involved and in touch with the show: Facebook   Twitter  LinkedIn   Instagram  Youtube   Email   Join the Ecosystem - Subscribe to the INSIDER NEWSLETTER HERE. Buy me a coffee NAPA Autotech Training helps your technicians keep their skills sharp and their NAPA Know How up to date. It’s the highest quality technical training that covers almost every vehicle system and every make and model. NAPA Autotech is presented by experienced instructors who are ASE master certified technicians. Even after a class is over, techs can access course information online with ClassPass. So when questions come up later they can get the answers. AutoCare Center owners who have taken advantage of Autotech Training say that well-trained technicians are helping to increase their shop’s repair capability and raise bay productivity. That results in fewer comebacks, more satisfied shop customers, and reduced technician turnover. Learn more about NAPA AutoCare and the benefits of being part of the NAPA family by visiting www.NAPAAutoCare.com. Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio

I made this one for our shop but most customers do not read the signs- ha!  I just let them know I can give them a mask to wear or they will have to wait outside.

I can offer insight on this if you are still looking for answers.

Your weekly broadcast production with wisdom shared by our guest host and a virtual shop tour. There is a trivia challenge. Tom Ham talks about rising costs and labor rates. Tom’s previous episodes HERE Virtual Shop Tour by Eric Henley from H-Teck Auto Care in Gray, TN Eric's previous episodes HERE. Trivia Challenge: What Vehicle Won the Motor Trend SUV of the Year Award in 2020?   Dorman gives people greater freedom to fix vehicles by constantly developing new repair solutions that put owners and technicians first. By always innovating, Dorman has led the way in growing the aftermarket. Here you will see a few examples of a Dorman OE Fix. An OE FIX is a Dorman repair solution you can’t get from the original equipment manufacturer. It means they found a situation where they believe the OEM wasn’t giving repair professionals what they wanted, so we fixed it. Everything Dorman does is centered around providing customer value, both in the quality of products, and the creativity of solutions. Our engineers and designers go out of their way to save repair technicians time and save vehicle owners money. Want to really go under the hood? Take the Dorman Virtual Tour at www.DormanProducts.com/Tour Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio