Jeff

My Snap On rep saved me! I have a 6.0 diesel we installed injectors in. Also installed updated stand pipes. Afterwords it would not start. Snappy put me in touch with a Tech that worked for Ford. Turns out I installed one of the pipes in the wrong port, causing it to not build oil pressure. Switched it to the correct port and it fired third try.

I am a one man shop. Been open since 2004. I have had times when I bring in helpers, mostly my son. Shop opens at 8 am and I have worked as late as midnight if the work is here. Generally I try to close by 6 pm. 2-3 nights a week I do paper work. I have been slacking but I try to spend a few hours a week on keeping up on the Facebook post and changing up the marketing to keep it fresh. I took off last weekend, first time in over a month. I am not married and my son is 34, so no real home life. Without pulling all the reports I would guess I avg 4 hours billable in an 8 hour day. I have very low overhead compared to others but it is still a struggle. And just for reference I am 56 and have been in the trade since 1985 or so. The biggest problem is scheduling work and hitting promise times. I also have been taking in some "project" type work. It is good for filling the slow days but gets in the way when busy. Right now I have a 1987 Grand National that had the engine pulled over 2 years ago.It sat at another shop till the owner became ill. Now I am restoring it to running condition, then off to the body shop. Also have a 93 vette with a dead short in the power seats. And finally a 2003 F350 6.0 for injectors (my first). It hasn't been easy but I have managed to get by. I have quit, come back and threatened too quit again. The rewards can be huge but the stress can kill ya!!

Kewl !

I service 2 fleets. One company has 4 vans and 3 cars. Vehicles are in good condition and I have serviced most of them since new. Many have over 100k and 1 has over 300k. I have been servicing this company over 8 years. Then there is the A/C company. 8 vans and 2 pick ups. I picked up this fleet last summer from a referral from one of their employees. Their prior company had been taking to long to complete repairs and many times had to be returned for poor workmanship. Some of the "repairs" I have found on these vehicles are HORRIBLE! I am in the process of working thru the fleet to try to bring them all up to snuff. I say this to warn you to be careful of the fleets you chose. I could see where an instance like I have with the A/C company could cause more problems than profit. I met with the owner of the A/C company, explained to him where we are on his fleet and he is completely understanding. And as a side note this time of year I do give them priority. Its getting hot here in Florida!

I tried to get into the local "farmers market" a few years ago. Several stands with local produce, baked goods,greenhouse goods, etc. I have seen everything from flip flops to to Bob Marley tees for sale there. I calls and ask to set up a booth and what is the cost? When they asked what biz I was in they told me I couldn't sell auto repairs at the market. I explained I wasn't going to perform repairs just hand out auto care tips and literature to promote my biz. Was told they didn't want my "types" there! Go figure.

I personally watch car counts and aro. as well as parts to labor, closely. Ultimately though it all boils down to being profitable enough to stay in business.

My question is...What other industries DO NOT profit their raw material. Contractors mark up lumber, Plumber marks up the toilet, Electrician marks up the outlet. It is all about selling yourself, putting your biz ahead of the next guys, however you do it. To much focus on the dollar and not enough on the VALUE!

Well said.

Great point. My snappy guy will go out of his way to get me tools when I am in a pinch. He has also in the past made arrangements for me to borrow a factory tool from the dealerships or put me in touch with a dealer tech if I needed. Invaluable!

I can tell you when I canceled all the reviews were lost. many of them were there from when I was using the free listing. I also fell all the way to the second page on the Reapir pal site which was the third page deep when I googled it. Not worth it!!

I was taught that it maintains even braking. If the old rotor is thinner it will build heat and thus fade faster than the new one. That in turn will develop a brake pull that could cause loss of control.

Thanks Gonzo!

RJ good post. I see you are in Stuart. I am just north in the Fort. I pretty much see it the same way. I try to make it as easy as I can to get your car fixed here. A lot of folks in this area are still hurting from the "recession". Workin folks cant find a job, retirees funds hit hard, property values in the crapper,,,! I feel if I can help them "get by" they will remember me when they are on top again. And if they dont, when I get to the Pearly Gates I can say I tried!

Interesting article. May have to revisit the customer supplied thing again!

Most people DO NOT KNOW what to ask other than price. In one of the seminars I attended the instructor made a very good point. YOU PAY GOOD MONEY TO MAKE THE PHONE RING! To that end I will give them a best/worst case. Then I go after the appointment. Some ya can get in, others will go down the street. I have been doing customer supplied parts with the disclaimers and an increase in labor. I also have been offering "recycled" parts as an inexpensive alternative. I am doing whatever within reason to keep the dollars flowing. Things are beginning to pick up a little around here but it still ain't what it was 5-6 years ago!

I have seen the Bolt On technologies system in use. Real slick. They offered the system pre loaded on a tablet and I believe you could purchase for use on your tablet. It integrated with Mitchel as w as others I believe

I will be setting this up in the system. I can see it making selling the test much easier!

I am leaning more towards OEM scanners. Haven't bought one YET but I believe its headed that way. I find a lot that I cant do because of the limitations of my snappy scanner. Have been looking at the Launch. If it does all it says it will then a factory tool may not be necessary. The real factor is at what cost do we equip the shop to cover "everthing"? Selling the test time is tough. Now do you raise your test rates to cover the added expense OR will the factory tool make the test so much easier that it would improve the test time. Would you have a tech trained on each tool or all trained on every tool? Going from a DRB to a STAR SCAN to a TECH2 could cause a bit of a drag as each tool works differently. The expense along with the updates makes it very costly!

I worked at a dealership that tried it. The kids came in, most thinking they would be working with computers all day. When it came to pulling heads or a trans they acted like that work was beneath them. Program didnt last long. The flat rate techs felt like the trainees needed to much baby sitting and it took away from their production and none of the kids really seemed to want to be there. Maybe we just had a bad batch?

I like the idea of selling the "test". Never gave it much thought. Could you share some of the test or test packages and times Joe?

I read somewhere that if you billed your diag at one hour the tech should be either 1) completed in .7 hours or 2) reporting findings and requesting more time. If the tech worked right up to the hour mark then came to get more time that is 100% efficient, goal is to be 110/120%. As far as needing more time if they did an honest diag in that hour and still don't have a concrete answer then you need to get more time from the customer. I have spent hours on top of hours on diag on difficult problems.

Good story...Some Guy has apprentices!!

I used them back around 07. Unfortunately the housing market in fl was in reverse at that time. More people were moving out of this area than were moving in. Have considered giving it another throw now that housing sales are picking up again in the area.

Tried it once. 3 month run got one call. Fella wanted to know if I could repair a 26" wheel!

I often think about getting back in a big rig and head down the road. Made good money at it and didnt have near the hassle. And I think Frank may have hit it on the head. We ARE NOT considered professionals by most people. As I stated in a different post we constantly battle the less than qualified ships and their cut rate approach. You even have to be licensed to be a nail tech in a salon. Hell if I could just get my local govt to do their job half of these so called mechanics would be out of business. I used to think that an ASE master cert would set me apart...how many consumers know what ASE is? If I could get a job tomorrow that paid me more than I make now I would seriously consider it!