Jeff

I have won over several customers by showing them in black and white wher they were paying for the "freebies". The local Toyota and Kia dealers offer tires and batteries for life. BUT the fine print stated you have to follow their recommended maint program to qualify. Injector fluhes every 15k, engine decoarboninizing at 15k, transmission sevices at 15k, the list goes on and on. And of course the services are all at an inflated "dealer" price. I havent seen the datails for the new 2 year "peace of mind" programs but I am sure there are stipulations.

Its the scarry truth!!! Remember November!

Joe, reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw on an old pickup. "I'll keep my guns,Bible and cash. You can have the eefin change"

How true and so sad!!

Joe, XRAC I couldn't agree more. I feel the Tea Party is the new way. They may not hold a lot of seats but the noise they make has caused the old school to take notice! I have followed politics for a while and truly believe the current administration, if not checked at midterms, will be the ruination of this United States as we have known it for the last 200 years. GOD bless America. Now if we could just get GOD back to America, if ya know what I mean. Have A Nice day!

Hey Gonzo that fella your lookin for has moved to Florida. I got a Bronco here that has had every sensor on it replaced. Now the owner is tellin me "Sum Guy" says it needs a computer! I asked him if he could get Mr. Guy to stop in so we could discuss his diagnostic strategies but he didn't have a current number or address for him. Hopin he will just drop by and introduce himself. Ya want me to give ya a call if he stops in?

Joe just gettin around to readin this. How do you get the new car owners address? What is the cost, if any, besides the lof and postage. Great idea, just need some particulars. Thanks, Jeff.

Sadly a huge part of the American population has become sheep. They wait to be led and when in distress run pell-mell with no direction. One of the memories I have of the Presidential election is after Obama gave his accetance speech in Chigago The news camera zoomed in on a woman seemingly overcome with joy. Tears streaming down her face she looks directly into the camera and said "Now someone will help me make my mortgage payment". This economy will not recover till those in power realize that bail-outs (read false economy) will not help. We need to limit imports, lower corporate taxes (for american made goods) and reopen american factories to put americans back to work. Those who took home loans and then inflated the value of their property by tackin secon and third mortages and then pissed the money away on toys and vacations should not be rewarded. We are looking at the largest "wealth redistribution" scam ever perpetrated against the working americans. Remember VOTE EM ALL OUT IN NOVEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How True !!

Ok I signed up. Free advertising! Found most all of the local shops are listed. Several of them listed low-ball labor that I know is incorrect. At any rate any free advertising I can get I will take. I see AutoMD in the news kinda regular so it cant hurt. I will add that I have a paid listing with RepairPal that has been a good source of referals. And the price is right. Just tryin to hang on at this point!

MI used a formula that basicaly goes like this. Total overhead. Include everything right down to the toilet paper. Divide that by billable hours. This number is likley gonna be kinda high. Now ya average in your parts profit and the difference would be yourabor rate. Play with the numbers till they fit you business model. I recently relocated and due to the reduction in rent I reduced my labor rate a bit. It seems to have helped get more sales, time will tell. Good luck and Congratulations.

Boy can I relate! I am working out of a warehouse with no office or waiting room. It is step backward but I am surviving. And it is in an easier to find location. As I stated in another post I learned my lessons and I will survive. NEVER SAY DIE!!

Ok folks I am back. I guess I let my emotions get the best of me! I did go to Ohio to find out that the hourly rate that was being offered was much less than I was expecting. And most were only taking apps, not really hiring. I did have a nice vacation and time to refect and get my "head on straight". Came back to Florida with a renewed outklook. I am revamping my business. Found a much smaller shop with a much lower rent. Eliminated some overhead expenses and such. I also have been rethinking my personal goals as well as the business. I am offering some new services, such as mobil repair. And I know it has been debated to death and is not a popular subject but I have been installing customer supplied parts. I feel personally whatever I need to do to make it thru this "recerssion" and still be in business coming out the other end is what I will do. The bills must be paid and the cars must come thru the doors. I dont advertise installing customer supplied parts but if asked, OK. I am also offering less expensive parts at a reduced warrenty. Again, whatever it takes. Hopefully this will keep me going till the clouds clear and it all recovers. From the looks of some of the prior post it may be a few years. All I can say at this point is Pull in the reins, bury the spurs and hang on for a ride!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Hey Folks. Just dropped in to give ya'all an update. Landlord came in Tues and asked me to move out. Figuered something was up when they wanted me to pay month to month when the last lease ran out. At least it gave me the direction and answer I was searching for. Gonna spend next week in Ohio looking around. Hope to at least find a job at a dealership. If it all works out run back to Fl grab a 28foot Budget truck load up and run back to Oh. Unload. grab a bus ticket, run back to Fl and get my p/u and go back. Kinda reminds me of my days of over the road truckin. The landlord askin me to move out actually brought some relief. We were able to work out aa deal on a lift for the past due rent. Really werent lookin forward to tearin down a 4 post! Anyhow all is good and I am planning to reopen in a year or so in the Buckeye. As I stated before I have learned a great deal from this experience and will be better equipped for the next go. And you can bet I will be checkin in here for advice and direction. I was once told that to be sucessful you must learn to use OPM (ther peoples money) and OPB ( other peoples brains). I am sure there aint no one in here ready to finance an auto repair shop that is not theirs! But the brain power in this forum is far above par! THANK YOU one and all! Have a great Day! Jeff

Gonzo, words of wisdom. Just this morning I had a retiree drop off his 05 Chrysler minivan for power sliding door diagnosis. Had it another shop intown for a harness replacement on the right side and now the left side wont close fully. The "other" guy refered him to me because they know I have the computers and the Chrysler backround. I wrote him up and explained to him we charge $$ an hour for computor work. I instantly went from being an Expert to a crook. I showed him the tools we would be using and explained to him the reason that shop xx sent him was because they did/had not invested in the tools or training to fulley diag this problem. And that is why they only charge $ and we charge $$. Dont make no diff. He only has 60 to spend till the next SS check comes in and he wants his door fixed. Ok I am broke and need to buy gas to get home tonite soooo, I agreed to look at it for his price. As in my other post this is where we are in this area. But hey its work for today.

Thanks guys. I have been trying to get "outside" work. The downside to all that is with the dealer closings in the area there are several "shed" shops that are working for $20-$30 an hour and using/selling "discount" parts at cost. I have offered my services at 20-30% discounts and still cant match what the under-the-table guys are doing. Quality has gone out the window. And with the advent of OBD2 the dealers are keeping work in house. All factory scanners now have OBD diagnostics. Believe me I would much rather stay in the sun than go back north to fight the tornadoes and blizzards . I have started over before and believe me I have learned. I could fill a book on philosophy and business. I guess the biggest mistake I made was not looking far enough into the future and not planning for the very worse. Just 5 years ago I had over 80k in the bank. On paper I am worth a 1/4 mill. It aint funny but I still laugh. I believe my faith and GOD will take me where I need to go. I will succed! Have a Great 4th and thanks again. I will be watching, if not from the front, then from the sidelines.

Madison, Clark county. I tell folks Springfield cause most never heard of South Charleston.

Joe I believe it a combination of things. The local unemployment is said to be 12-13%. But a recent paper article figured it closer to 20-20% after taking into account those who fell of the unemployment rolls and were no longer looking for work. We also are very seasonal here with the "snowbirds" coming in late Sept and staying into April. But our illustrious leaders decided to raise taxes on property that was not decalred a pemanent residence there by driving many of them to sell or just not come back. Then when the housing bubble burst a lot of folks just walked away and went back to where they came from. Last year was the first time in Florida history there was a decline in population. I suppose there are a lot of other things but it is mostly unemployment and HIGH taxes.

I just cant handle it anymore. I Started in 2004 and we had 3 hurricanes in 2 years. Folks dont fix cars when the roof is missing! Then when it seemed it was gonna get better the markets crashed. Florida overall comes in as the third worse after Nevada and California. The killer is low car counts and high rent. I have looked for less expensive shops but everyone thinks their bldg and location is the most valuable. My nut is 5200 a month, dont seem like much. I figuer 3 cars a day at 180 per would cover and make a check. I have been avg 2 cars a day at 150-160. At 60% gross profit it aint cuttin it. I have sent out mailers, passed out cards, give away teasers, etc. I considered runnin necked down Hwy 1, figured it would get me some free news coverage . Ultimately it comes down to I am broke. The first sign of insanity is doing the same thing everyday and expecting different results. I have family in Ohio, born and raised there. I have associates there checking on shops and homes to rent. I spoke to a friend that is a sales rep for NAPA that tells me the good shops are doing well. To add the cherry to the top my ladyfriend of 12 years has asked me to move out, says she aint happy anymore. Between the personal and business stress I have met my match. I will admit my defeat, retreat and regroup. Thanks for the kind words and support. It will probably take me a month or two to get it all done so I will still be checking in. Thanks!

I am about 2 minutes from bankruptcy. The south florida economy sucks. And this particular area if at a reported 13% unemployment. I beleive its closer to 20% when ya read between the lines. I have been in Florida since 93 and never seen it like this. I am seriously considering closing up and heading back to the Buckeye.

Dwayne that was gonna be my approach. Use a code reader to pull codes, that would prevent excessive time. Then if a customer balked I could show them the AZ code reader and my "fancy" computer in the hopes they would see the value. Same as a/c check. Walk out to car, hook up gauges, checks belts and pressures. Need service "let me show ya the a/c recovery and recharge machine". Ya want free, thats what ya get. I am still on the Fence but just dont know what to do, really struggling here.

Congrats XRAC. Just goes to show what clean GODly living can do for ya. I am a born again Christian. I complain too much and struggle a lot but I know it is all for the Glory. No Testimony without a test PS Hope this don't cross any boundries. I know other forums frown on religious postings.

And to think I was seriously considering following this form of advertising. As I have stated before several of the more sucessful shops in the area advertise the free check lite and a/c test. Gotta make ya wonder what mokes them so sucessful. I am really struggling here and cant seem to get the car count or $$ per RO I need.

Ok Friends seen this article and wanted to pass it along. Free Diagnosis...