Alex

Found a great reason to re-energize this topic... @WomenAutoKnow just syndicated your Interstate video series under my blog On a side note, I know Ralph for years but was informed about this from your WAK newsletter, so Kudos to you and the rest of the crew on this!

This content is syndicated from https://www.interstatebatteries.com/blog/episode-2-training-new-mechanics When it comes to new techs, shop owners need to rethink the process of becoming a mechanic, every step of the way. It hurts your heart. Literally. You see new mechanics coming in, and they’re so charged up to finally get a chance to do what they love: work on cars. But slowly, over time, that enthusiasm fades. In this episode, our new and old-school mechanics talk shop about how becoming a mechanic means never losing your love for the work. Rethink every step.It starts with building a cool shop and pairing new techs with the best mentors, says Charles Sanville, mechanic and video blogger, Humble Mechanic. The certified Volkswagen technician started out in a dealership and watched the most enthusiastic mechanics lose heart. Good mentorship saved him. Manage conflict. If you have a new tech starting in your garage, team meetings can quiet conflicts that might be happening under the radar, says Audra Fordin, a fourth-generation mechanic and the founder of Women Auto Know. Chances are, the problem isn’t an isolated one, and the team needs an open, honest conversation about it. Your best mentor isn’t always your best tech. Pairing up the right mentor with the right new tech means passing on the love and passion for the craft, says Ralph Parente, who started working in an auto shop at 16 years old. But that doesn’t always mean your best mechanic. Stay opened-minded about which seasoned techs in your shop can be the best mentors.

@Dakotaj96 not sure if it helps but check out these topics:

Yes it is a cool feature, and probably one of the benefits that has a cost behind it, as does running this community, and probably worth upgrading for $29.99 per year. But if $30 a year is too much for you to accept, I can understand, and is why we also offer a FREE membership, like you have now. Please continue to enjoy your FREE membership if you can't see the value in moving to a paid membership.

Blog post updated.

We now have a nice tool available to all premium and platinum members under the tools menu, where you can view labor rates entered by our members on an easy to use map, similar to our member map. This is designed to give you an idea of where you are vs the market in your area. As you zoom in, the circle averages open up to more specific areas. If you aren't currently a subscribed premium or platinum member, you can upgrade here.

@CAR_AutoReports Looks good, thanks for keeping everyone updated on new features of your SMS. Personally, I always feel there should be a way to export your data automatically as a backup locally or a secondary location like Amazon AWS or other, an account set up by the user where the software just dumps a data file in sql, csv, excel, or other non proprietary format. Just gives a warm and fuzzy feeling to owning your data.. So if I use an SMS system, create my own Amazon AWS account, maybe the SMS has some sort of export/backup section where I enter my AWS, S3 details, bucket, etc. and automatically I get a file dump daily of my data. Just an idea.

This content is syndicated from Interstate's Blog at https://www.interstatebatteries.com/shop-goals/main Remember your first day in the garage? Right. Nobody takes the new kid seriously. Not the guys in the garage, and definitely not customers. Time and experience builds trust. But you’re running a shop, juggling the daily routine, and managing a mechanic apprenticeship is challenging—especially when so few applicants are coming in. How does a newbie get old school cred in your shop? School your customers. Nobody took Audra Fordin seriously. Despite her skills as a 4th generation mechanic, all they saw was female. Several times Audra had to stand there and smile while customers asked to speak to a “real mechanic.” No mechanic apprenticeship could prepare her for that. So she learned to work twice as hard as her male peers to earn trust by stepping out of the bay and teaching customers more about their car, the problem she was fixing, and car care. Stand up for the newbie. Ralph Parente started working in the shop the same year he could legally drive a car. Nobody took the 16-year old seriously he says—despite growing up in his father’s auto shop. Many times his Dad had to step in convince customers to trust Ralph, who, decades later, now runs that family-owned shop: Soundview Service Center in Mamaroneck, New York. Give it time. Fresh out of tech school, Charles Sanville said he still didn’t know how to fix cars when he showed up at his first dealership gig. Good management and great mentors stepped in early and taught him the rest. Now, Sanville answers some of the toughest questions about Volkswagen auto repair and shares what he knows in tutorials on YouTube. Speaking from the newbie perspective with some old school cred, Sanville said shop owners need to learn to trust the techs they hire to get the job done—even if they need a little extra help along the way. Build the Best Shop on the Block Three mechanics. Two generations. One awesome garage. We brought together the best new- and old-school mechanics to talk about how to build the auto repair shop on the block, and how to keep it running. From dying dipsticks, dealing with customers and the best car diagnostic tools, get their best tips and info to inspire your own shop goals.

@tyrguy you can take a look at our member map here: https://www.autoshopowner.com/membermap/ just zoom in to get closer in.

Here's the direct url if anyone is looking https://bay-master.com/advanced

@JustTheBest I created this new topic from the post you made in my topic regarding posting your website. I'd like to keep that topic central to members posting their websites and other members offering assistance. This is a good topic and your video is great, but in the future, please start a new topic. Thanks.

@NATURE I edited your topic title a bit, hopefully you'll get some responses from members who can help you out.

@JimShelly I edited your topic title to be a little more specific to what you are asking. Hopefully you'll get some info from other members who have used or moved from bay-master. There are a few topics about bay-master on this forum: https://www.autoshopowner.com/search/?q=baymaster

Our shop owner glossary of terms has been updated. This goes back many years from when we first started ASO. Thank you to @Joe Marconi for putting this together over a decade ago. If you have any suggestions of terms to be added for reference, please post in this topic.

@BNC173 I edited your title a bit to be more descriptive and moved your topic to Credit Cards, Payments, Financing

How was your overall shop performance in 2018 vs 2017? Please take a moment to vote in our poll. Feel free to discuss results in this topic or start a new topic in Business Talk - How's your shop doing?

If you are looking for an inexpensive option, I like zmodo for the price and features. The meshare app is pretty good. I use the cameras at my house. The ones below are outdoor but can be used inside, have 1080p and night vision. At $400 for 8 cameras with repeater, hard drive and NVR, its a good deal. This is on amazon. The indoor ones are good and have an intercom feature where you can speak into it. Here's a mix of 4 outdoor and 2 indoor:

Topic moved to - Shop Insurance, Regulations, Legal Issues Forum

Topic moved to our new forum - Buying a Repair Shop, Partnerships, Business Deals

Topic moved to our new forum - Buying a Repair Shop, Partnerships, Business Deals

Topic moved to our new forum - Buying a Repair Shop, Partnerships, Business Deals

Merry Christmas!