We have always offered rides and it has worked out very well. A major segment of our customer base comes from corporate offices that surround our location with the remaining smaller segment sourced from local residents. Providing rides minimizes anyone waiting for their vehicle which I prefer. I have nothing against customers waiting but we lack the space for an isolated waiting area so rides just works out better for everyone. We text every customer when their vehicle is completed and invariably they get a ride from a co-worker or family member to pick up their vehicle. When required we will also pick them up but it seems that if we keep them informed of completion in a timely manner they have adequate time to arrange their own transport back. We have some customers who require additional assistance which when needed we will pick-up the vehicle and delivery it on completion. Whether we are providing a ride to work, to home or complete pick up and delivery we limit our range to our local area and it has always been respected and appreciated by our customers.

I currently have an Interstate ED-18 tester and Interstate recently released their “latest and greatest” IB Pulse tester. Very little independent information available concerning reviews of this new IB Pulse tester or comparisons to its predecessor, the ED-18. Does anyone have this new IB Pulse and how do you like it? Is it as good or better than the ED-18? After a VIN scan does the new IB Pulse tester preconfigure and load the testing specs like the old ED-18? Are starter draw and charging system tests adequate? Any information or comparisons would be appreciated.

We have a multi line phone system with extensions in the shop that also has an intercom feature. Using the intercom is quick and easy. All phones also have a PA feature by tapping the PA button you send your amplified voice to 3 bull horns located in the shop and two locations outside, everybody can here the message and respond as needed. This has worked great for us.

We were primarily using a Smart Sensor Pro tool by 31 Inc along with their Smart Sensor One multi frequency sensors which was working out well. They have an excellent support team but the tools screen is small and I had some Sensor issues with RAV4’s and some other Toyota vehicles. The tool and individual sensors are available on Amazon for under my cost so that did it for me, it is no longer my primary. They recently released an updated tool with a larger screen that looks like an Ateq tool but I am unable to confirm, either way it arrived too late for me.

I already had an Autel MaxiTPMS TS508 and their MX multi frequency sensors as my secondary. It seems like you need more than one tool today in order to have complete coverage. Autel’s support surprised me, very attentive, they follow up to questions quickly and the on-line updating is very easy. The coverage is very good and so far I have not had any issues with Toyota vehicles like I had with the Smart Sensors. So this became my primary until I noticed that the tool and individual sensors were being sold on Amazon for under my cost.

I have been using Tech Tire for years and my rep offered a great promo for a new tool they recently released - buy a dozen sensors and get the tool for free so I added that to our ever growing arsenal. I believe the tool is made by Ateq and works well but you need to re-identify the vehicle when navigating to other functions for the same vehicle which is annoying. They also have a large gap in coverage for Honda/Acura so we have been using both the Autel and the Tech Tire equally. The sensors are only available from a Tech Tire distributor which protects us from customers checking Amazon pricing. My Tech Tire rep is very good, always available, always willing to come over with supplies on a moments notice so I also like to give him business when possible.

4 hours ago, WMW said:

Are these just a simple abide and comply within the standard for normal mechanic businesses?  Why wouldnt this concept work with mobile?  Any specific standard that would be broken if I were working in someones yard/driveway parking lot etc?  other than the city ordanences that would state weather or not its specifically allowed.  I wouldnt imagine it to be difficult to have a fire extinguisher, eye wash station, gloves/goggles and all appliccable ppe, etc. available on the site.  Is there a major item im missing.  Cant be too much different than working on an airplane on a ramp as far as spills and safety.  

At the conclusion of a recent fire inspection I was written up for having a folding chair stored in front of my main electric service panel. This is a safety infraction because the chair could prevent quick access to the panel if needed during an emergency. Do mobile techs know where the service panel is? Am I mad that I was written up for the folding chair? Not happy but not mad, I was wrong, I unknowingly caused a possible safety issue and it is now corrected. Am I mad that there is a mobile repair tech performing auto repairs at a residential home garage with no access to the service panel which is locked in the basement? Yes, that annoys me because the mobile tech will never have to deal with a fire inspector. That safety hazard goes undetected. We no longer have an even playing field.

Concerning your comparison of this not being too different than working on an airplane on a ramp. Although I have never worked on airplanes I would imagine that even on the ramp you would have airport safety specialists, possibly OSHA and an airport fire department at you disposal in a moments notice. You working on the ramp instead of the hangar is more comparable to me working on a vehicle in my parking lot as opposed to inside one of my bays. We would both be performing repair work on our property just not in our building. Transport that same plane to a residential driveway in a remote neighborhood with no supervision, no OSHA, no in-house fire department and then you have a better comparison. Is the mobile tech familiar with the topography in the event of a spill? Does he know where storm drains are? Is he prepared with an adequate spill kit? Does he have the phone numbers to alert local, county and state officials in the event of a spill? Or is he a ghost that flits in and out of neighborhoods, homes and office buildings making repairs and leaving no way to trace any of his actions or mistakes? If I cause a spill I own it and the authorities will look no further than my front door. If the mobile tech causes a spill he is gone like a fart in a wind storm. 

If I have a commercial office building that is zoned for office research and I rent out the office space to appropriate tenants I would be within my rights. If I allowed a chef to set-up gas grilles and sell hot dogs and hamburgers in a tent in the backyard it would be a zoning violation. If I allowed a “mobile tech” to operate an auto repair business in the garage of my building it is also a zoning violation. If a tech responds to a road call for a dead battery it would be normal to jump the car, bring it back to the shop and replace the battery. If on the other hand he brings a new battery to the vehicle and installs it on site I have to question his efficiency but I am ok with it. When he proceeds to complete an oil change, air filter, cabin filter and wiper blades then I get upset. He is now no longer performing unexpected road service to get the vehicle mobile but instead he is completing routine maintenance.  

I put in an oversized central A/C unit about 15 to 20 years ago and it was one of the best improvements to date. Our entire shop, office and bathrooms are taken care of. The thermostat is set to 68F day and night during the week and then raised to 72 for weekends when the shop is closed (but I am there doing paperwork and maintenance inside the building). I find that if I get the temp down as low as possible at night the floors and masonry walls get a chance to also cool down which helps maintain cooler temps as the day progresses with bay doors opening/closing and hot vehicles being pulled in and out. This past week the outdoor temps here in North East Jersey peaked at 95-100F with high humidity. Opening at 6am the shop was usually 68F and slowly climbed to upper 70’s by 1 or 2pm then gradually fell back down to 68F by early evening. My employees all appreciate and respect the A/C and try to economize by performing small, quick tasks outside so as to not open and close huge overhead doors. When needed the techs assists each other by  raising and lowering overhead doors while another tech quickly pulls in or out of the shop. This is obviously costly but summer was bad enough when I was younger, the A/C now allows me to walk out to my truck at the end of the day instead of crawling out to my truck. My techs are more comfortable so in turn they are more productive.

There are many corporate offices in my area and many have huge multi-level parking decks. I recently found out that someone is performing repairs in one of the corporate office parking decks. Oil change, light bulb, belt, hose, wiper blades etc... No lift, no heat, no a/c but they are out of the rain and sun. They started doing wash, wax, detailing but they apparently have now expanded their operation to include repairs. Local zoning should hopefully put an end to it. I don’t appreciate having a mobile tech operating in my area with no “brick & mortar” overhead but they are crossing the line when they set up a quasi shop in a corporate office building that is zoned office research. This can’t be the only place operating like this so everyone should be aware of the possibility. 

Up until about two to three years ago I exclusively used OEM pads for all vehicles because of past noise issues when using aftermarket pads years ago. OEM pads were trouble free, perfect fit and never a problem with noise. The one problem I did encounter using OEM pads is that dealers in our area rarely carried shims and hardware which we always replace when equipped. older comments in this thread made me consider aftermarket pads then my CarQuest sales rep convinced me to try his pads and they have worked out great for domestic and Asian. They are more convenient and in most cases priced more attractively for the customer and more profitable for me. The shims and hardware are included with the platinum line so that problem was also eliminated. I still offer OEM for domestic, Asian and European and some customers opt to go that route but about 85-90% of our brake jobs are now completed with aftermarket.

For domestic and Asian vehicles I use CarQuest Platinum pads. Metallic for vehicles that were “born” with metallic and ceramic for those that were “born” with ceramic. We resurface rotors when possible but when new are required I use CarQuest Premium coated rotors.

For European I use Textar pads and Zimmerman or Textar rotors all sourced from WorldPac. They have been trouble free, convenient and profitable. We never resurface European rotors, only replace.

I am also a longtime BayMaster user and I think you should give them a call since they already offer digital inspections. I copy and pasted the information below from their web site.

Digital Inspection Forms

(FREE WITH CUSTOM JOBS!)

• Completely Customizable inspections for your shops individual needs

• Full Tablet and mobile device support

• Prints alongside jobs on invoices

• Show recommended inspection and repair alongside a quote for the repair

• Save with the ticket in history to be able to reference in the future

• Can be as short or as long as needed with no limits

USE WITH A TABLET TO SPEED UP INSPECTIONS AND SHOW CUSTOMERS!

Am I understanding your post correctly? You indicate that you ordered “the same style of sensors that were in the OEM rims/tires”.  Does this mean that you ordered and received OEM sensors from Subaru? Are you trying to clone OEM sensors using your Autel tool? OEM will not clone. Are you trying to initialize with four new OEM sensors in place? Is your Autel Tool updated with latest software and does it have the ability to communicate with a 2018 Subaru? Is there a reason why you did not use Autel sensors and clone the OEM sensors? If I misunderstood your post and you cloned Autel sensors with original sensors where are the other four tires, rims and sensors while you are trying to reset system? 

Welcome aboard and I wish you the best in your new venture as an owner.

After sending invoices and calling fails to yield positive results I have been known to go to the customer’s house at 6:00 am with our tow truck and park in the street blocking their driveway. First you will notice curtains or shades are moved with quick glimpses of inhabitants trying to see what your plans are. Then the front or side door opens and they step out briefly, acknowledging your presence with a half hearted wave and then they return into the safety of their house. Eventually they sheepishly walk out to the truck and ask what you want. At that time you calmly say “I just want to get paid for the repairs that were performed on your vehicle and when that has been settled I need to go back to work”. Do I have a legal right to do this? I don’t know and so far I don’t care because it works. I have also taken local customers to small claims court with equally favorably results but more time is spent representing yourself in court than an hour or two in front of a dead beats driveway. Do not worry about what people of that class and caliber might say to other people because it is useless anxiety. Never feel embarrassed to demand payment for work that was completed properly and at a fair price. The people who owe you money should be the ones that are embarrassed and worried that everyone in your small town will view them as a dead beat. Unfortunately  people like that have no pride and/or don’t care and that is why they ignored your previous attempts at obtaining payment. When they owe you money they will never come in so don’t worry about losing them as a customer, they are already lost. Once they pay up they may resurface in the future and request help, then it is up to you whether to forgive and forget. If you choose “forgive” just make sure you don’t “forget”. I have had to remind people (they needed no reminding but I do it as a formality to let them know where I stand) and I explain that I have no time or patience to chase them like the last time and full payment is expected at completion or the vehicle does not leave the property. Good luck.

I allow the radio to be on but it has to be a music station. Music, when played at a respectable volume does not hinder productivity as far as I can tell. Talk radio on the other hand reduces productivity since a tech or worse yet multiple techs will pause and limit noisy activity to be able to hear the discussion on the talk show. Additional time is then wasted when the techs render their opinion on the subject at hand, all work stops for a verbal review, not good. Another problem is that some talk radio station topics or hosts can be rather questionable and often step over the line considering anyone could be listening. On nice days with all of the doors open this questionable content can be a problem since customers, in particular women and young children, are within ear shot. Everyone in the shop is similar in age so the music station selected is never an issue. My one tech started changing the station to classical music after all the jobs are done and the shop is shut down and quiet. I have never liked classical music but when played in the background at the end of a busy day it seems to have a subtle calming effect. I never thought I would say that.

Maybe it is possible to succeed as you have planned. After 47 years in buisiness I am sure that I could not succeed if my time investment was 2-3 hours a week. Some people can possibly pull that off, I am not one of them.

I agree with bstewart, unfortunate cost of doing business. Everyone makes a mistake occasionally hence erasers on pencils. Most people learn from their mistakes but some do not. If a tech is constantly making mistakes that is a sign of being careless. I would then be worried about the mistakes that go under the radar and are not noticed, sooner or later they will surface. I don’t know if requiring payment for something like this is legal so I would investigate that further if you choose to go that route. Documenting the mistakes, private meetings with the employee with eventual termination for chronic offenders would be my route.

On 9/19/2018 at 2:15 PM, bantar said:

I'm selling Interstate right now, on consignment, and I've had no issues with warranty returns.   I wonder if the warranty issues noted above are from Distributors instead of Interstate directly.  Clearly, some of you have had warranty rejections whereas, I've had none.

Our warranty process:  We test the batteries and if they fail, the test results are attached, but many times they get destroyed by the acid and are unreadable.  The route drivers do not read the test results, nor do they retest the batteries when they pick them up.   They are placed on the truck in a compartment with all other battery cores from other retailers, so there's no distinguishing who's core is who's at the factory for later testing.   The warranty claim is processed on site by the driver.     Maybe they have different warranty solutions in different regions.    Can anyone comment on how their Interstate warranties are being processed?

My challenge with Interstate has been with stocking levels and their inability to hot-shot batteries in <24 hours.  If I don't have it in stock, then we source an AC Delco from a different supplier.   I've recently upped my inventory to solve my own shortages problem.   Currently, AC Delco is significantly higher, about $20 each, than it's Interstate peer (similar or (mostly) less warranty levels) and NAPA is about $25 each higher.     Yesterday, I invited both AC Delco (distributor) and NAPA to pitch their battery programs again.

 

 I agree with bantar, our Interstate warranties are handled the same way. I have been stocking Interstate on consignment for about ten years and we have never had issues with pro-rating defects. Failure rate is no better and no worse than other batteries and our cost price has always been very competitive. We sell quite a few batteries to people who are not customers but they found us on the Interstate web site. Odd how so many people responded with such negative comments. I do think Interstate is behind times in not having the ability to interface with any shop management program. Life is easier selling a NAPA or CarQuest battery for that reason. As bantar indicated, hot-shot delivery is poor so that is when I elect to go the CarQuest or NAPA route with a reduced profit margin.

Mount $14.00 per tire

Balance $14.00 per tire

Valve stems $2.50 each (German, not from China)

Disposal $3.00 each

Rotation (No TPMS initialization required & with no other tire work)  $30.00 

Rotation (With TPMS initialization post rotation & with no other tire work)  $34.00

Tire repair (puncture) - Locate leak, approved plug/patch from inside, re-mount, re-balance, install on vehicle, check air all around, reset TPMS (if needed) and secure spare (if needed) - $42.00

I am in North East New Jersey, last exit on GSP going North.

Great news, made my weekend, thank you for the update.

Scott, I think you identify a valid point that if we adopt a zero tolerance, best tires on rear approach, tire rotations are basically eliminated. New cars presented for the first service will often have a measurable difference between front and rear tires, should they not be rotated? Different publications and articles that I have read in the past will often refer to tread depth differentials as a determining factor when deciding rotate or not to rotate. That being said it is unclear to me where these tread depth differential specs come from. Most of the specs that I have seen indicate a 2/32” to 3/32” tread depth differential cut point. Meaning if the front tires are at 7/32” and the rear tires are at 9/32” the tread depth differential would be 2/32” and rotating would be acceptable. But if the front tires were at 5/32” and the rear tires were at 9/32” then the differential is 4/32” which is excessive and the tires should not be rotated. In a previous post I suggested that the RMA should provide us with written guidance concerning tire rotations that include definitive differential tread depth measurement cut points. If they determine best tires on rear regardless of tread depth differentials then so be it, but put it in writing. 

On 6/18/2018 at 11:08 AM, Junior said:

I hate to be the one to point out what should be obvious, but you already have it in writing from the source that is most credible. This information is in the owners/maintenance manual of most every vehicle from that vehilces manufacturer. It blows my mind how many people including techs have never opened the instructions to, what to most people is the 1st or 2nd most expensive asset they will ever own and the only one that can easily kill yourself and multiple people around you. They all come with manuals that state how to operate and maintain them. Those documents should be read and referenced. Lost it or the car didn't come with it? Most manuals for most cars made in the last 20 years are available online from the manufacturers for free.

Nothing here is new or needs to be studied. This is tech 101 kinda stuff.  You don't need a magazine or a third party organization to help you prove it to a customer. If they question you, there is only one answer, the right one. Are you going to torque a head bolt wrong because the customer thinks it should be done a different way? No, learn about what you're doing, do it right and if a customer doesn't like it you can refuse the job.

Remember the customer comes to you because YOU are the expert and they can not do this themselves. By doing something wrong or appeasing a customer with an incorrect repair or service you are enabling them to be unsafe and supporting their incorrect information. That helps no one. BE that EXPERT, know what you're doing and do it the only way it should be done, the RIGHT WAY.

This isn't meant to call out JimO specifically by the way, this statement goes for anyone that doesn't already get the point.

I agree with tyrguy but I think it is a shame that we, all of us, need to resort to keeping copies of car magazines on hand in order to provide proof to our customers that we are doing the right thing. The RMA sets guidelines in writing for tire service and repair, they need to supply us with written tire rotation guidelines. When to rotate and when not to rotate with specific tread depth differential cut points to be used as opposed to old magazines. My comment is not criticizing tyrguy’s use of the magazines, it is all we presently have but we do have organizations in place to set required rules and specs for these things. To anyone representing RMA: The time has come, get going and supply us with something in writing.

52 minutes ago, autorepairuniversity said:

Thx for all the feedback. I spoke in depth with the dealership. According to their master tech, the radiator hose was installed backwards (“s” shaped hose). My tech claims to have not removed the hose, just removed the radiator end (makes sense). So, who had the radiator hose off last.... who knows. Anyway, I feel partially responsible since we didn’t catch this. After a lot of thinking, I offered to pay for the tow back. I also offered to split the motor swap. She was very grateful. All in this will probably cost me $2000 (or just over), so I decided just to eat it and not get insurance involved. If this were a more expensive vehicle, I agree getting insurance involved sounds like a good idea. Thx for the responses to this, so helpful to hear how others have handled similar instances. Another reason to strive to MAKE MONEY on every job we do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I guess your final message illustrates the variety of talents you need to have when you are self employed.

1- You started being a mechanic, buisiness owner.

2- You then became a detective gathering information from your peers and the crime scene.

3- You then became a judge and made a decision who should bear the cost of restoration.

4- You then became an arbitrator by calling the customer, explain the situation and arriving at a fair point of liability for both involved parties.

5- You then became an accountant and carefully weighed the financial pros and cons by involving the insurance company.

6- During the entire ordeal you became a student, attended the School of Hard Knocks and graduated with honors.

Good job!

Not a good position to be in.

As “Old & Tired” asked- Did you replace the hose? If you did, was it the correct hose? Did it match the original hose? Did the tech have any issues with proper fit? Was the hose supposed to be “cut to fit” and that step was overlooked causing a mis-routing of the hose and a possible contact issue? Was there fitmet issues with the radiator which may have caused a hose routing issue? Did the new radiator match up to the old radiator?

Most fan shrouds do a pretty good job at keeping hands, hoses and other components away from contacting 'the fan, was the shroud damaged? With 200K miles on the vehicle an engine mount or mounts may be worn/broken and allowed the engine to lift out of position thereby allowing the fan to contact the hose. How can the dealer come to the conclusion that whoever replaced the radiator is at fault but they are unable to identify how the fan contacted the hose?  

Could dealer check Freeze Frame information for an over temp code, miles driven since code set, coolant temp when code set?

I understand that many of you responding feel that you need to perform labor tasks for free because someone else in your surrounding area offers it for free. Where does that end? Free brake inspections? Free tire repairs? Free code scans? Free battery installs? And it seems that all of the free services are happily given away with the thought or excuse that it affords us the opportunity to inspect the vehicle and find other work. Routinely I read posts concerning anger that Advance or Auto Zone offers free services such as code scans or battery replacement. Why would we want to walk down that same path that they are on? As soon as a labor function is offered for free it degrades it’s true value. We are professionals and as professionals we deserve to be compensated appropriately for whatever labor is expended or we risk degrading our labor efforts to valueless. My ability to inspect brakes during a tire rotation is not hampered by the fact that the customer is paying for the rotation. Understandably by giving away free rotations it may (or it should) put you in a position of being able to inspect more brakes. What is the tipping point? In an era with fewer and fewer labor tasks being required on the newer vehicles we may be left with doing free rotations. When does giving away labor equate to a financial gain? Leave that to be figured out by the accountants, until then we will continue to charge for services rendered. Presently our charge for tire rotation is $30.00 except when we have to interact with TPMS post rotation then the charge is $35.00. 

Concerning the original question of best tires on front or rear. We put best on rear unless tread depth differentials are 2/32” or less. As an industry we should demand that the RMA  establish written guidelines for us to use and be able to show to our customers.

I was a member in the early 70’s for about 5 or 6 years. Never saw the benefit and the cost failed to justify the expense so it was terminated. I doubt if today’s generation is even aware of the BBB which really makes it pointless.