JimO

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.

Problems such a seized nuts/bolts/sensors can often be anticipated on a job based on past experience and then be explained to the customer up front. When it comes as a surprise I always call the customer and explain the situation that the anticipated labor charge will increase due to unforeseen complications. I find that keeping the customer in the loop and informed prevents trouble. I feel that if I fail to inform the customer then I don’t deserve compensation for the added labor but if I take the time to inform the customer and allow him or her to be part of the decision making process then there are no surprises, no hard feelings and the CUSTOMER pays for the additional labor repairing his or her vehicle. A seized, rusted or broken bolt is not my problem unless I allow it to be.

I think SPG356 wrote a great reply to your post and I hope that you do have a close friend or family member that you can draw strength from. If not then you always have us and we all know the trials and tribulations of this vocation. We work all day “fixing” things and then when we have a problem it is hard to accept that we are unable to fix it. You need time, patience, understanding and prayer and I am sure you will be OK.

I have been using a time clock for 35 to 40 years and would never be without it. My original clock required me to add up the hours at the end of the week. This old clock was replaced +/- 15 years ago with a time clock that totals the hours after every in/out entry. My employees like it because they are paid for every minute they are punched in for and they can see their total hours worked whenever they want. Bottom line - The employee that arrives to work on time and does not abuse lunch time will love it. The employee who is always late, takes extended lunch time and leaves early will hate it. I prefer to cater to the punctual worker that conforms to our lunch schedule. I also have my techs punch in and out for every job so I can keep track of billable hours more efficiently.

I have a three bay gas/service station that I own with my brother for 45 years. Either myself or my brother or both of us are there at work every day. We are fortunate to have two great techs that have each been with us for over 35 years. They both respect our rules and style of work and in turn we appreciate and respect them. My day is split between being in the office and being out in the shop working with my techs, sometimes side by side on the same job or by myself in the next bay. I guess the best, most direct answer to how I monitor internet use is this: I am there handing them the brake pads for their next job, I am there opening the bay door on a cold day, I am there in the shop seeing a 24” monitor being used for shop related reference, nothing more, nothing less. If I was an absentee owner I would no doubt be somewhat out of touch and monitoring texting and internet use would not be my only worry or concern.

Texting and random non-buisiness related internet searching is not allowed except during lunch and break. Occasional cell phone use (in coming and out going) is allowed and has not been abused. All of the above can get quickly out of hand unless strict guidelines are established and consistently enforced. This means that owners and managers need to follow the same restrictions. “What is good for the folks is good for the people”. If all of America eliminated all non-work related cell phone/internet use our overall productivity would increase dramatically.

My problem with Advance is as follows: CarQuest was a great supplier with good parts, good pricing, knowledgeable staff and a clear indication that we, the professional repair industry, came before the errant walk in customer off the street. Advance partially took that away since their acquisition of CQ. I still deal with CQ but it is not the same and I feel that I am in bed with the enemy. Advance wants and needs all of us but still caters to the general public. Their pricing appears good when looking at profit margin until you take the time to compare and find out that they inflate both the cost and list prices above and beyond dealer pricing in many cases. My area is flooded with Advance radio spots touting free code checking, free electrical system testing, free battery installs and free wiper blade installation. Advance is no longer my supplier but instead they have knowingingly taken on the role of becoming my competition. When my competition offers free services and sells parts to walk in customers at or near my cost it becomes a major concern. Do yourself a favor and spend time reviewing and comparing cost and list pricing. To all of you guys that are Interstate dealers (include me in that list) - the radio spots offering free install of Interstate batteries at or near our cost is right around the corner.

Refusing to deal with Advance is a path that I think is justified howether it is getting more and more difficult. All of the NAPA stores in my area changed to CarQuest which in effect is Advance. This news concerning Interstate is very unfortunate. Depending how this shakes out I will probably be looking for another source for batteries.

$30.00 to $36.00 depending on with or without TPMS. If vehicle has TPMS but does not require interaction post rotation then $30.00. If vehicle has TPMS and requires TPMS scan tool, on board reset procedure or road test then $36.00. Brake inspection is $40.00 and fee is waived if vehicle needs brakes and we do the work that same day.

Problems with checks were more common years ago when checks were more common. We still accept checks from customers that we know and because of that restriction we have not had a problem for many years. The expectations of the general public for us to accept a check has diminished over the years due to the overwhelming prevalence of credit cards.

I have been using BayMaster shop management software for over six years and I only have good things to say about them. Their support staff is excellent, the program more than meets my needs and it is affordable. They are very receptive to our needs and will listen to suggestions or ideas and implement changes when possible. From my expieriance Mitchell would never take the time to review a suggestion or make a change based on my input. I do use Mitchell Pro Demand information system which for the most part is very good. Over the years I have sent Mitchell numerous messages from within their own program concerning observed mistakes in Pro Demand information or with questions concerning Pro Demand content but they NEVER respond. It is for that reason that I have always been happy that I chose BayMaster over Mitchell for shop management.

Welcome to the family!

I posted this on Wednesday and CIMS called me Friday with an apology and my log in credentials. I registered some tires Friday afternoon using CIMS and it was great, reduced entry time by more than 50% and all entries are retained for future reference.

We submit all DOT registration information to the manufacturers via the internet for all tires that we sell rather than leave it up to our customers. Presently my wife goes to each manufacturers reporting site and enters all the required information. Some manufacturers have terrible sites that fail to indicate if the submission was successful or not. Does anyone use a central submission company like CIMS for DOT registration? I completed the CIMS on-line application form but they fail to call me back with required log in information. I have called them numerous times but still nothing. Are there any other central submission companies that I could contact?

Almost two years ago I suffered a traumatic injury to my left leg in the Atlantic Ocean which required surgery, screws, plates and continued physical therapy to this day. Minimizing or eliminating the pain meds is a great improvement and a milestone which I can relate to. The pills helped me with the pain but they also made me very depressed which for me was harder to deal with than the pain. I found that the recovery phase was like taking one step forward and all too often a half to a full step backwards which can be very frustrating. A good friend of mine told me to write down all the things I wanted to be able to do and revisit the list in 3 or 4 weeks to judge my progress. When I say "a list of things" I mean a realistic list of simple things such as being able to put on a pair of pants. It was very easy for me to identify and dwell on the things I was unable to do. I needed a reminder of the small progressive steps of improvements that occurs during the recovery process and this list provided that for me. Great to hear from you and I wish you continued progress towards recovery.

Midtronics makes the Interstate tester. Midtronics also performs the repairs if required under a service agreement with Interstate. Any repairs that are required are done at N/C. Sounds like you should have sent your Interstate tester in for repair based on what you said. I forgot to mention that I also had a Snap-On Micro VAT previous to the Interstate/Midtronics tester. The Micro VAT worked well and printed test results similar to the Interstate. The Micro VAT did not have a bar code reader to ID the vehicle nor the ability to supply CCA specs or battery replacement part numbers. Repairs on the Micro VAT were expensive and the cable ends were continually failing. Getting the Interstate tester eliminated all problems.

I know from experience that getting home and having a short walk in your yard after a stint in the hospital makes you feel so much better. I guess returning to normal is what we look forward to and what we respond to. Great to see that Gonzo returned home, surveyed his property and is clearly on the road to recovery.

We used a Sun VAT40 (carbon pile tester) for years and it worked well but offered no test printout. About five years ago we added a tester that we got from Interstate Battery which is great and prints test results. If something happens to the tester or cables they repair or replace at N/C. The tester has a bar code reader so all you need to do is scan the VIN and the tester identifies the vehicle and supplies battery specs and Interstate battery replacement part number if battery test fails. I opted for the optional inductive amp clamp which is not required but beneficial. We still use the VAT40 on occasion but it is rare.

So sorry to hear what you have already been through and what you have yet to face. My prayers are with you, your family and your medical team.

I had my own trucks in the 70's and 80's when vehicles were not as reliable as they are today. It was convenient to have my own truck but I never made towing the main part of my operation. In our area most of the people have newer vehicles that are covered for three years for roadside assistance. Many of our customers also have AAA. Cost of truck, insurance, qualified operator, after hours operator, liability and limited use caused me to sub out all tows. I have a pick-up for road calls which works out well.

I have used ADP for about 40 years. My particular ADP service is outdated and may no longer be available to new users. ADP calls me on Friday afternoon and I verbally give the rep all or hours; Man #1007 has 39 hours, man #1016 had 40 hours reg and 4 OT...... All checks arrive on Monday by courier. My accountant gets all of his required information making his job easier and less costly. The newer ADP version requires you to log onto a secure ADP site and enter employee totals yourself. I am planning to change to the newer version soon since I would be able to report times when I want as opposed to waiting for ADP to call me. The new version also has additional reports available for myself, employees and my accountant. Any payroll service is better than doing payroll yourself.

I charge for Brakleen, throttle body cleaner, enviro-wipes, conditioning discs, tie wraps, electrical connectors, shrink wrap, fuses, light bulbs, nuts/bolts/washers, washer solvent, PS fluid, etc.... I have prepared canned jobs in my shop management program that covers about 95% of the jobs we do. When appropriate these canned jobs include items like noted above. Example: Every brake job includes 1 can of Brakleen, 2 enviro-wipes, 1 can of brake fluid and 2 conditioning discs. My techs edit their work order by crossing off what they don't use or add items not included in the caned job so the customer only pays for what was actually used. This has always worked out fine for me and has never been questioned. My shop management program allows for a shop supply charge but I don't use it.

I think the elephant in the room that has not been addressed in this thread is the fact that years ago we all had much more work because the vehicles required more work. Today's vehicles have longer oil change intervals, longer spark plug change intervals, 100K coolant change intervals, and lack many of the common parts we would routinely change such as distributor caps, points, condenser, wires. Steering and suspension parts are limited compared to years ago with no idler arms, pitman arms and control arm bushings failing since they no longer exist on the average vehicle. A radiator or exhaust system lasting 100k miles or more is common today but unheard of years ago. Today's vehicle are made better with less maintenance requirements. The maintenance that does remain happens to be poor labor profit items like oil changes. I know that everyone will chime in and say that an oil change is a profit generator by allowing us to have the vehicle on the rack and sell additional services but that is not always the case. In our area most customers lease vehicles and return them every three years, not much to do on a two to three year old vehicle with 20-25K miles on the clock. Many of our customers work from home eliminating the daily use of their vehicle. Most of the younger generation purchase everything from Amazon which eliminates the once common task of going shopping after work. The American pastime of simply taking a ride on a nice day is no longer done by the younger generation. This all has a cumulative effect on our buisiness or lack of it. The dealers are aggressively trying to keep that vehicle in their shop and the manufacturers are creating vehicles that are more difficult or in some cases impossible to repair at our level. Many new vehicles include maintenance for the first year and some include maintenance for the first two years which eliminates us again. My state eliminated the need for a car inspection until it is five years old. The state also eliminated the safety inspection (they are only concerned with emissions). Non OBDII vehicles no longer require any inspection. Up to this point the weak, poorly trained shops have failed and closed causing our buisiness to prosper but we seem to be at a tipping point due to all the items I noted above. Sorry to preach doom and gloom but I am concerned about our future long term. The only saving grace is the severe overhead a dealer must have in order to conform to the requirements of the manufacturers. Entire exteriors and interiors of dealerships need to fit the common designed "look" that the manufacturer dictates. The costs must be staggering and these costs are passed down to the consumer. The free latte in the waiting room with marble floors and chandeliers has a definite cost to the unsuspecting person that is drinking it. The next few years will be very interesting.

I presently have one bulk oil tank that is dispensed from an overhead reel in the shop and we use case goods for all other needs. The bulk oil route was great years ago but late model vehicles require so many different oils that most of my volume is now from case goods. Bulk oil is probably still the best route for dealers that primarily use one grade of oil however it no longer meets my needs since I have limited space and I am unable to have multiple bulk tanks. I recently investigated "bag-in-box" rack systems. For those of you who are unfamiliar, "bag-in-box" is 6 gallons of oil in a cardboard box with a plastic bag "bladder" that has a spigot. The 6 gallon boxes are stored on a rack that has graduated pitchers under each box. Open a spigot, fill the pitcher to the desired amount, pour the pitcher into the engine. No large bulk tank, no pump, no piping, no overhead reel. The size of the 6 gallon box (24 qts) is about the same size as a regular case of oil (12 qts). I had a meeting with a sales rep from GH Berlin Windward yesterday. They offer "bag-in-box" rack systems from Kendall, Valvoline, Mobil, Chevron, Peak and Navi-guard (house brand). Are any of you using a "bag-in-box" rack system? Do you have any comments or tips?