mmotley

I've considered doing a lifetime oil change program. Now that this topic was brought up, I definitely think I'm gonna add it to my marketing plan for next year. Should be easy to add 'Ask about our lifetime oil change program' to a mailer and also do an email blast to existing customers.

Ratchet + Wrench seems to run an article focused on those topics periodically. You can do a search on their website to pull past articles

 

Never heard of RLO. Just had to look them up. Are you using them?

 

 

Yes, I have taken 2 of their training courses and am currently in their coaching program. Looking to join one of their 20 groups eventually. I can say every penny I spent with RLO was well worth it. No regrets... Well, I regret not signing up sooner.

I won't go publicly posting rates, but last time I spoke with Elite, they were less than $1,911. User mspec works with Elite, you can probably send him a PM for more details. I'm also curious what ATI was doing for that price, to make sure we're comparing apples to apples

Would HIGHLY recommend RLO. $1,900/month is crazy!!!

Edit: If you want, PM me with any specific questions you may have

My insurance runs about $9,500 a year with 3 loaner cars included. Your's seems a little high, but when I was going through insurance shopping, I found it can vary a lot between states

Is it the part manufacturers who are paying you for the labor or the supplier?

Pretty simple really. If it's the tech's fault, he works for free. If it's not his fault, he's paid to redo the job at regulars hours. We offer a 24 mi/24 mo parts and labor warranty. Other than dealer oem parts we make our suppliers pay for parts and labor [at 75% labor rate] within that period.

How the heck are you getting your parts supplier to pay 75% of labor rate?

I completely think it will happen. I also think it will hugely impact our industry and how we operate. Will be interesting to see

OK that leads me to a question. When that car comes in and you find these issue, do you sell and complete the work during that service appointment or schedule a service appointment for those issues?

 

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We present to the customer everything that we find with an estimate. Obviously, what we find will dictate if we schedule a future appointment to complete the work or if it's something that can be done that day

We schedule 1 hour also. If its a 2015 with 17,000 miles, I know it's NOT gonna take a full hour, but it makes up for the 2006 model with 145K miles on it that is gonna need a rack, cv axles, v/c gaskets, etc.

No Oreilly's?

Is anyone using strictly Identifix WITHOUT AllData or Mitchell? We currently use All Data but got a trial run with Identifix and it looks like they have everything that AllData had with the addition of the forum/quick fixes......

We use Identifix exclusively for repair information. Like everyone else said about just every other option, it takes a little getting used to. We're happy with it though. Honestly, we probably don't even use all the features available

I have a few. They are good to keep in your trunk or glove box in case of emergency. I don't think I would use one for day to day operation. Best to go with a full size for the shop.

That's what I was expecting to hear. I did a little research online and found a replacement battery for ~$50 shipped, and is supposed to last up to 22% longer A couple of phillips head screws and the box comes apart.

Our shop jump box is getting to where if it is not left plugged in every night, you've got a 50/50 chance of jumping off a car with a dead battery. It's probably about 6 years old or so, so I'm thinking it might be time to replace it. I've checked out the tool flyers and I've started seeing these new, smaller jump boxes that claim to do just as good of a job as the bigger/heavier/bulkier jump boxes. Does anyone have any feedback on these? I know snap-on had one in their flyer, but I can't find the link for it. I'll link to one similar for reference.

https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GB40-UltraSafe-Lithium-Starter/dp/B015TKUPIC/ref=sr_1_5?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1473255573&sr=1-5&keywords=booster+pack

For those of us not familiar with activant/epicor, is this something that is available on Mitchell Manager? If so, could you point me in the right direction to get set up or for more detailed info?

Always providing us with positive news stories, thanks!

That is extremely common on pre-96 Toyota/Lexus vehicles. If one comes in with weird issues, especially if someone has already thrown parts at it, that's usually the first thing we look at. Probably have seen this 5-8 times now in the last couple of years. Check rebuild services on ebay. For a little over $100, you can send them out and have it repaired

A good idea is to do vehicle arounds, especially if you do headlight restoration services!!! Also, if the customer is scheduled to come in at a certain time, go ahead and pull up their file and look at previous recommendations. Then you can ask 'I noticed last time you were in, we recommended replacing your leaking radiator. Did you want us to go ahead and take care of that while you are in today?'

Extend your hours? Or continue to raise the labor rate? You're busy for a reason, either marketing or word of mouth. If it's word of mouth, that must mean you are doing a good job and I raise your rate. If it's marketing, dial it back and give it 30 days to see if you need to dial back some more

 

I would argue that is not a repeatable experience you can always provide. What if the pads didn't fit and you have her brakes apart? What if she started complaining of squealing? What is her car decided to not brake as well? What if she got into an accident and cited a braking problem?

Exactly! The only way I would EVER consider installing customer supplied parts would be doubling my labor rate and explaining to them that if parts don't fit, I continue to charge 2X the shop rate for every minute it ties up a stall. Keep in mind, you could be making one of your good customers wait while you cater to the customer who is trying to cut into your profits.

Really, like mspec pointed out, it's the liability that is the real issue. In the court of law, you are the expert and should have known better if any of these parts cause problems later down the road. Not worth it to me or the guys that work for me.

His hours really depend on if my lead is doing all the diagnosing. If he isn't diagnosing he averages about 30 hours per week.

Tell him he gets what he can diagnose, cause that's how it's gonna be when your other guy leaves

*BTW, my technician trainee that has no ASE certs and only about 2 years of mechanical experience can flag about 30 hours a week, and that's probably letting him diagnose a car once a week for experience

I wouldn't cut him loose just yet. If he isn't breaking anything, keep him on board while you look for a replacement. In the mean time, I'd start to transition him toward full flagging. Cut a $1 per hour guarantee and add it to his flagging rate every 2-4 weeks. In the meantime, I'd be looking hard for another tech. 2 hours to diagnose a cracked radiator is clear sign he needs to go or step up his game. Moving more toward flag pay may help increase his output, but I don't think it will help that much. It will at least limit your expense on him.

Care to share some info on your shop? How many techs and service advisors? How long in business?

Definitely interested in the details here!