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Dee1234

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Dee1234 last won the day on July 14 2014

Dee1234 had the most liked content!

Business Information

  • Business Name
    auto
  • Business Address
    123 Main St, Edison, New Jersey, 08817
  • Type of Business
    Auto Repair
  • Your Current Position
    Shop Owner
  • Automotive Franchise
    None
  • Banner Program
    None
  • Participate in Training
    Yes
  • Your Mission Statement
    Learn

Dee1234's Achievements

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Community Answers

  1. I feel as shops, if we don't find anything at all we shouldn't charge the customer. With that being said, if you look closely enough you can find something. if it comes down to "the pcm needs reprogrammed" then i tell customer we need to start there. Once reprogrammed then we continue checking the other systems. Its all in the wording. There are rare occasions that i have to ship something bc am stumped. Id rather fight my way thru even if take hit on a part that didn't fix it...bc in the end i will have gained the knowledge for the next time. I truely the most money to be made is in diagnostics. Commit to learning new techniques and doing it right and it only gets easier.
  2. I agree with xrac. Getting cust info and question and call them right back with quote. But ALWAYS answer the phone! Maybe if manager helps out during busy hours. Or if you have a swing person that has personable voice and get be good service advisor when needs to step in (if have such a person that isn't your tech).
  3. I feel it is best for techs to get vehicle info. Service advisor can write down customer concern and what type of car it is so tech knows where to find it in parking lot. As to the comment about voice mail. No way would i rely on voice mail lol. Many customers will just hang up and call someone else. I need my service advisor helping customers via in person and phone. Some techs just don't like paper work...oh well. I agree that you should put it in their job description though so they know up front. Service advisor is a crucial part of getting MORE business in the door. If they have no customers at counter, then they need to be making call backs to check on previous customers and relay The specials to them. If that's done, and my front area is clean and appealing, now they can post some ads on web, tweet, facebook, do stock order, etc. there is so much for service advisor to do and keep busy. Once work gets there let the techs handle it and suggest the upsales to service writer. Now its the service writers job to sell it. As for window tint, car washes...the advisor can upsell that without walking to the car writing down vins. i do like the idea that tech answer call after 2 rings. I think a better suggestion would be a head phone ear piece for the advisor so they can answer all calls even if have to put customer on very brief hold. I don't like techs answering phones unless absolutely necessary. Many don't have the same people skills as the service advisor should, and techs susually sound too busy to talk to customer.
  4. You handled it well. We have all been there. Can only tell Customer that warranty is at your shop only and you don't take any diagnosis from any tech that you do not currently employ...dealer included. However, i will mention a couple of things about the repair....you can use the scope at the wires coming from pcm if cant get directly to sensor easily. This is a possibility to get valuaeable info when sensor hard to reach. Also be sure to note any current issues that may lead to code returning or failure of part. Also if sensor is difficult to reach may think of using dealership part to help with possible inferior parts. Don't let customers economic situation put you in a difficult bind if you can help it....meaning you buy aftermarket part because is cheaper.
  5. This may.be good idea. Typically i have 1 labor rate $85/hour. I tweak charges by changing the hour time i charge for certain things. I post that my labor time is based on labor guide AND technician experience. So if i feel alldata time is deceptive ill adjust the time (hours) that i charge for thr job. I dont price match. If im cheaper or more expensive its all fine. There are many shops in raleigh big and small. But not many that have good rep for diagnosing properly. So i use that to my advantage. Im not free nor cheap. You pay to have me. But yes i lose on something like oil change at .3 because only make $20 versus $25 or so. I agree that may be good idea for different rate for diagnostics bc does take more to do typically. But i combat that by not capping my diag charge out at 1 hour. If im chasing electrical issue or multiple codes then i need to be compensated. Usually meet customer somewhere in middle so is fair on both ends.
  6. I think the answer is simple even in mathematical terms. Your profit from an oil change is a whopping $20 at best! Liability from doing what, as a professional you should no better, would possibly lead to $4000 new engine...hmm tell the customer nicely to kick rocks! Seriously if your biz is gna sink bc you miss a couple oil changes a month then you need to read thru the rest of the articles for tips on improving biz anyway! "the customer is always right...until i decide they are not :-)"
  7. I usually handle it like this: "oh ok so just tell me which parts you want me to replace and ill give you a price. If you want me to replace everything in that system then lets start with $1000 tab and go from there. Or pay me $85/hour to narrow your list down from 100 parts to maybe only 3 or less. Im game either way :-)" ive been pretty successful with convincing customers to pay me to diagnose because many mechanics in my area just throw parts and success rate isnt that great..so when customer gets tired of throwing money out the window they give in and are usually happy they did...especially when AUTO ZONE told them they needed a fuel pump because their car wouldn't start and i found a bad fuse from where they straight wired their fan and caused fuses to blow not allowing power to fuel pump. So $450 fuel pump job not needed...$85 diagnosis and $35 electrical repair (my time isnt free) and they are back riding. I love it! Ill make a believer out of them...bring that lil printout to me all day long...I'm easy to get a long with ;-)
  8. $18 hour for lube is outrageous here in nc. Prime techs at busy shop is about $25 here. Think its to the point where you gotta offer more than just salary. Maybe if you can afford insurance, benefits.
  9. 1 man operation is very stressful but yes you can make money. If all you want is to,own a JOB with a lil freedom then its the way to go. If you want a BUSINESS that makes money even if you're not there then you need qualified Help. Just depends on your retirement plans. I say go for the gold. Build a biz so you can work 1 day week if you choose.
  10. I think if you have the space then it may be viable. But be sure to make it worth your while. $10/month isnt quite worth the effort in my opinion. If tires sit n dry rot, now customer blames you. Unforeseen fire/damage now youre paying for those $1000 tires. Maybe charge monthly with additional for insurance. Its a thought. But extra storage space should be able to yield you more than a happy meal...unless your rent is dirt cheap.
  11. Pay your main mechanics on flat rate per labor hour. If you have the budget then get an hourly general service for inspections, shop helper, driver, etc. decide if you are 50/50 partners or what and do it with certified accountant even if you guys are friends! Word of caution though: if you have no mechanical experience get to learning some fast. Otherwise you are at the mercy of the other mechanic and things may be unnecessarily stressful. Id recommend hiring another mechanic that isn't a partner so if things dont work out you can continue to do business. I have been in similar shoes and had to learn that opening a,shop without being a mechanic can be a trying road especially if your pockets arent deep. As for lifts, you can go either way. But if you dont personally know the biz,you getting it from, you might as well go new. If economcs is a factor then start with 1 heavy duty 10 or 12k lift like rotary, challenger,etc and 2 economy 9k lifts, like eagle($1600). Hth
  12. Ive experienced the same things as Ive been open only year and half. 6 months is not enough time to measure. I do read a couple of areas for improvement off the bat. #1 your customers dont have the money. Offer financing. GE CAPITAL is who i use. It works! Research that and get on board. #2 add more customers with flipping few cars if you can. Depending on your dealer laws, etc. this adds revenue for you and helps keep techs busy. #3 you said you have 1 of the best techs in area. Do you only have 1? If many folk are setting appointments bc you are busy then maybe need more help.
  13. Hey integrity i sympathize with you. Im a 1 woman show here. Advice: iatn does have free membership. Read the fine print. As for a penny saved...well it depends on what the penny is for. Im in my 2nd year and just getting a few months in black. But ive learned that somethings are worth that penny that you don't think you have. Ex: iatn has more provileges if pay the $45 per quarter. And if you don't make your money back off it its because you don't have any work...in which you have other problems any way lol. Another idea, if its allowed, share the identifix cost with another colleague. Ill tell you 1 thing i have learned is that i can't do everything myself :-)
  14. I would double check internet/peers that this is not possible. Then hold my ground to the fact. Offer to look at it and charge as stated before. My fee would be spelled out upfront at an hourly rate and no max amount of hours. Basically make it worth your while to deal with this guy. He wont want to pay $85/hr for and undetermined # of hours if he tried to rig his own,mirror. BUT i would take the time to learn how those seat sensors work bc it may be possible that the sensor was looking for a particular weight situation as compared to the weight in the driver seat and computer set a code. I don't know but it has to sense something. So id check into that so im not made a fool of later. Also, if you have the capabilities, you could erase the seat belt code and see if it reappears.
  15. Maybe take a look at what type repairs others are offering. If all are general repair then specialize in something. Like brakes, or electrical repairs, or exhaust work, or diagnostics, or transmissions, engines. Don't put too much focus on competition though. Yes you need to know what you at up against, but it can't define you. Example: competitors do brakes for $149. So you do $169.99 and offer better warranty or free gift w/purchase or better quality parts. I learned that price can't be your only factor or else cust can compare you to everyone else. Start with "what do YOU like to do with cars? Or what can make you the most profit on cars?" But i think youre doing good by planning things out ahead of time.
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