SMMotors

We shoot for 1.6-18% combined. Averaging 1.7% Local bank doing the processing. Machine cost is$40/ unit.

What does your handbook state about random drug testing? What does it state about drug use? Just playing devils advocate, is anyone a sloppy diabetic? Any homeless by your shop? Being in west Los Angeles, I'm plagued by homeless. They have freaking encampments along my block. God I hate Commiefornia.

This is a perfect example of why you need to specialize. Yeah it sucks having to buy a tool to do what you think is easy. How much time is wasted when you don't have that seal installer. What's your hourly rate? How much would that tool of costed after you factor in the come back cost, the loss of credibility with the client, and the frustration of the tech. The days of working on everything that rolls through the shop are/ have been over. Oon your case, there's a TSB, that means there's a problem. If you can't afford to purchase the tools you need to do the job correctly, raise your labor rate, or don't work on the car to start with.

Iatn.net has a forum just for HD and a wealth of other knowledge. Have you ever done mobile repair before? It's an entirely different animal.

If they want to get better at understanding looking at data and pids on scanners have them start watching " Scanner Danner" on youtube. He primarily uses snap on scanners ( not my favorite, but useful) but more importantly he explains what your looking at and the theory behind it. It's free, he's a teacher and goes into the theory on it, and touches on scopes and the importance of them. Highly recommend. I learned a lot and I'm a CMAT W/ factory training for Ford and Toyota.

I'm sorry, I'm confused. Why is he getting behind from writing up work, but he doesn't perform it? Does he just briefly write down " lie front brakes, bad idler, bad pitman, leaking radiator ?) or is he doing that and putting estimates together? To answer your question, at my shop all my guys are either hourly or the foreman is salary. If we ( the techs) turn a certain amount of hours I give them a bonus ( which is 1099 so it doesn't raise my work comp). Then if the total labor hours for the shop is sold at different levels they get an additional bonus on that ( ie 400 hrs gets $250, 475 $375, 525 $500). It's worked really well because we all work as a team and everyone wants to get the shop the higher hours which a is stagger so I make the lions share of the money but techs get a nice bonus (up to $1000 extra/ month)

Bolt on just put it the update last week, worth checking out, FYI.

I use Mitchell. I know for a fact that car fax asked and is now using info to report what I was doing to my customers vehicles. They stated that after a Mitchell update, they had lost that ability wth my particular server. I said I wasn't interested and it's not my place to release service history's of my clients. Flash forward 3 months later and guess what, my clients service records are reporting to car fax. Further more, car fax does work wth Mitchell. With the new 7.0 update, it now has license plate decode. Yes it's a nice feature, but I call bs saying car fax doesn't work wth Mitchell and that they automatically report records without consent.

What management system are you using?

I spend less that that with kukui and am rank top 2 on google searches. Your way over paying. I'm not thrilled with kukui, I feel like we got screwed when they set up our website ( different thread for that story), but for what I'm paying them, I'm getting way more that you are for $1100.

I haven't " played" with gds, I've used it. I'm assuming that's what your referring to? If your looking to go that route I'd look at a cardaq m or newer. You can run full function gds, Toyota, Honda, and a few others. The time is coming to specialize. The days of all makes and models is coming to an end. Let me know if you have a specific question about gds.

Give nothing away, you'll go broke. Charge more and be happy. Focus on quality and not price. OP, I'd look at getting a used hawk eye, I've seen them go for $7-10 k on Craigslist. Way better investment than an outdated model.

I'm with Jeff, you sure the other shop didn't put in a used ECM? You shouldn't be able to communicate with nats if it's not supposed to be there Condemning the ECM would be the last thing I would be doing. Just because you have no injector pulse doesn't mean the ECM is bad. You have no injector OR SPARK. No need to go through all that work of pulling the valve cover off to check timing. What's your cam degree reading during cranking? What is bk1 vs bk2? For every 15* off! that is one tooth. Since you already pulled the coils, check compression, but I don't think that's the issue. Read up how the system determins spark and fuel pulse and start there. There's no way the injector driver and spark driver went out. Look at the ECM that's in there and check for salvage yard writing. Let me know what your cam readings are on the scanner.

I too specialize in honda. The. Only thing I would add is to do the trans every 25k, and valve adjuster every 60. Trans service is and easy sell. I charge $150. A new trans is 6-7$k. I also do the BG program for the warranty and flush the ps system every 30k and do the fuel services when I'm doing the valve adjust. Brake fluid every 2 years as well.

Btw, I made more money after I got rid of the tech and gopher than the business had ever made. Running efficient and taking care of your staff can make you a lot more money with a lot less headache.