AJFA

Unbelievably the first inspection of this year the car had dark tint that would not pass the meter test. I called the customer & she said the police had told her the same. I charged $150.00 to remove all side window tint. We needed to razor blade the sticky glue off, it took about 2 hours total. Not a bad job but I will charge more next time. Dave

I am not an advocate of different levels of Christmas bonus as long as the employee has been employed all year I feel they all contributed to the success of the shop so they all deserve the same bonus. Actually doesn't the $10.00 an hour guy deserve it more because he is making you more money per hour? $500.00 to my techs this year. Dave

I am not an advocate of different levels of Christmas bonus as long as the employee has been employed all year I feel they all contributed to the success of the shop so they all deserve the same bonus. Actually doesn't the $10.00 an hour guy deserve it more because he is making you more money per hour? $500.00 to my techs this year. Dave

I buy cars customers do not want to fix all the time for $100 - $200 then scrap them out & make back my money & then some. We remove converters, fuel, electronics as needed & other parts we think we can use. It gives us work when slow. We have fixed some up & sold them at a profit. Just something to think about..... Dave

NAPA, and the sensors are readily available. Dave

The not willing to learn is a challenge. I leave the trade magazines in the shop & I find very seldom do they get looked at so I make copies of the articles I think they need to read & hand them out. Dave

I go for 25.00 to $35.00 per tire mark up with an alignment, higher mark up if no align but we sell a lot of tires. Tires & align is the most profitable job you can do in a shop per hour. 1.0 to 1.5 hour job for most cars if you have lower paid techs to do the job. Dave

Agree with Redline. Yes, we fix cars & make a ton of money with it. Use it almost every day. Start at 1.0 labor charge for smoke test plus for the initial code check then go from there for repairs. Dave

I do NOTHING with out documentation, either a signed RO or documented phone call date & time. Every customer knows what they will pay when they drop off, no It is not easy but there are no 5 oclock arguments over price. Yup it sucks that is how we make money, NOTHING for free. I always say try to go to your next restaurant meal & ask for a free apple pie, whats that cost them, $1.00 & sells for $5.95??? GOOD LUCK. So why do we give away a free align? or anything. Dave

OMG, we need to improve the species. Training & certification is the only way. I have been an ASE master since the beginning & I am proud of that. I am disappointed when so many perspective techs apply & admit they have NO training or certification. I can not hire them & wait to see if they know the basics, that's crazy to wait to see if they screw up repairs then fix them yourself. It is up to us to improve techs & turn a profit while doing it. We as shop owners should be encouraging certification & training, even online FREE training that there are tons. Check out iATN you could read for days with professional training. I am NAPA Autocare, Bosch Car Service & AAA approved & they ALL REQUIRE ASE certification. I believe it helps get customers. Dave

We have been very busy the past few weeks. Make sure you are addressing customer concerns & beyond. 27 point check on every car with constant tech training as to what you expect, this is next weeks work & I have proven it over & again. When checks do not get done we are slow. I tell my guys there are $100.00 dollar bills under the wipers, you just have to grab them! We sell between I would say $75.00 to $3000.00 & up on almost every car, you need to present all issues to the customer & explain to them. Dave

I was into cars since 15 years old, took shop in high school 3 years, went to tech college 2 years for an AAS degree, worked at a large Chevy, Subaru, BMW, Volvo etc. dealer for 34 years as tech, foreman, manager then had enough when it was bought out for the 4th time & I spent all my retirement money 13 years ago to buy an established shop. 47 years repairing cars! I think my next business will be a candy shop, NO unhappy customers! Has not been easy but I am making way more money than if I was still at the dealer environment & I have an investment. DEALERS USUALLY SUCK. Advice: charge enough so you are happy, 60% GP works. Dave

Yep, we sell a lot of maintenance up sells by doing an inspection, oil change past due, tires worn & need rotate, brakes etc. Make sure your techs are doing a proper NY inspection & service check over, that is key. Most of the techs I have hired need inspection training as to the rules, do it in shop meetings. Do not forget the easy inspection failures like wipers, we sell a lot & many times the customer says they forgot how bad they were. We get lots of check engine light repairs & they pay accordingly. Dave

Unbelievable we are suppose to perform this law with no increase in fees but that is Albany. Buy a cheap tester so you can show it to the inspector & carry on. Charge for removal to the few cars we see with dark tint & recoup the cost. Dave

Very simply, charge enough to be profitable, pay employees enough, buy equipment, subscribe to professional repair sites & take a vacation! Waiting for World Pac 2017 cruise. Just remember, there will always be customers who think you over charge..... let them go. I do. Dave