xrac

Joe, congratulations on being quoted in this article. Not a bad picture! http://www.tirebusiness.com/subscriber/hea...p;id=1254341182

I am not a fear monger but I thought you might want to be aware of this. As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051100709638419.html http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=84884

Joe, do you do drug testing? We haven't but we reserve to right to do it on new hires and random. We have had problems in the past but not with the guys we have now.

Not a fun thing to do. If I were a betting man this tech's problems sound like either drugs or domestic. This past week we had to do something I have never done since we have been open. For the first time in 10 1/2 years we laid someone off. We like this tech but our business since August 1 has been very soft although it seems to be starting to recover.

I love this commercial: http://www.richhumor.com/wp-filez/Perhapst...rdCommercia.wmv

I found this opinion in Brake and Front End magazine a very interesting read and right on. Thought some of you might enjoy reading it. Dealing with Consumers Online Can Be Frustrating http://www.brakeandfrontend.com/Article/65...rustrating.aspx

Welcome! Glad you joined us and good luck.

The Marines Show You How ....There's a 'message' in this video. You might want to view it ASAP as it's not likely to last very long on YouTube

What do you think of this concept? Company launches 'Expedia' for auto repairs A new, free Web site, www.prundo.com, has been recently launched to help its registered users save money on their auto repairs. The patent-pending Web site includes tools to help its registered members in deciding where to take their cars for maintenance and repairs. http://www.prundo.com/

Evening hours after 7:00 Monday-Thursday or sometime on the weekend would probably be best. Does anyone use Skype?

Do you have any guidance on how a pay plan like that is structured?

For reasonable price software that does an adequate job look at Auto Repair Boss. http://www.palmer-products.com/ Welcome, where are you located at? How big is the shop you are opening?

The word from the Jiffy Lube chain is that in mid-August their sales tanked. Car-x was down 5.4% in August in the Chicago market. Our sales were down about 9% in August compared to last August.

We use a checklist but we don't give it to our customers. I will check out the one you use.

Not at this point in time. Do you?

Cash for Clunkers is another of those dumb ideas that only a politician out fo touch with the people down in the trenches can come up with.

Telling a customer that their car is really in good shape and that you can find nothing wrong builds confidence. It tells the customer that we do not invent repairs or maintenance that are not necessary. Often I will preface a recommended maintenance service with the fact the car is in good shape and that they obviously take good care of the vehicle.

We guarantee our techs a fair base pay but have a commission stucture. We wind up paying more than most shops in our area other than the dealers.

I try very hard not to fire anyone. Recently we had a guy who wasn't working out and we found him a job at a different shop. He wasn't a bad employee he just didn't have the skill set we needed or believed he possessed when we hired him.

Locally it was just announced that the Whirpool plant is closing (after 52 years) and the production is going to Mexico. 1,100 will lose their jobs and others who work in affliated businesses. How many of them were in the cash for clunkers program and how many will NOT BE ABLE to afford the car payment once they lose their job??? Was it right for our government to give incentives for people to take on on extra debt in the midst of the worst recesssion we had since the great depression????

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405...1645819464.html

How have sales been during August? Our July was strong but August has been VERY soft. We will probably be down 10% below last August. Here is something that tells me that we are not out of the woods yet. Every year Evansville has the Frog Follies which is a show and swap meet for the old Street-Rods. This generates about 4,000 Street-Rods and about 20,000 people. You usually can't get a motel within 60 miles for that weekend. The event is next weekend and a friend who works at Drury Inn says they still have rooms available as of this Friday. That is unheard of and says that there are a lot of people who are staying home. http://www.frogfollies.org/

Find out how much you know about cars. I got 15 correct. http://www.cramersweeney.com/brandprix/

Car Dealers As Pitchmen Billy Mays had nothing on the antics and sales gimmicks long used by Car Dealers in radio and television commercials blaring the urgency of buying a vehicle now, with special deals galore. However, all that could be changing, as GM experiments with selling new cars and light trucks through its California Dealers on eBay. Haggle Online About 90% of GM Dealers in California (a market in which GM has only about two-thirds the share it enjoys nationwide) will offer new cars and light trucks (Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Pontiac) through the eBay on-line auction site. Vehicles will be priced below sticker (at GM's supplier price), and consumers can "haggle" on-line with Dealers for better pricing and terms. For added excitement (and confusion), the "Cash-For-Clunkers" rebate is also in play. Cars will be picked up at the selling Dealerships. Showroom Experience All this seems fine. GM will be using a direct-selling approach to computer-savvy consumers who, in turn, can electronically communicate with GM Dealers in "sealing the deal." However, this begs the question: "What about the showroom experience?" How does the consumer decide which vehicle he wants, based on sitting in the vehicle, savoring that new car smell, and test-driving the vehicle? While eBay can serve as a connection between consumers and Dealers, it cannot replace the "showroom experience" which helps consumers decide to buy a vehicle and select a specific model. Bigger eBay Sales Tent A major result of GM Dealers selling on eBay will be an expansion in the number of Dealers with which a buyer can negotiate in order to get the "best deal." Dealer Disconnect One strength of the existing Dealer network is that it creates relationships between consumers and local Dealers. Many times, vehicles are purchased from a nearby Dealer because of the convenience of servicing the vehicle and handling any after-sale issues which might arise. With GM Dealers in California placing new cars and light trucks on eBay, the distribution of Dealer sales could significantly shift, concentrating sales among fewer GM Dealers. Consequences For Dealers While the showroom experience has been an essential part of how U.S. consumers purchase vehicles (it is unlikely this will soon change even among computer-savvy consumers), it seems inevitable that placing vehicles on eBay will work to the advantage of some GM Dealers and to the disadvantage of other GM Dealers. Several results (or a combination of both) are possible: fewer Dealers, or a division between Dealers who sell vehicles and those who service them. In either case, the Independent (non-Dealer) aftermarket is likely to gain business among consumers seeking convenient vehicle service, especially for newer cars and light trucks (five years and younger) which traditionally are taken to Dealers for service. Possible Changes For Dealers It all depends on how the new GM views Dealers, who in the past were seen as valuable sales partners. However, if the eBay trial proves successful, Dealers could become less necessary in the overall sales and service strategies of GM (and other car makers).