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I would say that at least 50% of the phone shoppers don't have a clue as to what they really need. They just have personal wild guesses or a wild guess someone threw at them.

Understand that I am not a tech but I think I would check cylinder compression?

I hate lifetime warranties. They were developed by some marketing guy who never worked on a car in their life. We sell a lifetime warranty on brake pads but it doesn't cover labor. The labor keeps us from losing money. It isn't my idea it is Car-x's. All it is is a way to get people back inside the shop.

Have they considered how many delivery drivers would become unemployed if this works. Someone was talking to me today about the potential of using drones to deliver parts. Soon no one will be needed.

Welcome! There is a wealth of knowledge and experience on this forum and they are more than willing to share. Good luck!

We have been open 16+ years and I have never had that occur but if it did I would tell them that all parts we sell have appropriate mark up added and the cost of goods sold is not public information as it is for all businesses. We have to mark up our parts as a part of operating a business and to give us enough profit that it allows us to warranty work when a part fails. No apology necessary or needed. If tghey don't like it they can take their business elsewhere.

I text message customers to call the shop if I do not reach them by phone. I also text them when the vehicle is completed. I have found it is a big time saver. We can text through our shop management software. Everyone is texts except a few older customers and a few tight wads. Most customers like it. If I am uncertain if a customer might use messaging I ask them.

Didn't see anything at all in this post Gonzo so I liked it!

Do you guys have a lot of problems out of Jasper. That has not been the case with us but we do not do any diesel.

I think he means replace the injectors or replace the engine? If it were mine I would call Jasper and see what they will do. They may suprise you. It might still be under warranty. My cost on a Jasper engine for that is $6188. Ford's engine prices are usually right in line. If it were mine I thing I would replace the engine.

Yes! The guys usually use a digital gauge. He let air out of all the tires for some time.

Today we had a late model Ford Fovus with the following tire pressures: 90, 119, 134, and 150 psi. They must have had access to a bug compressor.

In our area they are somewhat.

Sell a job. Farm it out. Let the master tech buddy walk you through the whole thing.

We do them all: VW, Audi, Hyundai, KIa, etc. We always install complete T-belt kits and have shop foreman check before cranking. We might have had to do one redo and fix a head in the 16+ years I have been in the business.

We do timing belts all day long.

I use a law firm fir debt collect. I have only been sued in small claims on one occasion and we won without a lawyer. Anytime there us a lawsuit the only one who wins is the attorneys.

D&B was important when I ran an environmental business and needed it for bonding and contracts and establishing credit with a lot of out of town vendors. Since I have been in this business I ignore D&B.

Jeff with the right attitude and a workable plan you can do. All you have to do is follow through each day.

We use three different colors of plastic holders. Our holders have the attached loop that allows us to hang them. We have a 4'x8' of plywood mounted with about six hooks under each technicians name. Waiters are red pouches and drop offs are black pouches. Assigned work is hung under the technicians name with the keys in the pouch. When work is in progress the pouch is either hung on the vehicle mirror or on the lift post. When work is completed the pouches are hung on one hook at the front counter. When the customer is called the entire info and keys are moved into a green pouch without the loop which is filed in a open top file box under the front counter. Very rarely do we lose or misplace a key. We use to use clip boards but that was always a problem because of the keys and finding a way to hang them.

Mitch schneider has ran a shop in Santa Monica, CA for many years and is a writer. www.schneidersauto.net/ He is no more qualified than Joe or others on this forum but his works are published. I would invest in and read these books or borrow them from the library before going forward. I think he has 8 books in all but for you these might be the most important. Sort by:Bestselling PriceAlphabeticalPublication Date Managing Dollars with Sense by Mitch Schneider (2003, Paperback) Mitch SchneiderPaperback, 2003 The High Performance Shop by Mitch Schneider (2003, Paperback) Mitch SchneiderPaperback, 2003 Operations Management by Mitch Schneider (2003, Paperback) Mitch SchneiderPaperback, 2003 Operational Excellence by Mitch Schneider (2003, Paperback) Mitch SchneiderPaperback, 2003

Joe, how do you find the time to run a business and also write so many great things? Happy New Year and may 2016 be the best year of your life.

I think Universal Underwriters and Zurich are for the most part the same company. Here in is this market Universal Underwriters changed the name to Zurich.

Best advice I can give is before you do anything go out of town to a successful shop and spend a week either working or observing. You have no idea what you are buying or what a well run shop should look like. That would give you some background. Also start getting training in the business. AC Delco, NAPA, Federal Mogul, etc. all offer online training including sales, service writing, and management. Buy and read all the books by Mitch Schneider before you do anything. If I had no background I would also hire someone who does (like Joe, or someone from Elite, or any other number of owners on this forum) to evaluate the business I am buying, the purchase price, and to tell me what they think of the deal. I would also read everything in this forum. There is a world of helpful information here. That is some of my initial thoughts. Everybody thinks they want to own their own business but I can tell you from experience that the automotive business is not an easy business. It took me about ten years to enjoy modest success. That was all possible only because of the people I found and hired. Your employees will make or break you. Locally there was a guy in a situation similar to yours. He quit a job at Crane Naval Weapons. Used his retirement money to buy an auto repair franchise. He bought and renovated an existing building, hired employees, and opened up the business. He lasted less than 18 months. Closed up shop, sold everything off and went back to work at Crane minus his retirement money. The instant that I learned he had opened in the location he had chosen I knew he would not succeed. How did I know? The location doomed him to failure from the get go. It is hard enough to build a successful business in a good location let alone at the end of some dead end street that no one drives by especially when you are the new place in town. Without a clientele already established no one could have succeeded there. Evidently either the franchisee people who advised him were ignorant or were only interested in collected the up front franchise fee. Car-x would never have approved of that location in a million years. May I ask why you want to own your own business and why would it be automotive? By the way, welcome to the forum and good luck. I am not trying to be negative but trying to educate. I am an owner in a successful repair business and have been at it for over 16 years. However, If I went back in time I can honestly tell you that if I had to do it over again I would not do it. The reason is I believe that there are other business that I could have chosen that I would have been more successful with. There have many many days that I absolutely hated what I was doing but felt trapped. Five years in we were losing money and trying to sell the business. However, once I was $700K in debt it was either make this thing work or go bankrupt. I could not just walk away.