Joe Marconi

Frank...I am at my desk falling off my chair with laughter!!! Actually, it speaks the truth. Thanks, keep em coming!!!!

Only 17 states and the District of Columbia have mandatory state inspections. Many feel that the cost of running the program outweighs the benefits. Others say, leave government out of this. Let the people take care of their own car and let repair shops manage these issues. Should there be mandatory state inspections, nationwide? I say yes. There is a movement to pass a law (H.R. 229) that would require all states to participate in a mandatory Safety Inspection Program. Here’s why I am for this. In my state, New York, we have annual state inspections. My customers come in and there are usually no issues, they pass no problem. But, we get a lot of people that are not regular customers. The owners of these vehicles bounce around from shop to shop; they shop for discount tires, discount oil changes, discount brake job, etc. These people never establish a relationship; consequently their cars are not in tip top shape. They come to me for a state inspection, and many times will fail for a cracked windshield, tires worn due to an alignment problem, broken tail light, torn wipers, parking brake not working and other safety-related items. Without a mandatory inspection, these vehicles would never get the attention they need. Here’s one more scenario; I do accident investigations, helping the State Troopers and other police departments piece together the reasons for a vehicle accident, mostly when a fatality is involved. While most of the accidents are either driver error or drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol, a great many of the accidents I see are caused by mechanical failure. The most common reasons: worn tires, worn brakes, leaking wheel cylinders, suspension failure, and others. I’d like to hear your comments on this, both from shop owners that are from states with an inspection law and those that don’t.

Jiffy Lube Announces Extended Oil Change Service? Maybe Not! When I read the headline that Jiffy Lube is doing away with their 3,000 mile oil change service interval, I was somewhat confused. All indications state that the Quick Lube industry has experienced a decline in car count for the past 10 years. So why would Jiffy Lube make this announcement? Well, it’s call marketing. Jiffy Lube service advisors will now work with customers to figure out what is the right oil change interval for their Particular driving habits. The customer is in involved with setting their own oil change schedule. Jiffy Lube, instead of surrendering to the factory extended service schedule, has found a way to win back its business. Initial results: 47 percent of customers have decided that they drive under severe conditions and have chosen an average oil change service interval of 3500 miles. An additional 43 percent have chosen an average interval of 4,100 miles. This means that 90% of Jiffy Lube customers have opted for an oil change interval of 4100 miles or less! They found a way to beat the OE recommendation. Boy, I wish I had thought of this…

That's an interesting thought...The Russin mafia. I really don't know. What I am convinced of is that most of these companies know exaclty how to skate aorund the law and work very hard to beat up the repair shop and the customer. They have no regard for the customer because they got thier money up front. It's not just warrany companies, I don't have much respect for insurance companies either. They too like to beat up the repair shops. And, I wish the body shops would stand up and stop accepting $45.00 per hour for their work. Now, the other side of coin; BG offers a lifetime protection plan on their maintenance services. As long as the customer sticks to the program, they honor the failure for life. We have had no problems with getting transmissions and other components warrantied. Then thier Jasper, their warranties are also good.

I can't tell you how many times, people do not take my advise and buy a car from an auction, friend, relative or neighbor, without having the car pre-inspected. Just a few months ago, I customer brought us a car from the auction. He was proud of his purchase and the price. It looked clean but once up in the air on the lift we could clearly see that this car was in a flood. But, people are people and too many times too trusting. People tend to listen to friends first, not the experts.

Wow, I could feel the heat thru my computer screen...sorry about that! At this point in my life, I agree...I call the shots...I did my time in the trenches...I owe to myself to uphold my ehtics and intergity. Plus, it's a matter of doing the right thing for my shop and my customers.

What bothers me is when the dealer sells these warranties, they sell it in a way that the consumer thinks that everything (bumper to bumper) is covered and that what ever the cost is, will be taken care of. This is where the trouble begins. We tell a customer it will be $3,500 for the transmisson and the warranty company says they will only pay $3000. Well, we don't work for the warranty company and they cannot tell us what WE should accept as payment. The customer then has a tough time dealing with the fact that they need to pay the difference. It may be in the fine print, but no body reads the fine print.

I really don't want to say, but it wasn't one that I normally deal with. I don't want to lump all extended warranty companies in the same boat, but thier are a lot of bad ones, and they want us to cut corners. They forget that these are our customers.

An aftermarket insurance company wanted me to install a used rack & pinion that they would provide from a salvage yard that they do business with. It’s bad enough that their arrogance dismisses the fact that we make money both on parts and labor, but to think that I need the business that bad that I would compromise my integrity. I flat out told the insurance company, “NO”. I also told them, “this is my job, my business and I have an obligation to my customer to do the best job possible and do what’s in the best interest for my customer". I spoke to the customer and explained the situation and what I thought was the correct repair. She agreed and paid the difference to install a quality reman unit. Shop owners, agree or disagree?

You have a good point....we trust our financial integrity to politicians with no business or financial background. Some do, but most do not. Many politicians never held a private sector job!

Let me make you guys sick, I did the math. As part of a local TECH NET Council Meeting, a panel of shop owners sat down and calculated the cost of scanners, tech pay, updates, training, Identifix and/or IATN, Mitchell and/or Alldata and OE sites. We also calculated the average number of Diag jobs each shop did per year and divided all the associated costs of performing a diag problem into the numbers of jobs. We also calculated the average time it took to perform a typical diagnosis. What did we find? The cost to perform the average check engine light of similar diagnostic analysis is $110.00 for one hour's work. That means to make a profit on diagnostic labor, you will need to charge a least $170.00 per hour for diagnostic work to make a profit. (Espcially if you do not get any repairs from the analysis) Now, when you realize that a brake pad/rotor replacement can be done in less than 30 minutes, and most shops charge any way from $75.00 to $150.00 labor for that brake job, we start to understand why diagnostic work should not be given away. OR DO MORE BRAKE JOBS…. one or the other!

Bringing you the book got to me. I can't tell you how angry I get when a customer drops off their car for a repair and says, "Oh, by the way, I left the BOOK on the front seat". As if, without that book, I couldn't find my way around his car. What arrogance and lack of respect for what we do. And today it’s worse; they bring us pages of information downloaded from the internet. I wonder if it’s lack of confidence, or maybe they don’t think we have the brain power. I wonder if people bring books and downloaded pages to their doctor??? What's more amazing, people are people no matter where you go!

Viewpoint: Dealership Stickers Steering Drivers to Dealers By Andrew Markel Editor, Brake & Front End Magazine July 22, 2011 New car dealers have been using “only call us” stickers under the hoods of new cars for more than a decade now. These stickers tell drivers that they must take their vehicle to a factory-authorized facility because it is equipped with “highly technical” onboard computers. The fact of the matter is that most independent shops can service vehicles for repairs outside the warranty repairs. Shops have access to information, tools and parts to complete just about any repair that a dealer can perform. Dealers and their trade associations are putting more emphasis on the service side of the business. It has evolved from quick lube bays to brake jobs. Now they want to see a vehicle long after the warranty has expired. I encourage you to discuss the sticker with your customers and ask them if you could remove the sticker and clean away any residue. You can even create your own sticker that refers them to your shop.

I felt "disconnected" to the outside world!

Obama says that all of us must pay the higer taxes, a result of rasing the debt limit, among other programs that this administration has instituted. The president says it's only fair that we all pay the increase in taxes. FAIR? WE had nothing to do with this mess. WE did not spend money like a drunken sailor. WE had no say so in the billions of tax dollars wasted. NOW WE must pay for it. Today I am mad as hell.....someone out there make sense of this for me!

We have a lot of customers who are telling us that they have free oil changes with thier new car, from the new car dealer. Some for 1 year, 2 years, and some for a lot longer. I have a tough time letting my customers going back to the dealer for any type of service. People are loyal, but people are also creatures of habit. How can we compete with “free”? Any ideas?

Go to this web site (Tech Net) and enter the city, state and zip, in the Find a Shop field (to the right). www.techauto.com Tech Net shops must adhere to certain criteria, ASE certification and customer satisfaction. Tech Net shops are usually the better shops. I am a Tech Net shop. I can't vouch for any of the shops personally, but it's worth checking out. Good luck.

Oh, so you do spot checking from time to time, to see how the market is.

I spoke to a shop owner the other day, someone I had not spoken with in a while. A discussion came up about part pricing and he told me he still calls 2 to 3 shops for most jobs to get the lowest price. Is this practice still done, given what we know today about productivity, price stratedy and loyalty to our suppliers? I did not want to get into a debate with him, so I let it go. I would like to hear from shop owners about this.

Wow! Nice photos! Now that's what I call a fishing trip!!!

We all know there is no disrespect, let's face it, all of us say funny things at times. I know I have!

Back To School! August is here, which means many students will be heading back to college soon. Many will travel significant distances. Are their cars ready for that road trip? Let you customers know that they need to ensure that their cars or their children’s car is up to date with all needed maintenance and prepared before they take to the road. Offer your customers a “Going Back to College Service Package” which includes a bumper to bumper inspection, an oil change if needed and a checklist of tips and emergency items. What you are really offering is peace of mind. That’s a win for you and a win for your customer

Too funny...I've heard most of these...still never had alien abductions yet...well, not that I know of anyway. Keep them coming Gonzo, very funny,made my day.