Joe Marconi

Yes and no, there are so many kit numbers today that you have to buy different master kits. CARQUEST is our main supplier, but we are looking at different companies to keep costs down and part availability. I don't know if my CARQUEST rep is getting different kits from your rep. I am checking into Meyers and Specialty Products and a few others. Our standand labor charge to reset is a half hour, UNLESS there is an issue with the system. Or, If I need to dismount the tire to verify a failed sensor. Sometimes we find a broken sensor from the last time the tires where replaced. I am concerned that the industry is headed in the wrong direction if only a hand full of shops service the TPMS sensors when replacing tires. I rather not take a chance and have a leak later on. We find many leaking tires from the seals. My opinion and what we do: *Make sure the TPMS light is not on before the tires are removed from the car *Visually inspect the sensors *Inspect all the cores to insure that they can be removed *Inform the customer of any concerns BEFORE the tires are dismounted *Remove the TPMS sensor; replace the nut, core, valve cap and seal

Well to be honest with you...I hope never to find out...first "hand" that is!

You are truly blessed in many ways, to have the opportunity and the ability to write in such a way that you brings joy and humor to all of us. Again, great story. I would say one of your best...BUT they are all great!

Sorry, I’m a little late to the discussion. First, thank you for your service to this country. I am the cofounder and also a shop owner for 30 years, and I really don’t know where to start. I admire anyone who has a dream like yours and wants to make the dream a reality. Let’s start with leadership which you mentioned in your post. You will most certainly need leadership to build your dream shop. To build what you are proposing will take an enormous amount of cooperation from the right people all pulling in the right direction. You will find that getting people aligned in the public sector may be a bit harder than in the military. You will undoubtedly need to learn business skills and become more proficient in the numbers of business, marketing, advertising, etc. That’s not to say you have to do it all yourself, you just need to know how to get the right people working as a team to achieve your goal. I am a little concerned about the 10 investors, not quite sure what that means in terms of return on investment for these people. When I expanded my business a few years ago and built another shop, I create a comprehensive business plan which was submitted to my bank. The bank, in essence, was my venture capitalist. Have you spoke to a business lawyer about this? I think you idea of used cars is great. We started selling used cars last year and we have done fairly well. We plan to increase our use car department this year. It’s a great way to acquire new customers and keep existing ones, looking for a car. I think you need to determine what will be your best income stream. It will be important to establish a steady form of income. You may find it will be traditional automotive service and repair. For this reason, you need to tool up for this type of service work: tires, alignments, brakes, preventive maintenance, etc. As far as employees, that’s a tough one. In a perfect world, you need to be looking for service writer(s), technicians, support staff (clean up), lube techs and some sort of bookkeeper or administrator. One thing I can say with certainty, if you plan on making this happen, it cannot be done on your back. Please take this advice from someone who has been there: You need to work on the business, establish goals, create the vision and oversee the operation. Don’t try to wear too many hats, it will wear you out and tear you apart. Trust me on this one. If your goal was a 2-bay shop, doing oil changes and brake jobs, that’s different. You say you don’t want to start small, I like your attitude. To achieve anything in life you must have goals and a well-thought out plan. And you achieve you goals by establishing many smaller goals. I make the parallel to when President Kenney said in 1960 that the USA will go to the moon by the end of the decade. The goal was the moon, but how we got there was a series of smaller goals: we sent rockets into space, then we sent rockets with animals, then we sent a manned rocket up into orbit, eventually 2 men. We practiced docking in space and other tasks. After a many missions, we sent unmanned rockets to the moon, and then manned missions which orbited the moon, and then finally we landed on the moon. You must do the same, build your plan, and establish you short term and long term goals. Don’t try to do too much at once. Sorry for going on and on. Let me leave you with this. Most important don’t be afraid of failure and making mistakes, because you will….we all have. Good luck and stay in touch!

First; GREAT, GREAT suggestion, perhaps the most enlightening book you can read. Welcome to ASO. Within these forums is a wealth of knowledge from a lot of veterans and seasoned shop owners. My advice as a shop owner for 30 years is to learn as much about business as you can. In today’s competitive world you need to understand not only mechanics, but the mechanics of business. You don’t want to fall into the trap as so many of us have and spend a lifetime working very hard with little to show for it. Build something that will make you proud, always have passion for what you are doing, don’t ever forget the people around and strive to always be the best. Good luck and stay in touch.

We just purchased a few cases of the DEXOS but have not had any new GM car in our shop yet. I see this as another marketing tactic to get the consumer thinking: "Go back to the Dealer, you local repair guy can't keep up with technology". To their suprise, we will. As far as education is concerned, that must with us.

These are priceless!

You probably posted that to push my buttons, right Gonzo. I'm glad I made you laugh for a change too!

I am really tired of the disrespect we get from the media. To call us “mechanics with greasy paws”, is truly an insult. Are we animals? Why are portrayed like this. I have fought my entire career to change our image. Talk about racism and stereotyping!!! Here is my response I posted on that site: “Hey, Tim Stevens, I’m one of those greasy mechanics that you are referring too. To think that an $89.95 devise can take the place of someone like me is a joke. Pulling error messages from the OBDII computer is of no help without knowing how to interpret the data and analyze the computer system. But, that’s ok; I hope I see you stuck on the side of the road on a cold rainy night, with a check engine light problem. You won’t need me, because you have the Griffin Car Trip, right? Good luck with that, because I will drive right past you!”

We purchased the rebuilt kits from CARQUEST (I think they are from Meyers Tire Company). They come in plastic cases. The investment to start off was a few hundreds bucks and the coverage is about 90%. The average cost price of the kits are $2-$4.00 and we charge $8-$10 per kit. The only time we sell sensors are when the sensor is found defective or damaged or if the core is seized inside the stem. For some models you can change just the stem part of the sensor. There are some high end cars (BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc) that have more expensive kits, but for those customers, I never have an issue. We rebuid the kits on every tire replacement and sometimes when we breakdown a tire for a repair. The only time we don't sell the kit is when a customer damages a tire on a new car, with under 10k on the clock.

The reason why I posted this question was because I starting asking other shops in my area, only to find out that 9 out of 10 shops do nothing also. To me, this can be an issue. Replacing tires on a car with 100k, and not servicing the TPMS sensor? That's the same as not changing the valve stems, right? Maybe it's me, but we always explain to the customer about TPMS, we always sell the kits and don't have a problem. Plus we make an additional profit on the kits. I am not trying to convince anyone to do it my way, I am just asking questions.

I understand your concerns, but most auto repair systems are built to fit the average repair shop owner. Many shop owners do not utilize the full extent of their systems, so to have more bells and whistles would be wasteful and too costly for most shops. Mitchell and Alldata are 2 different companies and systems and do not integrate with each other. We use Mitchell Manager Plus with repair; we also have Alldata for information. It's not an easy answer when looking for a management system. With Mitchell you can have multiple vendors set up thru online ordering, inventory, customer history, marketing programs and lot more. It's worth checking out.

I have the Midtronics and a SnapOn unit. If the CCA reading cannot be found on the battery, we go by the CCA rating for that vehicle. Actually, a clinic I attended years ago, recommended that you always check the factory spec for the battery rating for the vehicle you are working on, just to make sure that the battery in the car is the correct battery with the correct CCA rating.

Maybe we should be selling all 4 tires, unless the other 2 are in "like new" condition? There are too many legal issues these days. We all want to do the right thing and respect the customer’s financial position, but do we compromise our business when the customer states they cannot go for all 4 tires, and we settle on selling them only 2?

Review 2010, Make Plans for 2011 By mid week you should finish analyzing your business, going over the numbers and reports, review your 2010 goals and finalize your plans and goals for 2011. You need to share your goals and plans with your staff. And remember, a business plan must be written, it does not have to be lengthy, but it needs to be well-thought out and written down. Goals also need deadlines. Meet with your staff; encourage them to get involved in the process of improving the business. Goals and plans that are made as a group will have a much greater chance of success, than if you just tell people what you would like to see happen. Most important, remain positve and strong. Success can never be accomplished by having a negative mind set.

Social media marketing is at the top of my list for 2011, you are right, we can no longer ignore it.

That says it all....

We ended up with a 7% increase, a little lower than I would like. Our car counts were very strong, higher than last year. That bothers me a bit. I always view car counts as opportunity. Half way thru the year, I wondered if our car counts were too high, but with economic conditions the way they are, and tough competition these days, the last thing I want to do is refuse a customer, especially a new customer. We have many new programs to put into place and big goals for this year. I know where I need to improve and I may have to make a few changes with regard to staffing. I think as an industry, we are on the brink of gaining momentum in a very positive direction. Those businesses that retreated during the "great recession" will have a tough time and will be chasing the market. Those that remained on course will do much better. I want to wish all my friends at ASO the very best and much good fortune. Within the forums I have come to respect each and every one of you. As a group, we are strong...and the strong will not just survive...but thrive!

Here’s a question that has caused me to rethink my position many times. When installing only 2 new tires, should you put them on the front or rear? I know the differences between FWD, AWD, 4WD and RWD, but according to an article I read in a trade magazine, it really does not make a difference what vehicle you are referring to, if you are only replacing 2 tires, they should always be installed on the rear. What are your thoughts?

Everyone has to make the final decision with respect to any business issue. As long as you arrive to the same conclusion, that is to be profitable and successful, you can take whatever path you deem is the correct one. Of course, that path needs to be ethical and honest. No one has the right to tell you or any other business person, what is right for your business. However, the way I see it, if you always do what is the best interest of the customer for the long term, you really can’t go wrong.

Xrac, you always make my day a little brighter....thanks!

Just a word of caution: I know shops around the country charge supply charges and many business seminars promote this, but depending on local and state laws (AND, I am not a lawyer), any charge on the invoice has to backed up by a formula used to determine the charge. In other words, in New York you can charge a supply charge, hazmat charge, etc, but you need to justify how you arrived at that number. A few shop owners I know got fined because they were charging an arbitrary percentage. I called the NY DMV, and according to them, you need to show how much in “supplies” you use per job, how much you pay for hazmat. You can recoup your money, but you need to justify any charges on the invoice. I am just bringing this up so shops can be carful and find out local laws.

WOW! Coming from the Bronx, I can really relate to that! Very funny!