FROGFINDER

I refer tire repairs to Discount Tire. In many most cases the "low,leaking,flat,etc" tire should be replaced due to age,wear,location of wound,being driven on low ,etc). I have put new tires on customers cars at my expense and one guy after missing a semi in the rain by a foot called me by the side of the road thanking me for saving his life. I had a "repaired" front tire deflate on me on a motorcycle on the freeway once and i will not ever repeat that mistake if i can avoid it.My prayers go out to the families involved.

When it comes to customers it's best to take the high road and remain calm and kind, That being said I have found that 20% of your customer's help create 80% of your business.

I will carry someone only for the amount i am willing to lose and be able to pay the company back myself. That being said give the person twenty business cards and tell them to send you work and you will give a Bird Dog Fee towards what he owes you on each sale. I also suggest visiting the customers house with flowers and a fruit basket since times are tough.

Yes, I draw the line at verbal abuse and taking God's name in vain. I invite the offender to proceed on his/her journey because i don't want to stand in the way of thier success. I have only had to draw a gun once.

Yes. But with more customers becoming homeless and addicted to sin/drugs we see nasty vehicles in both sexes. I cringe when i have to look in customers cars for paper work, proof of insurance, wheel lock key's etc. Wear gloves and breathing mask or risk infection. The flu/bug's,std's are going around and steering wheels /gear shift levers,door handles,buttons are nasty. Don't touch your face with or eat with unclean hands.

Feed his sheep. You have 3 chances a day. Breakfast,Lunch and dinner. Greet everyone you meet with the warmth of encouragement and ask for thier prayers and referrals. Get connected with local Churches,schools, donut shops, real estate, grocery stores,civic groups,other auto shops,etc. A warm smile, a caring ear, a hug will bring you what you need. Amen

You may have a car that the total repair bill could exceed the value of the car. I would have an honest conversation with the customer as to if this car is worth putting the kind of money involved in it before I ever started. Sometimes the best repair job we have done is talked a customer out of fixing a car. We avoid a headache, we save the customer from unrealistic expectations, we avoid losing a customer, and we earn the customers respect for our honesty and desire to truly look out for them.

I agree.

ChecK the car bumper to bumper. Phase one is to get it to run, drive,stop in a safe manner. Create estimate for phase one. Collect phase one funds before starting. Explain that on cars over a decade old you can not let the project go unfunded and you will call with updates in cost and progess.

Always take the high road and offer to solve or guide the customer towards the solution. We must be careful though because much of the public is on medication or illegal drugs and may have a short fuse.. A soft answer and a cold drink turns away wrath.

At some point Homeland Security will demand that all vehicles get serviced in a controlled environment (like dealerships) that can control the fleet.

love for others at ALL times

I have never had a wheel fall off, but other mistakes occur due to stress, pressure, productivity, and just trying to get things done in general. I think sometimes as owners, managers, mechanics etc... we need to just take a step back, slow down, and recheck our work before it leaves the lot. There is a lot going on in an auto garage, and the pressure from owners, productivity goals, and customers can cause us to over look the most simple things.

 

The fast paced society we live in today contributes to these errors, we just have to learn how to minimize them while staying productive and safe at the same time.

 

 

Joe, I do like your torque method with a coworker in sight. I may consider doing this in my shop when I hire in help.

Asking that wheels be retorqued and then watching it being done helps alot.

I only fear not doing my best for others. Focus on your game all the time. I visited a long time customer today at the hospital. Encourage people everywhere and give them something good to say to others about you.

We will be open Friday and Saturday. We always get to help people that have unexpected car issues while in town for the holiday. I help them get home safe which is a good thing.

Yes. We have seen fuel mileage issues and hot soak starting issues that on older cars.

Faith, Family, Food,Football. Thanks to all those that helped us along the way to be here to enjoy Thanksgiving Day.

The digital world our kids live in is great until the lights go out.

or the car quits

or the toilet overflows

or the money tree dies

Does the common person need a space shuttle to go to the store? Hal in the movie 2001 a space odyssey and the first opening scenes of The Terminator revealed to us where our battle with machines is headed. The public is having trouble paying for the upkeep on these modern marvels once they are out of warranty. I see more people that have money trading when the warranty expires. I see more of what was middle class customers with duct tape holding the car's together and dash warning lights being ignored.

They may have misdiagnosed the problem or may be more expensive because of a higher labor rate, but all the extras they found were legit, because every car that comes in needs at least $300.00 worth of repairs don't ya know?

 

And I recall one of ASO's members quoting that. And if you listen to the so-called management guru's you will hear basically the same thing, the money is out there, you just have to find it, by doing "world class" inspections. And they will tell you that EVERY vehicle that comes in needs more work than you are selling, so you can make your average RO on every car, if you do a good enough inspection. If this is true, then why is the dealer wrong for recommending the work that was needed, the owner just didn't know? I am not super articulate so I maybe didn't express myself well regarding the BS we are all fed about how we leave so much money on the table so please forgive me.

 

My opinion is, and no one will ever change my mind,that each customer's car will need what it needs nothing more. You may find it all, you may find very little and leave other needs undiscovered, but that vehicle will only need certain repairs whether they are the totality of the customer's concerns or more than what it was brought in for. You may spend 15 minutes inspecting it or you may spend 3 hours inspecting the car. The simple truth is, if you follow established industry and ethical standards you will only find so much but they will all be legitimate. And no matter how much you want to meet your average RO on every car, nothing you can do or say will make that oil change need anything more than it does. If it only needs an oil change and a pair of wipers, nothing the management gurus quote you will make it need $300.00 worth of stuff to make your average RO (or what ever you ARO $$ is).

 

But that is what you will find as the underlying issue with the dealers and the big chains. They are managed by numbers, not by relationships and real people interacting. You have some bean counter in an office looking at reports saying they need more sales. So all of a sudden 3/32 on rear shoes is worn out and needs a brake job when the factory spec is 1/32 and new the shoes only measure 5/32. But because they need to make their numbers, all of a sudden your 50% left is now almost worn out. And I know of many independent repair shops that are run the same way. The numbers say, so it must be, now go make it so. And all of a sudden standards drop, guidelines widen and what was marginal is now impending catastrophe.

 

I am a terrible businessman because I don't believe in adjusting my standards or changing my procedures because I'm off my numbers. I do what I do, I treat my customers with the utmost integrity and honesty, some months are good, some are terrible, but I can sleep at night and I don't have to worry about what my customers might say in front of my children. I trust God will provide and so far my trust has not been broken. Could I be doing better, sure. Is it because of my poor business skills? Probably in part. Am I in peril of failure? Not based on historical trends but it's always possible. But when my days end and I stand before my maker, making my numbers won't matter much. How I treated my fellow man and how I acted in business towards those who placed their trust in me will matter far more than how much money I made. I will continue to try and adapt as times and conditions change, but it certainly won't be for such a fleeting, short-term reason as my numbers are too low and it's the third week of the month. Thank you for reading my diatribe. Time to go spend some quality time with my pillow.

In order of importance i place safety first,leaks second and maintenance third. Yes because of inflation ALMOST every car could use $300 worth of service/repairs. (in 1969 it was $30.00) but i let the customer decide. Tell people the truth and God will do the rest.

Like in football we are only a good as our last drive ending in a score for the customer. If we don't score for the customer he will trade us.

We center the wheels and install the nuts by hand and then torque the nuts by hand to oem spec with a torque wrench. We repair many stripped lug studs/nuts that were run up with torque sticks.That creates a different problem in which people can't remove the wheels when they need to for a flat or service. Many european models use lug bolts that screw into threaded holes on the hub's that are expensive to replace when the threaded holes are stripped out. I see that on most tire shops invoices it is noted that the serviced vehicle's wheels be retorqued in 50 miles or no warranty whatsoever.

Happy Daylight Savings time to all- I feel an hour younger.

Generators sure are nice when you need them. Best of luck to all of you.

We used to have a time clock for the beginning of the day,lunch and the end of the day but got away from that. We keep track of when the vehicle was issued,job sold,job done,etc. At the end of the day you must make a profit on every job while solving the customers complaints in a way that they will recommend others to your shop.

Yes i have seen more of that as of late. We are at war for our very lives more ways than one. Many people hear blah blah blah $89.00 too high, GOOD BYE.

That being said Focus on giving people a vehicle fixed right the first time, a washed car, a discount coupon for the next visit and ask everyone (including dealer employees) for referrals.

Yes, but pad material choice, rotor finish, hardware condition, caliper slide service and break in have a lot to do with it.

30% of my brake work is redoing cheap pad slaps.