Junior

we use these as well, keep 4 of both popular numbers in stock, they have majority coverage and work well.

We buy Mobil special in 55 gal drums and pay around $6.50/gal I'd have to pull the paperwork to double check my bigger concern is full synthetic to meet higher quality European mark standards. we buy Fuchs VW/Audi 505, mercedes 229.3, bmw longlife 5w40 or 5w30 we buy in 5 liter jugs by the case, costs us $31/jug mercedes 229.5, vw/audi 507 for new diesels is in 4 liter jugs and runs us $29 ea we can buy in drums and it would be cheaper but don't have the space for more drums at the moment.

That is good to hear

This depends heavily on what the customer came in for and what you sold them/how you position your services. If they were in for an oil change and you're the kind of shop that just changes the oil with whatever barrel you have and nothing else like a quick change place does then the customer should expect that you are doing only that and nothing else. In this case I think you owe them to shut the roof. If you were doing a complete service per the manufacturer's specification such as Mercedes service B and the customer knows this. You sell your service as a complete service and inspection, follow factory service intervals and use appropriate materials as well as charge the customer accordingly. In this case you have discovered a problem that requires a proper repair, part of the service is discovering these problems in the shop before the customer gets stuck on the road with them. If the customer declines the proper repair they should expect to pay straight time to close the roof, get the cabin weather tight and disable the roof from being able to open again accidentally. If the second scenario is the case the problem with the sunroof should have been discovered with the customer interview. If the customer failed to disclose that kind of problem it is clearly their negligence and again should expect to pay for repair. I'm gonna guess like most of us you're operation is somewhere in the middle. If you want to keep a good relationship with the customer I'd quote the proper repair, offer to close the roof and disable it at time or maybe a reduced rate. If you discount them spell it out on the invoice so they understand what they are getting and make SURE the roof is disabled so it can not happen to them or someone else. Or you could eat the whole thing and chalk it up to a learning experience

Its a direct injection issue though, BMW just admits the problem. VW/Audi engines are WAYYYY worse and they don't admit its a problem ,they blame it on poor fuel quality. Which makes perfect sense since since the part effected doesn't come in contact with any fuel ever I used to do that to clean VW TDI manifolds, they are cheap enough new now that its not even worth the time. On another note, the products like BG and valvoline chemical cleaners might be ok if you sold them as regular preventative maintenance, but if you have a rough cold idle and a misfires already that stuff is not gonna work. Plus I don't want that huge chunk of carbon coming off and being smacked up in the cylinder. Or have it hold a valve open and have it tap the piston. That service might have you buying an engine. The only fix is the right fix, mechanical removal and inspection.

What machine do you use? Do you have a way to contain it to the intake port?

Its time to invest in some new tools or methods for intake valve cleaning on direct injected engines. Using picks and small brushes just doesn't cut it. The process takes way to long. We do plenty enough VW/Audi work alone to make it worth while to have a special machine for this. I've heard of people using soda or shell blasting. Is there are tool or method out there that can use this process and contain it to the intake port without getting material everywhere? What do you guys do? Thanks!!

Insurance company's don't ask for the invoice to check the price, they don't care, they understand how the industry works. They ask for the invoice to ensure you actually bought a part they can not see when doing a supplement. If the adjuster only thought XYZ was bad and you also replaced ABC they want to make sure you actually did it and didn't just say you did. Like I said, they understand the industry. On the OP's topic, as others have said, the answer to the customer is just no. Politely no, bus still no.

We send Txt messages to customers via google voice when vehicles are ready, been doing that for probably 5 years now. I plan to extend it to confirming appointments in the future but we currently don't have a process for that. I wouldn't expect to ever use it for mass marketing. In the future it will be used to maintenance reminders but i need to change software to get there. A process that has been challenging.

Honestly the customer is just angry that they ruined their own engine and is trying to pass the blame. They don't want to be the idiot so you're stuck being the bad guy. Some people just need to blame someone else for everything. I don't know about the laws in your state but here in NY worst case is a DMV inspector investigates from the consumer protection division, they beat you up about your paperwork and waste your time. Its clear you didn't destroy the engine, doubt even a heavily customer favorable investigator would put that on you.

If the customer is well established we will do the tough ones, just did and F150 manifold last week for a good customer. For jobs like that we tell them its just what time it takes, that way we don't loose out. Quote them double the book time, make sure they understand the situation with the repair, when you come in at less than double they are prepared for the worst and you didn't loose. Did you win? Not really, a few jobs I could have done in half of book time would have been better but I made a customer happy, didn't loose my shirt and didn't have to send them somewhere else. Now if that guy came in off the street I'd quote him the same and can grantee I won't get the job. They usually come back after someone else charged them close to what I actually quoted.

Totally agree with this, talk to them about the root complaint and get them in the shop to look at it and have a conversation about how they maintain and repair the vehicle. That's how you create a good relationship with the customer. I'll let the other guys nickle and dime it, I have no interest in that.

Honestly I would have stopped once the pan was off, no way that engine was gonna be good, that one gets pushed out of the bay. Note condition of vehicle on the WO when it comes in and have the customer sign it. That's the best way to cover yourself, plus its the law here in NY

so I got version 3.48 to work, BMW didn't include a few files that were part of earlier version in these distributions. Software works and vehicle is fixed. I used to use the old BMW standard tools to code modules but they are no longer supported on F series and I didn't want to get into E-sys when there was a properly supported BMW solution with ISTA. Long story short it works but bmwtechinfo tech support is worthless.

Is anyone using ISTA? If you are, what version and have you had any trouble. I've spent days now with BMW support in Germany on getting this software to work. I've installed in on multiple different machines and had no luck. In version 3.48 I can't scroll through any documents, on version 3.49 (latest) all the documents are blank so you can't do anything. Support is hopeless. Am I the bad egg or is this common?

Spent a bunch of time with Dayco rep and engineers on the phone yesterday. They claim an NTN tensioner in the box, which is OE, got a new tensioner from Subaru, it is NTN, so is the Dayco one, but they are clearly different parts, different castings and everything. I can only assume NTN changed something in production or they make a different part for aftermarket. The other pulleys that come in the kit are GMB and they are identical to OE. We put OE tensioners on in place of failed ones and all is well, we got lucky with the motor that went out of time, thankfully Subaru's can be out quite a bit before interference. I have mixed feelings about the product now, this is the only timing component failure we've seen. We switched over to Dayco from Gates only about a year ago. I'm not ready to say I won't use Dayco timing kits but I will certainly scrutinize kit components before install.

Scotty hit the nail on the head. If you are having that kind return rate your techs are not doing the job right. Brake rotors need to be replaced or machined on every job, piston travel checked, and if you can't move the pads in the brackets with pinky pressure there is something wrong. Pads should never be ground down, if they stick its a bracket problem. Every brake job should be test driven. If you are using any decent brand aftermarket pad you will be ok. Most warehouses carry a cheap rotor/pad line avoid it. Using brands like Wagner, Textar, Akebono, Jurid, Centric, Sebro ect will net you great performance. Remember even the most basic brake job is at least 40 mins or more for a top tech. That's why the labor guide gives you an hour an a half or better for most jobs. If techs are doing jobs in 20 mins they are not doing the job.

On this note, does anyone know for certain how many degrees the camshaft can be out before valve to piston contact on an EJ253 engine?

Just ran into a serious issue that I want to give you guys the heads up on before it costs you a big headache. The last two Subaru timing belt jobs we did used Dayco kit, the tensioner bearing failed. The first one was after 39 miles, the second one only lasted 19 miles. These were sourced through Advance. Looks like the second one may have cost the engine. I'm waiting to hear back on what happened in the manufacturing process that caused the failure. We have installed tons of these kits with no troubles and have two failures in a row now, something has gone sour. Save yourself the headache, skip the tensioner or install OE on this one. Will post back with more details once I get an answer.

What trade shows or conferences do you attend if any? ASO is a great way to interact with other shop owners but nothing beats a handshake and a conversation. The opportunity to meet vendors, tool manufacturers ect is great. There is a thread on Automechanika http://www.autoshopowner.com/topic/9664-automechanika-show-in-chicago-april-2015/ Is it worth the trip to Chicago? There is also SEMA and AAPEX in Vegas, I've never been to either. What about smaller regional shows, specifically in the Northeast?

In the long run, 10-15 years out I think the overall model of this industry will change significantly. Shops that stay ahead of the trend will prosper, those that don't will fight each other for the scraps. There is no money in not completely understanding how a system works and having the tools to properly diagnose and repair it. I think the industry is seeing this trend already. We do plenty of Hybrid work, we are the only shop that isn't a dealer around here that does complete HV rebuilds and replacements. We also invest heavily in specialty tools to service everything. As a result we get a lot of work from other shops that can't figure something out, even work from local dealers comes our way now and then (two in the shop right now). The swap parts & change oil model is a fading one. In the long term, say 20 years out I believe even retail places such as Advanced, Autozone ect will need to rethink their business model as most people won't be able to do any repairs on their own vehicle or those repairs will be far to costly not properly diagnosed. As we know the later already happens. Diagnostic tools are changing, the move of scan tools & repair data to work exclusively through J2534 and its successors is going to continue. Only shops willing to subscribe to those services and make the best use of the investment will continue to prosper. Those are my thoughts, loosely put together.

I agree entirely will all the above statements. Is any lobbying organization looking for stricter Inspection standards? We should all write our Assembly representatives and let them know our thoughts. Increasing tire wear and adding ball joints is a big issue for me. I feel as if I'm doing someone a disservice passing them on NYS Inspection in a snow storm with just 2/32" tread depth and giving them a piece of paper from the State telling them their car is safe for another year.

kinda off topic but we used to have a customer just like this. eventually it got so bad that we had to say no. when she passed I think the SPCA recovered 50+ cats from her falling down house. on the same subject we will turn down people who are unhealthily not sanitary and I personally refuse to work on a vehicle with excessive patchouli oil smell

We almost never take walk ins (flats and bulb or battery changes are the exception). We book everything by appointment usually at least two days out. If a customer asks if they can get in for xyz I don't say no but instead offer to make them an appointment. I've found its a lot about the approach. Hopefully in the future software will helps us manage this problem better and even more to the liking of the customer. So far it works out pretty well, we do occasionally have someone go elsewhere for something like an oil change or snow tires when the artic vortex is hitting but most customers are smart enough to schedule or even like the idea that we are never sitting around waiting for work.

Bill proposed in the state Assembly to change NYS Inspections to every 2 years. http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default_fld=&bn=A06200&term=2015&Summary=Y&Memo=Y&Text=Y I think ball joints need to be added to safety and tire tread depth should fail sooner. Annual inspections are good. Two of the other local shops here don't do Inspections so we see their cars usually just for inspections. Its insane how many of them fail. Your thoughts?