Mario

I just pay hourly. I find it too difficult and unfair in my area to pay flat rate. We deal with too much rust, cars are older, the wide range of vehicles we work on (Ford, GM, BMW, VW) I can't expect my techs to be a speed wizard on every make & model. I tried paying flat rate, and had a good tech quit because he was not making what he needed. A combination of all of the above. I'd rather have the vehicles fixed correctly with little to no comebacks (come backs are very rare here). Nothing I hate more then having to fix/adjust/tinker with a completed job after the fact because somebody tried to "beat the book".

Don't quote in labor hours. Just quote a price. Quoting hours is a lose-lose. When I work up my quotes I always turn them on the hi-side of hours. That way in can absorb rust issues which happen on 80% of jobs in northeast ohio. It saves me from having to call the customer and adjust the estimate which they hate. Example I did 3.1l gm headgaskrt job last week. I think book was around 12 hours I quoted 14. I had two broken exhaust studs. No big deal, already worked in the price before I even knew about it. No changing if estimate (which they all see as dishonest). Every party is happy.

A lot of the older foreigners don't have them. My dad is 60 and only has a savings accounts. Never had a Debit or Credit in his life, but he has never had a check book either lol.

I buy them from American Tire Distributors. I like the VDO REDI-Sensors. They install very easy. They are not any more expensive then ones that need programmed. It just makes sense to me, comparable price as your traditional TPMS job, require no TPMS tools = more profit. I Just did a 2007 Saturn a few days ago. Changed out 3 sensors for an insurance job, performed a factory relearn and everything worked great without any programming. GM relearn is usually holding the lock and unlock on the key fob. This key fob was broken but my Solus Pro was able to initate the relearn from the scan tool.

I only install redi-sensors. No programming just do a factory relearn process. Sensors run about $40 a piece

Wow a parts store reflashing? None around here do that

I would install an engine (probably used). You may pour money into a head job again and have similar issues a month later. Install an engine with supplier parts and labor warranty and move on. This is the reason I try to stay away from head jobs, trans repairs etc...

Flat rate is unethical in an independent in my opinion. Way to many makes and models being serviced, plus the vehicles are generally much older then what the dealer sees. Talk to him maybe it's a shop problem, maybe it's his problem. See if you can straighten the ship.

I love family working together. Good luck with your business!

I had a 2004 jaguar x type in today with a door adjar light on the dash. My updated to 13.4 snapon solus would not tell me which door was adjar, almost every other vehicle I am able to get this info out of the scan tool. Would the autel maxidas give this info? Harbor freight had them online for about $899 a month ago. I heard from other shops the autel was more geared for euro makes. Any experience from any members?

Its built into my hourly labor rate.

I don't have the exact numbers on my insurance but I can get them in a day or two if you want them. With Erie insurance I pay about $195 a month for insurance on two buildings, shop keepers and garage liability. I believe it is pretty reasonable. I was with Nationwide insurance for a little while, the shop keepers & garage liability was the same, but the building insurance was much higher. So high that i actually did not insure the buildings for about 6 months then a Erie Agent came along and got me setup.

Saturdays are very busy here but all the commercial suppliers are closed at 2pm so it forces is to buy from the chain stores were our discount is not as great.

Erie Insurance

1 Million is standard for most shop insurance plans from what I see. I own my buildings but around here usually the landlord pays for the building insurance, the business carries the business insurance.

Seems like a good strategy. I normally don't do the deposits on jobs under $300, but if we are doing an engine or transmission I try to get the cost of the part + 20% down. I have done engine jobs in the past where the customer has not put anything down, and the car sits for two weeks before they come up with the money to pay. Talk about raising your blood pressure a few points lol.

I have had similar issues with the no call no shows. In my experience customers want it NOW, very few will wait (atleast in my area). We make the appointment for that very day, if it is going to take a few days, I tell them, but i try to keep the car with us. We normally give the customers a ride back if they can't get a ride, and start on the car. It may take a few days to complete if we are very busy (and we let them know in advance), but they minute they leave your lot with a quote they start calling around, price checking, and seeing who can get them in right now in this Mcdonalds/walmart land we live in.

I will play the negotiating game with a customer. Lets be real, car repairs are a big expense, and who in the right mind DOES NOT negotiate big expenses? Just a quick list of stuff I did not pay asking for: House (and investment properties), vehicles, my shop, my parking lot, my roof for my office, my lifts, virtually all of my high-end Snap-On equipment, tire machine & balancer, towing discount with local company. If a customer comes in and wants to talk their way into saving $20 off a set of 4 tires. Sure why not. Its $5 a tire whooptie-dooo. I'd rather make $100+ on a tire sale, mount & install that takes less then 90 minutes then send it down the road to the National Tire chain. If I quote a customer $2,000 for an engine job and we have $1300 in labor on it, sure I can take the $100 hit to secure the job and not send it down the road to my competitor. Some of you can't, and its probably because your overhead costs are killing you alive since you did NOT negoiate anything. Heck I even negoiated my INTERNET pricing with our local cable provider. They wanted $70 a month since it was a "business". I got it for the $35 month residential rate. Business insurance, yep they can lower that bill when you ask without cutting out any converage. I don't often get the guy in looking to chew me down on a price. To be honest its usually the foreigners. I guess growing up with "foreigner parents" I got use to the customary "lets make a deal". For the few times a month somebodies ask, I normally will come down a little to secure the job, its not running me out of business, it keeps the bays full, and a lot of these customers have been repeat and brought me a lot of work.

I use a snapon solus and it is a good scan tool but I still scatch my head when a 4,000 dollar tool can't even setup a CD player in a cavalier. We had to take it to the dealer to be done.

Anyways if you go to the weblink posted it some knock off asian equipment from a site I would never enter a credit card number into. I put his shop name into google (LBHY auto shop) and it has more knock off diag equiptment. Look at the picture of the shop and the cars, would a REAL shop that is not a SPAM account have that clientiel and still be looking for scantool advise?

What a gullible crowd we have.

Reminds me of my 2006 hyundai. I went on my honeymoon and my mom put seat covers on my car while I was gone (I have no idea why). Her fanagaling the passenger side seat tripped the light for the passenger seat sensor. Crap happens. Sometimes parts and sensors are in a marginal state and something simple like a seat cover install can be the end of them. Not your fault.

nevermind it worked, had to restart Firefox

Link does not work but I am interested in reading it. Can you try again? I use Firefox if it matters

I am 30days on used parts with no labor warranty unless purchased seperately from part supplier (engine, transmissions, rear ends etc). 1 Year unlimited miles on brake pads, rotors, starters, alternators, pretty much everything else. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My cliental can be kind of rough with the working class area I am in. Customers always come back trying to warranty stuff that is unrelated to the repair you did. Example I installed a LKQ motor in a Ford Fusion with a 12 month, 12k warranty purchased from LKQ, covers internal lubricated part. Within a year the Alternator went out, customer wanted it warrantied, and one of the accessories pullies started making noise and they wanted that warrantied. Big fuss over everything, but they act like a warranty is bumper to bumper for the next year.