Mario

Has anybody worked with an extended warranty company before? I dealt with my first one today, and it was not a good experience. I had a customer who bought a 2000 Ford Focus from a used car lot and purchased the extended warranty. The customer did not trust the used car lot mechanic because of some prior history they had with shady repairs/run around stories. They called my shop, I talked to them, and they told me they had an extended warranty program they had purchased. Before they came in, I called the insurance company to make sure it is somebody I could do business with, and everything sounded fine so we scheduled an appointment for two days later. The customer drives the car to the shop at 9AM and it dies on the street and they coast it into the parking lot. I walk outside, grab my battery tester, and it is dead. I charged it for a half hour, fired it up, tested the alternator on the car and it appeared to be the issue. I call up the insurance company to send them an estimate before I do any work. I am told they will have an adjust call me back. An hour later, I get a call back. I had an estimate prepared for the adjuster, I charged the same I would for any customer. My labor guide stated that an alternator would take 2.3hrs. I priced an alternator ($175 my cost, $227.50 with a 30% markup), added the diagnostic fee (1/2 hr, $30), and presented my estimate to the adjuster over the phone. I was told the warranty company would only pay an hour for labor ($60 vs $138) and that they could find an alternator for $133, so that is all they are willing to pay. I had never heard of the supplier or manufacture for the alternator, it would have to be shipped which would take a day. The customer was responsible for paying the diagnostics, the tax, a $100 deductible, and any extra cost that exceeded what they would pay. The adjuster was very rude, told me their is nothing to discuss, and that is what it is. Needless to say I had to turn down the job because I couldn't absorb any of the cost (nor should I have to), and the customer (rightfully) didn't want to pay anymore then the $100 deductible they thought they should pay. As a courtesy I waived the diagnostic for the customer and returned their deposit. I explained the situation to the customer and they understood. I gave them a 10% off labor coupon for their next visit and hope they return, but this particular extended warranty company really could have damaged my image with the customer.

Well a little update... I actually went with both of those lifts posted and have been using them everyday. I have had no problems with the two post lift to date. The 4 post had issues catching the lock on one of the rear post due to a mistake in installation (the installer did not drill the concrete square). They came out and shimmed the lock so it catches now. Other than that we have had no issues. The 4 post is more of a parking/light service lift vs the heavier duty lifts that most shops have. Once the volume picks up in the shop, I'd like to sell it and upgrade to a beefier lift. We are looking to add a third lift this year, a 11,000+ swing arm, but still weighing the options.

I know the tech school here (Stark State) does very little hands on education (actual repair work) with their students. Most of it is book work, repair theory, learning how to use the new scantools, DMMs, etc... The few cars they do work on are brand new cars donated to them. It isn't bad loosening bolts on a car that is only 8 months old. Try loosening suspension bolts on a car that has seen 7 or 8 good Lake Erie winters. Not so fun. I have been told they don't do more hands on repairs in the shop due to insurance liability because of past injuries.

Well I have never been a fast mechanic because in my personal opinion fast = sloppy. However; if you are looking to cut out "dead air" time with your mechanics, possibly a small profit sharing incentive will improve that. Hourly rate + commission for the job.

I check the forums almost daily. I am learning a lot from ASO and enjoy the atmosphere you have setup around here Joe. As a new business owner some of the experience, tips, and information offered on this website have been excellent and really give me a direction to follow in daily operation.

The Autozone here is about 2 miles from my shop and are great to deal with. The store manager is one of the nicest men I have met and has given me banners to hang up in the shop, parts lists, stops by weekly to give me the store specials, refers me customers etc... In my area Autozone is also the only game in town that will pay you the labor when you have to warranty out a part. They also have changed many of their parts brands to improve quality on alternators, starters, brake pads etc...

This is what i ordered:

I have a customer trying this with me. I have his pickup truck here which needs a transmission. I quoted him for the job, had the truck towed (at his expense, but I paid the driver) here. He then called me asking me to look over the engine to see if the truck was worth putting a transmission in. I told him I would give it a quick glance to see why it wasn't running properly (besides the transmission). I pulled some codes for a multiple cylinder misfire, and it ended up being the firing order. I fixed it, replaced the cap, rotor, and plugs (at his request). He then comes to pay his deposit on the transmission job and asks why his bill is $278 higher then I quoted him. I explained the caps, rotor, plugs ($38 parts, $114 labor), the towing ($50), and tax ($96.72) was the reason why. I then got the earful about how times are tough blah blah blah and he wants to make payments. I am a nice guy to a fault and said I would see what I could figure out, but after I took a step back to think about it, its too risky to figure out. He needs to come up with the money because I can't take a chance on getting burned. I haven't been around long enough, but I have worked in the trade for a while, and if you get burned on money, good luck trying to collect. I too am interested in what our veteran shop owners think/do about this situation. Joe?

Midnighteuro, Are you just simply advertising your business on the postcard, or are you offering a discount along with the post card?

xrac, they were half page advertisements. Midnighteuro, do you have a pretty good return on the post cards being placed on vehicles? I would love to put ads in coupon books, newspapers etc... but at the moment it is just not in the budget. Postcards I am sure are more affordable and something I am willing to try out.

Well a little update. Since I made the original post, I have had a few advertisement companies come by. Most of them are coupon books that want a 3 month commitment and they cost right around $1100 for most of them. I was a little turned off by them since they did not offer any statistics on how many coupons are generally redeemed per month in each industry. At this point I can't afford to take a chance on it. I had a lady visit that runs an independent marketing company and was working on an advertisement flyer with the East of Chicago Pizza Co. which is less than a mile down the road. I signed up to have my ad placed on 10,000 pizza box flyers (should last around 6 months). I put two service coupons on the flyer, and it comes out in February. She said they see a return of about 1-3% on coupons (100-300 customers). For the price I am paying, even one customer redeeming a coupon will pay for the ad. Other than that I had some bigger jobs come up which have helped take the heat off me. I haven't had any response from my mobile sign so far, but my business has been open hardly even a month yet, so I am still optimistic, and I believe tax returns will help bring in new customers.

Hello all, I opened up my new shop about two weeks ago. I bought an older building that was pretty run down, but had a bigger lot, came with another smaller building for an office/waiting area, and it was on a busy main avenue that backs up to a large residential area. I spent all summer rehabbing the building. I re-paneled the three garage doors, painted the existing wood siding, fixed the inside, added a bathroom, fixed the exterior of the small building (I have not started on the interior), added lifts, machinery, electrical etc... then I ran into a problem when I opened.... I have little to no drive-in business from the street. My building sits at a Fork in the road, right in the middle of the fork is an established tire shop. They just sell used/new tires and do light brake work. They don't have any lifts or equipment outside of tire machines & balancers. It is a two bay shop. To the south of them is my shop. At the front of my lot is the small building, then in the back is my garage. I'll admit the garage can be hard to see at times as its 100ft off the road with the small building blocking a lot of the view. I placed a 10x3 banner on the side of my building with a sign that says DUKE AUTO SERVICE and a big red arrow pointing to my garage. I also rented one of the 4x8 mobile signs yesterday. On the front of the building I placed a 6 foot banner that says DUKE AUTO SERVICE NOW OPEN and I listed some of what we do underneath. I visited some of the used car lots to introduce myself etc... and try to get some work from them. One problem I am having is I am not from the area, its about 30 minutes south of where I live. I don't have many/any connections. So far most of the work I have done is from neighboring businesses and referral, but I need more. Any tips from those who run shops that don't sit right on the sidewalk? I am looking for realistic ideas for my situation, radio & TV are not in the mix. I placed an ad on craigslist (so far a waste of time), I am actively pursuing used car lot work, and passing out business cards everywhere I go (you'd be surprised how many businesses DON'T want your card).

I have heard a lot of complaints from people over 10% ethanol fuel, but I haven't had any issues, and two of my vehicles are still carbureted, my trucks EFI is from the early 90s, and my everyday driver was built around 10% ethanol as the standard. My seasonal equipment (weed eater, lawn mowers, ATV) have always been hard to start after storing regardless of ethanol in the fuel or not. Could it be that ethanol is just a scapegoat for other underlying issues with vehicles? I don't know, I am just speculating.

Do you mind if I ask why you would want a scissor lift? I looked into them because I thought they were more economical, but as posted above, they are near the price of some two posts lifts. With a scissor lift, underneath the car is pretty limited. If its for the price, I did a lot of research on automotive lifts, and many of these lifts are manufactured by the same company, but painted & sold under different labels. Example... Quality lifts are made at the same plant as Challenger, but not as expensive. The lifts I just purchased are made by same company that manufactures some of the Direct Lift models.

Does anybody (or has anybody) own a off brand 2 post or 4 post lift? I am moving into a shop (finally) and am looking into getting a 9,000lbs 2 post and 9000lbs 4 post. This garage is a 3 bay, and generally most the cars I work on are under these weight limits. With that being said, I am on a budget. The two lifts I am considering are here: Two Post Four Post From what I was told these are the same lifts that the smaller named companies slap their stickers on and sell. I will be ordering them with upgraded power units.

It sounds like Mr. Cain may be dropping out of the race soon (after he discusses it with his wife, according to the local radio). Partisan politics in general are just dirty. Candidates such as Buddy Roemer will never get attention because they want to limit the influence ($) that businesses, unions, and social/economic groups have on elections.

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.

I disagree Joe. Everybody who reads the thread I assume is a mature adult. Everybody has their opinions on subjects. I don't see a reason why we cannot discuss. To respond to previous posts. Yes, Monica Lewinsky had consensual sexual encounters with the president on multiple occasions. She was not sexually molested, raped, or advanced towards without her consent. What Clinton did was not illegal, but it was unethical. If I recall, Clinton got hammered pretty heavy from the media during this entire fiasco and it still tarnishes his reputation. Along with the Paula Jones ordeal. The allegations against Mr. Cain are based on non-consensual encounters, and they are backed by "settlements" (or agreements as he has stated) for the women to leave the company to keep them quiet (by 2 women). Of course this is all just alleged, and like I said, it happened so long ago their will not be a criminal investigation because it did not deal with murder. The last I heard 5 women have came out against Mr. Cain with allegations. Are they all true? Probably not. Like with what happened with Clinton, you have people jumping on the fame wagon for their 15 minutes and possibly some money if they can get it. With that being said, from what I have seen of Cain in the debates and interviews, I believe he will not win a nomination, and certainly not the presidency. His rolling point to his campaign is a 999 plan which we are not even sure if it will raise enough revenue to even fund the government at current levels or even near the current levels. His campaign has not even released a full plan for economists to study. I really get involved in government revenue and economic growth plans because I am a licensed 7-12 Social Studies teacher and am permitted by the state of Ohio to teach courses in economics. Heck, I just enjoy politics in general. And what "media biased" are you referring to? I watch commentators on Fox News all day long stretch truths, tell lies, and blow issues out of proportion when they concern democrats, and I see the same with MSNBC when it concerns Republicans. From just basic observation, it seems that the Republican party does setup our candidates to become targets by the left media. For some reason the GOP is hell bent on campaigning on family values, christian faith (as if their are no christian dems?), common sense, and morals. So when they slip up, the left media has a field day with it. How is the media in your area? In North east ohio, all we really get on the radio is strong right wing conservative stations, and our newspaper (Akron Beacon, Plain Dealer) are pretty liberal, but I wouldn't label them far left, but they push it sometimes. I guess to sum up my lengthy rant (which it wasn't intended to be, it just ended up that way), I am little disappointed in the GOP candidates in general. I don't see a real strong political candidate that the public is going to feel they can trust and support. It is going to end up being Newt or Mitt. Newt is too far right, and the media will eat up Romney because he is mormon and has changed his stance on many topics recently (the whole flip-flop ordeal we seen with John Kerry). And to play devils advocate, why are some willing to give Herman Cain a pass on his allegations and take them lightly, but the same isn't happening for the Penn State coach? Is it because the right wing media is willing to brush off what Cain MAY have done simply because he is a republican candidate and the Penn State Coach is a public employee so he gets no get of jail card? If you ask me, they are both sick in the head if these allegations are true for either party, and the lord has a special place for them when their time comes.

Bill Clintons was consensual between himself and another woman. The allegations against Herman Cain are not consensual and he used his position in the company(ies) in an attempt to force women to partake in inappropriate activity with him. Sounds like a scum bag to me if everything ends up being true, but he will never admit it during his campaign. More then likely the statue of limitations would have ran over for the cases so we will not get any legal investigation. If it doesn't end up being true, good luck campaigning Mr. Cain.

I recently just painted a foam sprayed roof on my parents tobacco shop. A bucket of white elastomeric roofing coating cost $70 here and is 4.75 gallons. I was able to cover a 936 sq. ft roof with two buckets ($140) and had a little bit left over. If you dong't mind getting on the roof (ours was a flat roof) you can save a lot of money doing it yourself. All I used was a nap roller and pole with a brush to get the edges. It took me a little over two hours.

I somewhat disagree on the philosophy that the government needs to be run like a business. The government needs to be run efficiently, but how much of the "pie" would a business oriented government leave for the people? I guess what I am trying to get to without winding myself is we simply just need more steady middle class jobs in the country. Remember in our line of work, $60-$90 an hour for services is an entire days pay for a lot of people, in particular my customer base. I personally know a lot of businessmen, some in my distant family, who have not had to take any sacrifices but have cut employees and pay to maintain or increase their standard of living. If my customer base had a influx in real money (not inflation pay), it would make it possible for me to sell more maintenance and minor repair work that gets put off due to cash. Alex, I think Christie has said he would not run. Plus at a national level, Christie will turn off a lot of voters due to his position on conceal carry. Even if people do not conceal or would not even want to conceal, a political influence group like the NRA would ruin Christie in the media in my opinion. Romney seems to be pretty moderate, along with Cain, and I think people are fed up with the strong right vs the strong left (John Bohner (SOF) vs Obama) that Romney is going to get the nod for the republican candidate.

Hello AutoShopOwner forum members, My name is Mario and I am starting a auto repair business in Massillon Ohio. I am currently in the process of purchasing a property that needs to be rehabbed and tooled. This is my first business I have tried to run. I actually finished college with a double major in Education - Secondary Social Studies & History. The job market is not there for teaching at the moment. I have always loved interacting with people, working on cars, and overcoming a challenge. I have been lurking the forums for a few months now reading threads trying to learn as much as I can. I hope I am able to contribute heavily to the forums here in the near future! - Mario