5 Star Auto Spa

For all the shop owners that perform a considerable amount of oil changes, where do you look to find the correct oil filter? We use All Data Repair and All Data Manage as our repair information/shop management software and it is not currently located anywhere in the system. The OEM oil filter part number is available but we do not use OEM oil filters and it requires an additional step to cross reference to an aftermarket filter, like Purolator. Is there an easy way to find this information in Mitchell or any other auto repair program other than cross referencing this information in another online webpage?

Thanks for all the comments! We've decided to pay our technicians for the hours that they would miss at work traveling to the site for training.

For all you shop owners who send your technicians to training, do you pay only for the class itself or do you pay the technicians his hourly rate for the hours he attends the class? I want to encourage my technicians to continually improve their skills and it seems like they would be losing hours if I did not pay them out for the hours they would have been here instead of in a training class. How do other shop owners handle this situation?

We also have Challenger lifts here at our shop......they have been good to us thus far!

We almost exclusively use after market brake pads and our comebacks for brake work are less than 5%. I agree with others that you have to find a good brand and also make sure technicians are doing proper brake repairs.

Took us a good 6 months to finally find the "right" technician for our shop. It's getting harder and harder to find quality technicians these days......

Is it possible to have the customer put a deposit down on the service/repair they are coming in to have performed? This would give the customer a vested interest in making it to a scheduled appointment......

I was going to say the same thing.....thanks Alfred! What type of warranty do you provide for the cars that you sell? When you say they CAN take up all of your time, are you referring to customers that have purchased the vehicles and are back to have repairs done per warranty?

Does anyone currently buy, fix up, and sell used cars? We were thinking about getting into it for down time for our technicians (there only so much cleaning that can be done!). Pro's and çon's of it for people that are doing it now......?

We pay our CSA's $13/hr + 5% parts and labor over the base sale. Roughly comes out between $16 - $19/hr.......

Does anyone currently use scripts for recommendation of common items for service advisors (filters, fluid exchange services, belts, etc.)? I've noticed that my advisors currently don't really go over WHY a filter, fluid exchange, etc. should be done but more so just recommend the service to the customer. If you do use scripts, anyone willing to share?

Is it any more difficult to sell work without being able to actually show the customer the issue? We typically only allow customers into the shop if they are escorted by one of our employees.

Just trying to get a feel for what types of benefits you all are offering for your technicians. Do you all offer the following: Health Benefits - If yes, 100% paid or 50% paid? Vacation Time - If yes, how many days/hours per year? Personal Days - If yes, how many days/hours per year? Use of shop for personal vehicle repairs? 401K w/ Company Match? Saturday's Off? Any other benefits?

So I contacted 4 different staffing agencies and only 1 of them stated that they provide services for auto repair facilities. The cost to look is free but if they place an automotive technician in your shop you have to pay them 1 years worth of the advertised salary. Not exactly cheap......

Has anyone here ever used a staffing agency to find potential automotive technician candidates?

I've posted on Indeed.com with better results than Craigslist........

So my interview flaked and didn't even show up. Why is it so hard to find a decent automotive technician these days??!!

Never heard of a limit on how much you can charge for parts........

We do not allow any side work per policy at our shop.

So I have a tech coming in for an interview this Friday so I decided to put together my own written test. I tried to attach it, but I received an error. Here it is pasted below for you all to use: 1. Technician A says constant-running release bearings are used with hydraulically controlled clutches. Technician B says release bearings move away from the pressure plate to disengage the clutch. Who is right? A. A only B. B only C. Both A and B D. Neither A nor B 2. All of the following are true about removing a differential assembly EXCEPT: A. the axle shafts must be removed. B. the bearing caps should be marked to the housing. C. the bearing races and shim pack should not be mixed up. D. the pinion gear always stays in the axle housing. 3. Which of the following is the best way to check component wear when assembling a transfer case? A. Prelube the components B. Clean components thoroughly C. Clean all sealing surfaces D. Measure clearances 4. The ignition module uses the digital signal received from the PCM for: A. rpm input. B. Hall effect timing. C. #1 cylinder signal. D. Computed timing signal. 5. While testing a vehicle for no-start, Technician A says that since there is battery voltage at the electric fuel pump connector with no fuel pump operation it must be a bad fuel pump. Technician B disagrees stating that a voltage drop check should be made at the fuel pump connector before the fuel pump is replaced. Who is right? A. Technician A only B. B only C. Both A and B D. Neither A nor B 6. A 12-volt battery has just failed a capacity test and is being charged at 40 amps. After three minutes of charge, with the charger still operating, a voltmeter is hooked up across the battery and reads 15 .8 volts. What does this indicate? A. The battery should be slow charged and put back into service. B. The battery’s electrolyte should be replaced. C. The battery is sulfated and should be replaced. D. This is normal; continue fast charge and return to service. 7. During a stall test, the stall speed is above specifications. Technician A says the exhaust system may be restricted. Technician B says the engine may have low compression. Who is right? A. A only B. B only C. Both A and B D. Neither A nor B 8. A customer explain that, “Intermittently the MIL will come on, and transmission will only have one forward speed.” Sometimes after the ignition is cycled the transmission functions normally until the same scenario reappears. While pressure testing, pressure in all ranges are found to be high. Technician A says the problem could be intermittent loss of electrical power to the transmission. Technician B says out-of-range turbine-to-output shaft speed sensor ratio during a shift could be the cause. Who is right? A. A only B. B only C. Both A and B D. Neither A nor B 9. During a main line pressure test, the pressure gradually decreases at higher engine speeds. The MOST likely cause of this problem could be: A. a worn oil pump B. a restricted oil filter. C. a stuck pressure regulator. D. a plugged modulator hose. 10. The headlights on a vehicle go out intermittently and come back on in a few minutes. Technician A says this problem may be caused by an intermittent short to ground. Technician B says this problem may be caused by high charging system voltage. Who is correct? A. A only B. B only C. Both A and B D. Neither A nor B 11. With the ignition switch off, the ohmmeter leads are connected from the starter solenoid S terminal to the solenoid case. The ohmmeter provides an infinite reading. The cause of this reading could be: A. the solenoid pull-in winding is grounded. B. the solenoid hold-in winding is open. C. the solenoid pull-in winding is shorted. D. the solenoid hold-in winding is shorted. 12. While diagnosing the cause of a blown fuse in the blower motor circuit, Technician A says a short in the blower motor circuit could cause the fuse to blow. Technician B says an open field winding in the blower motor could have caused the fuse to blow. Who is right? A. A only B. B only C. Both A and B D. Neither A nor B 13. A technician finds that an air-conditioning system has excessive high-side pressure. The low-side pressure is normal to high. A probable cause of this problem cause of this problem is: A. the condenser air passages are restricted. B. a leaking thermostatic expansion valve. C. an open bypass valve. D. a malfunctioning vapor control switch. 14. Technician A says that excessive steering wheel play can be caused by worn tie-rod ball sockets. Technician B says that steering wheel play can be caused by a worn idler arm. Who is right? A. A only B. B only C. Both A and B D. Neither A nor B 15. The thrust angle on a front-wheel drive vehicle is more than specified, and the thrust line is positioned to the left of the geometric centerline. This problem could be caused by: A. Excessive toe-out on the left rear wheel. B. Excessive toe-out on the right rear wheel. C. Excessive positive camber on the left rear wheel. D. Excessive wear in the left rear lower ball joint. 16. A voltage-drop test is performed on the fuel pump circuit. Technician A says a low-voltage drop across the fuel pump indicates that the fuel pump is serviceable. Technician B says that a high-voltage drop across the fuel pump relay switch indicates that the switch is serviceable. Who is right? A. Technician A only B. Technician B only C. Both A and B D. Neither A nor B 17. Engine Coolant Temperature integrity is being discussed. Technician A says the ECT readings can be compared with the IAT readings after the vehicle has set for at least eight hours. Technician B says the ECT should set a fault code if it is faulty. Who is correct? A. A only B. B only C. Both A and B D. Neither A nor B 18. During a cylinder leakage test, the engine is found to have 90 percent leakage on two cylinders next to one another. Neither cylinder will stay at top dead-center during the test. Which of these is the Most-Likely cause? A. Burned exhaust valves on both cylinders B. Holes in the top of the pistons C. A damaged head gasket D. A collapsed lifter or lash adjusters both cylinders 19. A loud thumping noise is present during all engine speeds. If the oil pressure is normal, which of these would MOST likely be the cause? A. Worn pistons and cylinders B. Loose flywheel bolts C. Worn main bearings D. Loose camshaft bearings 20. Undercar Specialist A says an oxygen sensor can be a voltage-producing sensor. Undercar Specialist B says an oxygen sensor is a thermistor sensor. Who is right? A. A only B. Specialist B only C. Both A and B D. Neither A or B 21. Undercar Specialist A says if vacuum is applied to a positive back pressure EGR valve when the engine is off, a good valve will open. Undercar Specialist B says if vacuum is applied to a negative back pressure EGR valve when the engine is off, a good valve will open. Who is right? A. A only B. Specialist B only C. Both A and B D. Neither A or B

That sounds like a GREAT idea Shopcat! I second xrac, any chance in sharing your questions?

I just spoke to my lead technician today and we are going to implement that idea on my personal vehicle for our next interview with a potential technician. I think it will give us a better understanding of if the technician's thought process for diagnostic work is what we are looking for or not.

When you all interview a potential technician, do you have a specific series of technical/behavioral questions you use to determine his/her diagnostic aptitude? The reason I ask is we have had technicians in the past who have been mechanics for 10+ years but after hiring them we find out they are not very strong in diagnostics, especially electrical. Just trying to see if there was something you all do during the interview process that helps you identify if the candidate is going to be strong in diagnostics.......

How do you they manage your online reputation?

We have the Snap On Solus Ultra here as well with the European upgrade. It's a great scan tool for most vehicles, but I have to admit that the euro coverage is actually pretty terrible for this tool. In hindsight, I don't think I would have purchased it knowing how many holes there are in it for euro vehicles.