[cumminsdoc]

At our shop an RO with a “Return for Prior Service” line is created and a copy of the previous RO is printed. The vehicle is given back to the tech who worked on it. This vehicle pretty much has priority over any other vehicles being worked on.  If it is found to actually be a problem with the previous repair or an original misdiagnosis the vehicle just gets fixed. If it is a new unrelated concern the customer is given an estimate for repair. in most cases the shop eats the diagnosis time. The shop owner handles all of these cases after the initial call from the customer reporting the concern.

[cumminsdoc]

I took my first ASE test back in 1991. I believe the 5 year expiration on the current tests is just about right. I have seen a whole lot of change in technology since I got into this field in 1988. Technology upgrades are happening at an exponentially increasing rate. I only see this rate growing. Between CAFE, emissions and ADAS all systems on the vehicle are being effected. When I started in this business we had been using the same refrigerant for 30 or more years. Since 1994 we have gotten two new refrigerants in production and I know of at least two more that are in development to replace those. While the basic operation of the system remains the same, ie using a change of state from  liquid to gas and back to liquid to remove heat from the cabin, the operational characteristics, control systems and safe handling practices are very different. Engine technology has been changing rapidly over the last 15-20 years and that pace of change is only quickening. Who would have imagined 10 years ago that we would see engines with no camshaft physically attached to the valves or even no camshaft at all? These are just a few examples. I could go on for days and touch every system on the vehicle. At the current rate of advancement I honestly believe we will see a day when the ASE tests will need to have a 3 year expiration period on some systems in order to be relevant.

[cumminsdoc]

Pad and rotors (2 wheels) 2.0 Tech & 2.6 Charge

Caliper, pads, and rotors (2 wheels) 2.5 Tech and 3.25 Charge

If I am reading this right you are paying the tech less hours than you are billing?

 

[cumminsdoc]

I have to disagree with you position on making the employee pay up front for the class. The employee should not be used as a bank for the business. If you are making the employee pay for the class up front and then repaying them months later they have just given you a loan. This is a very bad business practice that only leads to contempt from the employees. It can also lead to undue stress for financially strapped employees. This undue stress does nothing but hurt productivity.

[cumminsdoc]

Unfortunately our shop does not have a written policy yet. Personally I believe allowing smoking and vaping on the shop premises is a poor decision by the owner. First of all it represent an unprofessional image to our customers. Especially when employees are smoking/vaping in the building.

Second hand exposure is also a very serious issue. Most of the time we have no idea what the medical concerns of our customers entering the shop are. As an industry we don’t need to be doing things that offend or injure our customers.

Lastly there is the financial aspect for the owner.  Many studies have shown that first of second hand smoke increases increased absenteeism and lower production. Many insurance carriers also offer substantial discounts for having a smoke free campus.  All in all there are many reasons to have a written smoke free campus policy.

 

[cumminsdoc]

For those of you that don’t believe in rotation of tires I hope you like buying transfer cases on all wheel drive vehicles. All of the AWD vehicles built since the 1990’s can be damaged by a .5 inch differential in rolling circumference from the largest to the smallest tire on the vehicle. Many of the active AWD systems built since the early 2000’s can be damaged by as little as a .125 inch differential from larges to smallest tire. I have personally rebuilt/replaced transfer cases that have burned up clutches in as little as 15,000 miles because the customer failed to have the tires rotated causing excessive differential in rolling circumference. Not selling a rotation at every oil change on an AWD vehicle is doing your customer a disservice.

Tall assumption on your part how you think of those that understand the difference. We check LOADED diameter and have yet to have a single transfer case failure due to tires. Sets that don’t meet our loaded diameter tolerance are brought to the customers attention. You may wish to revisit your specs.

Thanks for your comments none the less.

My specs come straight from Chrysler engineering. Loaded or unloaded circumference makes no difference in the real world. The same amount of rubber for each tire has to roll down the road each time the tire goes around which ever way you measure it. I have literally had to deal with hundreds of Chrysler, Ford and Volvo AWD systems with shudder complaints since the mid 1990’s. Nearly all of them were traced back to mismatched rolling circumference of tires. Some could be fixed by just putting a good set of matched tires. Most either needed a viscous coupling replacement or  t/case overhaul. In drastic mismatch cases I have seen ptu’s blown apart dropping pieces as they rolled of the flat bed that delivered them to the shop. Do what you want with your customers. I will recommend to mine what I feel will do best to prolong the life of their vehicle.

 

[cumminsdoc]

Personally I do not believe in flushing transmissions. The best recommendation I have for them is a drain and refill with a filter change if accessible every 30-60k depending on how the vehicle is used. I have seen too many problems caused by the seal swellers included in the flush chemicals used in most systems. The flushing process also disturbs debris that is better off left alone.

As for brakes I believe in flushing at every pad and rotor replacement unless it has been less than 30K since the last flush. Tom Ham’s process of checking for moisture is the best indicator if you have the tester for it.

I see no reason to flush power steering systems more often than every 50k.

Cooling systems should be flushed every two years regardless what the bottle of coolant says. I only use that manufacturer specified for the vehicle. Once you see coolant turn in to finger jello and have to replace every component that coolant touches in a vehicle you will no longer believe that is such a thing as “universal” or “global” coolant.

[cumminsdoc]

For those of you that don’t believe in rotation of tires I hope you like buying transfer cases on all wheel drive vehicles. All of the AWD vehicles built since the 1990’s can be damaged by a .5 inch differential in rolling circumference from the largest to the smallest tire on the vehicle. Many of the active AWD systems built since the early 2000’s can be damaged by as little as a .125 inch differential from larges to smallest tire. I have personally rebuilt/replaced transfer cases that have burned up clutches in as little as 15,000 miles because the customer failed to have the tires rotated causing excessive differential in rolling circumference. Not selling a rotation at every oil  change on an AWD vehicle is doing your customer a disservice.

[cumminsdoc]

Overall this is a very good article. I do disagree partially with the point on written repair orders. The technician needs a written copy of the repair order to take notes on while performing diagnosis and inspections. A tech copy of a paper repair order can get dirty and not be damaged. A computer keyboard on the other hand will be quickly destroyed by dirt, oils and other fluids that normally found on a technician’s hands while working. The time to clean those hands every time an entry would have to be made after a step in a diagnostic tree would far exceed the time lost due to transferring those notes to the sms in a condensed form once testing is complete. The customer for the most part does not need to see every step in a test procedure. The condensed version is all that is needed. For warranty or court purposes this information is extremely helpful. Notes that are in the technicians hand writing also carry more wait in court and audit proceedings than notes made only in the sms. Computer printed notes could have been edited or added at any time after the customer received an estimate or there invoice for repair . The tech notes on that dirty repair order will show a timeline of when they were actually made.