Jim Masella
Forum Replies Created
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For Napa car care centers there is such a matrix chart. It’s done by Vin Waterhouse and it’s free to all Napa car care centers on their website. It shows the the average dollars and percentage for all reporting stores and another set of numbers for the top 25% in the nation. Then they offer a chart where you can put your numbers in and compare it to the nations numbers.
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Mostly just tires for us. We have not been able to get the brand we like sometimes but other then that and some dealer parts we have not had a problem. One of my suppliers has told me he stocks a lot more now because he has trouble getting parts but I have not seen it at my shop. I will honor an estimate up to 6 months if I can. I don’t like changing the price on people and will eat a little but not a large difference.
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Thanks Tom. I think I’m gonna go with Honda/Toyota makes in my area. I would like to do BMW/Mercedes, but I’m not a euro specialty shop, so I don’t know how well that would go over.
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Ran my whole shop on QB’s Enterprise solutions for 20yrs. Now looking to switch to Mitchell w/bolt on (a little pricy) or Shop Boss (less expensive and in cloud). Any advise would be helpful. (Need electronic work orders due to distance from office to back bays and would like to try DVI.
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I agree with Tom. The only thing we do extra on top of the factory maintenance is brake fluid flushes that I don’t seem to find in the manual on most manufacturers. If we find a fluid is dirty During our inspection we will recommend it whether it’s due for my mileage or not according to manufacturer. Seems to me that every 30,000 miles per power steering flush is is a bit excessive, we hardly ever do them unless the fluid is real dirty. You won’t find that in an owners manual.
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Hi Dan, for a less expensive route, I installed a system myself for about $700- Defender-usa.com. I bought a 2T hard drive system w/ 8 cameras expandable to 16. I installed a total of 10 cameras so far. Reviews were great. Purchased from walmart.com w/3 or 4 yr extra warranty. Hard wired, each camera came with 60′ cables and I purchased some longer cables on the internet cheap for the longer runs. hardest part was running the cables. Has good night vision. Can pull up on my ipad at home 24/7 with app that is no charge. I ran cables from the DVR unit in my comun. room to my desk and have a 24″ monitor w/mouse to operate. Very happy with it so far, but it is the only system I have ever had. (nothing to compare it to). Can zoom in on monitor but that is not done with the cameras. Very clear picture on monitor but not so clear w/ipad/ remote view. I also put in on my front counter monitor thru internet so I can see if a bay is open. Any questions feel free to call me at Masella’s Auto Repair in Venice, FL 941-488-1122
Hope this helps,
Jim M.
P.S. I got an estimate of $99 mo. for 5 yr lease then own it- ($6,000)
Defender HD 1080P 16CH with 16 Bullet Cameras
$699.99 USD
HD 1080p Live View & Recording
Up to 130ft Night Vision
IP66 – True Weather Resistance -
Larry, thanks for your input on QuickBooks. I’ve been using QB’s as a shop management program since 1996 for everything. I keep hearing people say I’m missing out by not having an automotive specific program. I have checked out Mitchell SE Manager and it seems to be very popular w/few complaints but I have gotten so fast w/QB’s, I don’t know that I would save much time with a new program. I also own my QB’s Enterprise Solutions software outright. I also don’t like the idea of have two different software systems for management and accounting. I would like to connect with you to share QB’s Ideas, ie. how to run some reports, etc. I also see you do a lot with marketing, something I am weak on. Please contact me if you will. Masella’s Auto Repair Inc. Venice FL. Jamasella@aol.com.
Thanks, Jim M.
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Finding a hard time getting A rate techs. Does anyone have a competency test for new hires? Like a modified ASE test.
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Feel free to call me if you have any questions
Jim
Masella’s Auto Repair
Venice, FL -
I have used QB’s since 1996. I is probably the most cost effective system out there. You can customize your invoice, write estimates and convert to invoice later, payroll, and many good reporting features. I love being able to pull a P&L statement at any time and compare it to last year to date. It always works and is very reliable. Drawbacks are 1. Not great for CRM. I can’t figure out how to pull a report on customer’s that have been in from 1 to 3 years ago without a lot of manual work. You can set up your customer’s name and then have their cars as jobs under their name. You can make any customer’s car “inactive” when they get rid of it. 2. If you use QB Pro, you WILL get locked out at 14,500 customer’s. Then you have to upgrade to QB Enterprise Solutions for about $2,000 for a 3 user pack. (a big jump from the $150 program you start with. 3. If you do payroll and want to use Intuit’s payroll taxtable download, they will only work with programs within the last 3 years. ie: you must upgrade every 3 years or calculate payroll yourself and enter the numbers in QB yourself. QB will still do payroll w/your numbers- I use Suburban payroll’s website- it’s free- for calculating withholding and FICA.
I’m checking into software that works with QB for CRM right now.
I won’t switch do to the process of having 2 different software systems to check invoices for a long time. Plus everyone know how to use QB’s. It’s so easy to use.
Jim Masella
Masella’s Auto Repair, Venice, FL -
12:00-1:00- unless a customer is waiting, then my techs may take a later lunch. I also allow my techs to take a different lunch time if I have notice. I cover the front office myself during lunch and may take a later lunch myself.
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We put in a Kerig coffee station and small frige with free water and soda for customers in the waiting room. The response is very positive from our customers. They overwhelmed with the gesture. It only cost about 13 cents per water, 25 cent per soda, and K-cups are about 35 cents each. Small investment for the feedback I get from my customers.
