Joe Fordyce
Forum Replies Created
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I think before you do any of the above, you need to decide what services you are going to provide. For example, if you want to properly service European cars, you may have to invest a lot more to be well-supplied (oils, fluids, scan tools, etc.). If you are going to try to service all makes and all models, you should be prepared to get in over your head until you learn your capabilities. How many techs will you have? Are they already in place? What are their qualifications? Do you have equipment that needs upgraded before you can really start providing high-level service?
These are the kind of basics you need to establish before you get too far into what software is best. No matter what anybody says, all vehicles are NOT the same.
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Food can be a good way to get the whole crew together. If you are gathering all for a meeting, sometimes it makes it easier to corral them all. For several years now, we use the money from our scrap to pay for lunch. When scrap was higher, we did it every Friday. We would either cook on our grill, or order something. Since scrap went down, it has been shaved to once per month, but it still fills all the bellies and gets the crew together. Having a full collision shop generates much more scrap than the average mechanical shop might, but it can still be done if you have the facilities to handle additonal dumpsters and/or scrap carts. (We keep a roll-off dumpster outside for steel, aluminum stays inside in pallet boxes)
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You will come out ahead if you get the GM kit. Saves a lot of time trying to bend everything just right. There aren’t that many that require that you actually have to lift the cab or bed to do them. I think the last kit I bought from my Chevy dealer was $49 on RepairLink. How could I not buy it? Even if you have to make one or two, or join two sections with a union, you still come out ahead.
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I have taken a different approach in the last few years that is really working well. I prepare a full estimate for the work needed, using parts that I would normally source, and a labor rate higher than normal (you know why). After calling the warranty company, I subtract what they will pay from my estimate, then tell the customer that the warranty company will pay X. They are responsible for the balance. Shall we proceed with the repair?
More often than not, they have a few words about their warranty being worth nothing. The bonus is that they know right away how much they’re on the hook for, and that we are not the bad guys.
I commonly state that very often, those warranties aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on, but at least they’re stepping up and paying $X, so that’s X not out of your pocket. I tell them the warranty company is only paying X because they want to use [insert substandard brand here], which we have found to be [insert substandard reason here].
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The Hunter rack interacts with the Hawkeye alignment system, so I would just go for that. Automatically unlocks the turnplates, and if you get the tire inflation system, it interacts right on the screen (plus it prints it on the alignment results). Yeah it’s more money, but you get what you pay for, especially in this case.
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By logging in to the AAA Portal, they want you to show who owns the vehicle, what was repaired, how much you discounted, and how much you charged. Yes they are farming, but they disguise it as creating a database to inform their members about possible upcoming failures on their vehicles. For example, if the 2009 XMachine is known to need a water pump between 65000 and 85000 miles, they may inform a member that they should have the water pump inspected carefully on their next visit. They also claim they will be using this info for members interested in purchasing a used vehicle, so then they can warn them of possible upcoming repairs that will be needed. Hard to say what else they’re doing with this farmed info, but that’s what they tell you on the surface.
They are also offering repair vouchers randomly to their members. Once we enter the vehicle repair info, they can be selected to receive anywhere from $10 to $100 in the form of a repair voucher that they can use on their NEXT visit. It works like a gift card type of payment.
AAA has rolled out a new program called Priority Service, which is just slightly different from the regular type of AAA referral we’ve gotten forever. Priority Service requires that you log in to the AAA site, then set your status to “Ready…” or “Not Ready to receive Priority Service Tows.” If you are set to Ready, that means that if AAA gets a tow call for a breakdown in your area, they will see online that you are ready. They will call and you must be able to give them a Yes or No on the spot to receive the vehicle. Part of the package is that you must perform triage on the vehicle within the first hour that it arrives at your shop. That doesn’t mean it has to be fixed, just has to be looked at/tested/diagnosed. Once that is done, you are free to tell the customer how long it will take to get it back up and running. You’re also REQUIRED to give the 10% discount to this customer for the job, but knowing that up front allows one to adjust pricing accordingly.
To answer your question, no, it has not been a windfall of riches for us.
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We bill out separately, tires are the parts, and M/B is the labor. I have raised the dollar amount on tire markup to cover us on the cost of wheel weights. All other pieces like TPMS rubber valve stems and regular valve stems still get added as needed. Tire disposal is a separate line item also.
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There are very few exceptions, but our rule is that WE will supply the parts to do the repairs properly, or we aren’t doing the repair. Once you let someone furnish their own parts, you lose control – of quality, warranty, and profit.
What exceptions I will allow: part is a specialty or rare item that cannot be sourced easily (and I have a longtime rapport with the customer), or a longtime customer, who usually does their own work, is not able to do the work for some reason like a recent surgery or something (Hey, I need pads but I can’t bend over for 6 weeks – can you help me out?) I have a few customers who do their own work as good as we do, but stuff happens sometimes.
You’ll be happy with your new policy, Dwayne.
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Bar Rescue is my favorite of that bunch. Also, the older versions of Gordon Ramsey on the BBC channel is a little more colorful than American TV, and is good viewing, in my opinion.
