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josephautomotive replied to the topic Belt labor upsale in the forum Customer Service 1 month, 1 week ago
I will confess that I have not looked up many warranty times for belts, but IMO I would have to be pretty daft to perform any labor operation for less than what a factory trained tech, using factory tools, gets paid by the factory to work on their own product under warranty. JMHO
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josephautomotive replied to the topic Belt labor upsale in the forum Customer Service 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Doubtful. Most give you a time to perform a specific operation without much consideration to how most techs work. If it does not say “includes” _______ you should not assume that it does. It would be nice if more guides listed common combinations.
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josephautomotive started the topic Ranger tire changer cheap fix in the forum Equipment And Tools 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Was having an issue with the bead seater on a Ranger tire machine, which is also typical of many others. The “blast” (quick exhaust) valve on these machines consists of a cannister containing a small rubber puck, that’s it. The valve is around $100 to replace, and the puck unavailable. A $3 # 9 rubber stopper cut down to about 1/2 in height to…[Read more]
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josephautomotive replied to the topic Shortage of Vehicle Technicians Continues to Worsen in the forum Employees 1 month, 2 weeks ago
It is only going to get worse. The supply of “dumb kids” sent to auto shop class, and motor sports enthusiasts that the industry relied on for decades is drying up, and people capable of doing the job can make much better money elsewhere
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josephautomotive replied to the topic Belt labor upsale in the forum Customer Service 1 month, 2 weeks ago
I hadn’t been charging extra for that, mostly because I get a 60% gpm on belts, however you do make a valid point about routing and installing serpentine belts on today’s vehicles, some of which require lifting the vehicle, removing splash shields or mounts etc to replace the belt We are no longer talking about simply slipping it of the c…[Read more]
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josephautomotive replied to the topic Tire profits in the forum Parts and Tire related topics 3 months, 1 week ago
I usually get $22.50 for mount/balance and disposal, plus an average gross profit margin of 28%. A set of tires usually means around $200 gross profit on the job. I am an indy garage in a small rural town, so I only sell 1-2 sets per month. I don’t try to volume price because I have to order tires JIT, and could not sell in volume anyway
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josephautomotive commented on the post, How’s the Trump Economy Working for Your Auto Repair Shop? 4 months, 1 week ago
Not well at all! Of course most of my customers are farmers, and they are suffering from low corn, bean, hog, and cattle prices from these tariffs. Then add on rising parts costs..
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josephautomotive replied to the topic RV Winterization Service in the forum Everything Else 4 months, 1 week ago
Seems to me there ought to be a lot of potential here, add fuel stabilizer and generator maintenance to the list
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josephautomotive replied to the topic RV Winterization Service in the forum Everything Else 4 months, 1 week ago
I only bring up the anode rod because on the majority of RV’s you must remove it anyway in order to drain the water heater. Since most water heaters would require 6-10 gallons of RV antifreeze, it makes sense to drain it and install a bypass valve if not already equipped, reducing the antifreeze requirement down to 2 or 3 gallons total. And m…[Read more]
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josephautomotive started the topic RV Winterization Service in the forum Everything Else 4 months, 1 week ago
Any of you doing annual RV winterization? If so what do you include and what do you charge? On my personal RV we are talking a couple gallons of the pink stuff, 3 or 4 fresh cab rodent repellants, and maybe a fresh anode rod for the water heater. Also charge up and test the house battery. Of course my old camper has a water heater bypass val…[Read more]
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josephautomotive posted a new activity comment 4 months, 1 week ago
Don’t laugh: TIDE powdered laundry detergent. I have used many things over the years, but Tide really cuts the grease. If you have a sump or pit that smells, OXYDOL with bleach, takes take of that funky odor, as well as cleaning the floor
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josephautomotive replied to the topic Growing Severity of the Supply Shortage in Vehicle Technicians in the forum Employees 5 months ago
I have spent my entire career screaming “It’s the money,stupid” but no one listens, they would rather cry about how they can’t find techs
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josephautomotive replied to the topic What if Automotive Diagnosis and Repair is Getting Easier? in the forum Shop Design & Efficiency 6 months ago
its not.
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josephautomotive replied to the topic Rotate with 1/2 balance in the forum Everything Else 6 months, 1 week ago
I usually do a check spin at rotation time, and it is not unusual to see a tire out by an ounce or more at 10K. .5-.75 is pretty common.
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josephautomotive replied to the topic Rotate with 1/2 balance in the forum Everything Else 6 months, 1 week ago
While we are on the topic, I am curious to know what you all get for tire rotations, and wheel balancing. Seems to me that these are often used as a loss leader or even a freebie to get a chance to look at the brakes, and wheel balancing is artificially low because it is so often sold as part of a new tire package. Me I figure a rotation and ba…[Read more]
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josephautomotive replied to the topic Rotate with 1/2 balance in the forum Everything Else 6 months, 1 week ago
Not a bad idea! I mean how many of us have done a straight tire rotation only to have to pull it back in the shop to balance the front tires because we now have a shimmy? I know I have. I prefer to sell a full rotation and balance all 4 wheels as I am convinced that an imbalanced rear tire is still hard on things like wheel and axle b…[Read more]
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josephautomotive replied to the topic GM preformed brake line kits for full sized pickups in the forum Parts and Tire related topics 6 months, 3 weeks ago
Well I have been seeing times ranging from 4.5 ( the OE TSB) to over 12.0 with most guys saying about 8.0 and Chiltons publishing 7.7 Still seems like you need to raise the cab up a little to clear the mess at the left rear cab corner and to access the clips
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josephautomotive replied to the topic GM preformed brake line kits for full sized pickups in the forum Parts and Tire related topics 6 months, 3 weeks ago
Of course there is not a repairlink dealer within 200 miles of me. An OE application chart would be nice, it is a real PITA to have to phone the dealer with a VIN every time you want to write an estimate
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josephautomotive replied to the topic GM preformed brake line kits for full sized pickups in the forum Parts and Tire related topics 6 months, 3 weeks ago
Great, now can you tell us which major parts suppliers carry them?
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josephautomotive started the topic GM preformed brake line kits for full sized pickups in the forum Parts and Tire related topics 7 months ago
I have seen these from Dorman in recent years, and curious to know if anyone is installing them? Average labor times? also how do you route the preformed lines? Are you raising the cab and or box, or removing the fuel tank for access? The one thing I do know is running and splicing new lines, especially to the front of the truck is a major P…[Read more]
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