Tom Piippo
Forum Replies Created
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I’ve had the Pheonix system for years and it pretty much just sits in the box. It works well and is a quality piece of equipment, but the pressure bleeder, vacuum bleeder, and the two-man bleeder are all used first. I bought it because they said it would bleed (older) Ranger clutch master cylinders… They lied!
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I would like to have the dealer techs explain to me how a loose air filter could foul the fuel injectors. We see very few injector issues with all the ethanol in the fuel these days (tends to keep things clean!) I would also insist on knowing the REAL reason the car would not start. (Unlikely ALL the injectors failed at once)
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Administrator wrote:
> How is your marketing currently split?
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> _60____% Internet (website, email, internet ads, etc.)
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> __40___% Traditional
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We use quick set epoxy (2 part). Sets up in 5 minutes, good to go in an hour.
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I wouldn’t say ‘scary’, but business certainly has been different lately! The pitches, promotions, and the parts you sold last year just might NOT work this year. The long term customers you’ve had for years are now shopping around, we are no longer getting ALL of their business, (no matter what they tell you). Our new customers are no longer ‘wowed’ by the service that always used to ‘wow’ the new customers with. It’s hard to try to keep up and develope a better widget. We are always trying ‘different’ stuff to keep the bays full, and keep new people coming in the door. Internet marketing is beginning to look more usefull, but like any new tool, I have to play around with it for a while before I feel comfortable with it.
The last 2 weeks? I closed and took a road trip to Orlando for ASA’s ASRW. Had no income, but incurred no shop expences either.
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Dale Gervais wrote:
> How is sales tax figured? Cost or retail?
That depends on your state’s tax code. In Michigan, sales tax is charged on the $$ amount for parts listed on the bill. Labor is not taxed. (The simple answer. Tax codes are never simple)
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I hope it wasn’t a new module! You could try insetring a piece of steel brake line inside both pieces of the plastic tube. You may have to gently ream it out with a good drill bit, then set the tube with epoxy. Good luck and don’t do it again!
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Administrator wrote:
> How do you deal with failed transmissions at your shop? Please check all that apply. Feel free to explain why you do it the way(s) you select.
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> __X___ Rebuild them in house
Occasionally, on the good old 3 speeds, C6, THM 350, 400, 727, etc… When I do have a “trained builder” in the house for the newer ones, the comeback rate is unacceptable
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> _____ Sublet the entire job to a transmission specialist
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> __X___ Sublet the rebuilding to a transmission specialist, but do the R&R in house
Tried this before… when a problem comes up there is a lot of finger pointing… whose is responsible for the R&R?
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> _____ Refer the customer to another shop or dealer
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> __X___ Replace them with recycled units (used)
Sometimes, low value car…
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> __X___ Replace them with OE remanufactured or new units
Our favorite way!, nice warranty, brand recognition!
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> _X____ Replace them with aftermarket remanufactured units from:
I’ve had mixed results with these, sometimes hard to get warranty when you need it
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> ________________________________ (name of vendor/supplier)
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> _____ Other (please describe): ____________________________________
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I’m with you on that Tom. Not all dealers sell parts by MSRP, some make up their own matrix and then discount to us indy’s. For example, a local GM dealer suggests a bottle of AutoTrac II smurf oil cost 9, list 12,an out of town dealer will sell at 6, list at 9. Some dealers discount 15% off list, some give 30. I have argued with insurance companys and won on charging more than MSRP on OE parts from dealerships. I noted that if the dealership did the job, they get paid and make 50% on parts plus their inflated labor rate; I only need 40% on parts with a lower labor rate. I have never had a customer say “I can get this at the dealership for less!” although we have heard that about the local parts store.
Parts is parts, and they all get marked up regardless of MSRP.
Tom Lund wrote:
> Why does “list price” at a dealer make any difference to how you price your part? Why do you let some other company dictate what you need to charge to run your business? Ignore list price. Ignore it from dealers and ignore it from any aftermarket supplier. Use and trust your own price matrix. You will not get very many objections from customers. Don’t be scared.
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1: What brand of wheel alignment equipment do you have now?
Hunter Hawk Eye
2: How old is it?
8 Months
3: When do you plan to replace it?
15 to 20 years, but I’ll be retired by then!
4: What brand(s) are you considering next time?
I would stay with Hunter
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Check out the web site sponsors; AMI, George Witt Training, Auto Profit masters, etc…
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Robinair machines seem to set the industry benchmark. Several OE’s use them. I’ve had one for 5 trouble-free years. Shop around, decide if you need a fully automatic machine or a manual one with hand valves. Expect to pay about half of the figure you stated.
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It looks like this networking group is on its way
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Keith
Your problems are classic, much the same many of us have faced throughout the years. Your solution will be different than ours. Your best advice will come from yourself. I was finally able to make some intellegent management decisions after being educated by some of the sponsors of this forum, you will find some links at the bottom of this page. I’m not talking about taking one class, because there are many diverse subjects, but immersing yourself in management training such as AMI (Automotive Management Institute) who use classes by George (Becky) Witt Training and others to achieve the level of Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM).
There, I’ve made a shameless plug for some sponsors, but without them, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
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Sadly, the national average of technician efficiency is 55 to 60%, that is he is able to bill 22 to 24 hours of labor in a 40 hour week. The good tech’s are not average and will produce 90 to 150% efficiency. With your shop specializing on 2 brands, the tech’s should really be buzzing right along. I’ve taken a couple of days and paid my (new) guys to attend in-house training. This makes sure that everyone does the same job the same way every time (Just like at McDonalds) Everyone knows what to expect from me and I know what to expect from them. After 2 sessions in 2 weeks I saw a 50% guy go to 70%!
Another part of the equation is; are you billing all the hours they are working? You mentioned older cars, in our shop we do not deal with rust for free. If high mileage, old age and rust impedes the job, someone has to pay more. Has it been you? Has it been your techs? Has it been the customer? Again, with your speciality you would know the common trouble areas of a job. Be upfront with the customer and let him know there may be extra charges. If the job comes out cheaper, you are the hero!
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I looked at the VCI and passed. I have a friend who snagged a long term demo (3 months) and he isn’t impressed. On GM,s the Tech2 does more. The VCI is basically a laptop interfaces Mastertech and supports all Mastertech functions, even OE Toyota. The VCI needs an annual subscription to work. The KDS is a different tool. I hope this helps.
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I use this as a resource when developing an interview. http://www.jobinterviewquestions.org/questions/general-questions.asp
Sometimes I miss the boat when the candidate gives all the right answers, and I realize (too late) I didn’t ask the right questions… such as “do you posess reading comprehension skills?” or even more basically “do you read at a 6th grade level or above?” Just don’t be afraid to cut ’em loose after 3 weeks if you see bad traits coming out.
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70%, includes stuff the local store has to get because they don’t stock it. It’s not that we work on ‘unique’ stuff, we are in a rural area.
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“Must bring in every 3 months for inspection”
You realize the inspections are to be at ‘no charge’, don’t you? If you charge for the inspection, the customer has a choice of having it inspected anywhere, even his brother-in-law can do it as long as he is ‘qualified’.
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Here is yet another link to an interesting story. Another man’s experience with GROUPON and another provider, LIVING SOCIAL. The more information you have, the better prepared you are to make a decision.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/26/technology/groupon_vs_livingsocial/index.htm
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We use Customer Link as a CRM service; cards and emails go out daily (from a remote location). We also send estimates and completion notices via email (from our office) at least twice per week.
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You could be sure of getting repeat business.
For years you could be seeing the same customer for every squeak and rattle that wasn’t there before you did that brake job 5 years ago.
There are companies out there (like B-G products) that will help you market a “lifetime protection plan” using their products. Very painless, very limited liability.
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A>> Finding employees is easy!
B>> Finding one you want to keep is moderately diffecult
C>> Finding a keeper who wants to stay… well, thats tougher yet.
I have always emphisized training, in fact my new hires have to agree to one evening a month for technical training. I pay all expences, they give their time. The last tech who left (after training for 2 years) left the profession altogether. He said he saw “The writing on the wall” on future technologies and wanted nothing to do with it. He had been a tech for 28 years (along with a 5 year hitch as a Snap-On dealer)
You can train them and watch them leave, or, keep them stupid and they will stay forever!
I’ll still take my chances on training.
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I can always see the trend of a good moving part and decide to put one in inventory. What I have a hard time with is seeing the decline of popularity of a part, and sometimes it becomes obsolete before I know what happened. It would be nice to have an easily accessable report to help pick out the dead inventory. My current system is able to do it, but I am inundated with filters to make it work.
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While not quite as ‘out there’ as your ideas, here is what I did lately… Our local Hyundai dealership burned to the ground one night a few weeks ago (no, I didn’t do it!) Two days later I had a display ad in the local paper “For Qualified Hyundai Service, see Tri-County Motors”. It has worked quite well.
A similar idea I heard once… White page listings…
Buick Service- 555-1212
Ford Service- 555-1212
Dodge Service 555-1212
You get the idea, no shop name mentioned. The story goes, he got lots of calls; back when we used phone books.
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I think that most of us boss’s have a strong tech background and are naturally weak in the HR department. When I have this situation I have to grow some ‘nads and confront him and stand my ground. I have told employees to leave their cell phone in their car and check messages during his break time. It usually works. If they become confrontational, see the next paragraph.
By nature, we all tend to avoid confrontation. I keep reminding myself “I’m the boss, it is up to me to make this organization work. I’ve worked hard to get where I am and I don’t owe anyone a living; they have to work for it just like I do.”
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Even though I (you) may be working alone for a while, and putting in a few extra hours to get “stuff” done, I (you) will wonder why I (you) didn’t let this guy go many months ago. I (You) will have a burden lifted from my (your) shoulders, and I (you) won’t be wondering which jobs will be come-backs today! I (You) will have the satisfaction of knowing if something gets screwed up, it was by my (your) own hands… and thats just NOT gonna happen. I (you) will no longer go home and unload on my (your) wife and family. I (you) will get up early and go to work with a cheerful attitude knowing that “stuff” will get done today and I (you) won’t run in circles putting out other peoples fires; there is no one elses monkey to jump on my (your) back. I (you) then will find the time to draft a thoughtful ad to recruit his replacement stating the minimum qualifications I (you) seek and the benefits of working for me (you). I (you) may find a small display ad gets more attention than a classified buried in the “Help Wanted” section. I (you) may find it refreshing to have to choose from 5 or 10 qualified candidates instead of hiring the only guy who responded to the ad.
Life will be good again!
This is an excerpt of my autobiography, if I were to write one.
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I think we are seeing a trend here. This is from the Wall Street Journal…
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704050204576218813288848414.html?mod=dist_smartbrief
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If I kick the fuel tank to get the pump to run… line item test fuel pump…. $0.00
If I current ramp the pump, test pressure & volume for my 75 year old “A” customer, I add the test to the pump labor (he doesn’t understand about scopes, etc…)
If I do the same for the 35 year old CPA… It’s itemized seperately, PLUS he gets the printout from the PICO (CPA’s love paper)
So YES all the above (only because I know my customers)
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Administrator wrote:
> What kind of management software do you use?
_NAPA TRACs__________________
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> Does your management software have the ability/option to display jobs like this on the final RO/invoice:
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> Fuel system labor
> Fuel pump
> Fuel filter
> Lock ring
> Seal
> Total………………………………………………….$XXX
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We can do canned jobs, and with a LOT of manipulating make it come out this way, but time consuming… I’m curious if this format satisfies Michigan’s requirement of an itemized invoice?
