douglas hillmann
Forum Replies Created
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Fast, quality, cost. Pick two. Call me old fashioned if you want or not “with the times”. If you are a high quality shop customers will wait. If they are in that much of a hurry they are not my customer. Turn them away on a regular basis and still booked at least a week out. Its worked for 22 years.
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The more you try to save here, the more it will cost later – hire a flooring professional and expect to pay around $5 a SqFt (or so) for a high quality epoxy
I have to echo this as I am getting ready to repaint my floor.
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Point of perspective for you. I built my shop in 2005 put down a military grade epoxy. It looked just like the floor in the pic when new. It lasted 15 years. We are a regular repair shop. As a specialist shop I would say we do more big work that most. The floor was mopped each week during those years. I am repainting the floor this year.
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I have used autoenginuity. A little better than a generic tool. Nowhere near the OEM tool.
Way off topic:
That being said I have to say I think Steve was wrongly thrown under the bus for what he said. The points he made are very valid. He is a specialist, as am I. He is correct that for the European cars generic tools do not work. The OEM tool is the ONLY tool that will give you truly complete information. If you want to be able to completely repair a car you will need the OEM tool.
I would assume that Steve’s comments stem from being in the same situation that I have been many times before where a customer brings us his car after going to a general repair shop that was not able to fix the car correctly because they lacked the proper tools to repair the car. We then are in a position where we have to talk the customer off the ledge because they now do not trust any mechanic based on past experience.
Now I am not saying every shop should be a specialist like I am, just this: Know what you are and be honest with the customer. Do not be afraid to tell them that you lack the proper tools to work at the level their car requires. Doing this will only help our industry as a whole and keep customers from automatically assuming we are trying to take advantage of them.
Thank you for your time.
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My SA is paid on % net profit after parts and breakeven point is met. If he does not meet the break even point does not bonus. It is human nature to figure out how to make things the best for me. So you need to make sure while they are not doing that the owner is not left out in the cold. My system only works if the owner is making sure all his percentages are in line. It is not set it and forget it.
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never,nerver,never quote prices over the phone. You may be able to give him a price, but you will never be able to tell him what it will cost untill you see the car. The whole game is getting the car in the shop. If he then shops your price and goes elsewhere, he was not worth your time in the first place. Concentrate on the good customers you already have.
I have fired service writers for giving quotes without seeing the car.
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up 18% ytd
