A practical approach to auto repair shop management.
Mastering the Numbers
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Three tips from a lifelong parts professional to make sure you never get the wrong part
Every tech has wound up with the wrong part in hand, usually with a vehicle ripped apart and parts strewn everywhere. Obscenities are uttered, followed by some shouting across the shop to the service writer about how it’s costing time in the bay. Then again, maybe...
Pre-purchase inspections: The easiest way to put additional money in your till?
The used car market it topsy-turvy these days; I don’t need to tell you that. Between elevated used car values, incredibly strong demand, parts shortages, and a paucity of new vehicles, in a bid of what I can only assume is desperation to find a car, any car, I see...
What do techs recommend for a “car crate?”
Many drivers on the road have what I call “car crates” or “car boxes”: the milk crate or cardboard box you keep in your car for auto needs. As a rather non-mechanically inclined individual, I have one in my car, which is primarily made up of things I use fairly...
Ew, gross: are there cars you won’t service?
“Just blow into the tube and it will start right up.” The owner’s car was fitted with an ignition interlock, a machine that would analyze one’s breath for alcohol prior to allowing the vehicle to start. It was a common court order for DUI offenders in that state....
Can the flat rate system work better for a team?
If you’ve been working in an automotive shop for longer than about fifteen minutes, you know what the flat-rate system is and how it works. The system promotes some behaviors and disincentivizes some others—for better or for worse. Over the years, I have become pretty...