Upgrading Underhood Service
Earlier this year, we upgraded Underhood Service’s website. We completely redesigned the site to make it more mobile phone- and tablet-friendly. Now, it is easier than ever to view past and present digital issues of Underhood Service, renew your subscription and find technical articles on the fly.
The Key To Converting Callers Into Customers
Since the caller can’t see your service advisors, they will be far more influenced by your advisors’ tonality than by the words they use.
IMSA: The Series Born Out Of Spite
The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) was founded in 1969 by John Bishop with the assistance of NASCAR President Bill France, Sr. Some say that the formation of IMSA was the result of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) moving their Runoffs (The Olympics of Racing) away from the NASCAR-owned Daytona Motor Speedway to Road Atlanta in 1969.
How Long Is a Labor Hour?
Any tech will tell you that a labor hour can stretch to half a day if a lot of research is involved. Conversely, it can last 15 minutes if you know what you’re doing. Most labor guides typically don’t take into account how much research, diagnosis and equipment setup is needed for a given job — not to mention the time it takes to recover your 10 mm socket that just fell down into the engine compartment.
What is an Import Car?
When I started working on cars in the 1990s, repairing import vehicles was far different than domestics. If you looked under the hood of a Nissan pickup, it might have eight spark plugs for four cylinders. In 1990, Toyota put an engine on its side and placed it under the passenger seat of a minivan. Volkswagen even made a V6 with a single cylinder head.
The Top 5 Reasons Customers Should Choose Your Shop
With first-time callers just a mouse click away from contacting another shop, you will need to ensure that your advisors are at the top of their game when it comes to selling themselves, and your company, to the caller.
Have You Seen This Before? A Tech’s Guide For Dealing With Skeptical Customers
“Have you seen this before?” That’s the typical question asked by skeptical customers the world over. How do you answer that? A “yes” answer can lead you down a rabbit hole you don’t want to travel, while a “no” answer can present its own set of problems. This question is usually asked by a skeptical
Getting Involved To Nurture The Next Generation of Techs
Rather than looking for a senior technician, how about bringing in one of these recently graduated techs? The good ones will demonstrate that they are eager to learn. You may find that one of their previous employers put a broom in their hand rather than a repair order, so you could be their lifeline to a long and thriving career.
Proposed Border Tax Draws Scrutiny From the Auto Care Industry
The current Border Adjustment Tax proposal has drawn sharp criticism from advocates concerned about its potential impact on the auto care industry.
Nurturing The Next Generation Of Technicians
As shop owners, we wear a lot of hats. Unfortunately, it just so happens that talent development/trainer is not a role with which most of us are accustomed. We expect that Vo-tech schools will bring us service-ready technicians. For now, we need to adjust this expectation as these schools transition to a new model.
Autonomous Vehicles: Changes Are Coming
With every passing year, there are fewer cars and trucks needing throttle cables, distributor caps and spark plug wires. Even if we have lost these service opportunities, we have gained twice as many in the past two decades.
Human Resources: Putting It All On The Table
Hiring, firing and quitting are unavoidable events in the automotive repair industry. Everybody hates to deal with these aspects of the business because it can be risky on both sides of the table – not just monetarily, but emotionally, as well.
