Are you adhering to the 300 Percent Rule? If not, here’s why you’re doing your customers a disservice. In the seven years that I’ve been in the automotive repair business, I’ve learned many lessons. One that really hit home concerns inspections. When I opened my shop in 2011, our inspections were not all that great. […]
An Inconvenient Truth
TAP Into Your Future
How to instill in your staff members a positive belief in the opportunities for change. Progressive shops employ a special business-building process. They possess a positive culture that will create the top 10 percent of shops in the industry and provide careers for the owners and staff that are second to none in the automotive […]
WHAT WOULD YOU DO: After a technician willfully damages a vehicle…
After a technician willfully damages a vehicle’s fender shrouds, the customer demands cash in the amount of the factory list price… What would you do? A customer comes in with a 2003 Chevy Suburban for some routine service work and rear shocks. The following Monday, the customer calls to complain about holes being cut into […]
Serviceability Report: Nissan Rogue
How do repairs on the newer Nissan Rogues compare to the older models? Here’s what you need to know. You, the technician, need a voice. I write these articles several times a year, and they also substitute for my therapist. After working on motor vehicles for decades, you start to question your perceptions. Did Nissan […]
NABC Names New Executive Director
Bill Garoutte, a 30-year veteran business development, marketing and collision industry executive, has been chosen to take the helm of the National Auto Body Council (NABC), succeeding founder and former Executive Director Chuck Sulkala who retired at the end of 2017. NABC members represent all facets of the collision repair industry and are well-known throughout […]
Registration Opens for ASA Annual Business Meeting
Register online now for the Automotive Service Association’s (ASA) 2018 Annual Business Meeting, scheduled for May 2-6, at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort Hotel in Orlando, Fla. Events will kick off with a continental breakfast sponsored by The Group on Thursday, May 3, followed by an open meeting of the board of […]
Home Runs Pay Off for Alzheimer’s Association
Jerry’s ABRA Auto Body & Glass, an honorary ASA member-shop, in Mankato, Minn., hit a home run last summer with the Alzheimer’s Association. In fact, more than 30 of them. During the 2017 season, the shop’s longtime partnership with the Mankato MoonDogs, the local amateur baseball team, paid off every time one of its players […]
CarMax Teams Up with RepairPal
CarMax, the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, recently announced that it is expanding its commercial relationship with RepairPal, a leading provider of auto service and repair via a network of its certified shops. Additionally, CarMax reported that it had made a minority investment of $5 million toward a new round of financing for RepairPal. […]
Industry Leaders Serve Aftermarket Customers
Two powerhouse companies recently joined forces to serve the automotive aftermarket. Advance Auto Parts, a leading parts provider and an ASA Sponsored Benefit Provider, and Interstate Batteries, North America’s leading battery replacement brand, have announced a strategic partnership that will make Interstate the exclusive automotive and specialty battery brand for Advance stores and customers starting […]
ASA-Illinois Shop Receives Small-Business Award
Clark’s Car Care, an ASA member-shop in Naperville, Ill., recently received a monetary fist-bump for its community support activities. Synchrony Financial, one of ASA’s Sponsored Benefit Providers, named Clark’s to its list of 2018 “Working Forward” Small Business Award winners. Clark’s is one of 10 winners of the 2018 award, each receiving the same amount […]
A Seat at the Table
When I find myself talking to fellow shop owners about joining the Automotive Service Association, I’ve noticed that the conversation has changed a bit over time. It used to be that the benefits your association offers were front-and-center. Since taking advantage of traditional benefits such as parts purchase, uniform or oil programs generally more than […]
Member Profile
A Mom-and-Pop Makeover How these California shop owners learned to save their business and the rewards of keeping it all in the family. Twelve years ago, Debbie and Gerry Vicario were awake in the middle of the night talking about a big issue: closing down their business. The husband and wife, co-owners of One Stop […]
