Will It Be All Right?
It will, if you focus on the details of your business and not just your problems. Consider committing to this plan for the next 90 days. It will really bring clarity to your position as owner/manager of the business. In…
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Low Blow Suburban
Chasing down the cause of an underperforming blower motor sheds light on a solution that saves time and money. Using a wire diagram is better than just looking at the fuse panel. With a diagram, you…
Customer was quoted a price for three jobs, but afterward claimed she had only authorized one of them…
... What would you do? The following story came from an ASA member with multiple stores. A customer dropped off her late-model Volkswagen Bug, claiming it needed a heater core. On inspection, it was determined that it did need one.…
Michigan Legislature Has a Mandate on Its Mind
Insurance committee considers ASA position on parts procurement bill. The Michigan legislature is back in session and has insurer-mandated parts procurement legislation on its agenda. Michigan State Sen. Joe Hune, R-22, chairman of the…
Serviceability Report: Honda CR-V
Which model year is easier to service: the 2011 or the 2016? I started my career as a motorcycle mechanic in the late 1960s. The local Honda shop needed a helper. After a day, I was hooked. I worked for…
Calling the Role
If everyone’s playing the right part, your shop can be a great place to work. In a previous installment of Ready, Set Service! we discussed the creation of a service-ready training model that provided insight into the topic areas to…
Tuneups March/April 2016
Book Your Hotel Now for NACE | CARS Have you heard the expression, “Get a room!” That’s what the planners of NACE | CARS 2016 are advising you to do – the sooner the better. This year’s edition of the…
The Positive Power of Teamwork
Hello, ASA members! It’s been a busy first of the year for the ASA board, our operations committees and our awesome ASA staff. You’ve probably heard that we’re launching new regional training programs. We had a great time recently in…
Tune Ups - Jan/Feb 2016
Recycled Rides: In the Spirit of the Season ’Twas the season for giving. And ASA members across the nation were donating their time and money to ensure that needy people have transportation. LaMettry’s Collision restored a…
A Sobering Thought
Why you don’t want to double down on a first-time hiring mistake. Regret “giving away” that Joe DiMaggio rookie card? Investing in that spaghetti farm? Getting married? We’ve all made a bad decision or two in life. And, hopefully, we…
The Real Math
What does it cost your business when employees don’t do their jobs? You won’t believe it. Many shop owners look at operating expenses and attack that topic as the main cost-reduction plan to increase their bottom line. The fact is,…
Game Plan: Toyota MR2
The first shop gave up. So did the second, third and fourth. So what did we say when it wound up in our shop? Bring it on. A sporty little MR2 like this showed up at…
Instead of paying his collision repair bill in full, this customer wants to pay it out in installments of $100 a month…
...What would you do? The following comes from a collision shop in Central California. This shop is located in a small town where almost everyone knows one another. The shop says: “A repeat customer had his Mustang convertible towed into…
EPA Finalizes New Ozone Standards
How will it impact automotive repair shops? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized its new air quality standards for ground level ozone. The level had been established at 75 parts per billion…
Data Driven Decisions
Armed with smartphones, Google and Amazon.com, customers are repairing their own rides. Sometimes, experience-based information systems can help diagnose a vehicle. I said sometimes because these systems can lead a technician down the wrong diagnostic path. As independent repair professionals,…
Supplier vs. Partner
Two simple actions you can take now to boost your ROI and virtually eliminate returns and comebacks. As we begin the year, it’s a perfect time to talk about this issue’s service readiness topic: parts! Most of you know I…
Get Out and Learn
It’s hard to believe it has been 64 years since a visionary group of independent shop owners founded the Automotive Service Association. We’ve seen a lot of change within our industry over the past six decades, and that pace of…
$75,000 Grant Funds
Aluminum-Repair Training More than 50 collision school instructors will convene in the Chicago area in March 2016 for intensive aluminum-repair training, thanks to a generous grant from the Alcoa Foundation. As the philanthropic arm of Alcoa, a global leader in…
