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,…
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…
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…
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…
See what makes us different ... and the same! In this issue, we feature Richard Martens, owner, and Jordan Troxel, technician, of Ron’s Auto Repair Center in Ames, Iowa. Richard Martens Baby Boomer What is one piece of advice your…
Our shop specializes in diagnostics. The only advertising we do consists of looking for vehicles that have been difficult for others to fix. As a result, we see our fair share of work that comes from the do-it-yourself (DIY) sector.…
...What would you do? The following scenario comes from an ASA member with multiple shops. A longtime, good customer with a 2001 Lincoln LS that had 68,000 miles on it came in with an oil leak. It was determined that…
At the request of U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently conducted a study of state vehicle safety inspection programs. The GAO did a similar review in 1990 at the request of John Dingell, D-Mich.,…
Curious tech sinks his teeth into a start-stop problem with a Prius hybrid. My check engine light came on in my Prius,” one of my customers told me. “Is it OK to drive it home?” “Is it running OK?” I…
How to harness the power of other people as go-to resources It’s easy to understand why your business might not be service ready 100 percent of the time. In some instances, you thought you were ready but ran into an…
If you attended NACE and CARS classes in July, you noticed the industry is undergoing what financial analysts call “disruption.” This means that the way we do business, which has worked in the past, is not working now. And for…
Congress continues examining impact of proposed new EPA regulations. The U.S. Congress continues its oversight responsibility of the Obama Administration’s proposed update of air quality standards for ground-level ozone. The Clean Air Act requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)…
See what makes us different ... and the same! In this issue, we feature Mike Bennett, owner, and Joe Arnold, technician, of Mike’s KARS in Gettysburg, Pa. Michael Bennett Baby Boomer What is one piece of advice your parents gave…
How not to waste two hours on a simple problem: Develop a sound diagnostic plan for your shop and, oh yeah, follow it. If you don’t have a car fixed right the first time, one or…
When repair specialists miss the obvious and the customer asks for a testing fee refund, the shop makes the customer happy, but… ... What would you do? A customer calls about a 2005 Toyota Prius. The check engine light was…
How easy, or hard, is it to service the Gen III vehicle? For more than 15 years, Prius has been known as the quintessential hybrid. Sales have been so strong that at one time there was a waiting list, and…
The most common question we get at CARQUEST is, “Which scan tool should I buy?” In this edition of Ready, Set, Service!, we’re going to use this question as the basis for recommendations on original equipment-level tools you should have…
Hear ASA VP at MACS 2016 There are plenty of reasons for you to attend the Mobile Air Conditioning Society’s (MACS) 2016 Training Event and Trade Show. It’ll be in February at The Caribe Royale All Suite Hotel and Convention…
