Independent Thinking
Consolidation is an evolutionary process drawn by opportunity. The high velocity – let alone breadth and depth – of industry change is daunting. Just consider the relentless introduction of new automotive…
Features
The Millennial Investment
Within the past few years, millennials have been the subject of much conversation in the automotive industry, as well as in society at large. This discussion seems to echo the same theme, that the generation is lazy, unmotivated and wants…
Special Report: Ride-sharing survey results
Ride-sharing services, like Uber and Lyft, are becoming increasingly popular with ASA shop owners who offer customers rides to and/or from the shop while their vehicles are being serviced. A recent ASA survey showed that 41 percent of shop owners…
NACE Automechanika Atlanta: A commitment to training
With drastic change sweeping the industry, NACE Automechanika Atlanta provides a super-charged showcase for new technology and repair techniques. It’s no secret that the temperature and humidity soar in Georgia in August. But this year, Hot’Lanta will host the automotive…
WWYD: Customer requests refund after paying fee, later claims shop should have ID'd problem
An electrical specialty shop sends in the following situation: I had a regular customer call requesting us to fix an electrical problem with their motor home. The complaint was that the house batteries would not charge when the motor home…
Kelley: How’s It Going?
If you answered, ‘Good,’ but it’s not, here’s why you should reach out to others. By asking for advice, you might help them even more than yourself. Most of us, as business owners, have “driver” personalities. We will work countless…
Greenwood: How to work smarter
Too many shop owners spend all their time working “in” their business and not “on” their business. There really is a difference. One method is known as working hard, and the other method is known as working smart. Each month,…
Misfiring Mustang: Details create comprehensive picture of issues affecting 4.6-liter engine
.size-thumbnail{padding:1px 0px; width:80px; height:auto;} The Beatles said it best when they sang “Gonna try with a little help from my friends,” and the following repair saga came to its best conclusion with help from professional techs on iATN. 2008 Ford…
Schnepper: The road ahead
Our industry is undergoing a time of unprecedented change. Again. Getting bombarded with rapidly advancing electronic, material, manufacturing and powertrain technology is nothing new to ASA members. We’ve been here before, and each time someone predicted the end of the…
Troy: An Inconvenient Truth
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…
Greenwood: TAP into your future
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…
WWYD: Customer demands cash in amount of factory list price
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 the plastic inner fender shrouds to gain access to the…
Serviceability Report: Nissan Rogue
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 make the redesigned Rouge…
Schnepper: 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…
Washington, D.C., auto show highlights new vehicle technology policy
The federal government and numerous organizations did not waste an opportunity of a major auto show to talk about new vehicle technologies and public policy. The U.S Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee held a hearing, titled “Driving Automotive Innovation…
Redefining Diagnostics
Not only are long-term employees retiring faster than young ones are being hired, but the technological advances on newer vehicles become standard so rapidly that current techs are struggling to stay on top of them.
When the industry goes all-electric
It is 30 years from now, 2048, and most vehicles are battery-powered electric cars. The fuel cell was tried, but the infrastructure was never built out. So the few fuel-cell cars from the 2020s are sitting behind repair shops, and…
