Better Together: What rise of repair networks mean for collision repair industry
The benefits that come with multiple shop operators (MSOs) and corporate-owned repair shops can prove immensely useful from a business perspective.
Features
Forward Thinking: Philosophy key in shop owners' success
Ask Todd Black what’s the most important thing he’s learned in the automotive service repair business, and you’ll quickly discover a lot about his philosophy for success. He makes no bones about the…
Motivated to Mentor
Wei-Yun Gibson, former AYES apprentice, now works for Subaru of America.In a recent conversation with one of my industry partners, an independent shop owner located two miles from our high school’s automotive program, I invited him…
The Successful Succession
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part series on auto-shop succession planning. What is the difference between a dream and a goal? While many shop owners dream about selling their shop and retiring, for most a dream is…
Fast & Furious
In mid-May a group of 108 of the country’s best technicians gathered in Detroit for the first of two new programs created to give the Congress of Auto Repair and Service (CARS) a stand-alone presence in supporting our members. That…
Feelin’ the Love
I’m not a big believer in coincidences, unless they run contrary to common sense. Say, for instance, a consumer says their car won’t start when they come out of the convenience store unless they first pull down the visor mirror.…
Schnepper: The value of active membership
What’s the real value of an ASA membership? The board of directors and executive leadership of ASA believe that it’s active involvement. Of course, members enjoy the significant discounts they receive from our Sponsored Benefit Providers, and they frequently tell…
Special Report: 27th Annual Shop Management Software Guide
Just as staying on top of new-vehicle technology is a must in today’s automotive service industry, shop owners in particular have to stay on top of advancements in shop management software to better serve their customers. Modern integrated network systems…
WWYD: Should customer receive free battery?
A customer had her ’95 Nissan pickup towed in to our shop and said, “The truck sits a lot, and it won’t start. Just let me know what it needs.” We performed a charging system diagnosis and determined that the…
Holcom: Are your customers ‘family’?
I’ve been in this business for a few years, and whether I heard it during a training event, picked it up while networking or just figured it out, I’ve learned that to retain or to acquire new clients you have…
Greenwood: Supplier vs. Partner?
Owners should plan all their management and employee training a year in advance. There’s too much to do to think it can be handled in a last-minute fashion. Because proper planning is required to ensure the team continues to develop…
Prepare to Repair
Fred Hules II, AAM, newly elected general director of the Automotive Service Association (ASA)…
A Tale of Two CRVs
Case studies illustrate diagnosing a vehicle’s misfire and a customer’s misfire. If your shop is like ours, Honda CRVs make an appearance weekly. Mostly…
Schnepper: Cars, sensors and scanners
Mary Barra, GM’s CEO, recently stated that the car industry will change more in the next five years than it has in the past 50. I don’t know about you, but I think the past five years have been a…
Redding: Insurance reform returns to spotlight
House passes repeal of McCarran-Ferguson Act for health insurers. Two major national issues have pushed insurance reform back in the national spotlight. First, efforts to reform or repeal Obamacare have produced a renewed interest in the repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson…
For Good Measure
The more advanced our vehicles become, the more exact each system within them needs to be, especially with developments made in the past 15 years.
Tools of tradition
Tradition is often cited as the reason certain processes exist, and, sometimes, the tradition makes sense. Other times, though, learning the reason the tradition started can make you roll on the floor with laughter. For example, one of my favorite…
The Millennial Dilemma
With the average age of a shop owner in America at 55, they’ve been through many generations of customers. But when considering marketing to millennials, many shop owners say, “I’m not sure who they are, and I’m not sure anyone…
