They’ve Got You Covered
Something unique is going on in the black-land prairie city of McKinney, Texas. Located 37 miles north of Dallas, this community of just over 150,000 people boasts the presence of a company…
Features
Continuing the Data Debate
In the May-June issue, AutoInc. conducted a Q&A with CCC Information Services about its newly launched Secure Share Network, a significant change in terms of how shops using CCC’s estimating system can share estimate information. Readers of this article suggested…
Keller: Sync up for success
In 43 years of shop management and ownership, I’ve made every mistake possible. There was a year when my accountant had to prepare 102 W2s. Imagine how broken my systems and procedures were to go through that many employees in…
Greenwood: The Big Decision
Many complexities of our business are now front-and-center. Consider the following: The independent sector of the automotive service industry is experiencing a crisis of profitability, retailer attitude and public perception. Most shop owners have bought themselves a job, not a…
Customer complains of brake noise, has them replaced elsewhere, seeks reimbursement
An ASA member writes: I have a customer who has spent thousands of dollars with me during the past several years. Eighteen months ago, we installed genuine Toyota brakes on his 4Runner. A month later, the customer returned to my…
Redding: House subcommittee holds hearing on self-driving cars
When the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released its Federal Automated Vehicles (AV) Policy in September 2016, the focus was on NHTSA issuing a guidance document and its four key sections: vehicle performance guidance; model state policy; NHTSA’s current…
Learning for Life
Jim Maddox learned a lesson growing up in rural Los Lunas, N.M., that he has not forgotten: The value of a good education. He uses that lesson every day as a guidepost for his…
Van Batenburg: How does the original Toyota Prius Plug-In stack up to the new Prius Prime?
Twenty years ago this December, the Prius was introduced to the world. Three years later, it came to America and the quintessential hybrid was born. Everyone has heard of Prius. The Plug-in Prius came out in model year (M/Y) 2012…
Schnepper: Importance of teamwork & friendship
This is my first article as ASA’s chairman of the board. And I thought this would be a great time to share how I got involved with ASA and with two of my mentors. First, I had the opportunity to…
At Your Fingertips
NASTF and the VSP Registry provide security and service resources to meet any shop’s technological and information needs. The National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) was created to provide a technology solution to ensure ongoing access to the technical information…
Share and Share Alike?
CCC responds to concerns about its new Secure Share Network and discusses the impact it’s expected to have on the collision repair industry. Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part series on CCC Information Services’ upcoming launch of…
WHAT’S GOOD FOR BUSINE$$?
Customer retention. So here’s what you need to know to keep them coming back to your shop instead of switching to a dealer. I recently overheard some people talking about having the dealer service their vehicle. To better understand their…
Management: And Don’t Forget to Smile!
Customer loyalty is much more elusive and difficult to acquire than ever before, and to maintain your customers, you have to continue to “wow” them by providing exceptional service that glues them to you. Customers will leave and go to…
Faster, Smarter, Better
Three new technologies that repair professionals can use to detect serious problems before they cause serious breakdowns. The faster automotive manufacturers develop new technologies to improve vehicle performance and automation, the faster automotive service repair professionals find problems with these…
Turning the ‘Job’ Around
What’s the best tool for helping you work ‘on’ your business instead of ‘in’ your business? After selling my business in Buffalo, N.Y., in 2000, I moved to Maine seeking another business to acquire. I brought numerous businesses to the…
Are You Losing Focus?
If so, it might be because you’ve forgotten the fact that you’re in the ‘knowledge’ business. Independent shop operators realize their labor rates must move higher to retain competent technicians, and the customer/client must be educated about the realities of…
What Would You Do
When a service adviser tells the customer a shop tech made a mistake that’ll mean replacing a transmission... ... What would you do? One of our customers came in with a late-model Toyota Camry for some routine service work. Even…
A Look at the 115th Congress and the New Administration
What do the changes mean for the auto repair industry? The final U.S. House and Senate races have been called, and President Donald Trump’s new administration is moving forward with thousands of political appointments. There are some 2.8 million federal…
