Auto Repair Industry Through The Eyes Of A Car Technician
By the time we arrive at the legal driving age, people more experiences than us, have encouraged us to imbibe three key lessons: Number 1: Fasten your seat belt. Number 2: Avoid rush driving. Number 3: It is better not to rely on your auto mechanic.
Recently, I had a tte--tte with an auto mechanic, who refused to be named in this article, so let us call him Max. He gave me the most interesting inside story of the car repair industry. Max has been getting his hands greased for no less than 30 years have been around for a long time in this car industry.
According to Max, as the car repair industry is attempting to make itself dirt free, some auto mechanics are reluctant to respond. Unlawful attempts are still being made in the industry, for example: employing second-hand parts in the cars and promoting them as new.
I would say years ago, it was more pars for the course. I would say it happened about 40 percent of the time, he said. Today, I would say it probably happens a whole heck of a lot less. You're probably looking at about 10 to 7 percent margin, but it does still happen.
A bane in the form of shady auto mechanics
Max pointed out three things to remember when looking for a good car repair shop. The first is the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification from places like AC Delco, Ford Motor Company or Bendix. While ASE certification does not indicate that they're really good, it does indicate that the technicians go on their own time, or the business has given them the incentive to study, to take the course and go and show their skills are worthy of certification. (Ed. Note: ASE is a non-profit, independent organization founded in 1972.
Max insists that the car repair shop should have all the right equipment in place to do a good job like a proper tire mounting machine with rubber mounts that don't scratch your wheels or an alignment rack with laser measurements. I want to make sure they have the proper diagnostic equipment. A shop that has invested in the proper equipment to service today's automobiles is usually a shop that you can trust, because they are not going to buy that expensive equipment and then have people who are not qualified to use it."
According to Max cleanliness of the car repair shop is equally important. Max says, "I'm looking for a clean shop. I don't want to see Jake the Junkyard Dog chained in the office. I don't want to see a lot of dirt around the place. It shouldn't look like it's going to be condemned by the health department."
Max believes that the pricing of the car repairs should be very clear and should be posted for everyone to see. The best thing to do would be to hand over the car repair estimate to the customer before beginning the work on the car. Positive feedback from the earlier customers would be an added advantage. It should not be about how nice they are or how well they treat you but should be about their track record of providing good quality repair.
Sign board for little old ladies - Stay Smart! Stay Alert!
Max, who has a solid experience of three decades, had some interesting tales to tell about the tactics the sales personnel use to get people to do repairs on their car. One such incident happened between a co-worker and an elderly woman. The poor old woman was tricked into getting her car repaired using scare tactics. The following waiting room conversation between Mrs. M and the auto mechanic exactly as Max relayed it:
Mechanic: Mrs. S., what street do you live on?
Elderly Woman: I live on Maple Street.
Mechanic: I live on that street. When do you come home in the evening?
Elderly Woman: About 6 o'clock.
Mechanic: Good. Then I'll know what time to tell my kids to get off the street because I shudder to think of you driving down the street in this car with my children playing in the street because you're driving a death trap and it could kill them.
Hearing this, the poor little old lady panicked and started crying. She said just do it, fix it, do whatever you have to do! This is how the guy got her to get her car repaired. Max said that nowadays these unscrupulous tactics are not employed as often as before. Window shopping
Plain inquiries
Max possesses an experience of more than 30 years and has encountered many frustrations that gets his oil pressure going up. I asked him what types of things customers do that really annoy him and with no hesitation he says, "People who are shopping auto repair prices."
A hypothetical situation Max explained it with: people call up now and then inquiring about the cost for a tune-up, when in reality they don't have a slightest idea what is wrong with their car. The symptoms they specify over the phone require a different treatment. They are generally terrified of diagnostics test which is expensive so they don't like to pay for it. Max says that this test is time and money well spent. You're paying for a skilled technician to take an hours worth of labor to diagnose your vehicle with the proper computer scan tools to determine where your drivability problem is.
Can you give me a deal?
Max finds some conversations with certain customers very unpleasant. Can you make me a deal? is another question from the customers that annoys Max the most. This does not mean that he does not help those who are really in need of help and are not just out to score a discount.
If a pregnant woman, along with her two kids, working at McDonalds comes to him crying about her car repair problems and had little money to fix it, he told me, "I'm going to the ends of the Earth, to the gates of hell for that woman to get that car running as reasonably as I possibly can and still maintain a profit for my business." Even when helping others, Max says that his line of work is not a charity organization. "I don't wear a white collar and consequently, I can't stay in business if I give away everything I do."
Trust " an ingredient for loyalty
Some of Max's favorite customers are those who trust him implicitly with his job. They just drop their cars and let Max take care of the car repair. They are the one who don't expect you to give them an estimate or ask how much it would cost. They simply trust Max, his knowledge and skill as an auto mechanic, to get the car back in ship shape condition and ready to roll on the road. "And I never breached that trust," Max said.
As a result, Max would adjust the booked schedule, at times two weeks' full, in order to get the guy in and out in the same day. "I took care of him. Did I give him a discount? No ... did I do everything I could to get him back on the road as quickly as possible? You're damn right I did. And I did it over, say the guy who came in an hour before and said, 'Can you make me a deal? - 21392
Recently, I had a tte--tte with an auto mechanic, who refused to be named in this article, so let us call him Max. He gave me the most interesting inside story of the car repair industry. Max has been getting his hands greased for no less than 30 years have been around for a long time in this car industry.
According to Max, as the car repair industry is attempting to make itself dirt free, some auto mechanics are reluctant to respond. Unlawful attempts are still being made in the industry, for example: employing second-hand parts in the cars and promoting them as new.
I would say years ago, it was more pars for the course. I would say it happened about 40 percent of the time, he said. Today, I would say it probably happens a whole heck of a lot less. You're probably looking at about 10 to 7 percent margin, but it does still happen.
A bane in the form of shady auto mechanics
Max pointed out three things to remember when looking for a good car repair shop. The first is the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification from places like AC Delco, Ford Motor Company or Bendix. While ASE certification does not indicate that they're really good, it does indicate that the technicians go on their own time, or the business has given them the incentive to study, to take the course and go and show their skills are worthy of certification. (Ed. Note: ASE is a non-profit, independent organization founded in 1972.
Max insists that the car repair shop should have all the right equipment in place to do a good job like a proper tire mounting machine with rubber mounts that don't scratch your wheels or an alignment rack with laser measurements. I want to make sure they have the proper diagnostic equipment. A shop that has invested in the proper equipment to service today's automobiles is usually a shop that you can trust, because they are not going to buy that expensive equipment and then have people who are not qualified to use it."
According to Max cleanliness of the car repair shop is equally important. Max says, "I'm looking for a clean shop. I don't want to see Jake the Junkyard Dog chained in the office. I don't want to see a lot of dirt around the place. It shouldn't look like it's going to be condemned by the health department."
Max believes that the pricing of the car repairs should be very clear and should be posted for everyone to see. The best thing to do would be to hand over the car repair estimate to the customer before beginning the work on the car. Positive feedback from the earlier customers would be an added advantage. It should not be about how nice they are or how well they treat you but should be about their track record of providing good quality repair.
Sign board for little old ladies - Stay Smart! Stay Alert!
Max, who has a solid experience of three decades, had some interesting tales to tell about the tactics the sales personnel use to get people to do repairs on their car. One such incident happened between a co-worker and an elderly woman. The poor old woman was tricked into getting her car repaired using scare tactics. The following waiting room conversation between Mrs. M and the auto mechanic exactly as Max relayed it:
Mechanic: Mrs. S., what street do you live on?
Elderly Woman: I live on Maple Street.
Mechanic: I live on that street. When do you come home in the evening?
Elderly Woman: About 6 o'clock.
Mechanic: Good. Then I'll know what time to tell my kids to get off the street because I shudder to think of you driving down the street in this car with my children playing in the street because you're driving a death trap and it could kill them.
Hearing this, the poor little old lady panicked and started crying. She said just do it, fix it, do whatever you have to do! This is how the guy got her to get her car repaired. Max said that nowadays these unscrupulous tactics are not employed as often as before. Window shopping
Plain inquiries
Max possesses an experience of more than 30 years and has encountered many frustrations that gets his oil pressure going up. I asked him what types of things customers do that really annoy him and with no hesitation he says, "People who are shopping auto repair prices."
A hypothetical situation Max explained it with: people call up now and then inquiring about the cost for a tune-up, when in reality they don't have a slightest idea what is wrong with their car. The symptoms they specify over the phone require a different treatment. They are generally terrified of diagnostics test which is expensive so they don't like to pay for it. Max says that this test is time and money well spent. You're paying for a skilled technician to take an hours worth of labor to diagnose your vehicle with the proper computer scan tools to determine where your drivability problem is.
Can you give me a deal?
Max finds some conversations with certain customers very unpleasant. Can you make me a deal? is another question from the customers that annoys Max the most. This does not mean that he does not help those who are really in need of help and are not just out to score a discount.
If a pregnant woman, along with her two kids, working at McDonalds comes to him crying about her car repair problems and had little money to fix it, he told me, "I'm going to the ends of the Earth, to the gates of hell for that woman to get that car running as reasonably as I possibly can and still maintain a profit for my business." Even when helping others, Max says that his line of work is not a charity organization. "I don't wear a white collar and consequently, I can't stay in business if I give away everything I do."
Trust " an ingredient for loyalty
Some of Max's favorite customers are those who trust him implicitly with his job. They just drop their cars and let Max take care of the car repair. They are the one who don't expect you to give them an estimate or ask how much it would cost. They simply trust Max, his knowledge and skill as an auto mechanic, to get the car back in ship shape condition and ready to roll on the road. "And I never breached that trust," Max said.
As a result, Max would adjust the booked schedule, at times two weeks' full, in order to get the guy in and out in the same day. "I took care of him. Did I give him a discount? No ... did I do everything I could to get him back on the road as quickly as possible? You're damn right I did. And I did it over, say the guy who came in an hour before and said, 'Can you make me a deal? - 21392
About the Author:
Rand Stuck is a BMW certified mechanic with over 12 years of experience. He currently manages the online parts department of a BMW parts retailer. You can find additional information on car repair and maintenance and BMW OEM parts at AutoWerks.
posted by X - Men @ 1:34 AM
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