VIEWPOINT: Bad Advice For Lug Nuts
I am a sucker for helping stranded motorists, and this pothole season is no exception. So far I have seen two lower ball joint failures, one u-joint pole vault and a separated tie rod. I think people are at their best when others are at their worst. I recently stopped to help a Subaru at
VIEWPOINT:Monday Morning MIL Light Quarterback
Monday mornings are typically not very productive for me. I typically will hide in my office with the light off to avoid people asking about their latest weekend-induced car problems.
VIEWPOINT: Going For The Gravy Can you sell diagnostic time?
The gravy in the future will be diagnostic time and procedures performed with scan tools. You can see it with steering angle sensors, TPMS and re-calibration of sensors. In the future, it is only going to get better.
Viewpoint: Service Opportunities Point To Bright Future
I recently reviewed an article from a writer that called replacement TPMS sensors a “$150 mechanical monstrosity.” I’m as cheap as the next guy, but a $150 problem for a consumer is a $150 opportunity for a shop. Furthermore, if you have checked replacement sensor prices, it’s not $150 for most popular applications. It really got my blood boiling. Even if a sensor costs $150, it could prevent a slow leak from turning into a new tire and even save a life!
Viewpoint: Selling By The Numbers What Is The Minimum Wear Spec?
Everybody loves a number, especially when it comes to selling something. We often see it in the grocery store when something has 50 percent less sodium or is 25 percent larger. When it comes to brake pads, it can get you in trouble.
VIEWPOINT:Automatic/Autonomous Braking Systems/The future at 22- or 30-mph or whatever speed the lawyers decide…
There has been a lot of coverage in the news about automatic/autonomous braking systems. The newspaper and magazine articles are heralding the new systems as the greatest thing since the seat belt. Most of the journalists need a reality check. These systems are on some 2014 cars, but only work at lower speeds and still
Viewpoint: Here Is My List Of What Is “In And Out” This Month
In: Being able to re-flash and calibrate computer modules.
Out: Longer than normal time downloading a file because someone is watching Netflix in the front office.
VIEWPOINT: Words & Pictures, How Do You Learn
If I could visualize or tinker parts in my mind, I could master the subject.
Conjugating a verb for Spanish or even spelling some English words was a monumental task.
VIEWPOINT: Stop Feeling Bad About Selling What a Driver Needs
Her car was a 1986 Ford Taurus Wagon with about 52,000 miles. It was one of those vehicles a person buys right after they retire, hoping it would be the last car they ever have to buy.
Viewpoint: Brine Time/Corrosion For Cash
It is not the adverse driving conditions that scare me. It is a truck with a large white tank strapped to the back spraying brines on the roads as a new strategy called “anti-icing.”