ViewPoint: Pass the Salt: Can Anti-Icing Brines Damage Vehicles?
Last month, I received a phone call from a reader wondering if the sales of brake tubing (Bundy tubing) were increasing due to corrosion caused by new road de-icing chemicals. Also, Hyundai this month announced that they are recalling more than 1.7 million 1999-2004 Sonatas and XGs because corrosion is causing the lower control arm
Viewpoint: Good Enough?
I was talking to Jim Currier of Jim & Sons Transmission in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, and he said something that stuck in my head. I was commenting on how clean his shop was and how it looked better than some dealerships in the area. Jim said, “It has to be this way. After all, I
Viewpoint: ASE Certification
nd B? Why should I settle their debate? I have been studying for the ASE exams this month. I have been reading test prep guides, books and articles to prepare. It was getting late one night and the test took on a life of its own. Technicians A and B were really getting on my
Viewpoint: Downturn or Upturn? You Be the Judge
I have been asking a lot of shop owners and technicians one question, “how’s business?” In all honesty, I’ve been surprised at the responses. At the shop level, we are not doing too bad during these tough economic times. It is safe to say that we are in the worst recession in more than 20
Viewpoint: The Green Card
Recently, a local radio station did a story on a shop that was turning away SUV drivers who could not justify owning the large vehicles. I could not believe my ears, a shop owner turning away work? Maybe your shop cannot afford to have these convictions, but it started me thinking about the whole “green
Viewpoint: Half Full…How to Sart Feeling Better About Our Industry
As the editor of BRAKE & FRONT END, I regularly encounter the “glass is half empty” side of the industry. My email and voicemail is sometimes filled with bad news, doom and gloom. It was starting to rub off on my daily attitude last month. But, I found the best cure. I committed back in
Viewpoint: Out of Date, Need an Alignment Spec?
When I receive a call from a shop looking for alignment angles, it is usually a rare or exotic vehicle. It might be that 0.1 percent vehicle that has rare options like manual steering, off-road package or all-wheel-drive, that is not in most alignment spec databases. I can usually find the specs. Try me, (330)
Viewpoint: Googling Your Shop
Go and enter the name of your shop at www.google.com. Try putting “quote marks” around the name of your shop, like “main street auto care.” Now try entering the city where you are located with the name of your shop. I don’t care if you’re a two-bay operation, or have multiple locations. What did you
Viewpoint: Pricing Out Fear
For 2008, I changed my health care insurance from a traditional plan to a Health Savings Account (HSA). Basically, it means that the first $2,000 (pre-tax) of medical expenses are on me. I was scared at first, but I soon found that it did have some entertainment and educational value. I have found myself pricing
Viewpoint, Quality not Price
Last month, I offered up 50 tips to improve your business in 2008. Tip 31 was “Ask suppliers for better pricing. The worse they can say is no.” I received an email from a reader about it: I’m the third generation in a parts jobber/warehouse. We specialize in fleets, especially cab fleets that experience rough,