Thanks for all the great information, I never have taken anything of mine to a shop, I can fix dang near anything.
You're welcome. There are no unimportant members in a shop. You need honest bullshi#ers as service writers and 90% of your techs need to be really good. You'll always have that one tech who is a bit of a waste of oxygen, so they do things like oil changes and brakes. Shop runts like that are great to keep the tedious jobs away from seasoned techs who live for the more challenging work. The profit numbers (like my 50% example) you'll have to figure out based on your overhead, your market, and your competition. Invest in two important things: Good R.O. software, and an AllData subscription. You'll make accounts with local parts suppliers. Depending on your population density, you might have a wholesaler known as an "undercar" dealer. There used to be a company called WorldPac and I think they're still around. Fantastic for import parts. If there is one near you, you'll want to have an account there. They also have software for parts lookup that integrates with many of the R.O. software flavors so you can click to import and it automatically fills the fields. Once you sell the repair and move it to the "approved" or "ready to repair" status, it will automatically order it if you set it up to do so.
You'll find out who is good for parts and who sucks. FLAPS are hit or miss. Sometimes you get one that is great, other times you get the one staffed by a college kid who asks "does it have A/C?" when you're ordering brake pads. Either way, most of them have a high employee turnover rate so the Auto Zone that is good today might be terrible next month. You'll likely be approached by some companies who want to stock maintenance items; batteries, oil filters, etc. Use them, don't use them, up to you. If your customers are maintenance-heavy, it might make sense to stock that stuff so you can do quick in-out stuff.
Always check your tech's repair recommendations until you've developed trust in them. Some techs will recommend things to pad their paycheck. I had one tech try to say that the injection pump was bad on a diesel truck when in fact it was just a clogged fuel filter. I fired him on the spot. That's the kind of stuff that even if you sell the customer on the work, it only takes one customer who knows their stuff to sue you to oblivion. Also, keep the old parts until the customer has paid and left. If you can show them "here are what new brake pads look like and here the ones we took off your car," it closes the psychological loop in their brain. They have sat at home for a day wondering if they just got taken. "Did I really need brakes or are they lying to me?" I also urge writers to offer customers tiered repairs. Two or three columns of 1) this needs to be done right now to prevent death and dismemberment, 2) this really should be done while we're in there (like doing a water pump while doing a coolant flush) and 3) this optional stuff will need to be done soon so it's up to you if you want it done now. Sell it as hard as you want, but this way THEY are choosing, not blindly taking your advice. It also sets up deniability for you. "Yes your honor, we recommended replacing that floppy tie rod end that caused the deadly accident but they declined the repair." The key is to diagnose everything to CYA and let the customer deny it.
Get in bed with a local, preferably large towing company. Negotiate a flat rate for up to X mile radius. The one I used was $50 up to 15 miles. Offer free towing with repairs and be clear about the "with repairs" part. Build the tow fee into your quote's profit margin. That way when they learn that what they thought was a dead battery ends up being a $3000 broken timing belt and a new head, they can come retrieve the car and they only owe you tow fee.
Get very well-versed in your state's mechanic's lien process. That sounds shady, but it's a reality. A small number of people approve repairs then fall on hard times and can't afford to pay so they abandon the car. Having your I's dotted and T's crossed is your only financial protection for getting a title and being able to sell the car to recover your costs. Most of the time it's a no-hassle thing and it's actually rarely confrontational. Usually it's just a face value "I can't pay," rather than "come pay up or I'll steal your title" kind of thing.
One term you want to get familiar with is "un-a$$ing." You want the customer's butt out of the car. That's not a sales tactic (unless you use it that way) but unless you're a Jiffy Lube, you don't want customers hanging around. You need to put them on your schedule, not the other way around. It's not a liability thing, it's a scrutiny thing. It doesn't matter how flawless and honest your shop is, customers are trained to not trust anything. They're also going to be asking questions (perfectly normal) and there will be plenty of times that you don't have time for it. Get the keys, give them a ride home, put the repair in the queue and when it's done, it's done.
