Sometimes Ingenuity is a Bad Thing
Wednesday July 8, 2009
A friend sent me this photo the other day. He thought that this person really needed to have a look at our auto repair site. We're all for ingenuity when faced with a crisis -- race cars demand this on a regular basis, especially if one of your drivers thinks swapping paint includes the side barriers. But other times you need to tame and suppress your inner MacGyver. This was one of those times. Something tells me that those flashlights, even in "high beam" mode, aren't going to show you that deer crossing the road at night.
You can check out this and more funny pics at the new blog, ThereIFixedIt.com.
Oldest One in the Book
Monday July 6, 2009
Wow. There's a $222 million-plus law suit pending against a group of Midas repair shops in Oakland, California for perpetrating the oldest upsell in the book -- rotors. Pretty much anyone walking into a chain store for brake pads can count on the rotors upsell. They lure you in with a very cheap brake pad replacement advertisement then hit you with the worn rotors bit. Before the chain-store flunkies start getting upset, I have to tell you that sometimes you really do need to replace your brake rotors. The problem comes with a shop telling everybody that they need that level of service. Time may have caught up with this shop. Read more at
KCRA.com.
They Don't Do It Like They Used To
Thursday July 2, 2009
Gregory Kohler sent this note along recently. It made me think about how much things have changed, not just in auto repair but in this country as a whole.
Right up until I sold my business last year, we did oil changes the same way, since the doors were opened in 1945. We only used quality oils and filters...NO CHEAP STUFF! We checked all gear cases, greased anything with a fitting, installed fittings when the factory just used plugs, set tire air pressure, inspected the complete underside of the car, then checked all the fluids under the hood, belts, hoses, etc, and lubricated all hinges, locks and cylinders. We made recommendations to the customer and several times showed them why they didn't need what the quick lubes and discount oil change centers wanted to sell them. By the time I sold the business in July of 2008, we were using synthetic blend in every oil change. The average cost for a full service LOF was $32.00. Just remember that no discount shop can make any profit or even pay the help the time that it takes to do an oil change, so they're going to try to upsell whether you need it or not.
We should stop and think about what Gregory's telling us. Maybe we should set a little higher standard for ourselves.
New Scam, But This One's Aimed at Shop Owners
Saturday June 27, 2009
I talk a lot about the scamsters and their relentless ways, but it's usually a place of business that is perpetrating the fraud. This time it's auto repair shops who are the victims. True to form, the scam artists have managed to create an odd scenario with enough compelling elements to make some shop owners fall victim. The scam apparently goes like this: A shop gets a phone call from a man or woman who claims to be a teletype translator for the hearing impaired. If you're unfamiliar, teletype services simply translate typed messages to voice so the hearing impaired can make a phone call. They're legit, most of the time. In this case the translator informs the shop owner they are calling for a stranded motorist. They can actually be heard typing in the background. They need their car towed in but "for some reason" the towing company can't run their credit card. The translator asks the shop owner to run $3500 on the credit card for them, and take a $1000 deposit on the repairs for his trouble. He will then send the remaining $2500 by wire to the potential customer who will be there in the morning with the car. I'm sure you know what's next. The credit card company declines the charges and the shop is out $2500. It won't always work because some shops run the charge right through, but older systems will have a lag time and that's who gets nailed. Ouch.
Read more in the Ventura County Star.
