Tarred tires can cause vehicle vibrations
Have you encountered vehicle vibrations caused by road tar? They’re far from the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” variety. You can add road tar accumulations as another potential cause of nasty vibrations on otherwise good tires.
Want loyalty? Keep employees involved
Getting workers involved and keeping them involved in a business breeds self-esteem, confidence and loyalty—traits that, in turn, reduce the risk of employee turnover.
Getting vehicle history: imperfect process
Gathering an accurate vehicle history and meaningful symptoms are vital keys to successful and profitable automotive diagnosis, but that calls for service personnel to persevere. It’s not always as simple, straightforward and productive a process as we wish it would be.
Net savvy won’t replace biz fundamentals
Progressive tire dealers and service shop operators should realize that modern sales and marketing techniques only complement the fundamentals—meaning to complete or add to, not replace—essential business practices.
Job 1: Inspire, motivate employees
I don’t assign homework very often, but for this column I’m doing just that.
Internet exposure can cut both ways
Tire dealers and service shop operators must recognize and respect the Internet’s potential for doing more harm than good for their businesses.
Decide: Do the job quick—or right?
Tire dealers and service shop operators must concentrate on fixing every vehicle correctly the first time—there simply is no substitute for this approach.
Take care when servicing AGM batteries
Servicing absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries isn’t difficult, but the sophisticated AGM design—which is becoming more popular—does require the proper equipment and a little care.
When in doubt, exceed expectations
Have you heard the old saying, always err on the side of safety? There’s an automotive service version of this axiom that you should heed: Always make decisions that steer your dealership or service shop toward exceeding customer expectations.
Base labor rates on business costs
Tire dealers who are building successful service departments must set labor rates based on current, accurate costs of doing business.
Know emergency shutdown procedures
As simplistic as it sounds, all tire dealership and service shop personnel should know the basic procedures for shutting off the store’s utilities in an emergency — and this includes turning off water, electrical power and natural gas.
Aspiring techs need solid work ethic
Just what constitutes a reasonable work ethic for today’s aspiring automotive technician? I’ve had this conversation so many times with owners and managers that I’m going to outline the points here.
Preserve customer base with pro advice
Alert tire dealers and service shop operators should be vigilant about maintaining their customer rolls because a combination of ignorance and tough economic times can take a serious toll on a customer base.
Recognize risks of dirty, cluttered floors
A dirty and/or wet shop floor may be a bigger threat to the service department’s profitability than many tire dealers realize.
Sensible advice on throttle emergencies
All the recent safety-related headlines involving Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles should be a warning to all service personnel that, to paraphrase an old saying, an ounce of awareness is worth a ton of cure. Here’s why.
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