I have really come to enjoy sharing my auto repair savings articles with you. I hope you do not mind me taking a few minutes of your time to redirect you to some great websites I my self have been referred to. An Editor of two of these sites dropped me a line and suggested I share my stories and advice with their audience! Of course, I was flattered by this offer and decided to give article marketing a try.
So far, I have created over 20 articles and cannot believe the page views I have received! The first place I want to direct you to is Examiner.Com. The second is Associated Content. Please take time out and go check them out. They are more in depth and informative than blog writing. One thing I like is they are short for quick references!
A Must See For Women and Auto Repairs Shops
I have done some research on women and auto repair shops and can not believe the numbers I come across. Keep in mind this was a study completed back in 2001. I am sure these numbers have increased over the years. In my 25 years working directly with women in auto repair shops, I felt they communicated a lot better than the men. Women are becoming very popular in auto repair shops making decisions for the family car. I can remember back in the 1980’s this was not the case. I noticed more and more women becoming customers as the years went by. I know some mechanics that had a problem dealing with this new trend. I guess you can say it “wasn’t stylish” to them. But for me this was new and I was looking forward to this new wave of customers.
With regard to vehicle maintenance, 74% of women state they are responsible for making the maintenance decisions concerning their vehicles. 18% reported the decisions were shared and only 8% said they were responsible for none of the maintenance decisions. These are some alarming numbers to take into consideration when operating a repair shop facility today.
More than 65% of customers who take their car to repair shops are women. Some experts are even saying its closer to 80%. I can remember working for one shop geared to serving the women population who had a play area for children added to their waiting room. As a single father my self, I can see how this would be very helpful. I think all repair shop owners should read this article.
One other number I found interesting was a commercial I saw recently on television. The commercial said over $78 billion dollars was spent on auto repairs just last year alone! I am wondering how many of that women customers were. As the trend toward more female customers in the repair shop continues, women will represent the majority of customers with whom technicians and service managers must communicate with.
Women Technicians would be great to see in an auto repair shop. I can remember back in 1983 when I graduated from an auto repair school, I had three women in the graduating class. I think women technicians would be great for the service world. They are detail- oriented and very customer focused which is hard to find in a technician. This would be a plus for any auto repair shop owner.
Haltech PS1000 installed !!
Hi all ,
Finally haltech Ps1000 in my campro turbo already . Took 2 days to wire up and do some modification. Install external igniter and then install 510cc injectors . Currently tune on the road to get partial throttle map done first. Got snapped some photos , picture to show how messy the wiring :P . I don't have to convert drive by wire become drive by cable. I mean the throttle control . Haha ... Drive by wire work well , even i had the injector and ignition system removed and use haltech to control ... But only i can't get rid was the CEL :P ... Well that CEL doesn't matter for me ... As long engine can run , air cond ok and idling ok .... Check engine light forget about it ..... :P
Hopefully i got time to out on dyno and run a result .
Tomorrow will be busy to install PS500 on a V-tec B20B
What kind of questions should I ask before I have my car repaired
The dreaded day has come again to have your car repaired. You might be thinking of your last visit to the auto repair shop. Was it a pleasant one? I will leave that answer up to you. I have noticed working over 25 plus years in the repair shops watching the customers walk in and the first thing they seem to look for and focus on are the services offered and the prices that follow on the menu boards. They seem to be a bit confused because they just are not able to see what they want, listed any where. This is the time to start asking the service center questions pertaining to your particular needs or problems you are having with your car.The first question I would recommend asking them is what are their shop hourly rates. Let me explain this in detail. Most shops set their own hourly rates for every job they perform on a customer's car. It can range any where from 20 to 100 dollars per hour. For instance let's say your vehicle needed a starter motor installed on your car. The service adviser would look on their computer or labor guide for your particular type of car, make, and model and find it would take 1.5 hours to perform. Their shop hourly rate for that shop is $65 per hour. Then your total labor charge for installing the starter would be $97.50.
On the other hand, if their shop hourly rate was $45 per hour then your labor charge would only be $67.50 saving you $30.00. So as you can see, shopping around a bit for the lower hourly rate charges will save you a lot of money! And also by asking that question the repair shop guys know you are a very careful shopper and are less likely to rip you off.Bringing in coupons from other repair shops is another good idea. Ask if they can meet or beat this price. With the coupon in hand they will most likely do it.
The next question to ask is what type of warranty do you have with your repairs. For example what is covered and for how long. I have seen many times over and over, people picking up their cars and simply just leaving. This is ok if you are in a hurry, but you should know what you have just purchased and if it happens again will they cover it under warranty. Car repair bills have seem to be increaseing more and more over the years and dosen't seem to be slowing down any time soon. Your warranty papers should be kept in a safe place with your other important documents such as your glove box where they can be easily accessible. So be sure and ask the question, 'what is your warranty on this repair."
One other important question to ask is, will there be a certified technician working on my car. Some shops are breaking in a new guy and want to try him out and see how he performs on your car. I would rather ask for a certified technician to do the job. After all this is your money and vehicle you are entrusting this shop to. So don't be afraid to ask! Before you leave ask them to save your old parts for your own personal inspection. You don't really have to know what your looking at but just by asking this question shows them you are a conservative and careful shopper. And once again, some shops will think twice about selling you a part that you don't need.
I hope these questions will make your next experience be a pleasant and memorable one. These guys will remember you in the future as being the careful shopper and treat you and your car with the utmost respect. I know if a customer asked me these type of questions up front I would definately do the best job I could perform.
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