Where are you? - CARS Magazine

Transcription

Canadian Mail Sales Product Agreement #40063170 Registration 10833. Return postage guaranteed. Newcom Business Media Inc., 451 Attwell Drive, Toronto, ON M9W 5C4
OCTOBER 2006
The State of Our Industry
A special report by Bob Greenwood
ALSO:
■ A racing obsession
■ Tracking your tools
■ Heavy duty coolants
www.canadiantechnician.ca
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Technologies, Inc. All other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective holders.
Pictures are for illustration purposes only. Specifications subject to change without notice.
• D-TACTM diagnoses
• D-TACTM boosts
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OCTOBER 2006
VOL. 11 NO. 8
Departments
14
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
From Our Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Out & About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Product Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Auto Puzzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Ad Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Columnists
21
Trackside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
By Jamie Maudsley
Management S.O.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
By Kelly Bennett
The Car Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
By Rick Cogbill
Features
The State of our Industry . . . . . . . . . . .17
An in-depth report by management consultant Bob
Greenwood, who finds some alarming trends in the results of
his national survey of independent shops.
22
Wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
It’s one of the simplest inspections you’ll ever do, but
wipers are still an often overlooked maintenance item.
Here’s how to make it simpler… and make more sales.
Taking stock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Tool insurance used to be prohibitively expensive. Now
the price is coming down and there are new ways to ensure
you don’t lose your livelihood to thieves, floods, or fires.
The color of coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
More than anyone else, heavy duty technicians face a whole
new array of coolant colors and properties. Here’s the latest
you need to know in a rapidly evolving market niche.
24
1– 800 – 492 PART
Editorial
VOLUME 11
NUMBER 8
PUBLISHER
Mark Vreugdenhil
[email protected]
(416) 614-5819
EDITOR / ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Allan Janssen
[email protected]
(416) 614-5814
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER
Dale Patenaude
[email protected]
(416) 614-5829
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Lilianna Kantor
[email protected]
(416) 614-5815
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Tim Norton
[email protected]
(416) 614-5810
CONTRIBUTORS
Kelly Bennett, Rick Cogbill, Larry Dickison,
Will Enns, Bob Greenwood,
Jamie Maudsley and Jim Park
PUBLISHED BY
Newcom Business Media
451 Attwell Drive
Toronto, Ontario M9W 5C4
Phone: (416) 614-0955
Fax: (416) 614-8861
PRESIDENT
Jim Glionna
Canadian Technician is published monthly except for January and July by
Newcom Business Media, Inc., 451 Attwell Drive, Toronto, ON M9W 5C4. The
magazine serves the Canadian automotive repair and service industry.
Subscriptions are free to those who meet the criteria. For others: single copy
price: $5.30; one-year subscription in Canada: $36.04 ($34.00 plus $2.04 GST);
one-year subscription in U.S.: US$40; one-year subscription in all other countries: US$65. Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication
may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without prior written
consent of the publisher. The advertiser agrees to protect the publisher against
legal action based upon libelous or inaccurate statements, unauthorized use of
photographs, or other material in connection with advertisements placed in
Canadian Technician. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertising
which in his opinion is misleading, scatological, or in poor taste. Postmaster:
Send address changes to Canadian Technician, 451 Attwell Drive, Toronto, ON,
M9W 5C4. Printed in Canada. Second class mail: Postage paid at Toronto.
Canadian Publications Mail Sales Agreement #40063170. ISSN 1710-7644.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of
Canada through the Publications Assistance Program toward our
mailing costs. PAP Registration No.10833.
“Won’t Need My Scan Tool For This!”
By Will Enns
Phone (250) 404-0411
www.canadiantechnician.ca/covers
OCTOBER 2006
Need a spy on your payroll?
The Greenwood Report offers invaluable business
intelligence to help you plan your next move.
By Allan Janssen
The fog of war is that dreadful confusion that prevents you from knowing
what your comrades are doing… and it
often leads to tragedy.
As an industry we’re all too often crippled by a lack of reliable intelligence
about what’s going on out
there on the battlefield. We
don’t know which direction
we’re headed. We don’t
know where our own troops
are. We’re not in touch with
our fellow combatants.
It all sounds very militaristic, I know, but we are
in a war of sorts. As an
industry we’re fighting for
our survival. Particularly the
independent sector of the
aftermarket, which has never worked particularly well together. It needs to start,
because it’s facing some pretty heavy fire.
So, what’s working for us? What
weapons and implements do we have at
our disposal? How’s the battle going
nationally? Provincially? Locally? There
must be some successes on the battlefield
that we can learn from. There are definitely landmines to avoid. Staying alive
depends on good communication and reliable intelligence.
I know one repair shop owner who
always keeps up with the latest trends in
automotive repair. He had a web site
before most shops had a computer. He
moved to e-mail reminders with the earliest workable system. Most recently, he
was the first on his block to fill tires with
nitrogen. What’s more, he made a big
splash by telling his clients he was doing
it… and why.
He certainly uses industry intelligence
to modify his business. And it’s working
for him.
Want to get in on some of that industry
intelligence?
E.K. Williams, the Ottawa-based consulting firm that specializes in the inde-
pendent sector of the automotive repair
industry, has been conducting detailed
surveys for more than a quarter of a century. The surveys gather a wide range of
information from shop owners across the
country, including the type of service they
do, the door rates they
charge, the kind of parts
they buy, and how much
they hold in inventory. It
also identifies avenues of
opportunity, as well as new
challenges and obstacles.
Do you think that information could help you? I
think it would be invaluable!
And if you’re squeamish
about giving up your secrets,
relax. It’s kept 100 per cent
confidential. Best of all, for your trouble
you get a copy of the complete report
along with the analysis by management
guru Bob Greenwood that accompanies it.
Some of that analysis forms the basis
of our cover story on the state of the
industry this month.
We’re pleased to welcome Bob as a regular contributor to Canadian Technician
magazine. He brings with him a thorough
understanding of our industry – especially
the financial side of it, which can be so
intimidating to new owners and former
techs whose training is in auto repair, not
bookkeeping. We believe his column, The
Greenwood Report, will be essential reading for ambitious shop owners.
Our goal at Canadian Technician is to
help you wage war effectively, and
emerge victorious. We think you’ll find
lots of practical advice here, with Kelly
Bennett’s Management S.O.S. column and,
now, The Greenwood Report.
Just think of us as your own personal
intelligence agency.
You can reach me toll-free at 1-866-2226787. Or e-mail me at [email protected].
CANADIAN TECHNICIAN 5
LARRY DICKISON
LETTERS
Shop owners really do
“feel consumers’ pain”
RE: Canadian Car Owner, Sept. 2006
Your editorial in the Fall 2006 issue of
Canadian Car Owner was excellent. You
managed to express in a clear and brief
way the opinions held by many in the
automotive service business. Some very
real abuses by a few poorly trained and
short sighted individuals have created a
widespread sense of mistrust among our
customer base. Those of us in this business who have integrity and insist on
"doing things right" appreciate your help
regaining the public’s confidence.
Jim Clarke
Ardent Automotive
Burlington, ON
Jewelry can be a
workplace hazard
RE: Letters To The Editor, Sept. 2006
The discussion about the dangers of wearing jewelry in the shop really caught my
eye. The only jewelry I wear is a Medical
Alert dog tag which goes around my neck
on a long chain. I always tuck it in, but if
it were to come out of my shirt and hang
up on something, I know it would break
fairly easily.
I used to wear an earring but now, as a
shop owner, I figure I’d probably look
more professional without one.
As for the wedding ring, no way. Burns
can heal but getting your finger stuck
somewhere can be quite serious. You
could easily lose a digit. When I was
younger, I jumped off a hay wagon and my
high school grad ring got caught on a bolt.
I was very lucky to escape serious injury,
dangling there until someone rescued me!
Jay Poel
Upper Gage Garage
Hamilton, ON
Rings have no place
in the shop
RE: Letters To The Editor, Sept. 2006
Anybody who wears jewelry at work is an
idiot. I know two guys that had fingers
stripped to the bone when their rings got
caught. I won’t let anybody in my shop
work with any jewelry on. Same goes for
long hair, ties, or loose clothing. You’re
just looking for the trouble… and you’ll
probably find it!
Glen Peacock
Airways Transit Service
Dundas, ON
Who is truly the Tech
of the Year?
RE: Dealership wins double honors,
Sept. 2006
I’ve been working on cars for about 15
years, solving mostly electrical/drivability
problems on every type of car that comes
in my bay. I applaud dealerships for running competitions for their mechanics,
but I’m tired of hearing them referred to
as ‘technicians of the year.’ If they’ve been
working on the same type of car for 20
years, there’s no question they’re pretty
good on that particular make. But they
wouldn’t stand a chance working on every
type of car that comes their way. Please
don’t refer them as “technicians of the
year” but, rather, specify that they are the
Nissan or GM or Volvo tech of the year.
Rick Karshakoff
(via e-mail)
RIDES
Reader
Gary Savoie, on the east coast of New Brunswick sent in
this shot of his 1938 original Chrysler Royal Coupe. It is
fully restored with a metal body.“There are not too
many of these babies left!” he points out.You can
see more “Reader Rides” on our web site at
www.canadiantechnician.ca. And if you have a photo of
your hot ride, feel free to send it in.We’ll put it up!
6 CANADIAN TECHNICIAN
OCTOBER 2006
“If you’re really SERIOUS about improving your business
there’s NO BETTER tool to help you. It covers EVERYTHING.”
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Centre and goes through each
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Cochrane Automotive,
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For More Information:
Visit us at www.aaec.ca, or e-mail us at [email protected]
Register now at www.aaec.ca/canadiantechnician
From Our Forum
Recent postings on www.canadiantechnician.ca/forum
What Are You Looking At?
Our forum members compare the cars they’ve worked on recently
that tend to make people stop and stare.
It’s hard to believe, but we
have a 1986 Escort diesel
coming in to get the timing pump rebuilt
on Monday. I didn’t think there were any
left on Earth, let alone in this tiny corner
of the planet! Any other unbelievable cars
in your shop lately?
Posted by msog / 08-09-2006
We had a ’41 Plymouth twodoor sedan in a couple of
weeks ago. Bone stock with older restoration. It was in for a safety check. Three in
the tree is fun. I don’t understand why
they don’t make cars with those anymore.
I’d work on old stuff all day long if I could.
Posted by Hemmer / 08-10-2006
There’s a guy who drives a
Pinto woody wagon past my
house twice a day just like clockwork. I
guess if ya gotta, ya gotta!
Posted by MrPink / 08-10-2006
This car’s not too old, but it’s
getting there: a 1989 K car. It
came in for a safety. Just because the previous owner kept it clean, the new owner
assumes the car’s still good. Needless to
say my list was huge, with a ton of automatic failures, like holes in the frame, and
brake lines so rotted you can’t breathe
near them.
Posted by Andrew / 08-10-2006
I just put a brand new exhaust
system, sway bar links and
lower ball joints in a 1984 Land Cruiser.
The frame was so rusted, I was fearing for
my life putting it on the hoist. I saw rust
bits falling on the floor as I raised it up,
and all I could hear was crunch, crunch,
crunch! Maybe that’s why we call them
Land Rusters!
Posted by ToyotoTech / 08-10-2006
I recently worked on a 1974
AMC Gremlin. It needed
everything! This car had been cared for by
the same owner since it was new. She
even did her own bodywork with duct
tape, Bondo, fiberglass, and sheet metal.
And we once had a mid-80s Lamborghini
Diablo in immaculate condition. It came
in for custom exhaust. Our $1,000 custom
system was about $1,500 cheaper than a
performance bolt-on from Italy. What a
cool car! We took pictures.
Posted by Hawk / 08-12-2006
Diesel Escort....ugh! I had the
pleasure of working on a
diesel Tempo years ago. I think the weirdest one was a customer of mine that had a
’60s vintage Econoline. You know, the
ones that had a pickup box. I used to hum
the Sanford and Son theme when I drove
it into the shop.
Posted by McWrench / 08-21-2006
Weird is the norm in my shop.
I regularly see a 1928 Chev
model AB, a ’32 and a ’40 Packard, several cars from the 50s, Triumphs, Jags,
Ferraris, a couple of Lamborghini
Countachs, a Lotus or two, and lots of
early ’Vettes, and Caddys. We rebuilt a
starter on a ’63 Austin Healey 300 mrk2 on
Friday. I recently rewired a fully restored
’49 MG TC from brake lamp to head lamp.
A ’63 T-bird rag top came in with a wiring
fire damaged main harness. And a ’60
Lincoln ragtop needed the roof working
again for a movie shoot (wow, that’s some
piece of engineering: 21 separate
sequences to put the roof in the trunk all
controlled by limit and travel switches).
I’m currently hand-remaking the full front
to rear, interior and engine harnesses for
a ’65 Chevy panel delivery van. People
with odd or rare cars seem to find me
because we’ve been doing electrical work
since the ’50s when my dad started the
place. Yep, weird is normal around here.
Posted by Lambton / 08-21-2006
How about a diesel Chevette?
Now that’s slooooow motion!
Posted by CarFixr / 08-21-2006
I had a customer with a Model T in perfect
shape. He changed the oil
every year. Cool car. And we
recently had a 1974 Jag E-type v12 in the
shop. What a raft! You need a tech in the
car when driving this thing!
Posted by TheChamp / 08-21-2006
Join the discussion!
Log on to
www.canadiantechnician.ca /forum
and see what everyone’s talking about.
If you’ve got an opinion to share,we’re
looking forward to hearing it.
OCTOBER 2006
Out
&About
Ottawa apprentice to compete in Japan
Nathan Banke has done it again.
The fourth-year apprentice at Halley’s
Service Centre in Ottawa has won the
automotive service category at the
National Skills Competition for two years
running.
The accomplishment is made sweeter
because this year’s win qualifies him to
compete in the international finals to be
held next year in Japan.
“Winning in 2005 was nice, but I really
wanted to compete in Japan, so I knew I
had to win again,” he says.
In fact, he told Canadian Technician
last year that he would settle for nothing
less… and his determination paid off.
He took top spots at both the Ontario
provincial competition in Kitchener, Ont.
and the national finals in Halifax.
He now has a spot on Team Canada,
along with a number of other skilled trade
apprentices from a variety of industries
who will compete at the World Skills
Competition in Japan in November 2007.
Nathan said the support he received
at work was instrumental in helping him
win this year’s event.
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“Everyone at the shop has been very
encouraging,” he says. “They’ve given me
lots of diagnostic work to broaden my
experience, and they’ve always treated
me very well.”
In preparation for the international
competition he’ll have a dedicated
instructor and months of in-depth automotive training as well as professional
skills like public speaking.
Still a registered apprentice, he could
have written his license by now, but that
would have made him ineligible for competition.
“I’m postponing my license in order to
go to the internationals,” he says.
Ultimately, he plans to go to university
to study automotive engineering.
“Having the practical experience in
the field will certainly help on the engineering side. I think getting my hands
dirty will give me a good perspective on
the industry.”
The National Skills Competition
involved 600 apprentices from across
Canada competing in over 40 different
skilled trades, technology, and employability contests.
OCTOBER 2006
Britain’s oldest tech still going at 100
A technician’s social life doesn’t make
headlines in this country, but British
newspapers were pleased to report that
Buster Martin, a mechanic in London,
was getting a day to party.
The occasion? Buster Martin turned
100 years old in September.
His employers treated him to a VIP tour
of Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge football stadium, where he received a special Chelsea
shirt with “Buster 100” on the back.
But, when the fun’s over, it’ll be back
to work for Buster, who got bored of
retirement three years ago and decided
to resume doing what he loves: servicing
vehicles.
Described as Britain’s oldest worker,
he helps maintain a fleet of 100 vans for
Pimlico Plumbers in London’s Lambeth
district.
“Boredom is a big killer of men,” he
says. “I went back to work as I like to
keep active.”
He works three to four hours each day
and has vowed to carry on as long as he
can.
His boss, Charlie Mullins, says “We
have quite a few old workers here, as I
see experience as an asset. We could do
with more people like him.”
NATA hails
co-operation
from Volvo
The National Automotive Trades
Association, a collective of seven regional
associations representing auto repair
shops, is heralding a commitment by
Volvo Canada to ensure that its technical
information web site remains open to
Canadian technicians.
During recent discussions, Michel StHilaire, vice president of customer service for Volvo Cars of Canada, told NATA
officials “we all have the same goal –
looking after the customer.”
He said Volvo recognizes the consumer’s right to have a choice in where
and how their vehicles will be serviced
and repaired.
This mirrors a commitment made by
Volvo’s U.S. head office in a letter dated
February 28, 2005, after the U.S.-based
Automotive Service Association went to
bat for Canadian access to the Volvo site.
The site, at www.volvotechinfo.com
offers a variety of subscription types and
durations at reasonable prices.
NATA says the site had been reported
as not accepting registrations from
Canada, but Mr. St-Hilaire confirms that
the site is, in fact, open to Canadians and
will remain so.
OCTOBER 2006
Tenneco invests in ‘evolving’undercar market
Tenneco Automotive has consolidated its emissions
control facilities in Harrisonburg, VA, in order to
keep up with what it describes as a continually
evolving undercar market.
Product longevity, consumer preferences, and
environmental concerns have prompted a dramatic
$6 million restructuring of manufacturing and distribution operations designed to optimize flow and
improve efficiencies.
“We believe this is a good business to be in,”
said Ric Alameddine, Tenneco’s vice president of
marketing for the North American aftermarket.
“We’re spending money, so obviously we don’t
think it’s going away.”
The company’s plant in Harrisonburg, which
manufactures Walker and DynoMax mufflers, has
grown by 80,000 square feet to 730,000 square
feet, with manufacturing taking up 440,000 square
feet and warehousing utilizing 290,000 square feet.
Previously, Tenneco operated separate manufacturing and distribution facilities in Harrisonburg,
with a total 1,000,000 square feet.
Supplier News
KYB promotion offers incentive
for shock, strut replacement work
“Feeling is Believing,” according to a new KYB promotion. Service providers will earn certificates for
$10 off future KYB purchases for every set of two
KYB shocks or struts purchased and installed
before Dec.15. According to KYB director of marketing and training Mac McGovern, the ultimate
purpose of the program is to “allow people to feel
first hand the additional handling and control
that KYB shocks and struts provide.” Participating
shops will also receive a kit containing informational literature and point of sale items, designed
to explain shock and strut maintenance to the
consumer.
Bosch launches web site
for techs and consumers
Bosch has launched www.boschautoparts.com –
a new web site developed especially for the aftermarket. The attractive and comprehensive site
offers auto parts retailers, installers and motorists
quick access to information about Bosch aftermarket parts and services. It also features related
resources such as technical information, FAQs, a
vehicle part finder, special promotions, motorsports news, and Bosch gear and gifts.
Wakefield Canada makes
personnel announcements
Chad Cole has been named trade marketing manager for Wakefield Canada, the company which
manufactures and markets Castrol motor oil
products in Canada. Cole has an background in
automotive engineering and brings a well-rounded perspective to his new position.
In other company news, national sales manager
Dennis Mulhall has announced he will retire at
the end of this month. He has been with the
Castrol for 38 years, and will remain affiliated with
Wakefield to advise on the motorsport area that
has been a vital part of his tenure.“This is an
exciting business,” he notes.“I enjoyed every day
and still do.” As a consultant, he will be helping
the company to continue the grow, particularly
the Ontario region which has grown to being the
company’s strongest under his stewardship.
Goerlich’s changes name
to AP Exhaust Products
Goerlich’s exhaust parts will soon be marketed
under the familiar AP brand name. AP North
American aftermarket division was purchased in
1998 and renamed Goerlich’s. The company plans
now to combine all of its brand and product
activities under the single AP Exhaust Products
Inc. umbrella.
New address for GBS
Grant Brothers Sales Limited has moved to
7885 Tranmere Drive, Unit 1 in Mississauga,
ON, L5S 1V8.
OCTOBER 2006
Trackside
Car 54 – Where are you?
A Calgary tech helps put the finishing touches
on a new Hobby Stock racer.
By Jamie Maudsley
Trevor Ditchfield can be forgiven for asking the familiar question,
“Car 54, where are you?”
No, he’s not a fan of the 1960s television show. The 42-year-old technician
at the Fountain Tire shop on McLeod
Trail South in Calgary spent much of
his summer helping to create a new
Hobby Stock (formerly ‘Enduro’ class)
racer emblazened with #54 on the side.
And where is Car 54? It’s still hitting
the half-mile with ‘Crazy Cam’
Speers at the controls.
Ditchfield has been crew
chief and part-time driver on
Car 54’s sister car, #45, for eight
years now, with partner ‘Mad
Murray’ Speers (Cam’s brother).
In 1993, Trevor hit the track
for the first time in competition.
He took his chances in a pair of
demolition derbies. Although he
admits the experience was, “very
painful,” it did not end his career of
pushing vehicles to their limits. Shortly
thereafter, he began to race in the figure
eight division… which ultimately brought
him into contact with Murray Speers.
“I had a big old Chrysler 300,” Trevor
explains. “After I blew a motor, I was on
the sidelines for a while until I could get
a new motor. Just after that, I met
Murray. We were racing together, and we
just started talking, and our friendship
grew from there.”
The pair got the crazy notion of turning an old car into a racer back in 1996.
Their 1979 Cutlass finally made it around
the track in 2004. “It took us eight years,
but we built it!” Trevor laughs, adding, “I
guess we just both had some other big
commitments.”
Their ride is Chevy powered in the
OCTOBER 2006
form of a stock 350, with a four-barrel.
The motor is turned at 4300 RPMs. They
run a 2.73 differential to keep the revs
down, and a 350 transmission. “I rebuilt
that one myself,” Ditchfield said. “It will
still chirp the tires in second gear!”
Tuning a carburetor is a lost art at
some shops, as almost all of today’s
street cars run on fuel injection, but
that’s still the biggest lesson that Trevor
takes back to the shop from his Saturday
trying to see what he was doing.” He
laughs. “I was one of those kids that took
everything apart just to see how it
worked.”
That curiosity has served him well,
giving him a busy career and an exciting
hobby.
Since meeting, Trevor and Murray
have grown tighter. “That’s one thing you
can say about racing. It makes your family that much bigger. Murray is like an
nights at the track.
“We don’t get too many carbureted
vehicles in the shop anymore, but any
problem that comes in with a carb, I’m
usually pretty good at fixing,” he says
modestly. “We have to adjust the jets on
our racer, and that’s one of our biggest
set-up tools under the hood. I think the
changes are that much more important
because of the altitude we race at. Over
the years, I’ve seen people come in to the
shop with their cars not running right,
only to find out that they’re from out of
province and their jets are the wrong size
to deal with the altitude.”
Ditchfield’s career as a technician was
largely influenced by his family.
“My father was a heavy duty mechanic, so I really grew up around the shop,”
he says. “I used to go to work with him
and spend the entire day under his feet,
uncle to my daughter.”
Murray’s brother Cam is also part of
the team and, now that Car 54 is ready
for him, will be spending some time
behind the wheel as well.
“We just got the car done for Cam, but
before he raced we had to give him a
nickname and we went with ‘Crazy Cam.’
So if you’re ever wondering where Car
54 is, you can find it and Car 45 at
Calgary’s Race City Speedway. And
you’re likely to find Trevor Ditchfield,
‘Mad Murray’ Speers, and ‘Crazy Cam’
Speers close by!
Know someone who fixes cars during
the week and races during the weekend?
Contact Jamie at [email protected]. Maybe there’s a Trackside
story there!
MANAGEMENT
S.O.S.
ADVICE
on advisors
In this series of fictional letters from a new shop owner to his
former boss, management trainer Kelly Bennett discusses basic
business principles that apply to the automotive repair industry.
If you ever want to be an
absentee owner, you’re going
to have to find someone you
trust to run the counter.
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Dear Erol:
Well, that’s great news about finding the
right technician. I’m sure that’s a load off
your mind.
I’m well aware of the challenges of
trying to wear three hats at once – technician, advisor and manager. I think that
cost me more grey hairs than anything
else! One thing that helped me was the
book Getting Things Done; The Art of
Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen.
Another thing that helped me was seeing
the “bigger picture” of how the role of an
automotive shop owner evolves.
I went through it myself, although it
took a lot longer than it probably should
have.
Stage One: Technician
Many of us shop owners start in this
industry as a technician. So when we put
our own name on the building, it makes
sense that we continue to do what we’re
really good at. After all, there’s no revenue if we don’t fix vehicles! And this is
what we love to do anyway. So we’re
pretty happy at first. But there are all
those phone calls, and the walk-ins. I
always hated getting interrupted when I
was working on a vehicle. But there was
no one else to deal with customers.
The truth is, you can’t fix every vehicle yourself and still have time to talk to
customers, prepare estimates, order
parts, and keep everything organized.
Stage 2: Service Advisor
So you hire a technician and spend more
of your time on the counter. You figure
you’ve truly arrived as a full-time manager! But here’s a new problem you didn’t
anticipate: You like your customers and
want them to like you, so you tend to
give away lots of stuff. There are those
parking lot opinions we talked about.
There are those “tiny, little jobs” for
friends and giving credit to everyone
who comes in... You could easily sabotage your own business. When I was the
service advisor, I gave away the farm!
Stage 3: Manager
So the healthiest thing you can do for
your own shop is hire a professional to
deal with customers while you concentrate on managing the business.
Erol, I really wish I’d gotten to this
role faster. Getting out of the bays was
tough. Giving up the counter was even
tougher! I was afraid to trust anyone else
to look after my customers. But when I
finally gave in and hired a service advisor, I really started to feel I’d reached
“that next level.”
Stage 4: Absentee Owner
I’m not quite there yet, but I’m looking
forward to this stage most of all! The
business is running smoother than it ever
OCTOBER 2006
Larry Dickison
has and I’m at the point where I can go
on vacation and trust my team to run the
shop by themselves. In fact, it’s hard to
admit, but it sometimes runs better when
I’m gone.
And really, that’s the main goal of successful business builders – getting it to
the point where it can run by itself.
So, you’re just entering Stage 3.
Congratulations. The question is, can you
afford a full-time service advisor? I
would say you can’t afford to not have
one! You’re not a super hero. You’ll burn
out if you keep doing what you’re doing.
Now, I’m sure you have lots of fears
about this next step. Will your customers
be treated as well as you treat them? Will
someone else be able to sell services as
easily as you can? Will they know enough
about cars to talk intelligently about the
work you do? Will they do the paperwork
properly?
Clearly you need the right person at
the desk. I’ve spent a lot of time sorting
all of this out, and I’ve learned to look
for the four main skills of an advisor.
1. Customer Service Skills
You have to find someone who truly
loves people. I tried for years to train
people to like people. I even trained
them to pretend they like people. It can’t
be done. You have to find someone who
is a people person at heart. This is a
must!
OCTOBER 2006
2. Selling Skills
The problem is, people who are really
great at customer service often lack selling skills. They think people will resent
the pitch or be offended by it. But the best
service advisors understand that selling
people what they need is more important
than just giving them what they want.
Their job is to take care of the customer’s
vehicle. Proper selling never sacrifices
customer service, it enhances it!
You don’t need someone on the desk
who is just an order-taker. The good
news is that selling skills can be learned.
Even people who are not natural sales
people can learn how to effectively suggest necessary work, and see it as a service to their clients.
3. Administrative Skills
The paperwork has to get done. I once
had an advisor who was great with people but she was disorganized, never balanced her books, and couldn’t stand any
paperwork. Eventually I just had to let
her go.
When I started looking for our next
service advisor, I knew administration
was a key skill we were looking for.
What a find Val was! A real people person who understood the importance of
paperwork. Yeah, we had to get her
some sales training, and we had to teach
her how a car works, but she caught on
in no time.
4. Technical Skills
The person at the counter has to understand the basics of automotive repair.
Without that they can’t discuss our work
with customers.
Now, I know some people think former techs make good advisors, but I’m
not convinced. Technical knowledge is
good, but sometimes technicians give
their knowledge away for free or they get
wrapped up in trying to diagnose a
vehicle problem at the counter. They
also tend to get too technical with the
customers. They can make people
feel stupid.
So to help educate our advisors, I get
my technicians to take turns conducting
a weekly meeting where we explain just
one aspect of automotive repair. We even
put it in writing so they can refer back to
it. Any time a new technology comes
along, we make sure we get the service
advisors up to speed before customers
start asking about it.
I’m convinced that training is the key
to developing a “well rounded” service
advisor. As long as they come with a
genuine love for people, you can manage
around their weaknesses. And if you ever
find someone who is an expert in all four
areas, keep them happy! They’re great
for your business.
Erol, I’ve developed a short test that
identifies a person’s strengths and weaknesses in these four areas. I use it when
I’m interviewing a service advisor, and
occasionally I use it to assess existing
employees. If you want it, e-mail me at
[email protected] and I’ll send
it to you.
Well my friend, I am outta here. I
figured I needed a hobby to help me
learn how to relax more. Don’t laugh, but
I’m on my way to my first Tae Kwon
Do class.
– Kelly
Kelly Bennett is a
certified management
trainer with 14 years
experience coaching
automotive repair
shop owners. You can
reach him at kellythe
[email protected] or visit
www.kellybennett.ca
The Greenwood
REPORT
State-of-the-industry
survey reveals major
trends shaping the
way business is
typically done…
and undone.
By Bob Greenwood
A
national survey of independent
garage owners from all corners of
the country suggests this year is
proving to be a true challenge for
the aftermarket.
The question is, are the market
conditions we’re seeing temporary? Or
are they part of the new road map for
our sector?
From Vancouver to St. John’s, independent repair shop owners are openly
admitting they’re facing new and unique
challenges which are increasingly difficult to overcome. There’s the ongoing
search for competent technicians. Up-todate training can be extremely tough to
source. And the latest tools and repair
information for today’s sophisticated
vehicles are frequently unavailable to the
aftermarket.
Worst of all, embattled shop owners
are not quite sure where to turn for help.
The results of the latest Canadian
Independent Automotive Shop Survey
suggests today’s aftermarket is flirting
with widespread burn-out at the management level.
And, in my view, it all boils down to
discipline. Running a profitable shop
requires a thorough understanding of all
the costs related to your business… and
the determination to ensure they are
monitored and controlled.
OCTOBER 2006
2006
The Aftermarket Faces the Crossroads
As an observer of the automotive
repair and service industry for more than
30 years, and the author of the Canadian
Independent Automotive Shop Survey,
I’ve discerned five alarming trends that
threaten the health of our sector – as
well as five opportunities that, if acted
upon, could lead out of our present
morass and toward renewed prosperity.
1. Pricing problems
Total aftermarket parts gross profit has
dropped 1.28%.
That may not sound like much but it’s
a pre-inflation factor that can have a
significant impact on the bottom lines of
shops that are already struggling to eke
out a living.
There appear to be two predominant
factors causing this: the proliferation of
low-cost offshore products that have
flooded the North American aftermarket,
and the increased reliance on lower-margin OE parts.
As product quality from low-labor-cost
countries has improved, the aftermarket
has embraced a wide array of new value
lines from alternators to water pumps.
And a lower cost of acquisition is certainly not a problem… unless it erodes
margins. Unfortunately, too many shop
owners are using an out-dated formula
when they price their parts.
It seems that every level of the aftermarket is so focused on cost – and not
the gross profit dollars that are required
to run a business – that we’ve started a
crazy “race to the bottom” that is compromising the profitability of otherwise
healthy shops. An inadequate mark-up on
cheaper-priced parts leaves even less
money to run a business.
THE GREENWOOD REPORT
Management tools – like the pricing
matrix recently advocated and offered
free of charge by my fellow Canadian
Technician columnist Kelly Bennett –
have been developed to help shop owners get focused on their shops’ margin
issues. They need to be more widely
accepted and used.
Only the slimmest minority of shop
owners – the most progressive ones – have
taken steps to ensure their shop gross profit percentage pricing is increased by 2% per
year to compensate for the competitive offshore cost structures entering the market.
It is programmed right into their shop computer systems.
Shop profitability is also threatened
when, because of fit, form, and function
issues, a shop must resort to purchasing OE parts instead of higher-margin
aftermarket parts.
Most independent shop owners across
the country will say they’d prefer to support an aftermarket parts supplier even
at a lower margin. But when the part
doesn’t do the job, they have no choice
but to move to more reliable OE parts.
And while the margins at the OE level
have improved, they’re still far from the
standard percentages derived from aftermarket parts.
2. The dealer threat
The Canadian Independent Automotive
Shop Survey is – as its name implies – a
gauge of the independent sector of our
industry. The health of this sector is
defined, in part, by how successfully it
competes with the service department of
new car dealerships. And, in this regard,
the rules of engagement definitely seem to
be shifting. The independent is facing new
and worrying challenges.
Our survey indicates that dealer parts
gross profit has increased 3.1% on average
in the past year. OE parts pricing has
become a very competitive issue across
the country throughout the aftermarket.
In recent years, dealerships have begun
developing a particularly effective business
strategy that challenges the independent
sector in its own backyard. By locking the
aftermarket out of the requisite tools and
technical information to do a job – say, a
vehicle re-flash – the new car dealership
can effectively control this service locally.
The opportunity exists to, in essence,
“blackmail” independent shop owners for
parts sales. Dealerships can play favorites
when it comes to requests for re-flash
assistance. Its best wholesale customers
are offered quick attention, while those
shop owners who try to minimize part pur-
chases at the dealership are made to wait.
The OE dealer wins on all fronts.
This trend is beginning to be seen in
our survey, as the independent shop’s
sales mix of aftermarket parts has moved
to 73.8% in 2006, down from 74.6% in 2005.
Dealer parts as a percentage of total parts
sales have moved to 26.2% in 2006, from
25.4% in 2005.
In fact, since the late 1990s, when aftermarket parts made up about 85% of an
independent shop’s inventory, that statistic
has steadily declined.
Similarly, loyalty to a single supplier
has consistently fallen. The average shop
surveyed purchases only 66.9 per cent of
its parts from its main supplier. That’s
down from 72.2% in last year’s survey.
Clearly shop owners have deep-rooted
fears about the quality of aftermarket
parts, as well as the availability of adequate training, repair information, and
service tools.
Aftermarket parts suppliers will have
to work hard to earn back their trust.
Simple rhetoric and incentive trinkets
will not cut it.
3. Productivity concerns
A great number of businesses in the automotive repair and service industry have
Canadian Independent Automotive Shop Survey • June 2006
Oil GP%
Tires GP%
Batteries GP%
Parts GP%
(Aftermarket)
British Columbia
38.8
19.8
32.5
56.3
27.5
57.9
3.6
Alberta
48.2
28.2
33.6
48.0
32.2
65.5
3.7
Western Canada (BC, AB, SK, MB)
44.7
25.6
33.3
48.8
28.4
63.3
3.6
Southern Ontario
36.5
23.8
28.1
41.9
29.5
52.2
3.4
Central Ontario
41.4
24.6
30.8
47.2
28.8
59.5
4.1
Eastern Ontario
36.0
25.0
33.0
40.4
29.4
64.6
4.9
Atlantic Canada
35.5
24.5
27.5
42.2
26.8
56.6
3.0
39.4
24.3
30.9
46.0
29.0
59.4
3.8
SURVEY AVERAGE
Parts GP%
(Dealer)
Total Bay GP%
Average Hoists
per shop
OCTOBER 2006
A
M
no processes to adequately measure and
manage their shops in today’s economic
reality. As a result, the most important
business benchmarks are growing only
slowly or are actually shrinking.
The number of technicians per shop,
for example, is down 3.1%. And while the
labor dollars produced per technician is
up 7.9% (before inflation), the sales per
hoist increased only 3.5% in 2006.
Meanwhile, the average door rate for
maintenance work has been virtually at a
stand still over the past year, averaging
$74.75. The average diagnostic door rate
went up 2.3% to $91.88.
The inertia in maintenance rates and
the small increase in diagnostic rates simply do not cover inflation or shop operating cost increases. The independent sector is working harder to stand still.
Our sector must learn the processes
of measuring and managing. Yet within
so many towns and cities across Canada,
the call to business management training
is frequently met with the shortsighted
refrain: “I don’t have the time.”
4. Cash flow crisis
Accounts receivable in the east have
risen 67.1% over 2005 numbers. In the
west, they have risen 52.0%.
Shop owners are understandably nervous about future business trends. Too few
have embraced the new business model of
managing their clients’ vehicle maintenance. Instead, they cling to the old model,
which focuses on vehicle breakdowns.
This has cost them dearly. Shop owners have taken on more commercial business to try to keep the bays busy as
breakdowns have dwindled dramatically
in the face of today’s better-built vehicles. Commercial business as a percentage of total receivables has moved up a
point to 46% in the east and to 72% (from
61%) in the west. The average commercial account pays its bill 63 days from the
date of the statement, which ultimately
means cash flow and shop profitability
has suffered.
5. Management burnout
To add to the stress in the front end of
the business, is increasing grumbling and
strain at the back end. There is an acute
shortage of competent technicians out
there, and the situation is likely to get
worse before it gets better.
Nevertheless, self discipline is
required to manage all business costs,
including salaries.
In these challenging times, about the
worst thing a licensed technician can do
to his employer is to lobby for big wage
increases – and effectively hold the shop
to ransom.
A more helpful position for professional technicians to take is to find out how
they can assist the shop, help improve the
bottom line, and increase the shop’s credibility with its client base. Top technicians
take pride in their workplace.
Remember, the situation is not easy
for anyone. When the shop’s net profitability is not where it should be, real
stress and real burnout becomes very
apparent. The numbers from our survey
show that the average 3.8-hoist shop (4to 5-bay operation) is on a one year trend
of netting only $73,909 before management wages and income taxes.
That’s merely buying a job – and all
the liability that goes along with it. The
return is simply not worth all your risk…
so why not change it?
The solutions are available to be
embraced. With cooperation at all levels
of the industry – from parts manufacturers, to jobbers, to shop owners and technicians – there is very real opportunity
for the independent sector of the aftermarket to take back market share and
grow the industry.
Average
Number of
Full-Time
Technicians
Average
Monthly
Labor $ Per
Technician
Percentage of
Time Owners
spend working
in bays
Average Labor
Productivity %
per Technician
Hourly
Labor Rate
(Mechanical)
Hourly
Labor Rate
(Diagnostic)
Parts Sales
Aftermarket %
Dealer Parts
Domestic %
Dealer Parts
Import %
Average
% parts
purchased
from main
supplier
$11,114
3.1
$6,659
25.0
50.0
$76.88
$100.37
72.8
13.8
13.4
59.2
$17,387
3.1
$9,100
18.0
61.0
$87.71
$101.18
75.7
17.0
7.3
74.1
$14,846
2.8
$8,587
18.0
58.0
$86.85
$101.11
75.2
15.5
9.3
70.1
$15,392
2.9
$8,481
36.0
66.0
$75.18
$89.79
73.0
21.5
5.5
76.5
$12,277
2.8
$8,199
36.0
61.0
$79.09
$100.02
76.9
15.1
8.0
79.8
$16,669
3.5
$11,985
26.0
77.0
$76.88
$100.37
65.8
20.0
14.2
52.2
$26,989
3.1
$7,577
47.0
84.0
$52.81
$64.63
78.3
13.3
8.4
60.0
$16,638
3.1
$8,667
31.0
67.0
$74.75
$91.88
73.8
16.8
9.4
66.9
Average Total
Monthly Sales
per hoist
OCTOBER 2006
Improved parts and price lists
Aftermarket part manufacturers must
meet and exceed OE quality with fit,
form, and function. And when they
achieve those benchmarks, they need to
educate the industry as a whole so everyone can be confident in selling and using
those parts. As important, however,
those parts must be priced against OE
parts, not against other aftermarket part
companies selling the same item.
Grassroots WD programs
Warehouse-distributors must develop
stronger business relationships with
their jobbers by focusing on growing
local market share. This can only be
done by meeting the particular needs of
individual jobbers within each territory.
National programs are too open-ended
and don’t have enough impact at ground
level. Open communication with individual jobbers is required, and a determined realignment of WD budgets to
achieve this end result must take place.
The return on investment by the WD
will be measured in each jobber store.
Stronger jobbers
Jobbers must commit to strong relationships with their supplying WD as well as
their best customers. Strong business
relationships are, effectively, a partnership, demanding much from both sides,
and resulting in enhanced profitability all
around. This strategy has proven time
and time again to be a win-win scenario.
The jobber has the opportunity to bridge
the gap between parts suppliers and endusers, offering real business value to its
elite shop clientele. The more that is
known about a customer’s business, the
more that can be done to address the
issues and meet shop needs.
Business strategy
Shop owners and managers must have
the desire to re-learn the finer points
of their business – particularly those
that are required to build bottom-line
profitability. Learning must lead to
executing new business strategies.
And this requires incredible self-discipline. New processes must be known
and understood by all parties – from
the technician in the bay to the jobber
down the street.
GET INVOLVED!
Think this information is helpful to your business? Wait until you see the full report!
All the shop owners who completed the Canadian Independent Automotive
Shop Survey received the complete report, with valuable data to analyze and use as
a benchmark.
You can get in on the
deal. Simply log on to
www.ekw.ca and click on
the Garage Survey icon to
register your business.
Surveys are conducted twice annually (from June 21 to Aug. 15; and from Dec. 21
to Feb. 15). Shops remain registered for all future surveys as long as their e-mail
address remains the same.
Here’s your chance to see how your numbers stack up against shops in your
region and across the country. You also get a chance to offer your input on the
biggest challenges facing the automotive aftermarket.
E.K. Williams (Ontario) Ltd. has been conducting industry surveys since 1980.
Since December 2002, the Canadian Independent Automotive Shop Survey has been
conducted via the Internet, which allows national data to be analyzed immediately.
Survey results are widely recognized as the definitive snapshot of the Canadian
independent automotive repair and service industry. They’re used by students at
the Canadian Automotive Institute at Georgian College, and have been highlighted
at the annual Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS).
The survey is available for $295 + GST – but you can get yours free just by
participating. Sign up today!
Fight for the future
Finally, the entire industry must come
together to address the issue of information and tool lock-out. If you’re not
involved in this very important campaign, you’re not thinking far enough
down the road. Volunteering time and
financial assistance is vital. Get
involved. I cannot stress enough that
information and tool lockout is the most
serious issue that has ever been in front
of our sector. If this issue does not get
resolved in a reasonable time frame,
every level of the aftermarket will suffer, and suffer greatly.
If we focus as an industry and work
together on the pressing issues before us,
I believe we’ll be amazed at how much
can be accomplished in a very short period of time.
This is no time for our sector to go off
on self-interest tangents; it’s time to focus
on sector business survival and growth.
I would welcome your thoughts and
comments. You can e-mail me at
[email protected].
Bob Greenwood is president of E. K. Williams &
Co. (Ontario) Ltd., a management consulting
company specializing in independent
automotive service and repair shops
(www.ekw.ca). He’s also president and CEO of
the Automotive Aftermarket E-Learning
Centre, a business management resource for
shop owners (www.aaec.ca). Bob can be
reached by phone at 800/267-5497; by fax at
613/836-4637; or by e-mail at
[email protected].
OCTOBER 2006
Wiper inspections
Making the effort will result in increased
sales… and safer vehicles.
By Allan Janssen
W
iper blades. They’re small-ticket,
low-tech items, hardly worth the
bother in your busy shop, right?
Wrong on both counts.
Recent industry analysis proves how
lucrative wiper blade work can be. A
recent report from Frost & Sullivan suggests that the North American appetite
for wiper blades generated revenues of
$477 million in 2005. And that number is
projected to reach more than $731 million by 2012 – largely because vehicles
are staying on the road longer and an
increasing number of vehicles have more
than just two wipers.
Furthermore, wiper manufactures say
consumers are increasingly aware of premium products in the market, and for
their late-model vehicles insist on some-
thing that will perform well and last as
long as possible.
As for low-tech, well, today’s blades
are anything but.
Modern wiper blades incorporate
enhancements to ensure an easy and
secure fit, as well as a consistent pressure on all parts of the windscreen,
despite complex curvatures and increasingly long window designs.
The most prominent introduction into
the aftermarket is flat-blade or beam-blade
technology, which is expected to be the
future of wiper blade designs and is currently positioned as a premium offering.
The need for regular replacement is
obvious. Wind, sun, extreme temperatures, and precipitation would challenge
the integrity of any product. The delicate
MANY FRANCHISES
COME WITH HIDDEN
“EXTRAS.”
strip of rubber intended to keep the
windshield clear is ultimately going to
lose that fight.
The repetitive friction on the windshield can also have a damaging effect
on wiper blade performance over time. A
blade’s natural rubber provides the most
flexible and resilient edge for wiping
across glass, but it eventually dries out
and deteriorates. Heat can warp the rubber, and cold can make it brittle.
That’s why you’re doing your customers a favor when you check the condition of their wipers. Look for splits, discoloration and worn rubber. If you can
see obvious damage, your client has probably already noticed poor performance.
According to one distributor of auto
parts, wiper blades should be able to
clear the windshield completely – without streaking – within three swipes.
It’s a simple job to ensure that your
customers can see through their windshields… especially as winter approaches. It’s also your responsibility if they’re
counting on you to keep their vehicles
well-maintained.
Not ours.
If you’re looking for real freedom to control
your future, a Mister Transmission franchise
partnership costs less than most, yet offers
instant market leadership and tremendous
brand equity, along with the opportunity
to run your own business for real.
For more info, contact Randall Moore,
VP Franchise Operations at 1-800-373-8432,
[email protected] or
visit www.mistertransmission.com
OCTOBER 2006
Taking stock
Your tools are your
bread and butter.
What are you doing
to protect them?
By Allan Janssen
L
ike most technicians, Wayne
Winchester spent most of his career
amassing an impressive collection of
specialty tools.
The foreman in the prep shop at Lewis
Motor Sales in Barrie, Ont. figures he had
about $50,000 worth of tools in a twosection tool chest weighing more than
two tons.
But that tool chest is gone now.
Recently, thieves broke into the building and rolled his tool chest away, along
with other tools and shop equipment.
They used a tailgate lift to load it all into
the bed of a mobile service truck, and
then made off with the whole works.
“The first thing you feel is shock. Your
tool box is gone. It’s like losing last year’s
wages,” says Wayne. “Then you get mad.
And when that dies down you get
Tony Auchincloss, left, checks a tool box at Ken Matheson’s garage in Thornton, Ont.
depressed. Eventually you realize it’s
time to pull yourself together and get
back to work. But it’s not easy.”
The loss is made all the worse because
he had not taken out his own insurance
on them. The cost he’d been quoted –
$6,500 a year – was prohibitively expensive. He took his chances… and lost.
Tony Auchincloss, president of Tool
Inventory Appraisal System, says that
scenario is all too common. Few technicians go to the expense of insuring their
tools, because until now the insurance
industry has not made it easy.
“Traditionally insurance companies
don’t like mechanics because they have a
lot of tools and their tool boxes roll,” he
says. “They haven’t been very accommodating because of the threat of fraud.”
Tony knows what he’s talking about
because, like Wayne, he was the victim
of a tool theft which crippled his business as a mobile Mac Tools dealer in central Ontario.
Over the next six weeks, he calculated
the loss, figuring out what he had
bought, what had been sold, and what
had been on the truck at the time.
Thinking about what happened, and
talking to insurance companies and brokers, he started to flesh out a service that
would document tool inventories. He
went to the adjusters and police to find
out what kind of information they
require after a theft or fire. He started
building a database of tool information,
and even had a computer program written that would automatically update valuations, using tool company web sites.
The end result is an appraisal service
specifically tailored to the automotive
aftermarket, in which he touches everything in a shop, from wrenches to heavy
equipment, photographing everything,
and appraising their value.
The report he delivers on CD gives an
insurance company a to-the-penny picture of what might have been lost. And
that’s made them more receptive to reasonable insurance rates for technicians.
Tony says tool insurance can now be purchased for as low as $8 per thousand.
“The real serious guys out there have
always wanted to insure their tools but it
OCTOBER 2006
has traditionally been too expensive,”
says Tony. “But they need it. They’ve
invested a lot of money in this industry.
They have their entire professional life
right there in the tool box. If it gets
stolen, or destroyed in a fire, a lot of
them will just pack it in and get out of
the trade because it’s so expensive to
restock.”
Ken Copeland, a 22-year-old technician at Auto Centre Dufferin County, in
Shelburne, Ont., has been in the trade for
less than five years, but he has a tool
chest that many veterans would envy. He
got it for a great price from someone
who was leaving the industry. The collection was recently appraised at $72,000.
“It’s the thing of greatest value that I
own,” he says. “I figure I should get it
insured – not just for the peace of mind
but also for my bank, so they know what
kind of collateral I can bring if I want to
buy a house or a car.”
He says knowing the value makes him
all the more determined to protect them.
“Fire... theft... you worry about it a bit.
This building is pretty secure but you
never know what can happen,” he says.
“And then what would I do? I can’t come
up with $72,000 overnight.”
Ken Matheson, owner of K. M. Repair
in Thornton, Ont., says the insidious thing
about not having an accurate inventory of
tools is that you’ll probably never know
completely what you lost.
“If you try to remember what you
have after the fact, you find it’s not so
easy. You reach for something and think,
‘Man! That went too!’ And that could be
six months later, because you don’t use
every tool every day.”
He decided to get a proper inventory
and valuation done to prevent that
headache. He figured he probably had
about $80,000 in tools and equipment.
The number was closer to $130,000.
“Mechanics tend to overvalue what
they have,” says Tony. “Shop owners generally have no idea of the value of what
they’ve got. They’ll wildly over-estimate
sometimes three or four times what they
actually have. If that’s the number they’re
giving to their insurance company, they’re
way overpaying for their coverage.”
In fact, an insurance company makes
its money on the premiums, so it likely
won’t discourage a technician or shop
owner from buying lots of coverage –
OCTOBER 2006
even too much. When a claim is filed, it’s
up to the client to prove that the amount
they’re asking for is accurate.
Tony tells the story of a shop owner
who saved $5,000 a year in premiums
because of an accurate assessment. He
was able to invest that ‘found money’ in
new tools to keep up with the demands
of the industry.
In the wake of his theft, Wayne
Winchester is facing some big questions.
“I’ll replace some of my tools,” he
says, “especially the ones I need to do
what I’m doing now. Being a master
truck tech, I had a lot of specialty engine
tools but I won’t be getting back into that
part of the business. I’m over 60 years
old. I’ve been at this for 40 years.” Near
the end of his career, it’s unlikely he’d be
the victim of another theft. But the experience has left him bruised.
“Tool insurance would have helped,”
he admits. “If I were a younger man I’d
think about it very seriously.”
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Somewhere
Under the
Rainbow…
… lies the proper coolant for the
heavy-duty trucks you’re working on.
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By Jim Park
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It’s getting so that color blindness would be a real handicap if your
job involves engine coolant.
There’s an increasing range of colors out there… and more than
a little confusion about what they mean.
And this is especially true in the heavy duty world where a number of new coolant products have been introduced to save harddriven truck engines.
Actually, the colors – which are a product of the chemical content – is just the start of it. Two types of antifreeze are available
today: conventional (including fully formulated antifreeze) and
extended-service (ESL) blends. There’s a third type easing its way
into the market as well, called “fill-for-life,” a combination of the
other two.
Conventional coolants tend to be green, or maybe blue, while
extended-service products are usually red or orange. There’s some
pink out there, but more than a few radiators are full of something
muddy brown in color. That’s because somebody mixed two types
of antifreeze together.
The green stuff is the so-called low-silicate, phosphate-free
antifreeze containing a blend of inhibitors and additives, such as
silicate, nitrate, borate, phosphate, and molybdate. The upside to
conventional antifreeze is that it’s tolerant of mixing and dilution.
The active chemical base can easily be restored with the addition
of appropriate additives. The downside is the effort involved in
testing and maintaining the product. If it’s neglected, depletion of
OCTOBER 2006
the active chemicals such as the nitrite cavitation inhibitor can
quickly cause internal problems.
“I’ve seen engines—two right here in town in the same month —
with less than 250,000 kilometres on them that had holes chewed
right through the side of the block,” says Dominic Zappavigna of
Waterous Detroit Diesel in Calgary. “Both engines had the proper
antifreeze, but the owner hadn’t bothered to replenish the additives
or inhibitors.”
The red and orange antifreezes–the ESL products – still use
either ethylene glycol or propylene glycol as their base, but they
rely on nitrite organic acid technology (NOAT) to provide the protection. NOAT, which contains anti-corrosion compounds like
aliphatic mono- and di-carboxylic acids along with tolytriazole and
nitrites, is common to most ESL coolants.
When it comes to the end user–your customers–the appeal of
an ESL coolant from a set-it-and-forget-it perspective might be
high, but there are considerations they often need to be reminded
of. All brands of ESL antifreeze require periodic testing, and that’s
not something your average truck owner is inclined to do on
schedule.
You may have an advisory role to play here, especially if you
find the existing coolant to be badly neglected.
The appeal of ESL antifreeze is that you don’t need to replenish
the inhibitor stock. Typically, you’ll have to add an extender to the
product somewhere around the 500,000-km mark, and it may be
possible to go out beyond 1 million kilometers. Most of these ESL
coolants also use a water filter loaded with time-release pellets to
maintain the inhibitor charge throughout the life of the filter.
Some brands of ESL antifreeze will tolerate minor cross-brand
contamination, but none of them take well to contamination with
conventional coolant or dilution with excessively hard water. If the
coolant becomes sufficiently contaminated, you’ll have to flush
and refill the system with fresh product — a steep price to pay,
especially for an owner-operator who may not be able to find ESL
antifreeze on the truck stop shelf when he needs a gallon of makeup coolant.
If your customers are running any brand of conventional fully-formulated antifreeze, you can simply follow manufacturer’s guidelines
for measuring inhibitor concentrations. Simply dip a test strip into
the coolant and compare it to a graded color scale on the bottle.
Conventional coolants can also be used in most cases with a timeor need-release water filter containing measured applications of
nitrite and SCA. These filters render the conventional coolant as close
to hands-off as it’s likely to get, but periodic testing is still advisable.
At the very least, conventional coolants should be tested for
nitrite concentration at every scheduled service interval–nitrite
make-up product can be added as it’s needed. Use a test kit that’s
approved for use with your brand of antifreeze. Blends of various
brands of antifreeze can skew the results, and some test kits are
incompatible with certain brands of coolant.
Conventional antifreezes may require a substantial amount of
attention, but they’re durable and flexible enough to withstand
dilution from incompatible antifreeze or higher concentrations of
straight water.
While you customer’s choice of coolant may be based on color
preference, the way you approach the job of servicing it ought to
be a little more scientific than what would look best in a puddle
under the truck.
OCTOBER 2006
CANBUILT
TM
THE PANTHER HEADLIGHT AIMER
Headlight Aiming
MADE EASY!
10 Minute
Complete
Headlight Alignment
Compact Design, Fast &
Simple Operation
• Easy to understand, setup and
use in any bay
Accurately Checks Aim for
ALL Headlights
• ALL Vehicles, ALL Models,
ALL Years
DOT APPROVED
for all vehicles
Precision ground
Optical GLASS Lens
• Not affected by:
UV, Direct Sunlight,
Overspray or Airborne
solvents
Your NEW Profit Centre:
Average $39.95 charge for a 10
minute Alignment!
DEMO ONLINE AT
www.canbuilt.com
Model OPT-5405
Optical Headlight
Aimer
$50.00 Canbuilt
coupon off your next
Canbuilt purchase
included
For a Limited Time: FREE WITH PURCHASE:
1 of -Aimer protective cover - $34.95 Value
2 of -Headlight Resurfacer/Restorer Kit - $79.90 Value
Over $165.00 in Savings !
Limited Time Special: $899.00
ROBOSTRUT:
Hydraulic Spring Compressor
• Complete Strut change over in less than 5 minutes!
• Handles 99% of all struts on today’s vehicles
• Hydraulics allows total control and safety for
compressing & re-seating springs
• Unique 3 Axis Adjustment
for maximum tooling contact.
Wall Mount RoboStrut
Item # RS-410A
Special: $799.95
Optional Mobility Kit
Item # RS-410WK
®
Call your local Parts Supplier or Canbuilt Equipment
1-888-607-2926 • 416-749-6555
www.canbuilt.com • [email protected]
CLASSIFIED
ADVERTISING
Carrus Technologies is aggressively expanding into
Western Canada and are in need of an
experienced technical trainer to be based in either
British Columbia or Alberta. Ability to train in
person or on the internet is required.
Send resume to Bob Worts [email protected]
SECTION
ADVERTISING
Don’t be left behind!
Let the
MARKETPLACE
Move Your Business
Forward.
Joe Mercanti
To advertise in MARKETPLACE call
– a seasoned sales and marketing 30 year veteran of the
automotive aftermarket is seeking contacts.
Most recently he was Director of Sales with
Ultrafit Exhaust Systems in Mississauga, Ontario .
Mercanti can be reached at
905 719-5389 or
[email protected]
DALE PATENAUDE
416-614-5829
[email protected]
CANBUILT
Equipment catalog
Sayco Distributors and Canbuilt Manufacturing
have release a new 20-page fully illustrated sales
supplement (SF2006B) with full details on a wide
variety of new items, productivity enhancers,
equipment, and incentives. All are designed to
provide new opportunities for repair shops. The
supplement includes features and benefits of the products and equipment
as well as specifications and other relevant information.
Canbuilt – For more info, go to www.aptmag.ca/products/40701
Air Powered: Platform - Motorcycle - ATV lift
- 1000 lb Capacity0
95.0
.00
:$13 1295
g
e
$
R
:
L
CIA r Now ise
SPE Orde Wheel V e
lu
e
Fre 0 Va
Get
.0
9
$17
Tool storage
The Matco MSC12 Master Service Rollaway cart combines storage capacity with unique added functionality. It’s a fully welded unit that can withstand the rigors of every day use in the shop. This
unit offers versatility capacity, superior strength,
and high security, with over 900 square inches of
true work surface and over 12,000 cubic inches of
storage. As your storage needs change, the MSC12
can accept more drawers, making it a full rollaway
and adding over 2,300 sq. in. or over 7,000 cu. in. of
storage. It is available in 50 color and trim combinations.
Matco – For more info, go to www.aptmag.ca/products/40804
• Removable rear wheel deck
• Expandable platform with
Optionally Available:
- 13” Front Platform Extension
- 24” Side Platform Extensions
Model # ML-3000
Shown with Optional
Wheel Vise
Oxygen sensors
Bosch has released the 2006 Oxygen Sensor
Catalog, with expanded coverage and 203 new part
numbers. It features more than 1000 new applications listings and a new ‘glossary of terms’ to help
explain the different sensor types. This and other
Bosch catalog information is also available through
the Bosch eCat system, which offers catalogs, technical bulletins, and product information all on one CD, with application
updates available monthly via the Internet.
Robert Bosch – For more info, go to www.aptmag.ca/products/40505
O2 sensors line expansion
ACDelco has added 36 all-make oxygen sensors to its emissions product
offering. These new part numbers cover domestic and import applications from 1999 to 2005 model years. ACDelco offers all-makes/all-models coverage for its emissions line, with over 90 per cent application coverage for oxygen sensors.
ACDelco – For more info, go to www.aptmag.ca/products/40501
7,000 lb Storage Lifts:
For Cars & SUV’s
Model # VL-4700
For cars:
68” Clear Height
Model #VL-4700EXT
For SUV’s & pickups:
78” Clear Height
• North American Hydraulic units
• A complete line of lifts available
OCTOBER 2006
Get
RY
WORKSTATION BENCHES & CABINETS
• Organize your
workspace
!
NEW
Four-post lift
Rotary Lift has updated its complete line of light-duty four-post vehicle
lifts to offer technicians greater
convenience. The power unit
and controls on each of the
12,000 lbs. capacity lifts has
been moved to the driver’s side
front of the lift. Additionally, the
lifts now feature easy-to-use
conventional dual hand controls. Rotary four-post lifts are available as
standard or alignment lifts.
Rotary – For more info, go to www.aptmag.ca/products/39405
Now
O
ACT
00 F TE
.
0
5
A
$1 REB
er
Ord
• Secure your tools.
test equipment
• Improve
Productivity
• Improve shop
appearance
See them at: www.canbuilt.com
Call your local Parts Supplier or Canbuilt Equipment
1-888-607-2926 • 416-749-6555
®
www.canbuilt.com • [email protected]
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October 06
AUTO PUZZLE
1
23
25
ACROSS
DOWN
1 Toyota truck.
3 Ford SUV.O.J.’s escape vehicle.
7 Protects vehicle interior from sun damage,
and wear-and-tear.
9 _____-league.
10 Mazda's fuel injection system used on RX7,
323 and 626 models.
11 Carmaker known for its bowtie logo.
13 Connected metal links usually for
transmitting power.
14 Lower part of the piston that makes contact
with cylinder wall.
18 Understood.
19 Air pressure acronym.
20 Acronym for either Nitrous Oxide Systems
or ‘new old stock’.
21 The act of making a turn.
24 One of the world’s top carmakers.
25 GM nameplate.
1 Type of automotive belt.
2 Poem.
4 Number of steering wheels in a typical
automobile.
5 Kia sedan.
6 Fastening device.
7 Oil type.
8 Going backwards.
11 Recent Adam Sandler movie
12 GMC sport utility vehicle.
15 Type of wrench.
16 What scan tools read.
17 Vehicle manufacturer.
22 John Lennon’s widow.
23 Squirrel food.
June 2006 Auto Puzzle
S H I N
H
A I
I
M
A N
S C A L
R
U
L A U N
V
C
T E C H
E
A
N R
M
P
O C C U
E
O
V I P
A
T
D R I
E
M
A
C H
M
S
S
A
T H R
A
G
R A I
R
N
B U I C
E R
U M P
E S
A
H U R O
P
X
R E P A I
E
D
O R D E
O W
O
N O S
S E
R U S T
K
E
Y
O
N
R
Add More Life To Your Car
Havoline® has entered a new century
of adding more life to your car.
Moving forward, we will continue to
embrace vital new technology that
translates into value-added solutions
for your business.We’re looking
towards the future, but we’ll never
outgrow the world-class performance
and solid technical expertise that
got us here in the first place.
For more information call
1 800 465-2772 or visit
www.Havoline.com
R
E
L
A
Y
Congratulations to Bert Sinkgraven of Windmill
Automotive in Brampton,ON,winner of a set of Havoline
Die Cast Cars for solving our June 2006 puzzle.
Win 100!
$
Send your solved puzzle to Canadian
Technician.We’ll draw a winner on Jan.17,
2007.Send to 451 Attwell Drive,Toronto,
ON M9W 5C4.Or fax to 416-614-8861.
Name:
Workplace:
Work address:
Phone:
email:
Question of the Month: How much do you estimate you spend each on year on
training – including hard costs (dollars) and lost productivity?
© 2006 Chevron Global Lubricants. All rights reserved.
continued from page 30
sporting his 1986 Mercedes 420SEL, and
even Long-haul Herman in his ’92 Dodge
4x4. “Who won?” I asked as I walked
over to award the prize.
Everyone pointed at Buck Pincher.
“He won it fair and square,” rumbled
Long-Haul Herman. “I’ve been a trucker
all my life, but for a crusty old critter, this
man can really drive!”
Buck’s eyeballs nearly popped out of
his head when I gave him a cheque for
$500, but he sighed and handed it back.
“Keep it, Slim. You’ve given me such
great service over the years that I want
you to throw the biggest Christmas party
your guys have ever seen.”
The next thing I knew, Basil was standing over me. “Are you dreaming, Slim?”
“Yeah, I know,” I gasped. “Buck’s never
that free with money!”
Basil cleared his throat and shook me
again. “Seriously, boss, are you dreaming? It’s time to wake up!”
I was suddenly very aware that I was
lying on the creeper under a 2002 F-150, a
fallen ratchet digging into my chest, my
left hand resting indelicately in a puddle
of motor oil on the shop floor. “Whwhat?” I said, still in the fog of sleep.
“We’d already dispatched a search
party for you, Slim. I think you’ve been
logging too many hours lately. You’re not
as young as you used to be!”
As I crawled out from under the truck,
a wave of disappointment washed over
me. There was no barbecue, no Mountain
Dew, and precious little professional
camaraderie in our town. There was no
Slim Shamble’s Autopalooza. “Too bad,” I
muttered. “I was just starting to enjoy this
business again!”
Suddenly I had an idea and headed for
the office computer. There’s a certain online forum where a bunch of fellow technicians just might be interested in a really
good idea!
A big thanks to all the
members of the
Canadian Technician
Forum, whose lively
debates provided the
inspiration for this
month’s column. How
about it, guys; who’s going to host the
first Autopalooza? You can invite me at
[email protected].
OCTOBER 2006
ADVERTISER INDEX
Advertiser
Page
Website Address
Phone
31
www.acdelcocanada.com
1-800-26-DELCO
Automotive Industries
11, 23
Association of Canada
1272 Wellington St. W. Ottawa, ON K1Y 3A7
www.aiacanada.com
1-800-808-2920
25, 27
www.canbuilt.com
416-749-6555
1-888-607-2926
4
www.carquest.ca
Contact local rep
Chevron Global Lubricants
6975A Pacific Circle
Mississauga, ON L4T 1A1
28
www.texacohavoline42.com
1-800-465-2772
Gates Canada
225 Henry Street, Building #8
Brantford, ON N3S 7R4
10
www.gates.com
1-519-759-4141
9
www.prestone.com
1-800-243-2323
Launch Technologies
70 Hanlan Road
Vaughan ON L4L 3P6
26
www.cnlaunch.com
905-265-9330
Matco Tools
25 Carissa Lane
Holland Landing, ON L9N 1R6
24
www.nmtccanada.com
1-866-BUY-TOOL
Franchise Opportunities
1-800-368-6651
Mister Transmission
9675 Yonge Street, 2nd Floor
Richmond Hill ON L4C 1V7
21 www.mistertransmission.com
1-800-373-8432
Robert Bosch, Inc.
6955 Creditview Rd.
Mississauga, ON L5N 1R1
32
www.bosch.com
1-800-618-4729
Snap-on Tools
2325 Skymark Avenue
Mississauga, ON L4W 5A9
2
www.snapon.com
1-800-734-2676
SPX/OTC
5695 Whittle Road
Mississauga, ON L4Z 3P8
16
www.genisysotc.com
Contact local agent
Wakefield Canada Inc. (Castrol)
3620 Lakeshore Blvd. West
Toronto ON M8W 1P2
12
www.wakefieldcanada.ca
1-888-CASTROL
ACDelco
Canbuilt Manufacturing
103 Milvan Drive
Weston, ON M9L 1Z7
CARQUEST Canada
36 Worcester Road
Toronto, ON M9W 1K9
Honeywell (Celsius by Prestone)
3333 Unity Drive
Mississauga, ON L5L 3S6
The Car Side
By Rick Cogbill
When Slim’s imagination gets the better of him,
the challenge is to turn fantasy into reality.
A Late Summer Night’s Dream
Will Enns
“Hey Slim, how ’bout another burger?”
I brushed the crumbs off my shirt.
“Soon, Herk. I’m still chewing my last bite!”
The owner of Herkle’s Auto Parts
raised the lid on the barbecue, releasing
a cloud of smoke. “Service is my middle
name, Slim. And I just sent Samantha to
find you another cool one.”
Dave, the partsman from the local
Ford dealer, staggered up with a heavy
box. “Here are some more patties, Herk,”
he gasped. “Want me to man the flipper
for a while?”
“Naw, I got ’er. But how ’bout a game
of cards while they cook?”
Nearby, Tooner was having a discussion with young Jimmy C., the top technician at the local GM dealership.
“Jimmy, them Duramax diesels got me
stumped. Ya got any pointers for an old
coot like me?”
“Why don’t you come by after work
and I’ll give you a quick run-down,”
replied Jimmy cheerfully. “My service
manager will find us a demo truck.”
Jimmy lowered his voice. “Say, I hear you
used to work on carburetors. I got this old
’70 GTO at home that just won’t idle…”
At that moment Samantha, the delivery girl for Herkle’s Auto Parts, caught
up with me and my empty glass. “A diet
Mountain Dew with a hint of freshsqueezed lime,” she announced, holding
up a frosty mug. “Did I get it right?”
“Perfect,” I said. “Say, did I hear that
you and Beanie are going steady?”
Sam blushed furiously. “Well, he did
give me this.” She showed me a shiny
bracelet made of chrome piston rings. “I
can’t resist a man in coveralls!”
The event was Slim Shamble’s Autopalooza – our annual repairman’s picnic, a
joyous occasion for anyone in our town
who had anything to do with a vehicle.
Under a big oak tree, some techs were
swapping stories, including our Basil, and
Spoke Lee from The Alignment Shop.
“Hey, Basil,” said Spoke. “One of your cus-
tomers came by for an alignment the
other day. She also had an oil leak after
having a service done at your shop; turns
out the drain plug gasket had split. We
replaced it no charge and explained that it
could happen to anyone.”
Basil raised his glass in salute. “Much
obliged, buddy. Just send us a bill for
your time.”
Spoke waved him off. “Forget it. You’d
do the same for me.”
Dutchy the tow truck driver was at a
nearby picnic table shooting the breeze
with used car salesman Dickie Dickson.
“Ja,” growled Dutchy, chewing on his
Colt cigar, “I’ll tell you what; if one of
your used cars breaks down in the first
six months, it’ll only cost you ten bucks
for a tow.”
Dickie slammed a beefy hand down on
the table. “Dutchy, you’re a gentleman and
a scholar. Make it fifteen and it’s a deal.”
I sighed contentedly and sipped my
Mountain Dew. This was life as it should
be. Over on the grass, the two local tool
dealers, Big Stan and Mad Max, were
cheering loudly for a bunch of mechanics
engrossed in a game of automotive-style
croquet; they were using steady bearing
brackets for hoops. The grand prize was
a roll cab from Big Stan’s Tool Van filled
with Mad Max tools.
Out in the parking lot, the
Autopalooza Poker Run had just finished.
The drivers were some of our regular
customers. There was Buck Pincher in a
Toyota Camry, Rep Tyler with his old
Chevy pickup, Baron Von Frederick
continued on page 29
OCTOBER 2006
ACDelco’s
Total Service Support Program
The membership program
that gives you more.
ACDelco’s impressive list of membership benefits include:
• Hands on Service Training offered at 39 convenient
locations across Canada
• ACDelco Info X-Change Network – satellite training
that brings interactive training to your area at
convenient class times (hosted by your sponsoring
Wholesale Distributor)
• Technical Assistance Line Support
• Incentives including Exclusively Yours Reward points
• Exclusive promotions including the
Real Racing Daytona 500
• ACDelco Customer Retention System
• Exclusive GM vehicle discounts
• Technician of the Millennium – a competition
that lets technicians compete for the title and
valuable prizes
• ACDelco Co-op Marketing Support
• Preferred Credit Relationship
• Ongoing mailings and in-shop promotional items
ACDelco’s Total Service Support Program provides your shop with all the
tools necessary for success in the ever-changing Canadian Aftermarket.
Our mission is simple: to provide our network of Independent Service Centres
with quality parts, superior training, technology and marketing support, which
in turn, enables you to provide a level of professional service to your customers.
ACDelco has designed this comprehensive program to provide the support that you need most.
We continually refine the program based on the input we receive from
Independent Service Centres across Canada.
THE RESULT IS A PROGRAM THAT IS AS ADVANCED AS TODAY’S VEHICLES.
Make sure you’re working with the right tools and the right partner. Discover the benefits you will
receive as a member of the ACDelco Total Service Support Program.
For more information on becoming a member,
call your local ACDelco Distributor,
or the ACDelco Info-Line at 1-800-26-DELCO.
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Where are you? - CARS Magazine

Transcription

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