Shop Owner Offers Advice to Customers for Dealing with Cold Weather

Jim Doyle, owner of General Auto Repair and Tire in Hendersonville, NC, recently told a local newspaper reporter that the cold winter weather is taking a toll on his customers’ vehicles. “Cold weather causes a lot of rubber parts and plastic parts to break,” he said.

Below is the article as it appeared on the Times-News website.

Cars need extra care in the cold

By Jessica Goodman
Times-News Staff Writer
January 12, 2011

Jim Doyle, owner of General Auto Repair and Tire at 3500 Asheville Highway, is seeing the cold weather take a toll on his customers’ cars.

“Cold weather causes a lot of rubber parts and plastic parts to break,” he said.

Doyle offered up a few suggestions for how people can prepare for the weather and what to do after the storm. He suggested that drivers change their car’s oil, check the tires, make sure all the belts are in good condition and check the coolant levels.

“Make sure the four-wheel drive works,” he added.

Customers at his business are buying tires and chains for their cars.

“We’ve been seeing a lot of plastic radiators crack,” Doyle said Tuesday.

When a radiator cracks, it loses coolant and antifreeze. He suggested that drivers make sure the antifreeze is at the proper level.

To read this article on the Times-News website, visit http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20110112/ARTICLES/101121004/1042/news?Title=Cars-need-extra-care-in-the-cold.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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