Mary DellaValle

As miles rack up on your customers’ vehicles, are you getting the most mileage out of your oil change services and maximizing every service occasion? Oil change service is the leading driver of traffic through service bays and represents the greatest opportunity for cross-selling other services, according to new car care research from The NPD Group.

For the sixth consecutive year, the Motorist Assurance Program (MAP) will sponsor a period of Brake Safety Awareness. New for this year, the highly successful annual promotion will expand to the full month of August, rather than the typical week as in years past.

One of the most important jobs you have is to make sure your customers are satisfied and that they return to your shop for additional repairs and preventive maintenance. Exceeding their expectations should rank among one of your most important-customer service strategies.

Continuing recent discussions with ImportCar shop owner readers extolling the benefits of shop image as it relates to attracting new customers and retaining existing ones, Frank Scandura, owner of Frank’s Mercedes Service, with locations in Henderson and Las Vegas, NV, says that his customers are catered to even before any work is done on their vehicle.

Walking into the serene, peaceful waiting room at Frank’s
Mercedes Service in Henderson, NV, one would think that it’s a
laid-back business. But, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

For those who fix cars daily and are responsible for keeping America rolling, it’s disheartening to learn that not everyone has such an allegiance. A recent Consumer Reports poll may have you shaking your head, or, better yet, nodding in agreement on the amount of unperformed maintenance that’s there for the taking.

On July 29, President Obama announced the next phase in the Administration’s program to increase fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. Automaker fleets will need to average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 – about 2 mpg less than the earlier fuel-economy target of 56.2 mpg.

This industry has top talent all around it. From the manufacturer/supplier ranks, to the parts distribution system, to the service and repair specialists who collectively keep America’s vehicles running, we have so many to applaud.

Calling all best techs! Do you make your customers’ vehicles charge ahead, run like a champ and cross the finish line first?

A report released earlier in the year by CarGurus shows that “guy” car and “girl” car stereotypes hold true, confirming the “love affair” that consumers have long had with their vehicles lives on, but also validating the influence of gender on vehicle preferences.

With passion for their vehicles running so deep, your customers’ expectations for a pleasant vehicle repair experience may run as high as having their vehicles fixed expertly and efficiently, especially among your female customers. Weighing in on this topic is Frank Scandura, owner of Frank’s Mercedes Service, with locations in Las Vegas and Henderson, NV. His multi-bay locations specialize in Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Jaguar and VW service and repair, with an emphasis on driveability.

There’s no place like home, and for John Volz, home in this reference is the Volz Bros. Auto Service shop that he started 28 years ago. After 20 years of working 50-60 hours a week building his business, Volz sold the Grass Valley, CA, repair shop in 2001 to shop foreman Bill Greenman to retire to the Oregon coast where he spent seven years. Then, moved back to Northern California in 2008 to work in the auto parts business.