As many of you know, it takes a lot more than excellent mechanical knowledge to run a successful automotive repair business. In fact, you could have the best mind in the world for vehicle service and diagnostics, but, at the end of the day, you need at least a nodding acquaintance with what it takes to turn a profit.
I heard a statistic years ago (can’t remember the source) that stuck in my head and my experience working with shops over the years has reinforced it. The average shop owner makes 3% net operating profit. Meaning that the shop that does $1 million in annual sales nets about $30,000 at the end of the year, before taxes.
Jay Thatcher, owner of Thatcher’s Auto Center is Superior, WI, says his customers now demand more dependability, performance and fuel efficiency from their vehicles. The shop currently does about 70 percent maintenance and 30 percent repair work. Five to 10 years ago, it was mostly repair work. “Customers have discovered that if they maintain a vehicle today it will go and go. It also costs less over the life of the vehicle to keep it well maintained than to repair it,” Thatcher told a local reporter.
Auto repair technicians who need to obtain their Section 609 certification and would like to attend a live, instructor-led class can do so via the internet on Friday, April 15, 2011 at 11 a.m. EDT. The approximately 90-minute live webinar will give an overview of the Section 609 requirements. After viewing the webinar, viewers can take the test and mail it back to MACS headquarters.