How much Integrity Does Your Auto Repair Shop Have?
If you see fewer auto repair shops in your area then you are witnessing a trend that is spreading throughout the auto repair industry. The small independent auto repair shop is getting squeezed by both the dealers as well as the ‘backyarders’ creating shrinking margins and putting many auto repair independents out of business.
The global problem may be the auto repair and service market has been shrinking in the last ten or fifteen years. Technology has made cars much more reliable with fewer breakdowns, repairs and scheduled maintenances.
Many manufacturers offer the latest 100,000 mile warranty particular person yourself the independent will get little chance to operate that car for the first 5-10 years it is owned.
As new car sales margins go down, VW, Chevrolet, Toyota and other manufacturers are seeking to their service departments to make the difference.
Additionally many dealers such as Porsche and Saab are adding other useful benefits such to be a loaner car while repairs are being made. Independents are forced to give courtesy rides to customers in hard work to keep lets start work on the dealers since customers now expect this service.
Furthermore dealers such as Mercedes and Ford are now directly offering specials on services making their dealer prices similar to independent repair shop prices.
But it’s as well as competitive pricing that’s the worrying the independents.
The battle for skilled labor may also be won using the dealers: the dealers often competed for skilled labor and now have become a lot aggressive. With fewer conserve entering business repair profession and opting instead for careers such as health and technology, essential talent pool of the top skilled auto technicians is shrinking.
Increasingly it becoming tougher for independents to rent and retain these highly skilled employees. Regarding automotive technician, would you rather appeal to Audi or Joe’s Shed?
The dealers are taking the best ‘mechanics’ or as may well known today, ‘technicians.’ A premier end dealer technician may well make $100,000 a whole year with benefits while a self-employed shop owner would require gross within a $1,000,000 1 yr to make that and still have to reimburse their own benefits and social protective measures.
Because the hands down economic realities many independent owners are now closing their shops all night to be employed by GM, Nissan and other dealers.
This puts the independent auto mechanic shop at a distinct disadvantage when diagnosing and repairing difficult drivability, fuel injection, electronic and computer related problems.
Additionally, if a diagnosis is comprised and a part of needs replacing the dealer will buy it in stock, not only verifying diagnosing but greatly speeding up the repair period and increasing client satisfaction. Big advantage Cadillac and Bmw.
But it’s not just a skilled employee conflict. Techs cannot fix cars without information and love a long and ongoing dispute from the dealers/manufacturers and independents over technical information access and diagnostic solutions.
The manufacturers claim their technical data is proprietary in terms of independents claim the information should be available to anyone that owns or fixes that make of car.
Excel Auto Repair & Sales
94 E Falmouth Hwy, East Falmouth, MA 02536
(508) 444-2777
