Pricing Your Shop’s Services Without Adversely Affecting Customer Relationships
What I decided to do with this article is break the subject of pricing down into three components: Base pricing, price modification andmeasuring results. Base Pricing At Elite, we believe that in all cases, your prices need to be competitive. By “competitive,” I’m not suggesting that you need to charge the same price as
Installing Drive Belt Kit on 1.8L 20V Audi A4 Engine
(Retrofitting hydraulic damper on vehicles built before1998) Problem: Thebelt drive makes noise after operating for a short time. Cause: Thenewly installed tension roller is not the correct distance from the engine andallows the belt to rub on the side of the inner flanged wheel Solution: When refittingvehicles built before and during 1998, the old
Differentiate Your Business From Your Competition and You Can Dominate Your Market
For the rest of us, competition from businesses that supply similar products and services is part of our daily business lives. The more popular the product or service, the more competition there is. Sometimes this is geographically dictated; where I live in the desert southwest, there are literally hundreds of swimming pool builders and air
2000-2003 Toyota 4.7L Tundra & Sequoia Oil Pressure Gauge Reads Low
Affects 2000-2003 model year Sequoia and Tundra vehicles produced BEFORE the VINs shown below: MODEL STARTING VIN Tundra 5TBBT44112S314095 Sequoia 5TDZT38AOZS117526 1. Verify that the NEW parts are built after the Manufacturer’s Sender Case production date, as identified below. 2. Replace the Oil Pressure Sender. 3. Verify proper operation of the Oil Pressure Gauge. Some
Proper Oil Recycling Techniques are Good for Business, Environment
In the city, most things are in close proximity, whether it’s the grocery store, cleaners, restaurants or even a gas station or oil changefacility. Get out into the country, though, and no matter what you wantyou are going to have to drive a bit to get there. Similarly, practices are a bit different in the
ZDDP: When, Where, What, Why, How?
Government regulations and demands for lower emissions levels become more important than power and performance. Proven components are no longer acceptable and the inevitable changes occur – not always for the best. Things seemed to be much simpler in the 1930s. Engine bearings were made from a soft tin/copper/antimony alloy, commonly referred to as babbit.
Building Ford Strokers Engines: Make Most of a Windsor Block
Nijssen, the Apple Valley, CA-based engine builder, operates strokerengine.com and builds domestic V8 engines for the U.S. and international (primarily Australian) enthusiast markets. He says he doesn’t try to push his desire onto the customer. “I don’t sell you what I like, but rather you and I figure out what you really need for power
7 Common Small Business Tax Misperceptions
The old legal saying that "ignorance of the lawis no excuse" is perhaps most often applied in tax settings and it is safeto assume that a tax auditor presenting an assessment of additional taxes,penalties and interest will not look kindly on an "I didn’t know I wasrequired to do that" claim. On the flip side,
PRI Announces Transition and Sale to SEMA
With 20-plus years of publishing and management experience at PRI, John Kilroy will serve as vice president/general manager of PRI and assume day-to-day operations for the group. All the operations, employees and offices will remain intact at PRI’s current location in Laguna Beach, Calif. "Steve Lewis launched the PRI concept a quarter-of-a-century ago,
Well there is a “rat poison” for engines that is used regularly and daily in nearly any installation shop and by DIYers. SURFACE CONDITIONING DISCS, often referred to as cookies within the shop environment, were originally designed for use in the auto body shop, I believe. Here is where the problem lies when using them
JE Pistons Announces New Manufacturing Capabilities In The Midwest
JE Pistons’ new Midwest manufacturing facility will allow the company to offer reduced delivery lead-times and lower shipping costs for many customers. The company said the new facility will be operational in the second quarter of 2012. “JE Pistons is a responsive company that makes it a priority to take care of its customer
In Memoriam: Scat
Peter Lieb is survived by his two sons, Connor and Aiden; his father Tom Lieb and wife Carrie Lieb; his mother Vernetta Lieb Crandall; his siblings Susan, Tom, Sean, Anna, Megan and Emily; his fiancé Shari; her sons Cole and Lukas; and Karen Lieb, mother of Connor and Aiden. Peter was an outdoorsman who celebrated
SEMA Holds First Town Hall Meeting of 2012
The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) had planned for its first Town Hall in St. Charles, Ill., to kick-off a three-event schedule in 2012. And despite the inclement weather just before the event, everything went off as scheduled on Friday, February 24. The end result was a three-hour event that seamlessly weaved itself into the
iATN Introduces Two New Public-Facing Websites
The Auto Repair Shop Finder, accessible from the “For Vehicle Owners” tab on the main iATN public website, features a geo-locator that can use a user’s physical location to find the nearest iATN member business, or consumers can input an address, city or zip code to easily locate a facility. “The main public site is
House Approves Washington State Bill to Exempt Restoration, Custom Shops from Written Estimate
A SEMA-supported bill S.B. 6005 to exempt restoration and custom shops from the requirement that they provide written estimates for the repair of any vehicle that qualifies for a “horseless carriage” or “collector vehicle” license plate, or is a “parts car,” “street rod” or “custom vehicle” was recently passed by the Washington State House of
Levers and Gears: Anatomy of a Dial Indicator
Mechanical dial indicators (comparators) are characterized by a sensitive contact, a measuring system that transfers and magnifies the mechanical motion, and a means of indicating the measurement. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has the responsibility of preparing standards which encompass the inspection and the means of measuring various dimensional characteristics, as well
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: February 2012
The Perfect Pilot With the increasingly smaller valve stem diameters it is getting harder than ever to get an air-floated, self-centering, single point, multi-angle pilot aligned with the guide. Here is a pretty simple way of getting you almost dead-on every time and without bending or breaking your $80 to $100 solid carbide pilot.
Cummins Injector Leak Diagnosis Can Be Tricky
Certainly, there’s some common repairs needed on specific engines that are easy to do but doesn’t mean that it makes everything else easy to diagnose. Owners often think that because diesel engines are now electronic the technician should be able to hook up a scan tool and immediately see what is going on. The good
Recent Advancements in Racing Oils
The racing oil community has been very busy this past year. This is much more satisfying to an old “oilhead” who has seen years where there were no new racing oil developments. Racers and engine builders traditionally focus more on improvements in hard parts, because that’s what they understand best. However, recent successes in racing
Be More Efficient And Profitable With Well Organized Shop
The best way to be ready to start your day is to get your shop together. This means that every day certain things must be shut down, cleaned, put away, wiped down and organized. Get yourself a pedometer, attach it to your belt and at the end of the day see how many miles you’ve walked around your