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FIRST
THINGS FIRST Information That Pays For Itself
Last Saturday morning,
my son and I were in the garage spending "quality time" together replacing
the throttle position sensor on his latest acquisition, a 1990 Thunderbird®.
Out of the blue he said to me, "Hey dad, I was thinking of becoming an automotive
technician. Since you've been one for a long time, I figured you would know
all about it". I was a little surprised since he seemed to like tinkering
with cars as a hobby more than making it a career choice, but I know many
of us started out just that way.
"A lot has changed in the industry over the past few years," I said. "To
be a good all-around automotive technician nowadays, it's not only important
to have the ability to repair mechanical problems, but because onboard computers
control more automotive systems than ever before, you need to be a sharp
electrical diagnostician as well."
"What kind of computers are you talking about", he asked. "Can you play
video games on them?"
"Well, not yet," I said. "Vehicles already have computers controlling their
engine management systems, automatic transmissions, onboard navigation systems,
suspension, anti-lock brakes, sound and alarm systems. Some vehicles have
computerized personal preference systems that automatically adjust the interior
temperature, as well as seat, steering wheel and mirror positions. I'm sure
it won't be long before vehicles are sold with a personal computer, printer
and FAX machine as standard equipment."
The general public has become very aware of the elaborate computerized control
systems in their cars. They love to have all the conveniences these computes
can provide, but when that malfunction indicator light in the dash comes
on, it's panic time!
Not too many people own or have access to the proper test equipment to diagnose
their vehicle computer control systems. A qualified technician, armed with
the latest test equipment and access to a hi-tech automotive information
system, can piece the diagnostic puzzle together. Remember, you don't need
to know it all, just where to look for the proper information!
"Dad, if I opened a shop, had an online automotive information system and
computerized test equipment, where would I get the money to pay for it?"
"Let's see", I said, "today, the price of most personal computer systems
are well under $2,500.00. I had more money than that tied up in a few of
my special tools."
One of the most valuable advantages of using a PC is that you can install
a shop management software program that will keep track of all of your customer's
pertinent data, manage appointments, print repair orders and track inventory.
With this kind of system, you could have your customer's appointment made,
an estimate of repairs ready to sign and a rental car waiting for them,
all before they dropped off their vehicles.
If you provide an ultimate service that saves your customer time and makes
their life less stressful, you will have more business than you ever thought
possible.
Internet access is another way a computer in your shop can make money for
you. If you were to subscribe to an online automotive information provider
like ALLDATA®, you would have access to comprehensive repair and diagnostic
data covering over 20,000 vehicles dating back to 1982.
Your repair orders could include a $1 fee for retrieving technical service
bulletins (TSBs) related to their particular vehicle or maybe up to $2 for
diagnostic and testing procedures concerning the malfunction causing their
"check engine light" to flash.
Two dollars is nothing to pay for information that saves your customers
hundreds in wrong parts and misguided diagnostic time. So, if you multiply
those nominal charges by how many cars you run through the shop in one month,
the Internet information service would easily pay for itself. And, more
importantly, overall profits would multiply due to the increased volume
of vehicles you could process, diagnose and repair.
In a recent interview with Andy Datzell from Parts and People magazine,
Bob Weiffenbach, who recently retired as senior vice president of sales
for ALLDATA® said, "Now the need for electronic information in the independent
repair shop is an absolute. Today's vehicles are not much more than computers
on wheels, and if a computer repair shop gets $75 an hour to work on a $1,000
CPU, why shouldn't the automotive repair shop get $300 an hour to work on
a $40,000 vehicle?"
Referring to shops using computer automotive information systems Weiffenbach
said, "I think the future is bright for these guys, and it's profitable.
There's huge money to be made in the auto repair industry." "Well, what
do you think? Is being an automotive technician something you might be interested
in?" I asked.
"A career that combines computers with my mechanical skills sounds really
exciting," he said. "And profitable too! But", he groaned, "I'm starving.
How about lunch?"
I shut the hood of the T-bird. Smiling at him I said, "first things first,
right son?"
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