Simple Changes That Make an Auto Repair Shop More Professional | Frank and Margarita Wiebe
The Jaded Mechanic Podcast
Simple Changes That Make an Auto Repair Shop More Professional | Frank and Margarita WiebeThe Jaded Mechanic Podcast · Jul 7, 2026
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Topic
Tire, Tread- Shop and Tread Talk Podcast
They mention another podcast about tires. It connects to what they’re talking about—tire work and the people who do it.
Term
tire person
A “tire person” is someone who’s really good at tire jobs. That can include putting tires on wheels and making sure they’re balanced so the car drives smoothly.
It means tightening the bolts that hold the engine’s top part (the cylinder head) onto the engine. If those bolts aren’t tightened to the right tightness, the engine can leak or run poorly.
In this context, “attention span” is used to describe how technicians can lose focus when interrupted mid-task. The episode connects that to real-world process risk—like missing a torque step—when work is broken into segments.
“Torqued” means tightened to a specific amount using a tool that measures tightness. It’s more reliable than guessing, especially for safety-critical parts like wheels.
Shop management is how a repair shop runs day-to-day. It includes organizing the work, keeping people on schedule, and making sure customers and technicians are on the same page.
A ball joint is a small joint in your suspension that helps the wheel move up and down while still steering correctly. Over time it can wear out and cause clunks or handling problems. The hosts are talking about learning how to diagnose ball-joint issues.
A diagnostician is a mechanic who focuses on identifying the root cause of a problem rather than guessing. In auto repair, that often means using tests, measurements, and systematic checks to avoid unnecessary repairs. The hosts contrast this with “shotgunning parts,” which is replacing parts without confirming the cause.
“Shotgun parts” means replacing parts one after another without being sure what’s actually wrong. It can cost more and still not fix the problem. The hosts prefer diagnosing the cause first so the customer isn’t stuck paying for guesswork.
Wheel bearing noise is a grinding or humming sound that comes from the bearing that helps the wheel spin smoothly. When it wears out, the sound can get louder with driving. The hosts are teaching that you can’t always assume a noise means a wheel bearing is bad.
Tire noise is any sound coming from the tires, like humming or rumbling. It can change with speed and can sometimes sound like something else. The point here is learning to recognize tire noise so you don’t replace the wrong parts.
A test drive is when you drive the car to see if the problem shows up in real conditions. Mechanics use it to reproduce noises or vibrations so they can figure out what’s causing them. In this segment, they’re using it as a teaching tool.
NVH means noise, vibration, and harshness. It’s how much annoying sound and shaking a car makes, and how rough it feels—especially when something is wrong.
Vehicle harmonics are the “rhythm” of vibrations the car makes. If a part is worn or installed wrong, it can create a distinctive vibration pattern that a technician can detect.
A transmission fluid change replaces the fluid that lubricates and helps control hydraulic operation inside the automatic transmission. The job can be more involved than it sounds because many transmissions use a pan and internal filter, and some pans can’t be reused.
VIN is like your car’s fingerprint number. It helps the shop look up the exact parts and correct service steps for your specific car, which affects the price.
On some transmissions, the bottom pan is plastic and the shop has to replace it when they open it up. That adds cost compared with a simple fluid drain.
In this context, the filter is the transmission’s internal filter located inside the pan. When the shop performs a transmission service, replacing the filter is often part of the job, and it can materially affect price and parts availability.
In a repair-shop context, “bait and switch” means quoting a low price to get the customer in, then raising the price later after the customer is already committed. The hosts distinguish this from being upfront that the final cost depends on what the vehicle actually needs after inspection.
“Oil changes” are the routine service of replacing engine oil and typically the oil filter. The hosts are using the phrase to contrast a basic quick-lube approach with a more professional, inspection-driven service that includes additional checks and recommendations.
Term
full VDA
A “VDA” is a thorough inspection of the whole vehicle, not just the one thing you called about. It helps the shop find other issues or maintenance needs so they can give a more accurate plan and price.
Concept
forward-thinking
“Forward-thinking” here means the shop tries to improve instead of doing things the same old way. It’s about getting better systems and training so customers get better results.
A “diagnostic guy” is the person in the shop who figures out what’s actually wrong with the car. They use tests to avoid guessing, and if they’re out, repairs can slow down.
The “balancing act” here is deciding how to schedule repairs. You want to get the job diagnosed correctly and quickly, but you also have to manage technician availability and customer wait times.
The “charging circuit” is the car’s system that charges the battery while the engine is running. If it’s not working right, the battery can go dead even if the battery itself isn’t the only problem.
A “carbon pile” is a device that puts a load on a battery to see how it behaves. The hosts say they’re moving away from it because other testing can catch borderline problems better.
Amp clamps are like a sensor that you clamp around a wire to measure how much current is flowing. It helps the mechanic check electrical systems without tearing things apart.
“ROs” are the shop’s repair order forms. They’re the official record of what the customer asked for and what the shop did to fix it.
Term
DBIs
“DBIs” sounds like an internal paperwork folder or document type the shop uses. The key point is that the test results get attached to the shop’s records, not just kept in someone’s head.
A battery maintainer is a charger that keeps the battery topped up while the car is being worked on. It reduces the chance that the battery gets drained during the repair process.
A battery test checks if your battery is strong enough to start the car and keep working. The hosts are saying the type of test matters for predicting real starting problems.
In this context, capacitance means how much usable energy the battery can still hold. The point is that a battery can still start sometimes, but be weak enough to fail later.
Preventative battery replacement means swapping the battery before it completely dies. The goal is to avoid getting stranded when the battery can’t start the car—especially in winter.
The blower motor is the fan that moves air through your car’s heating and A/C. If leaves get into it, it can make the system harder to service and may affect airflow.
The check engine light is a warning that something in the engine or emissions system isn’t right. Instead of ignoring it, a shop can scan the car to find the real cause.
Brakes are what slow and stop your car. Because they’re safety-critical, a good shop checks how much pad material is left and whether everything is working correctly.
A transmission fault means the car detected a problem with how the transmission is working. Because it can have different causes, it usually needs a real diagnostic scan to find the exact issue.
A “diag” means the shop runs tests to figure out what’s really causing the problem. It’s better than guessing, because the warning light could come from many different parts.
A gas cap is the fuel tank closure that helps maintain proper fuel system pressure and prevents vapor leaks. If it’s loose or failing, it can trigger warning lights related to evaporative emissions.
Concept
advocate for them
Here, “advocate for them” means the mechanic tries to look out for the customer’s best interest. Instead of pushing expensive repairs, they explain what’s going on and help you decide what actually matters.
A “fleet” is a bunch of vehicles that belong to the same company. Instead of one car, the shop is dealing with many cars that need repairs and maintenance so the business can keep running.
A “brake job” is when a shop fixes or replaces worn brake parts. It’s usually done when the brakes aren’t stopping as well or the parts are getting worn out.
Vehicle air conditioning is what cools the inside of the car. If it stops working, it could be something simple like low refrigerant or something that needs repair, so the shop has to figure out why.
A “heater hose” is part of the cooling system that helps send hot engine coolant to the heater. If it bursts, you can lose coolant fast, and the car may overheat.
“Tire season” is the time of year when lots of people need tire changes. It can get busy for shops because many customers want the swap done around the same time.
“DVI” here means a thorough inspection of the car. The shop looks for problems and then uses what they find to explain what needs fixing and what it will cost.
The “300% rule” is a business guideline some repair shops use to encourage selling more than just the first service. The idea is that the shop should find enough additional work that the overall job total is much bigger than the starting point.
Term
pricing right
“Pricing right” means charging enough for the work so the shop can actually make money. If the prices are too low, the shop may not benefit even if customers come in.
A “Quick Lube” is a place that does oil changes quickly, often with minimal inspection time. The point here is that customers might go there instead of staying with the same repair shop for everything.
“Warranty work” means repairs that are covered by the car’s warranty. If something breaks within the warranty period, the warranty may pay for the repair instead of you.
If a strut is leaking oil, it means the shock absorber part isn’t sealing properly. That can make the car ride worse and handle less safely, and it can also wear out tires faster.
A “bad tie rod” means a steering part is worn out. That can make the steering feel loose or inaccurate and can also mess with alignment, so it’s something you don’t want to ignore.
This is when a shop tries to guess what’s wrong and how much it will cost without seeing the car. The risk is they might recommend the wrong fix or miss the real problem.
Alignment is adjusting how the wheels point so the car drives straight and the tires wear evenly. If other suspension parts are worn, alignment alone won’t fix the problem.
The Ford Crown Victoria is a big, rear-wheel-drive sedan that was common in fleets and police cars. The host mentions it to tell a real-world story about working on a car like this.
The idle air control motor helps control the engine’s airflow when you’re stopped and the car is idling. If it’s dirty, the engine may idle rough or act weird, and cleaning it can help.
A Ford Explorer is a common Ford SUV. The story here is about fixing a problem that affects how the engine idles, by checking the parts that control idle behavior.
Electronic throttle means the gas pedal tells a computer what you want, and the computer controls the throttle electronically. That can change which parts control idle, so the “same fix” from an older car may not apply.
To diagnose a car means figuring out what’s actually causing the problem, not just guessing. The point here is that the right fix depends on the car’s real symptoms and systems.
A “red flag customer” is someone who’s likely to cause problems—like arguing about what the car needs before the shop can confirm it. The story uses this to explain why shops try to manage expectations early.
The Chevrolet Silverado is a popular full-size pickup truck. In this story, it’s the truck that had a transmission problem and became the example of how shops handle difficult customers.
A service writer is the person at the repair shop who talks to you, writes down what’s wrong, and helps manage the repair process. In the story, they’re the one getting told to be cautious.
Subletting means the shop sends the job to another company that specializes in that work. In this story, the shop sends the transmission work to a local transmission rebuilder.
The head gasket is a seal between the engine block and the cylinder head. If it fails, the engine can overheat or mix fluids, leading to serious problems.
Rotors are the spinning brake discs, and calipers squeeze the brake pads onto them. If either part is wrong or worn, braking can feel off or wear out faster.
“Dealer pads” are brake pads sold through the car brand’s dealership. They’re usually the same type of parts the car was designed to use.
Concept
symptom vs result
A symptom is what you notice, like a noise. The result is what happens after the repair—like the noise disappearing. Good diagnostics figure out what’s causing the symptom, not just react to it.
An oxygen sensor is a small sensor that tells the car how much oxygen is in the exhaust. The car uses that info to run the engine correctly. If the real problem isn’t the sensor, just replacing it won’t make the car truly fixed.
“Fluid for service” means replacing certain fluids during maintenance. It can help parts work better, but if something is broken or damaged, a fluid change won’t make it go away.
“Tranny” is slang for the transmission, which is the part that helps the engine’s power get to the wheels. People sometimes blame the transmission when they’re not sure what’s wrong.
A “zip tie” is a simple plastic strap that tightens to hold something in place. Here, it’s used to stop a loose plastic piece from flapping and making noise.
“Underbody shields” are plastic or metal panels on the bottom of the car. If they’re loose or broken, they can make noises and sometimes cause problems while driving.
A “road test” is when the mechanic drives the car to see what’s happening while you’re actually driving. It helps them catch problems that only show up on the road.
An “inner fender” is the inner wheel-arch panel that sits near the tire and helps protect the wheel area. If it’s bent or detached, it can contact the tire, creating a smell (from friction/heat) and a noise.
Brake noise just means the brakes are making a sound. The host is saying that the sound can show up later, so the shop should re-check before starting work.
Recharging the AC means refilling the refrigerant so the air conditioner can blow cold. If it’s empty again two weeks later, there’s likely a leak that needs fixing.
Rear-ended means someone hit the car from behind. Even if the impact is from the back, it can still cause damage that shows up elsewhere, and the shop needs that info to diagnose correctly.
The condenser is part of your car’s air-conditioning system that helps get heat out of the cabin. If it’s damaged, the shop replaces it so the A/C can work normally again.
“Diag process” just means the shop’s troubleshooting steps to figure out what’s wrong. They’re debating whether to do the full troubleshooting or just replace the damaged part since it’s clearly broken.
TechMetric is a software tool some auto repair shops use to write estimates and get customer approval. The speaker likes that it clearly shows what the customer agreed to.
An invoice is the document a shop sends to a customer that lists services/parts and the amounts due, including tax. The hosts emphasize that the tax totals shown in the software must match the invoice numbers to avoid under- or over-collecting HST.
A general ledger is the main accounting log where all the shop’s transactions get recorded. The point here is that it may not be checked invoice-by-invoice for tax details.
LIVE
That kind of infuriated me a little bit because I was like, you wanted me to think it was me that was the issue- Yes ... because you didn't want to pay for that because you didn't want me to know you had an accident? I don't care if you got in an accident. It happens to everybody- Sure ... at some point or another.
But just be honest about it.
And that's the thing. If the customer would do that, maybe we would help them out a little bit.
Welcome back to another exciting episode of the JD McKenney podcast. Um, we're here still in Hershey, Pennsylvania at the Tools Conference, and I'm sitting down with, um, some really good friends of mine who this is their first, um, venture into a destination training event. Um, you might recognize Frank.
Frank's k- becoming a big deal pretty quick. Frank's got his own podcast. Um, and he brought his beautiful blushing bride- That's right ... um, Margarita. Yep. So Frank and Margarita Weave, how are you guys this morning?
Good.
Yeah,
I think we're doing good. I-
You guys are... You're holding in there. You're not- Yep ... too tired yet.
How-
Yep. Over- overwhelmed a little bit, I think, emotionally from all the learning, but- It's
a lot, isn't it? It's
a lot.
It's a lot to take in at one time. Yeah.
And you got... You made a great big Hershey, uh... Did you make a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup or did you make
a giant ass- Oh, yeah. We did. We did. Yep, we did
both.
I made one for my son-in-law who saved my cat,
so. Right. Yeah. Oh,
no. We did both. It w- yeah, had a good, a good time at the park yesterday. It was a lot of fun. Mm-hmm.
And you guys dro- Like, you're like me, um, Canadian. Cheers for Canada. Yeah. And, um- Whoo ... you drove down even farther than I did. Like, I drove... My drive to come from Kingston, uh, six hours of stop, plus a gas stop to stretch and gas, so about seven hours.
You guys drove down from Aylmer, Ontario.
Yeah.
Um, how long was your total trip coming down?
Well, the GPS said seven and a half hours. Mm-hmm. Yeah. But then of course with the... I have to stop at Harbor Freight- Yeah. ... and, and a, and a lunch stop, so we- Yeah ... ended up about-
10 hours.
Yeah. Yeah.
So it was, it was...
It's a long drive, but- Yeah ... it's, it's, it's easy drive. It's- Yeah ... it's nothing like- And
it's pretty right now to come down that way. Yep, it's pretty. Yeah. You guys kind of come down around the Buffalo side and, and down across-
Yep ...
that way. Yeah. Yep. Yeah, which as I come down 81. But, um, I'm always amazed.
Like, I've even just, I... We're talking, we went for breakfast this morning, and I drove to Cracker Barrel because as Canadians we don't get Cracker Barrel. Nope. And, um, I was just amazed sitting looking out the window at Cracker Barrel, just the rolling hills in Pennsylvania, all that kind of stuff. Oh,
the hills- It's beautiful
the hills coming through here. I was, I was like... We're behind a trucker and I'm like, "Oh, no. He's downshifting," and he's like... Now he's, like, going- Yeah ... I guess, what? 25 miles an hour up the hill. I'm like, "I g- I gotta pass this guy."
Mm-hmm.
All the way up the hill. Finally we get up the hill, and then he leaves nice enough to pull over and let me pass, so by the time I got to the next hill- Yeah
I was way gone. But-
Now are you like me and you find that some of the people drive slow here?
Yes.
Yes. Same.
Yes.
Same. A-
a- and you have all the opportunity to drive fast. Yeah. Like, you get on the highway and it's 75 miles an hour, and if we do that back home we're in jail.
Right.
I'm like-
Yeah ...
75, let's go.
Let's- But everywhere
that I'm- ...
let's get moving ...
going is, like, 55, and I look down and I'm cruising- 70. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yep. Which is, for us, our highway speed back home is normal. Like, if you're doing 70 back home, they don't even really look at you. Yeah. Right? Mm-hmm. Depending on time of day and where you are, but most of the time, you're driving on any of the 400 series highways, and you're doing 70 miles an hour, you're not even getting noticed.
You know, it's- Exactly. They're, they're looking for the guys doing 90, right? Um, so this is your first destination event, and I kind of... You know, 'cause you and I have been talking for a while now, Frank, and you kind of- Yeah ... like, I rave them up, and I brag about them and all that kind of stuff. And, um, you guys finally, I, I, I didn't guilt you into it, but I'm like, I sold it to
you.
Oh, you know what? You almost had me sold for ASTA, but- Yeah ... I only, I literally found out about two weeks beforehand.
Mm-hmm.
I think that if I would've known earlier, I would've gone.
Yeah.
But this year, I, I was sold on it a long time ago to go. It took me a while to convince her, and when I told her that it was at the Hershey park and- Yeah
at the Hershey factory, she said, "Okay, let's go." That's
the only reason I came.
But she said, "I gotta make, you gotta make sure that I get to that park one day." Yeah. So we, we went, and we had a great time.
Yeah.
But that's the only way I
got her- And Margarita, you were a little nervous at first coming here.
You were like, "I don't want to people too much," and...
I'm, I'm basically a hermit.
Uh-huh.
When I'm done at work, I want to be home. I want to shut off my phone. Yeah. I don't want anyone to talk, so- Now, like, I've been actually an extrovert here- Mm-hmm ... this whole time. Oh, yeah. Like, I feel like- That's awesome ... I've s- I've made more connections here than I have in my whole, like, last 10 years.
Yeah. So. I, I hardly recognize her. Like, like she's, she's, I don't know, happier than I can make her apparently, but- It's... No, it's- She
makes... You make her pretty happy.
I think so. But, but I have never, I haven't... It's been a long time since I've seen her this engaged with people and, and this excited to actually be like, "Hey, I wanna go talk to somebody- Mm
or I wanna go..." And I was talking with a, with a guy at break time earlier, and he said, "Yeah, just people here actually give a shit."
Yeah. Can I say that? Of course you can.
Yeah. People, people actually give a shit. Like, like, it's, it's, it's all about community here. Mm. Not like when you go to some of these other places and it's like, "I have my little group and I have my little..."
Yes. You still see that a little bit-
Yeah ...
but I, I understand that, you, you know, some of you guys have been going here for 10 years or whatever, 20 years-
Yeah ...
and they have their friends. Now you got someone completely new like us coming in.
Yeah.
And the fact that even we were welcomed even, we went to dinner the other night- Yeah.
Yeah ... right? And it, and it felt really good to be like, hey, these people, they care.
Yeah.
Right? So the, it's, that's been really good.
And, and that was the thing I wanted you to, because Frank warned me that, you know, you were a little on the fence and, uh, not all that comfortable. And I'm like, "She's gonna be fine."
Once she meets some of my, my friends, and especially 'cause you went to the women's dinner-
I did ...
on the first night, and, like, you're not the first lady that has told me when they walked into there, they completely felt like just enveloped, you know, in, in, in acceptance and, and appreciation and all that kind of stuff.
And I don't know, I've never been to one of the women's dinners, obviously, but I mean, the- ... everybody talks about the vibe is just so friendly and, and helping and, you know, supportive. It's, it's amazing thing.
Well, I
went,
I went with Coralie 'cause she invited- Mm-hmm ... she invited us. Um, well, she, uh, invited me through Frank, and I was very apprehensive.
I'm like, "What did you do to me?" Like, "Why would you do this without asking me," right? But I get there, and I'm like- A- anxiety overload, right? And Coralie's like, "You're fine. You're fine" Yeah ... you know, "I'll stay there. You're fine," right? And then Anise kept texting Tanika, "You gotta say hi to Margarita. Yeah
You gotta say hi," right? So finally Tanika's like, "Who's Margarita?" And I was so embarrassed. I was like- ... "Are you kidding me? This didn't help my anxiety at all." But she's like, "Don't be embarrassed. It's fine. Now we all know who you are," right? Yeah. And everyone was just so kind. So I ended up staying longer than I had told myself I was gonna stay.
Mm-hmm. Um, I met another girl, her name was Jess. She sat beside me. She was the identical personality to me- Yeah ... so we got along really good.
Good,
good. And she saw me today. She's like, "I haven't seen you around all day," right? Mm-hmm. So we kinda just chit-chatted a little bit today. It was kinda cool.
Yeah. And I spent, like, Coralie kinda hung out with me last night at the meet and greet and just, like, s- hung out with me and watched me, like, meet people that had come to see me at the, at the meet and greet.
And, and, you know, I was so im- like, I just felt, I felt comfortable, 'cause it's the first time her and I have ever met- Mm ... but we've talked online a lot. And I was like, "She's a really cool lady." Mm. She really is, right? And then it was just nice to have a fellow Canadian-
Yep ...
um, to kinda just stand there and listen to me- Mm-hmm
rant at the people that just wanna have a conversation about, about anything, right? So it's, um, this, like I said, this, this show has got some really good vibes to it, right? And that's about what you're all after. Um, same with Asta, right? Like, I was really hoping, um, to get more people coming down to this show, because I think it's, like, when they- Especially the Canadians, 'cause this is a short drive to come.
Yeah. Really, from the greater standpoint, like if you wanna go to ASA, that's a long drive. That's like 10, 12 hours, right?
Yeah, then you'd be flying out.
Yeah. And, and so for this, I keep saying to Anis, like, "Man..." You know, and he's not able to make it, which is too bad, because I met him at Tools last year, and him and I clicked instantly, you know?
So... Which, 'cause you guys have a podcast together. Yep. Yeah. You and Anis. It's called Tire, uh, Tread- Shop
and Tread Talk
Podcast ... Shop and Tread Talk Podcast. Yep. Yeah. You're in about 15 episodes.
Uh, actually I think 21. I, I was- Okay ... I was, wasn't sure yesterday, and then a, and then a, a guy beside me, he was like, "Nope, you're at 21.
I was just listening to it all night long." Right. Like, good, you know more than I do. Yeah. So I really couldn't remember. It goes fast,
doesn't it?
Yeah, it does. Yeah. It, it, it's been a lot of fun. Mm-hmm. Sometimes it's a little bit challenging if you, like, if we have a guest. We try to have a guest on each time, but- Yeah
doesn't always happen, so- Yeah ... sometimes it's challenging getting a guest, and-
Yeah ...
I don't know. You know, it's just fun. We just, we just have a g- dynamic. We just chat about- Yep ... whatever's going on.
Yeah.
And I don't know, some people probably think it's boring, but it's just kind of interesting. A little bit of a look into the world that, that we- Mm-hmm
we are in every day.
It... Well, that's it. It's having a conversation and sharing what we do- Yeah ... so people understand it better. And Margarita, you're not just a pretty face at 3D. You actually sometimes go out and get your hands dirty, and, like, Frank brags about you, like, doing tires. You're, like- Oh, yeah
the best tire person he's ever had.
Well, he's kinda gotta say that, but yeah. No,
it's, it's, it's true. No. You should see her slugging these, even these, uh, uh-
These 20-inch, like the 20, like the big tires ... Chevy, or the big truck tires. Yeah ... the 20-inch tires. Those ones are, those ones are- It's- ... about half as big as me, and so when I try to lug those, those are more difficult.
Yeah. But sometimes after two or three sets, I'm like, "All right. I'm, I'm done with these for a minute." Yeah. "I need somebody else to do it." But she can do it. But yeah, I can do it.
Mm-hmm. And they're hard for me to lift now, right? Even, like, me, I'm a, I'm a big guy, but, like, it's been 30 years of lifting heavy stuff.
Yeah. You know what I'm talking- It takes a toll on your body ... and it's now, so, like with this gimpy shoulder, like, I have to get, uh, really creative about how I even lift them. It's almost like I'm lifting with one hand and then putting them across my knees, right? Bending my legs and kinda-
Well,
we- But if you do it the way that he's taught me, where you hold the tire backwards and- Yeah
then you flip it up. That's what
I do.
Yeah. Yep, and it's just so much easier than trying to lift them, like- Yeah ... sideways and- We,
we made a TikTok video on that. Yeah. And man, we got a lot of crap for that. People are like, "That's the wrong way to lift it. You gotta lift with your back, or you gotta lift with your knees."
And it's like- Go ahead and try it. Yeah. Prove me wrong- Yeah ... that this isn't the best way, and I see so many people lifting it that way, and it's like, that's the best way. Roll it on your- Yeah ... roll it onto your lap. Up to
kind of your shins and-
And then you can use your hips to thrust it up- Yeah ... and off you go.
Yeah. And it's, it's... Anyway, if you haven't found it- Yeah ... find it on my TikTok 'cause it's a really good video.
Yeah.
Well, I had a, a customer actually come by to our shop because she found out that I was working in the shop, so she's like, "I came to support another woman in the- That's awesome ... industry." So that made me feel good.
Yeah. Now, was she in the industry as well?
No. Yeah. She was just a customer. She was like, "You know what? I think women in the, in this industry are not supported enough, so if I find that there's a woman in the shop, I will purposely go there just to support another woman-" I like that ... which I thought was cool.
Yeah. And, and that was the whole thing about the, you know, what's so great about these shows is they always make it a point at the shows to always have something geared towards the women. Because a lot of them, you know, they're the, they're the wives. They're not just always the wives of the owner, but sometimes they work in the shop as a, as an advisor, and they need, you know, a different perspective and sometimes a different ear to listen to when it's like this is the stress- Mm-hmm
or the, the nervousness they feel of being in the shop with a bunch of men. 'Cause it is male-dominated, right? It's... We're, we're trying to even the balance, but I mean, we can't get a lot of young ladies to, to pick this industry. Yeah. And it's too bad because everybody's heard me say, like, some of the women are just absolute, like, naturals at some of the diag and the, and the...
You're detail-oriented, right? Frank has said that about you. Like, you have a... The way you work on an engine or something is you don't even think about the, "I gotta get this done real fast." You're completely zoned in on doing it right, and s- that's a, that's a hard skill to teach.
It really is. And I think, I think I always say that.
I think women have that natural ability to just take that process and, and, and think it through from one end to the other. Whereas we as men, we're like, "Okay. Well, I can... I got five-minute attention span, so what can I do in five minutes?" Yeah. That's how, that's honestly how I do my job.
Yeah.
It's like, what can I do in five minutes?
If I have a job that's looming over me that's gonna be, take me, like, five, six hours- Yeah ... man, it's so hard to start it. But what can I do in half an hour? What can I do in an hour? And- Yeah ... that's how far I process. Uh, women are the other way around. Yeah. I think they can, they can look at the- whole picture and, and think that whole thing through, and be like, "Oh, you know what?
I'll work on this and this and this," and then it's a lot less stressful.
And they break it down to the little segments. Yep. But their attention span never leaves from that segment that they're on. Exactly. Yeah. You know, like when they're in the middle of torquing head bolts- Yeah ... they're in the middle of torquing head bolts.
Whereas, like, I'm bad now. Like, I can be in the middle of doing anything, and then somebody will, advisor come out and talk to me. And, or you know how it is. Yep. It happens in every shop, right? Yep. And all of a sudden, like, because I wanna be polite and everything, and I don't wanna get upset, I put down what I'm doing and I'll s- di- give them my focus.
Well, then I lost my complete focus on where I was, and then I have to back up and like, "Did I torque the bolt again or not?" And I'm going around again and again- Yep ... and again. So, and I do that just out of habit because w- we've talked, that's how wheels come off, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm. You're in the middle of torquing four wheels.
You're at wheel number three. Somebody comes over and asks you, "How much longer?" or, "What about this, that on the, on the job that we didn't get to?" or, "What do you think?" And before you know it, you spent five minutes, and then you go shut the hood and drive the car out, and the lugs aren't torqued.
Yeah, that happened to me when, when we were first, when I, well, first married.
He was working, and I came in just to bug him while he was doing my wheels. And then I took my daughter to the dentist.
Yeah.
And all of a sudden I'm hearing this awful noise. So I'm calling him. I'm like, "What's this? What am I supposed to do with this?" And as soon as I described the noise, he knew. Yeah.
He's like, "I didn't torque those lug nuts." So I had to go to the nearest Tim Horton's, and sure enough, they were all loose. Yeah. And I couldn't figure out where w- the bar was 'cause I- Sure ... back then I didn't know anything, right? So I'm, like, digging through my truck. There is 20 men standing there watching me struggle.
Yeah.
Not a single man came and helped me until I figured out where that bar was, and I was doing it. They're like, "Can you help me?" And I said, "Absolutely not." Not at this point. "You stood there for 30 minutes and watched me struggle- ... while I'm on the phone, and you could hear my conversation. And you guys just stood there with all of your tools on the back of the truck, and now that I can do it myself you wanna help me?
No." Yeah. "I don't need no one's help."
Yeah. I know. It's a weird world, eh? Yep. It really is. So kinda tell me, Margarie, what, what kind of classes have you taken while you've been here?
Um, I took Rick's course on- Rick White from Whatabiz? Yeah.
Yeah.
Yep. I took his course on, um, shop management. Yeah. Which I didn't think I was gonna learn anything in his class.
Mind you, that's the mindset I came in with. Yeah. And boy, was I blown away. Like- Yeah ... he stumped me on a few things, like- Yeah ... I had never even thought of, right? So yeah, he totally challenged me. I took Cecil's class today-
Good for you ...
um, about, um, being the best advisor you can be and the different, um- conversations you can have with people.
Mm-hmm. And it's not about always about, "Well, it's gonna cost this much money." It's about what do we bring to the table.
Yeah.
And so yeah, it, it's been a really good eye-opener. There's a
lot of psychology, right? Mm-hmm. In both, both the way that both Rick and Cecil teach, there's a lot of psychology involved, which, I mean, sales is psychology, but what they're...
They're not just, like, teaching you how to make more money. They're really, really teaching you how to, like, show your business as a commodity and a service, and it has a value- Mm-hmm ... and how to project that onto the customer. Yeah. That's what they're both so effective at. Like, 'cause, you know, I sat- When I first started coming here, Lucas to me is like, "Oh, yeah, take some of the training classes for business."
I'm like, "Oh, man, I'm never gonna be an advisor. I don't have the patience," right? Which maybe going forward I will be an advisor, but even to just sit in there from the technician's perspective and understand better the, the frustrations and the obstacles sometimes that the advisor or a manager has. As a tech, I started to appreciate it better, right?
Okay, I, I, every shop owner is not as evil, vile as I thought. But then you realize that it's like when you see them doing it right, it's like so motivating to go home and kinda share. Well, I share with my advisor all the time, like, "This is what I've heard people do, and this is what..." You know? And I'll sometimes take 'em printed material I have- Mm-hmm
and say, "This is how they approach this and how to approach that." And they're so receptive, right? It's so cool. Um, and you took... You- y- I talked to you last night, and you took, uh, um, Ira and Tim's ball joint to- Ball- Lab scope- Lab scope ... for the ball joint guy.
Lab scope- Of course ... for the ball joint guy. Yeah.
I, I, I didn't know what they meant by that, by that, uh, title.
Mm-hmm.
And I understand now- Yeah ... because, man, it was such an informative class. And, and, yeah, I think it was Ira. I was talking to him a little bit later, and he's like, "Oh, what scope do you have again?" And I showed him, and I says, "And you see the dust that's on it?
So that's how much I know how to use it."
Yeah. "
And I've had it for like four years, and, and I've never learned how to use it." And I'm thinking, "Man, if I could, if I could take home half of the information that they gave yesterday-
Yeah ...
and, and implement that, man, I'll be like the best diagnostician in my town 'cause it's, it's unreal.
Mm-hmm. And, and it's like... Uh, so I was just blown away by it, so I understand why they, why they named it- And you're
probably already the best diagnostician, like from when we talk, right? Because, like your shop is known for one of those shops that will do things right and spend the time to, to diagnose the car properly and not shotgun parts at it.
And if you do shotgun parts at it, you're not punishing the customer by pay- you know-
Exactly ...
all that. You're not going down wormholes.
Yeah. But- And a lot of that comes from a lot of years of experience, and- Yeah ... and a lot of times, you know, a car comes in, and you already know what- Mm-hmm ... the issue is, but you still do your due diligence- Yeah
and check it and make sure, right? And my apprentices sometimes is like, "How did you know that?" Yeah. I'm like, "I've been in this for 30 years. I know." "I, I, I know what that feels like."
Yeah.
I've been, I've been, uh, doing test drives with my apprentice and teaching him the difference between a tire noise and a wheel bearing noise.
Yes. And then the other day we had one, and I said, "Okay, here's a good one for you. Let's drive this. What do you think it is?" And he says, "Oh, well that's obviously a wheel bearing noise," because of what we had already talked about. And I says, "No, this is one of those situations where it is not." Yeah. "It is actually a tire noise, but it, it, it presents as a wheel bearing noise, and this is why."
Mm-hmm. So as soon as I do that to him, he's like, "Okay, that kinda makes sense."
Yeah.
And it's just that you can't, you can't- You have to teach that. Uh, a- and- Yeah ... you have to learn that kind of stuff, right? Yeah. I- it's just not, it's- No ... it's so different. Every single vehicle, every tire is different. Every wheel bearing's
different, right?
And it's not in a book. Nope. You know?
There's no book.
And it's, and it's a situation of it's like they'll all eventually learn it when they make the mistake- Yeah ... when they get it wrong, right? Yeah. When they put a wheel bearing in, then they put the tire back on, they drive it again, and it's... Then they go to the other side.
Yeah. They go and do all four, and then it's like- Yeah ... you got one tire that's got something shifted inside the tire.
Yeah.
And all of a sudden that's that noise, right?
Yeah, 'cause we've been there. We've done that so f- who knows how many times.
Yeah.
And it's like, "Oh, you know what? Now we've learned. We don't wanna do that again."
Mm-hmm. And going back to the lab scope thing, like, you'll see them when you get into the advanced stuff They'll buy, uh, like the Pico has a whole NVH kit, so you can put an NVH n- n- um, vehicle harmonics-
Mm-hmm ...
and start to look at it as a waveform. Yeah. What's that wheel bearing looking like on a scope?
Oh-
And back and forth
sound
waves, yeah.
Yeah, and it's just like, you know, 'cause we- Yeah ... we're old enough to remember the stethoscopes- Yep ... and the, you know, headsets that you go on and you put your microphones out at the wheel and listen, and you know how they're-
Mm-hmm ...
hit-and-miss at best, right? Yep,
yeah.
Um, the new way of doing everything is just, it's very exciting.
I really like it. So, you know, it's like anything else, getting the people to, in Marguerite's shoes, to sell the time to the customer to do it properly. That's the trick, you know?
Right. Yeah.
Valuing what you're gonna sell to the customer as diag time, that's the, that's the magic mystery of how we do it. So, um, yeah.
And Ira and Tim are... That, everybody I've talked to that's taken that course has just loved it.
Oh, it's phenomenal.
You know? So- It's phenomenal ... I haven't sat through it yet, but I was going to, and then you, you get here and you get busy, and it's like- ... you know. Um, what, uh, what did you feel about the facility?
What do you think? Like, I mean, I know you love the, the chocolate. It's obvious. But what do you think about the... It's kind of a neat vibe here.
Well, you know what? I honestly am amazed at the Hershey Lodge. I have a gluten allergy.
Mm-hmm.
And my biggest fear when I go anywhere is what am I gonna eat?
Right.
They have been absolutely amazing with accommodating me to be able to have food. They didn't have food for me one day here this week, so one of the staff members was like, "Well, just go upstairs and eat with where the nurses are. There's food that you can eat."
Yeah. "
And then just grab some food and go and eat because you obviously can't eat that," right?
Yeah. Or they'll be like, "Oh, well, we have some gluten-free stuff, so I can make you a hamburger," and- Mm-hmm ... like, stuff like that has been amazing.
Yeah.
So I would highly recommend anybody to come here if you have some sort of an allergy because- Yeah ... they don't just say, "Well, it's gluten friendly." They make sure the grills are clean, and- Yeah
like, if you're celiac and you're sick, they make sure that you have what you need. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Like, it was amazing.
Brings that whole vibe that this place really cares about it. Yeah. I think it goes back to when we did the, we did the trolley tour of the Hershey Village or whatever- Mm ... and they talked about- Hershey himself that- Yeah
that started all this and how much he cared. And I think that this whole place is really just an extension of that. I get, I get that,
man. And, and like the staff is h- so friendly here. Yes. Like you ask them a question, even if they don't know, they try to help you with it- Yeah. Every- ... which is really nice
and when I walk down my hallway, you see the, the lovely ladies always cleaning- Mm-hmm ... rooms and their, all the carts out and everything, and every time they see me they say hello. Yeah.
Yep.
Every time. You know what I mean? Yeah. Like which is, when I stayed last year in a different, they didn't even look at you.
Mm-hmm. Right? Which I'm not always saying they have to, but the joke is that Canadians are always so friendly, right? And yet we come here and they're just as like, I feel completely comfortable. Like it's- Yeah ... there's none of that you know, rude American thing going on here. Yeah, yeah. It's a nice thing, so.
Not that I think Americans are rude, I have to say that. Yeah. But, you
know. Everywhere that I've ever met Americans it's been, it's been a- Yeah ... good, good, good, uh, vibe- Yeah ... and a good experience, right?
Yeah. So. That's, we don't wanna talk politics, um. What, uh, 'cause we always talk about when we're at these events and we come home and y- so you kinda talked about, you know, Rick's class and Cecil's class.
And we talk about, you know, if you're gonna implement one thing. Do you have one thing after you come out of the class, Margarita, that you feel like you're gonna start in the next, like, maybe Monday or next week when you and Frank have your huddle, like, things you're gonna change from?
My one biggest change that I'm gonna implement is we get a lot of customers that call, "So what's the price of this?
And what's the price of this?" So we had one just before we came where, um, one of my advisors had priced out a transmission fluid change. Mm-hmm. What we didn't realize, he, we didn't get a VIN. Okay. So- Yeah ... what we didn't realize, it had a plastic pan that couldn't be reused, and then inside the pan there was another filter.
So it went from being a, you know, a $300 job to a $900 job. So now you have a customer that you're trying to explain this to.
Yeah.
So something I learnt this weekend is you say, "Why don't you bring it in and let's look at it. Let's see what it needs first." Yeah. "And then once we know, I can sit down with you and I can give you an accurate price."
Normally, that's how I would approach things, but when I'm not there that's something I want my other advisors- Right ... to look at it. It's not always about the price.
No.
It's more about how do you sell the job. So that's something I'm gonna really push, um, us to do is instead of saying, "Well, it's gonna cost you this much and this much and this much," just say, "Well, let's bring it in.
You know, let's- Mm-hmm ... when can you come in? Let's look at it. Let's sit down. Let's- Yeah ... talk about it." And then you're more likely to sell the job than if you're giving them quotes and then you gotta backtrack it, you know?
Yeah. And Frank and I know, we've talked about it too, like it's... 'Cause you can say, you can be really nonchalant and go, "It could be anywhere from 250 to $1,000."
And what they don't wanna hear is 1,000. No. And they've probably been already maybe told 250, and they're wondering if it even goes cheaper, right? And then so you scare them off with, "It could be anywhere. What? I don't know. Blah, blah, blah. I need your VIN number." Right? If you say it like that, they just immediately are like, "This guy doesn't wanna help me."
Well, the other thing that we had a while ago is, um, we had quoted and he said, "Give me a ballpark," right? Yeah. One of us had said it was between 2 and $600. Well, he only heard the $200
mark, right? Yeah. They'll always
just hear the 200. And so now it was- Some of us don't wanna hear that. Yeah ... now it was more like the $600.
Yeah. But he's like, "Well, you said 200, and you said... And, and you know what you said." Mm-hmm. Right? So then you have that kind of, uh, argument, whereas I don't do ballparks anymore. People are giving me a ballpark, and I said, "No, I will not." Yeah.
We're already off on the wrong foot with the customer in that case, right?
Mm-hmm. Because they wanna think it's a bait and switch, and it's not a bait and switch. A bait and switch would be, "It'll be $250, put your hand on the Bible," and then you get in here and you call up and go, "Hey, it's actually gonna be 399." Yeah. That's bait and switch. Yeah. Telling them it's gonna be in a realm of this, and they only wanna hear something, is not bait and switch.
It's... But again, as our job as an advocate for them and their vehicle, we have to communicate effectively so when they get off the phone there's no confu- confusion about what is actually intended. We're not intending to make it as expensive as possible. Mm-hmm. We're not intending to be as cheap as possible.
We're intending to do a job, and I can't quote the job accurately until I know what the vehicle needs. Yeah. You know?
And the other thing Cecil said is you don't, we don't do oil changes. Yes. Right? We don't do oil changes. We sell a service where, yes, we can change your oil. Yes, we can change your filter.
But we also go above and beyond, and we do the whole entire inspection of your vehicle. Yes, yeah, a full VDA. And then we, we then go and build it all out. These are the things you need to do with this to be, in order to maintain your vehicle, or these are the things you need, so let's sit down and have that conversation.
You never say, "We have an oil change service." Yeah. Because if you want to be an oil change, um, shop, then why don't you become a Quick Lube? So- Exactly. Yeah ... that's something to me, I think I wanna change the wording of, we don't do oil ch- um, oil changes, we do an inspection- Yeah ... of, but we can also do your oil and filter- Yeah
while we're doing this inspection.
Mm.
So I think that also just brings our shop up to the next level.
Mm-hmm. Yeah. I'm excited for you guys, because I think, like, from, uh, as soon as you and I first started talking- Mm-hmm ... I knew you, you had the right mindset to be forward-thinking and open. You're not, you weren't closed off.
Like, that's what I love about you and Anise, is you're not closed off about- Yeah ... it's always been this way, and it'll never work in my area, and my customers won't... Like, you, I've never heard you say that, those excuses, right?
Yeah, I, I never felt that way. No. I, I know enough shops that are that way. Yeah.
And I'm like, and I've worked at those shops.
Well, that's what I was gonna say. You and I came up in those kind of shops.
Yeah. Right? And I'm like, we, there's, there's different ways and better ways to do this, so why don't we work towards that?
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
So yeah, I was always like, if I, when we run our own shop, it's gonna be different.
Yeah. It's gonna be different than- than, than what we've, what we know. Yeah. And in our, in our area, I don't know, I- one of the things I said just to be different is even our, our logo, our shop logo, I didn't want it to be, to look like a freaking clown car.
Yeah. '
Cause there's, there's at least three shops in our town, and their, part of their logo is a goofy car.
Yeah.
It's, it... And I'm like, "You know, that's all fun and games and stuff," but I want it to look professional. That was the first thing I, I said to Margarita when we started this. I said, "I want our shop to look professional. I wanna have a professional logo, a professional sign so that when somebody sees it..."
And I had my brother-in-law message me, I don't know, a couple months ago, and he says he was walking, he's in Alberta-
Mm-hmm ...
which is, like, 36 hours away, and he was walking in the mall, and someone said, "Hey, I know 3D Auto," and just recognized the sweater. Yeah. He was wearing one of my sweaters. Very cool. And I'm like, that's what I want people to be like, "I've seen that logo before."
Yeah.
And I want that logo to be associated with integrity and honesty and professionalism.
Mm-hmm. Yeah. I was gonna say, you were talking about your logo, I was gonna say we also pride ourselves on being honest-
Yeah.
Yeah ... with our customers, and if, and if we do screw things up, we are more than willing to make it right.
Yeah. You have to be. Now, what... So from the more of the technical training that you've taken since you've been here, is there anything you're gonna implement when you go home today? 'Cause you kinda shared with me how your one tech right now, he didn't come with you, he's at Mark Lamer at Auto Aid's training- Yep
on a lab scope training course that I took. That's right. Um, so you have anything that you came away that you're like, "I'm gonna maybe do some, a little window of training every week with the, in, with my techs in the shop?" Or are we gonna try a different process on, on a diag? Like, did you take anything away from that that you're like, "I can really use that?"
Well, I've kinda been doing that already 'cause I've always, I've always been really wanting to teach.
Mm-hmm.
I don't, maybe not teach, 'cause she says I should be a teacher. I should go be an instructor at a college or something like that, but I, I really don't have that. But I, but I always have a, a love for, um, a young person coming in out of the, out of the high school system, out of the co-op program or something like that, and teaching them at least the very basics of how we do things- Yeah
and how the job done. So I'm always very much like when we run into a problem in the shop, um, or especially, like, like a hard diagnosis, I'll gather all the guys, and I'll be like, "Hey, listen."
Yes. "
This is, this is what we're do- this is how I'm going through this process, and this is, this is the steps that I took- Yeah
and this is the result we get." So that's something, I mean, that was definitely discussed in, in Rick's class this morning about, you know, you gotta lay out those kind of processes. Mm-hmm. I think I'm just gonna build on that so that not just be like, "Hey, okay, you, you're the ball joint guy," or, "You're the brake guy."
Yeah. Or you... I want everyone in the shop... Yeah, yeah, y- all have your strengths and you have your weaknesses, but I want everyone in the shop to be able to do what I do.
Right.
Because if they can't do what I do, I'll never be able to step back and, and- Amen ... let the shop run-
Yeah ...
the way that, the way that I want it to and the way that we want it to, so that, so that we can step back and actually be there.
And you never want your shop to be in a situation where if you've got a diag guy and he takes a week of holidays- Mm ... all of a sudden you have to start telling your customers, like You might have to wait a week before
That's where we're at
right now Or, or- Yep ... or you, you know, or you can do the other thing, the other option, which is you dispatch it to another tech and the efficiency drops off, and maybe they spend more time.
Maybe they get a diag wrong. You're, you're on the hook for that to do the right thing as to like, well, you know, it wasn't... And then you break it down and you're like, "Was it even really worth booking them in right now and instead having them wait a week?" You know? Mm-hmm. It's that balancing act that's so tough, which I'm, I'm the same way.
I've worked with lots of guys that, like, weren't necessarily as great as I was at, at diag. But man, like, if we'd have just spent a little bit more time trying to explain to them, "This is how you know for sure whether it's the starter or the battery," you know, as an example, or, "This is how you check a charging circuit at the basic level," we'd have, we'd have had way less comebacks in the shop.
We, we had that yesterday in our lab scope class.
Mm-hmm.
They... No more carbon pile for testing batteries- Yeah ... and starters. It's, it's all done with a lab scope.
Yeah.
And I'm thinking, "Wow, that's incredible." Like, a lab scope and a couple of amp clamps, and all of a sudden you can do a full test on an alternator and a battery with, in- Yeah
five minutes? Yeah. I'm like, "You know what? I think that that's good." And then, and then of course, uh, Ida was saying, you know, everything you do, uh, uh, with, when you have a, a, a com- computer-based, uh, scope, you can save all this. Yeah. You can print all this, and you can attach it to the DBIs, and you can attach it to the ROs, and you can do all that.
And it's like, you know what? That's definitely one of the things that you asked, what I'm gonna implement. Yeah. Definitely one of those things so that everything that we do gets documented, gets attached to the RO, so we can send that file to the customer or just keep a file and be like, "You know what?
This is, this is- Yeah ... why we came to this conclusion," and not it's just us guessing or us knowing. We're proving it. Mm-hmm. We're proving to you why you're gonna give us your money.
Yeah. And that's the thing, 'cause it, you know, batteries are, up in Canada, are such a tricky thing because- Yeah ... like, you know, lots of shops, their process is every time you do the oil change at a certain time of year, you load the battery up.
Mm-hmm. And I mean by load the battery, like you do a conductance test on it. We don't put a carbon pile 'cause you and I know if a battery's right on the marginal and I do a carbon pile in it in the bay-
Yeah ...
and then they throw it outside and they come to pick their car up-
It's dead ...
it may not start for them.
Mm. And then they go, "What did you do to my car?" Whereas, so that, those conductance tests are a little safer for that, and they give everybody a nice fancy printout, but you and I know that's not a really good test. No. Right? It doesn't, it doesn't do what the carbon pile does to actually physically make the battery- You know, do some work and prove whether it's good or not.
So we, we've al- been always looking for an in-between how do you do it, right? That you don't drain the customer's battery down on an oil change, right? But we have to get back, going back to what you said, if we're gonna do this the right way, then it's not just a, a 20-minute oil change. You know, we should be bringing the car in, throwing a quick scan on it, throwing a maintainer on it, s- throwing whatever battery test that we want to do on it, giving them a printed result that says, "Okay, your battery's four years old and it tests at only 50%.
It may start for you for the next three months, but by whatever this time next year, you're gonna need a battery." You know, my good friend Becky Witt, she talks about, like, she compiled all this data that showed that even though batteries are warrantied for five years, at 36 months so many batteries don't even go above 50% capacitance- Yeah
right, of ability to start the car under certain conditions, that she just wrote it right into her policy that at 36 months old, when that battery's three years old, they start recommending to the customer, "We should replace your battery. Not because it's not working right now, but because under..." "Do you wanna be", she says all the time, "Do you wanna come out to your parking lot, you know, at dark by yourself and have your car not start?"
No, right? In the middle
of winter.
In the middle of- In the middle of anything, right? As, as she says, especially as a lady. Mm-hmm. Like, we forget that. We're in a parking lot. Yes, the tow truck driver's gonna be dispatched. That's still sometimes very scary situation- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm ... for somebody that's not always comfortable, has a little anxiety, all that kind of stuff.
So she sells a ton of batteries just on preventative.
Yep.
You know, we can do more of that in this industry if we actually slow down, stop thinking that it's just an oil change- Yeah ... and actually look at, "Okay, so this is the car you got. This is the mileage. This is what I can tell by these tests that the car's at.
What do you wanna do?" Like, we all make it a big deal, like, "Oh, I checked your filters. I checked your air filter. I checked your cabin filter." Those drive me nuts. They... I hate that because it's like half the air box screws are stripped, or the screws are missing, or the clamps are broke. And the cabin ones, like you know, when I...
You're my age almost. Yeah. And it's like... Actually, you're a little older than me, so that's good. Um.
I didn't think about that.
Um, but you don't wanna be under the dash every time contorting and, and yanking out, you know, cabin air filters that have bird's nests on them, to take it out and take a picture of it for the customer to say no.
Yeah. That's a, that's a pain.
That is a
pain. Especially if some of those are so difficult.
They, the leaves drop into the blower motor.
And now you gotta pick them all out, yeah. But we get, we get... When we do check our filters, uh, probably 60% of the cabin filters that we check have never been changed from factory.
Right. Yeah. We had one vehicle, was 15 years old.
That's crazy, yeah.
Had the original filter in it. 15 years. Imagine the mold and- Yeah ... mildew that's sitting on top of that filter, and you're breathing that in.
Mm. Or- But then think about the other ones we see where they live at... They go at the quick lube places.
Yeah.
And they're getting a new cabin air filter every three months.
Yeah.
Like, that's, that's a little overkill.
That's
un- that's
unnecessary.
Right?
Mm-hmm. That's unnecessary.
So I always look at it like we need to slow down and, and, and get to know our customers and go, "What's the r- end goal here?" "Well, I just want a flipping oil change."
"Okay, then we're not gonna be the shop for you because- Yeah ... we're gonna be looking at the tires, looking at the ball joints, looking at the brakes, checking all the lights. Like, you know, um, scanning the car. If you got a check engine light on, we're gonna know, and we're gonna talk to you about how
come,
how long has that light been on?
Like, uh- Yeah. Uh, uh-
What can we do to fix it?
Yeah, or why are you not fixing it? Not interested? Already had an attempt? Like, these are all conversations we can have that are not sales pitches, but it's like getting to know why do you not? "Well, somebody just told me it's a gas cap." "Well, now we got a transmission fault in there.
Did you know that?" "Yeah, I kind of felt like it was shifting a little funny, but I mean- Mm-hmm ... I never had a diag done 'cause somebody told me it was just a gas cap."
Yeah.
And then how, like... We have to do better in the industry. That's my point. So, you know, we have to really... Like Lucas taught me, you're not just a mechanic.
You're an advocate for them. Exactly. And when you decide that you're gonna be an advocate for them, it's a completely different mindset, and it's not about making a bunch of money off them. Yes, you'll make good profit, but it's like you have to be invested in their car.
And you also, also the other thing I've learned is- You cannot be like, "Oh, you know what?
I've gotta give them this doom message now- Mm-hmm ... that, you know, it needs $2,000 worth of work," and it's not the gloom and doom-
Yeah ...
road. You know what? No. They knew that they needed to do maintenance. They didn't do maintenance, and if you don't do regular maintenance, it becomes an expensive repair. Yeah.
Like, we've had a few customers now that they've always gone to a shop that closed their eyes when they did safeties- Yes ... right? So now they're- Mm-hmm ... now they're here. And we had a fleet come through, and it was, like-
Yeah ...
in the 40,000... Like, oh, close to $40,000 by the time he was done his whole fleet. And he was like, "Oh, this is so much money," right?
And I keep telling him, "Next year it will be less." Yeah. So he, he actually had me calculate. And, and this year- Was half as much as the year before? From year to year, no, he had saved almost $15,000. And I said, "And then by next year we'll have all those glitches ironed out, so then it'll come- become less." Yeah.
So he's finally starting to see that, "You know what? I can go to this guy who, you know, just shuts his eyes and writes the safety," which he really can't do anymore with the- Yeah ... new drive-on stuff. Yeah. But he learnt... You know what he said? "I broke down only three times with my whole entire fleet throughout the whole year- Yeah
versus me being in the shop with one or truck or the other almost every other week." Yeah. Like, so I'm like it pays to do the little extra things. Like, if we have a brake job and I'm like, "Okay, they're at 20%, they're gonna be here in three months," why not just have that conversation with the customer and say, "Let's do this now"?
Yes.
Because in your busy season, you don't want your truck to be down. No. So let's, let's do these things while we're here. It'll be a little bit more money up front, but then you have this whole entire summer where you don't have to worry about- That's right ... unless it's something-
Air conditioning-
Yeah
stops working or, you know.
Or you know, you have one of your tr-
Heater, heater hose blows like-
Yes ... the other
day.
Yeah.
Yeah, but you know, those kinds of things, right? So.
I... And that's like we've talked so much, even Anis talks about it, like with the tire season, right? Mm-hmm. And that always would drive me nuts because at the last shop, big shop that I was at, like it was a mad rush, and we were all about the DVI and the 300% rule and, but we, he would book so many.
We just couldn't effectively execute on it. Yeah. And then it was like all these customers, 'cause you know what happens, like if you don't get your pricing right, you only see that customer twice a year for tire work.
Yep.
And then they're going s- the Quick Lube for the oil change, or they're going back to the dealer for warranty work at the same time, and they get all that maintenance done.
And I'm sitting here going, "We just did a fantastic DVI on this car and told them that the strut is leaking oil and the tie rod's, you know, bad, and the brakes are at 20%, and we don't see that car again because we don't even have time to write the flippin' estimate."
Yeah, you're not able to sell the job.
What the hell was the point in being open and taking that on? And I guarantee you for what the cost, like I'm smart enough to break it down, and I know if they pay me this and we charge this for the service, they didn't make any money.
Mm-hmm.
Right? So what was the whole point of booking it in? Well, we booked tires in to sell work.
You didn't flip and execute on the work that the car needs.
See, and that's, that's, that's just sad on the service advisor not doing their job, and that's the other thing-
Yeah ...
that Cecil talked about. He's like, "If you get a customer that you'll be like, 'Okay, let me call you back in 20 minutes,' in 20 minutes they've probably called three, four, five shops."
That's right. "So now you've lost them. So you need to take the time when they call you to be like, 'Hey, when can I get you in? When can I do this?' And then we can book it in. Instead of trying to do all these estimates over the phone." Yeah. "Way rather have the conversation, when can I have you come in?
Tomorrow?" Yeah. You know, he always used the example Tuesday or Wednesday, and I said to him, "Your Tuesdays and Wednesdays are gonna be overbooked," and he just kinda laughed, but- Yeah ... that was the example he used, right? Yeah. But I'm like- Those are the kinds of conversations we need to have instead of writing estimates that we don't even know because somebody else diagnosed it.
Mm-hmm. You don't know. Yeah. So we had this customer went to another shop, and they told him he needed all these ki- ball joints and control arms and stuff like that, but he didn't want me to actually look at it. And I said, "We don't look at... We don't just do repairs. We make sure that-"
What you need is what you need.
And so he was like, "Well, I already have this," and he brought it in. And I said, "Yeah, but maybe that tech didn't do a good enough job." I said, "I always like my techs to look at it to make sure." So then we did the two control arms, the upper and lower one on each side, but then we also noticed it had a tie rod that was loose.
Mm-hmm. So when he would've gone for that alignment, had we just taken his word for it, we wouldn't have been able to do- Yeah ... the alignment. So, and, and he was like... And you know what? And they, the per- the alignment shop originally lost the job because he went in for an alignment, and they did an oil change, and they changed sway bars, and they had changed everything, all the stuff he didn't ask for.
Right.
But they never addressed the thing that he asked for. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Right? So then he came to us, and then now I ended up having to take it to the alignment and stuff 'cause he didn't wanna deal with them anymore. Yeah. Right? So those things are also important. If a customer comes in for a specific job, we have to make sure we do the job that they come from, not something that- Yeah
we've just, "Oh, well, I forgot what he said, so I'm just gonna go with something," you know?
It's tough, eh?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah. And that's the thing. Like, for me, the longest time people would say, "I want an oxygen sensor put in." Why? Yep. Why? Well-
Well, because I read a code.
Yeah, I read a code, or, you know, it's, it's running rough when I first start it up, and Dad said it probably needs an oxygen sensor.
That's a-
You know?
Let, let me tell you a story. Yeah. My, my uncle, God rest his soul, he had a Crown Victoria.
Mm. I remember.
Okay? And he, he changed an engine in it one time. There's two stories I'll tell, but one story is, um, it didn't run right.
Mm-hmm.
And he figured out that the, uh, um, idle air control motor was dirty, okay?
And then the one day I was l- working on my dad's Ford Explorer, four liter, and, uh, and it was, it was... I don't know what it was doing exactly, but my uncle comes over and he says, "Oh, it's definitely that. That's what was wrong with my car is 100% wrong with that car." And I said, "Well, how do you know?" "Well, because it's a Ford."
Yeah. "It'll be the same thing." It's gotta be
the
same thing. I, I don't know, I don't remember what it was, but it was just so funny 'cause he was, he was under the mindset that-
Yeah ... "
Well, that fixed my car, so it's definitely gonna fix that car." And people get that idea. They'll be like, "Oh, you know, I saw that on YouTube."
Well, and that's- And so that's exactly what this is ... back
in the day it was, it used to be we'd call that coffee shop conversations, right? Oh, yeah. They'd be sitting around, the old guys would be sitting around the coffee shop and say, "I took it down to, you know, I took my Ford down to Frank's and, and they changed out my idle air control motor-" Yeah
or cleaned it or whatever, and that fixed her right up. She's never run so good." Yep. And then they show up with a c- a Toyota- ... and it's for something completely different and go like, "I want my idle air control motor cleaned."
Oh, wait, it doesn't have one.
Wait, it's got an electronic, you know- ... sc- t- like a, doesn't use it anymore.
Yeah. Right. Yeah. Like completely electronic throttle. Uh, what do we do now? Like- Yeah ... uh, that's the kind of thing that would always make me laugh. And, you know, i- if you're trying to tell the customer about, "Well, we have to diagnose the car." I don't want to diag. I just don't even have the patience anymore to have that conversation with them about...
And I know we should, but it's like, by God, like what... Okay, what do you wanna do when that doesn't fix it? How are you gonna act? Are you gonna drag my name right through the mud locally?
Mm-hmm.
Because what you thought you needed, and you wouldn't let me prove or disprove what it really needed? If you're, if you're gonna do that, sign here and say you will, and we can part ways.
If you're not gonna do that, sign here that promises you're not, because otherwise I want to sue you for liable. Right? Because it's like my friend Brian Pollock, who you, I introduced you to, he's got a story where they had a red flag customer come in and a transmission problem, and this guy's Silverado.
Shit, crazy that a Silverado would need a transmission.
Yeah.
And the guy's giving them all kinds of red flags. He goes, "Oh, I got an estimate here and I got an estimate there," and everything else. And, um, they're telling the service writer out front of the office like, "This guy's got a red flag. Like, we shouldn't really."
Well, anyway, they do their thing and they do their and they sell him on a diag, and they diag it, and sure enough it needs a transmission. Now, his shop doesn't rebuild transmissions. They have a local rebuilder that they sub let it to. He does everything. They drop the c- truck off to him, they pick it up in two days.
Oh, R&R and
everything?
Yeah. Yeah. That's what I figured. R&R and everything. They give them a warranty. They stand behind the warranty, and that's it.
Yeah.
Well, the guy had the truck a month and the camshaft goes flat. L- the guy's now been dragging his name through the mud. "That shop can't fix it," and then, "They screwed me," all this kind of stuff.
Other shops are calling Brian, "What happened with Mr. Jones' truck? Like, this is... We're hearing the most incred-" Brian has to tell them over and over and over again. So what they decided is to make it right, and this is the beauty of profit in the shop, is they're just gonna... Brian gonna buy a camshaft, lifters, push rods, head gaskets.
Brian'll have that job knocked out by 1:00, and they're gonna hand the cut keys back to the customer, no charge. Don't ever pull into this parking lot again You
know? We've, we've had, we've had customers like that too.
It's frustrating, isn't it? It
really is. You
know? Or you have customers that demand a refund.
Yeah.
Right? "Hon, I want a refund." And I said, "Fine. You know what? I'll give you a refund, but then you're no longer welcome here." That's right. I had a customer, my service adri- advisor had quoted brakes, and I was like, "Well, I'm not doing half aftermarket and half dealer," right? "So if I can't buy rotors and calipers aftermarket, why am I gonna put aftermarket pads on it?"
Mm-hmm. So I quoted him dealer pads, and that guy started screaming and hollering and going on and on and on, like, verbally being abusive- Right ... over this whole thing. And I finally said, "Okay, fine. You know what? I'll do it for you." But I said, "Once this job is over, you are no longer welcome here." So now just couple weeks ago he called up and I answered and he's like, "Well, I'm just wondering if I can get brakes done."
Like, 'cause he already knew, right? And I said, "Well, that depends." And he's like, "Depends on what?" And I said, "Are you gonna be okay with how I price my jobs, or are you going to be like, 'Well, I want this and I want that?'" Yeah. I said, "I don't need customers like that." I said, "I refuse to do this. I did it for you for this truck."
Mm-hmm.
But I said, "And if you're gonna come back and tell me blah, blah, blah, blah, blah," like, "Well, why didn't you do this? This, these brake pads don't last," I don't wanna hear any of it.
Yeah.
So with this one he's like, "You know what? I'm okay with however you do it. I will not say anything." And he came in with the biggest smile, and he was happy to pay it.
And, and he knew, and I said, "This is it." Like, one, one outburst, one Karen word to me- Yeah. Yeah ... and, like, you're just never coming back. So he's been playing the very nice game because I think he realized when he went to other shops that, "You know what? They don't do the efficient work that I'm used to."
Yeah.
"And I just messed up by being really mean here, and if they don't take me back, like, what am I gonna do?" Right? Yeah. So.
And that goes back, eh, Frank, to the, the customer's not always right. Like, that's something that I've said forever in this industry. And yes, the customer always has to be respected and, and listened to, but they're not always right because they don't know nearly as much about their car as we do.
All they know is, all they know is the symptom.
Yes.
They know what's going on. They don't know the repair, and they don't know the result. Yeah. Or I guess they know the result after is... The symptom is, "Hey, I've got this noise." The result is, "Hey, the noise is no longer there."
Right. Right.
What happened in between?
Yeah.
And that's where you and I come in. We, we fix it, and then she sells it to them. Yes. And that's how the process is. Yeah. So as long as we can get that from the customer, like, "What is your problem?" Yeah. "Okay. We'll figure out why that problem exists and what it's gonna take to fix it." She's gonna tell you how much it's gonna be, and you're gonna say yes.
Yeah.
And everyone's gonna be happy.
Yeah.
And that's really the process. And then when a customer, like you said, when a customer comes in and says, "Oh, I just want an oxygen sensor put in." Okay.
Mm-hmm.
But it's not gonna fix it, so then what? Right.
Yeah. And I, I always, I used to, when I would be a lot more active in the different forums and stuff, people would say, "Well, listen, if the customer wants that, I'll go ahead and put that part in.
Like, m- the money's the same color, I don't care." We know because they always never are not truthful. Mm-hmm. They're going around saying, "This guy, you know, charged me blah blah blah to do this, and it didn't fix my car," even though what they did was exactly what they asked them to do. "Install this oxygen sensor that I bought at the parts store and walked in here.
We put it in, the car's still not fixed, and he's mad or she's mad." Well- We drop the ball so many different ways by that, uh, even allowing that conversation to happen, that it's no wonder people don't respect us, right? If we act like professionals, they'll respect us eventually. They may begrudgingly hate us about the cost.
Yeah. But they'll learn to appreciate the cost of their vehicle, and they'll appreciate the, the expertise that we bring to that ownership of that. But if we just cow down to them and go, "Yes. Yep. Okay, no problem. Yes, oh, we'd be glad to do that," I... That mentality just, like, drives me crazy.
So my, my, my other question then to a person is, you know, they tell you they can't afford their car repair, but then you meet them at Starbucks, and then you- Sure
meet them at the mall, and
then- The tattoo parlor.
Yeah. Right? Like the- So you have money for that- Yeah ... but you don't have money to fix your car. You need your car to get you to all those places. Yeah. But that's the last thing you wanna spend money
on. They're, they're in front of you at the gas station scratching- Mm-hmm
lottery tickets. Like-
Yeah.
I mean, and I don't... Whatever people wanna spend their money on, right? But it's like I got the brand-new iPhone. I don't have an iPhone. I, I'm not an iPhone person. Oh. Right? But I mean, you know- Thank you ... the, you'll see them. They'll come in here. Mm-hmm. And they're like, "I'm flat broke," and they've got the brand-new thousand-dollar phone.
Yep.
Like, or they got a thousand-dollar handbag on, or, you know, they've, they're wearing $400 Nikes on their feet. Mm-hmm. Like, you d- you're not broke. Your priorities are just backwards.
Yep.
Like, and, and I can't like maybe in the old days we'd have started bartering for your sneakers or your cellphone. And in turn we'd have gone out and fixed your car.
People don't want that now. So the reality is, is like I can't help you. You need a transmission. A $200 service is not gonna fix your transmission. You need an $8,000 transmission. This is where, unfortunately, the real problem lies. How do we, you know... 'Cause you have to have thick skin. They're gonna go away hating the answer.
They're gonna go away thinking you don't wanna help them. But the reality is, is you don't wanna give them the opportunity to sling your name all the way around when what they chose and wished for and hoped didn't give them the end result that they wanted, right? You can drive it. You can look at the data.
You can go, "Oh, it's a whatever. It's gonna need a tranny." And that fluid for service, not gonna fix it.
Yeah. But a- and as a service a- advisor or right or whatever you wanna call it, you also have to remember that people will go, not come back to your shop because they don't necessarily like you- Yeah
because of how you are, because you're too blunt or you're too loud or you're too everything. But at the end of the day, when they leave-
Mm-hmm
It is what it is. Yeah. Like, you know what? This is what you have to do, and you have to be okay with people not always loving you. But there is always those that still do, and then there's those that, you know, you may never see them again because they don't like how, how you fixed their car, but they're happy that their car is fixed, but they don't like the fact that you wouldn't do it for free.
That's right. Yeah. And I don't... Like, I never told anybody I would doing anything for free, so they shouldn't come in expecting for free. And that gets into that argument in this industry about, like, do we do anything for free? Do we put a bulb in for free? Do we put a, a wiper blade on for free, right? And I...
Like, you and I came up in the same way, where you did a lot of stuff like that just because it's good customer relations, right? Good
customer relations. You know? I, I say that to my techs a lot. Um, sometimes I'm like, "You're underneath this car," and, and you see, like, let's say there's a little plastic that's flopping around.
Mm-hmm.
All it takes is one zip tie to put it on. That's
right.
They w- they may never notice it, eh, but now you just prevented a noise.
Mm-hmm.
Whether they complained about a noise or not, all of a sudden they're, like, driving down the road and be like, "Oh, that little bit of noise is gone."
Yeah.
And then if, and it has happened, they come back and be like, "You know what?
There was this noise before and it's gone now." "Oh, yeah. Well, we s- saw that that cover was a little bit loose and put a zip tie on it."
Yeah. "
Oh, well, that's really nice. Thank you." Yeah.
Or-
Yeah ...
the underbody shields are all smashed up and, and- Yeah ... I just had it on the weekend. Like, she came in and she said, um, three weeks after we changed her oil her car had a smell.
And I walk around the front and I notice the bumper's kind of messed up from the last time I looked at it. Young lady driving her Kia. And, um, so I go on a road test and I start to drive it, and driving around town, no, no smell driving around. I get it on the highway and I run up the first, to the first exit and I start to turn around, it starts to make that smell.
Then it makes a noise at the same time. She had hit the bumper in such a way that the inner fender had, was sometimes touching the tire And that was the smell. Radio was up so loud she didn't hear the noise, but that was the smell, was the tire. Well, eventually it just, like as I'm on the way back, the inner fender came right out of the car.
Really?
Yeah.
Yeah, that's crazy.
Yeah.
Yep. So, and- Never heard it, but smelled it.
So I come back and they're like, "Well, what's it need?" I said, "Needs an inner fender." "For a smell? You mean like vapors you're getting?" "No, it was rubbing on the tire. Now the oi- it's on the side of the 401." "Oh, okay. Cool." And that was it, right?
Like simple as that. So people always wanna say, "Uh, I just had an oil change and now I'm smelling something," and the reality is, is they don't tell you, "I just drove into like three cement barriers in the last- ... you know, three weeks." Yeah. And I, I, because I'm not good at parking, parking's tough, and uh, you know, I'm smelling something.
Yeah, that goes back to getting the right information from the customer. Yeah. What has happened between now... I was listening to a podcast that talked about, you know, you brought a, they brought a car in and, and did a diagnosis on it, and then it, part was gonna come in in three days, then they were gonna come in and, and, and uh, fix it.
Mm-hmm.
Then the question is did, do you do a DBI on that-
Right ...
after three days? Normally I would say no, but they said, "Well, what happened in those three days?" That's right. Like they could've hit 10 curbs by that point. Yeah,
yeah.
So if in those three days all of a sudden they ran over some speed bumps and hit some curbs and now you've got a bent rim and you got something like that, all of that's on you now- Yeah
because you didn't do your due diligence.
And see, they laugh at me sometimes 'cause like if I, I might road test the car on Monday and prep an estimate, right? And do a DBI, and then on Wednesday or Thursday is when the car comes back in for the work, I road test it again before I even start the work. Yep.
Because just like you said- Yep ... they could do something, or last week it wasn't here for a brake noise, but now I'm feeling, I'm hearing a brake squealer that w- I didn't hear three days ago 'cause- They put 200K on it in three days, say they drive a long distance for a commute. Yeah. And all of a sudden that brake wore down to where the squealers.
I'm not allowing them to come back on me and make me either do a free inspection because, "Oh, well, why didn't you catch that on Monday?" Like, it's not happening that way. Mm-hmm. You know, I'm gonna road test it and make a note, "Brake noise that wasn't, you know, is now here. Didn't hear it on Monday." That way it's up to the advisor to have the conversation with the customer, "Something is different from three days ago.
Are, are you aware something's different?" "Oh, no, I'm not." "Okay. Well, we are letting you know. We don't have to inspect it. If you don't wanna inspect it, you... Whatever. No problem." Well,
well we had an older gentleman come in. We had just done, recharged their AC, and two weeks later they came back and it was empty.
Mm-hmm.
And we were looking at it and I was like, "Well, is there something we missed?" And Frank comes back and was like, "Can you call them and find out if they had, like, a minor accident with it?" Yeah. 'Cause there's, there is evidence of that on the front. Right. Right? So then I called, and the wife gets on the phone and she's like, "Yeah, he, uh, rear-ended somebody with it."
But he did not mention that when he- Right ... dropped the car off. He just said, "Well, we just got the- Yep ... AC done, now it's empty." Right? And so she's like, "Well, he doesn't want you guys to know that he did that."
I'm like, "Well, the evidence is there."
Yes. Right? And so- Oh ... and so here we are thinking like, "What did we miss?"
Like, we're- Yeah.
Yep ...
right? And then when this comes back, and then he comes in and, and I mean, he had the condenser got shoved in and got a hole in it, right? Of course. So of course it's gonna leak out there. Yeah I was like, that kind of infuriated me a little bit- Mm-hmm ... because I was like, you wanted me to think it was me that was- Yes
the issue because- Yeah ... you didn't want to pay for that because you didn't want me to know you had an accident. Yeah. I don't care if you got in an accident. It happens to everybody- Sure ... at some point or another. But just be honest about it.
Yeah. And that's the thing. If the customer would do that, maybe we would help them out a little bit, right?
Yeah. Maybe we would just look at it and go, "Oh, we don't have to go through the whole diag process of finding a leak. Like, like, we're gonna treat this as an, as a condenser replacement 'cause it obviously needs to be replaced. It's damaged, it's folded, and whatever," right? And, and instead, I don't know whether it's how they were raised as kids or something, they're like, "I don't wanna say nothing, and hopefully- Yeah
I can get it for free." Like, why is the double standard there that we have to be absolutely flipping perfect, but they're the same type of people now, I think, that would be like, "I'm gonna buy a new TV, and then I'm gonna put my old set in the box, and I'm gonna send it back to Amazon and say that the TV's defective."
Mm-hmm. That type of sen- situation, right? Mm-hmm. Why do we allow that? You know? And, and we cow down, and we go, "Oh, well, you know, it's, is what it is. Like, you win some, lose some."
Be- because we've been conditioned to the fact that we have to beg for the customer's- Yeah ... approval, and we have to beg for their work, and we have to beg for them.
No, we don't. Yeah. We just have to present them with what we find, and if they choose not to fix it, that's fine. Just sign your name here, sir- Mm ... and let me know that you chose to decline this. This is where DVIs are so amazing. Yeah. You can say, "Nope, they declined this work." Well, this is- And it's out of your hands.
And this is also where TechMetric has been amazing 'cause I can- Yes ... send the estimate, and it shows they have to sign the, the- once they decline or approve the work. So that has been also, that's still my best part of TechMetric. I'm not a big fan of TechMetric, but that has been- Oh, shoot. Hell no ... the biggest fan of that part.
The customer part of it's great. The other side, not so great- Mm ... for me.
Yeah. And you're new to TechMetric, so- We are. Since January-
Yeah, yeah ...
actually, so. So you'll come on. You'll- you'll start to understand it 'cause, I mean, like, they're- they sponsor me. They're great. You know what I mean? I miss having it at the shop that I'm at now to be able to use 'cause it was such a powerful tool.
It-
Well, see, I think the only thing is it's US-based, right? Yes. So in, in Canada, we have to have taxes on both ends. Mm-hmm. And their program doesn't have taxes on the one end. Right. So on an accounting perspective, it's, it's more hassle when they don't have it. Mm. So I wish they would adjust that part of it.
Have
you spoke to anybody at TechMetric?
I have not yet. No? Well, we have- I mean, no, I have talked to their- Yeah, a little
bit ...
um, customer support and our rep, but not- We
should ...
somebody here.
Oh, I think w- maybe we'll make it to the trade show again and-
It's- ... talk
to the Techmetric guy there ...
yeah. And if you don't get anywhere with that, I will, I will reach out and see if I can get somebody there to contact you.
'Cause I'm sure somebody at Canada at some point has had the same complaint, and there probably is a workaround or- Well,
everyone we've talked to, we've talked to a few people that have had, that have Techmetric, and we asked them about this. Because we are, we do all our bookkeeping in-house. Right. Yeah.
She's, she's a registered bookkeeper. And when we ask them about this specific situation, their answer is always, "Oh, we just send it to the bookkeeper." Mm-hmm. Well, we- "Or we send it, or we send it to the accountant." We're like, "We are the bookkeeper." Yeah. "We want to know what the answer is." But, or
even have spoke to somebody who has used this for four years, and they're like, "What do you mean it doesn't charge taxes?"
So they've never even- That's right ... comprehended that part of it.
Yeah, because they send all their stuff to the bookkeeper. But even when they- And
the bookkeeper just writes it zero ... but even when they put the taxes in, like you can just mark receive, and then you just assume that it's in there. But if you don't pay attention to those numbers at the bottom of the screen match your invoice, you-
Mm-hmm
you're paying way more HST at the end of the quarter, whatever y- or year that you need to. Yeah. And you say you send it to the bookkeeper. The bookkeeper just looks at your general ledger. It, they don't go through invoice through invoice through invoice to make sure that it has taxes on it, right? Right.
They don't have that manpower. So if you're not doing your due diligence, your HST at the end of the year is gonna be way more than what you need to be, and your cashflow gets tighter and tighter- Right ... and tighter. So in that sense, I would love for them, to see them fix that part of
it. Yeah. We've, we've been learning through it.
We've been learning a lot through it, like even as far as doing like DVIs. We never... I mean, we did DVIs- Yeah ... in our own- Right ... aspect of doing it- Yeah ... just with paper, whatever. We had a general inspection that we went through. But this is a lot more in-depth, which is great- Yes ... because that way it, it teaches the techs and it teaches them to look for stuff.
'Cause I'm always like, it, when it's up in the air, and we don't have a drive-on hoist. All ours are- Yeah ... two-post hoist, so it's everything. You're up in the air, you can, you can shake that wheel. That's right. You can check to see if it's... Now it's like, "Here's a checklist of this and this and this must be checked."
Mm-hmm.
We drive in the, drive in the bay, beep the horn, somebody runs over, does a light check- Yeah ... and then up she goes. Yeah. Right?
But on the customer end, Techmetric is phenomenal. Yes. Hence why we still have it.
Yeah.
Um, but like I said, there would be a few little issues that, um, like even on the accounting side that I wish that they could incorporate maybe QuickBooks instead of having Backoffice, but that they could incorporate it all so you could run just Techmetric- Okay
and you didn't have to have that-
Okay ...
external, 'cause it would save shops like us a lot of money from running
two. Now, what's coming up in the near couple months at 3D Auto? What's, what are you ramping up to do? Like, do you guys... You kinda mentioned AC. Is it a busy time for you for that? Oh my. It's, yeah.
Yeah? A lot of- Yeah.
Again, so, um, we were one of the I think we were the second shop in our town to do 1234YF. Right,
right.
Yeah. And so we do a lot of, we do a lot of air conditioning work. Um- We don't, we, we don't do... I mean, we don't do a ton of tires. We do tires, but not a ton of tires. Right. But we, we... Our bread and butter is safety checks-
Yes
which is, like, all year round. But we just went through a huge round of, of, uh, annual inspections, a lot of, um, fleets that we do that way. Yeah. But yeah, a- air conditioning is a, is a big thing, so we do both the 133 and the 1234-YF. Now,
I can tell you a trick that we did when I was at the fleet shop is the way he set his fleets up as far as annuals is he would stagger them.
So, like, he would have so many units that weren't, like they hadn't done- In one month ... in January. Yep. The next one in February, the next one in March, so that... 'Cause instead, when we were sitting on a fleet of, like, we had 40 buses of our own. If they'd all come due in the same month-
Oh, it's, it's unreal.
Like- Well, Marguerita's real good about it this year. She, she, she knew that we had at least three fleets- Mm-hmm ... three different fleets that we had to service. So in, like, was it November or something, she's calling them saying, "Listen-"
No, I did February, March. Yeah. No, January, February, March.
March. She said, "This is the month that we wanna service your vehicles, so this is the month we're booking you in.
This is the month..." And it worked out really well. Good for you guys. So that we had one fleet come in in January, one fleet came in February, and then one in March, and it, and it was all fleets that are more summer-based, right? Mm-hmm. So they're, this is kind of their slow- Lawn care stuff, yeah ... and down spot.
Well, yep, a lot of lawn care, stuff like that, and it worked out really well. Good. And, and that made it, that made it in the lull time when, you know, stuff is always a little bit slow, we had all of these people coming in, so we didn't have any downtime this year.
Great job. So- And, and speaking of fleets, you met Buckaroo Bob Johns- Yep
from my buddy. Like, he is the fleet master when it comes to... He's built his whole business on being fleet only.
Really?
Yeah. Yeah. So what I'll do is, um, we might try and get you and him on at some point to discuss some of the finer- Okay ... how he does it, right?
Yeah, that'd
be cool. And, yeah, and he's, he's the wizard at it.
But I wanted to just thank you guys for c- joining me here today at this. You know, I'm so happy you could be here, and, you know, I know you kind of talked with the Dees before last week about you didn't know if you... When Tool or when ASS is happening, that's a busy time for you guys. Yes. Um, but you know, I was so happy to see you guys come down to this event.
Oh, this has been- And I think- ...
a great,
great- You know, and I, I s- I know that you're gonna be at more events going forward. I can just tell 'cause it's... I see it the same as... Anise is addicted, right? Yes. Like he went to a bunch last year, and I see the same love for it in your guys' eyes too, and it- that's awesome.
'Cause I think it's, it's, it's only, like yes, you gotta leave. You know, you, if, if, if you shut the whole shop down, which you guys didn't do, but eventually if you bring your whole team, it's an expense. But if we go back, and I just keep saying, if you go back and just put five more dollars on every work order, these trips then pay for themselves.
Yep.
It's five bucks. Like if you can't... I don't want to say that the wrong way, but I mean, there's always ways to put five more dollars on the work order For a training budget.
Yeah.
And that's just how you have to approach it. You know, five bucks is not gonna lose you a customer that, you know, values
you.
No, and I think that if my techs would learn the information that I did this week-
Yes ...
it would be well worth it.
Oh, yeah.
100%. Yeah. And even as a service manager, our service manager, we're gonna get him into some courses. Mm-hmm. If he could learn some stuff that Margarita's been talking about- Yeah ... that she's learned this week-
Yeah
it would make the shop that much better.
And like you met Jim Kokonas with today's class. Like Jim- Yeah ... like that's a great program to set up too, that, you know, look into that kind of stuff. There's so much available out there that like training doesn't have to be, you know, from 7:00 to 10:00, you know, at a, at a restaurant somewhere or a bar or, you know, in the back of a small hotel.
And you know, you're taking a conference room, and you're trying to stay awake, and you're- Yeah ... eating some crappy pizza. It doesn't have to be that. It can be one of these events, but it can also be 20 minutes every day. Yeah. You know, or like you said, you, you've, you, you sh- you get your process, and you find your thing.
And you call it a eureka moment, and you go out and you show everybody in the shop. That's training. So guys, thank you for joining me here today. Um, I was really pleased that when Frank told me you guys were gonna make it. So Margarita, I think you're a superstar. Like it's so cool that you came down, and you were like a little apprehensive, and now you're like, you're loving it.
So I can't wait to see you guys back here next year. So- Yeah. Well, I
can't, I can't wait to be back.
We're looking forward to it, and this was a great opportunity. Yeah. So thanks for having us. Thanks for- Thank you ... thanks for
being here, guys. We'll do
this again.
Hey, if you could do me a favor real quick and like, comment on, and share this episode, I'd really appreciate it.
And please, most importantly, set the podcast to automatically download every Tuesday morning. As always, I'd like to thank our amazing guests for their perspectives and expertise, and I hope that you'll please join us again next week on this journey of change. Thank you to my partners in the ASA Group and to the Changing the Industry podcast.
Remember what I always say, in this industry, you get what you pay for. Here's hoping everyone finds their missing 10 millimeter, and we'll see you all again next time.
About this episode
Frank and Margarita Wiebe chat from Hershey, Pennsylvania at the Tools Conference, sharing the long drive, the fun Hershey park detour, and how destination training turned Margarita from a shy, phone-off hermit into a highly engaged connector. They praise the community vibe—especially the women’s dinner—for making newcomers feel welcomed. The conversation also touches on shop professionalism and honesty with customers, plus Frank’s and Margarita’s hands-on work (including tire work) and their podcast background with Tire Shop and Tread Talk.
Launch your tool game to the next level with Launch Tech USA! HERE
Recorded at the TOOLS in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Jeff sits down with Canadian shop owners Frank and Margarita Weave of 3D Auto to share their first destination training event and the lessons they're bringing back to their shop. They share how the welcoming community helped them build new relationships, the value of technical and service advisor training, and why effective customer communication starts with selling value—not price. The conversation also covers diagnostics, shop processes, professionalism, preventive maintenance, and building a culture focused on continuous learning and integrity.
Timestamps: 00:00 Honesty With Customers 00:46 Meet Frank and Margarita Weave 01:42 Road Trip to Hershey 03:39 First Destination Training Event 04:26 Finding Community at TOOLS 06:30 Women's Dinner Experience 08:34 Their Podcast Journey 09:38 Tire Lifting Tips 11:12 Women in the Shop 13:18 Safety and Leadership Lessons 15:09 Favorite Training Sessions 21:11 Hershey Lodge Experience 23:32 Improving Customer Estimates 27:50 Building a Professional Shop Brand 29:48 Training Technicians and Using Lab Scopes 33:41 Battery Testing Best Practices 34:55 Preventive Maintenance Mindset 36:12 Doing Maintenance the Right Way 37:26 Advocating for Customers 39:04 Fleet Maintenance Success Stories 41:41 Why Phone Estimates Don't Work 43:51 Diagnose Before Replacing Parts 46:14 Handling Difficult Customers 51:39 Pricing and Setting Priorities 54:05 Free Services and Due Diligence 01:00:22 Tekmetric Experiences 01:04:13 A/C Season and Fleet Planning 01:06:31 Final Takeaways and Wrap Up
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