Tech Tip: Adding a Fluid Flush Can Boost a Shop's Average Repair Order Many shops are recovering revenues lost to a shrinking repair market by "upselling" fluid maintenance services or, as they're commonly called in the aftermarket, "fluid flushes." In other words, adding a fluid flush to a money-losing routine oil change can boost a shop's average repair order amount into the range needed for true profitability .... More

Selling Services...Fitment Blues: Solving Aftermarket Wheel Problems Aftermarket wheel installation requires much more than just placing the wheel on the hub and tightening the lug nuts. It involves a great deal of knowledge and expertise that, admittedly, very few people have. Here is just one scenario that may help you avoid or diagnose a problem. Case Study A customer complains that his or her vehicle has a vibration, either while driving under normal conditions... More

Selling Services: Marketing Nitrogen to Your Customers What’s wrong with air? Like a slumbering giant, the passenger and light truck tire industry is slow to evolve and slower to accept new products and ways of thinking. Take the current buzzword going around: nitrogen. That inert gas has the industry and, as I found out, consumers, in an uproar about who and what to believe. Never mind the fact that small, insignificant organizations like NASA, NASCAR... More

High-Performance Brake Pads Friction and Fiction “I would like a more aggressive or high-performance brake pad.” If you work at a typical shop you will hear this statement at least once a week. It is a complex request that requires a line of questioning to flush out what the customer wants, needs and expects. “Aggressive”, “high performance” and “racing” can mean many things to the general public. It could mean a controlled... More

Slotted and Drilled Rotors: Show or Slow? You’ve seen them on the race track. You’ve seen them on the street. You’ve seen them in speed shops, in magazine ads, online and probably on eBay, too. The product we’re talking about is slotted and/or cross-drilled high performance brake rotors. They look great, no doubt about it. Performance rotors are an excellent upgrade for modified sport compact cars, vintage muscle cars, street rods or h... More

How Much Maintenance How much maintenance is really necessary to keep a vehicle in good, running condition, safe and reliable? It’s a controversial subject for which there is no simple answer. Maintenance recommendations and requirements vary depending on the year, make and model of the vehicle, the type of driving it undergoes, the environment in which it operates, how long the owner wants to keep the vehicle, how... More

Mileage Maintenance A mere 0.7 of a mile does not sound like much, it is about 3,700 feet, or less than one-third the distance around Daytona International Speedway. On average, the U.S. population of vehicles will get 20 miles per gallon (including light trucks and passenger vehicles). A 0.7 of a mile improvement represents only a 3.5 percent improvement. But, this would represent a yearly savings of $17 billion in fu... More

Oil Change Intervals Oil Change Intervals More

Seasonal Service It's that time of year again. Time to start promoting seasonal service checks. So before family hits the road for vacation with gas possibly hitting $3 per gallon, here are some service items that should be checked. TIRES Tires obviously play a very important role in safe driving because of their affect on traction, handling and braking. It is unsafe to think that warm weather means that tread... More

Improving Handling with Shock, Strut and Other Upgrades Handling means different things to different types of drivers. To most people, a vehicle that handles well is stable and predictable. In other words, there are no surprises and the suspension meets the driver's expectations for normal everyday driving. Whether the stock suspension and shocks are up to the task depends on the vehicle, how it is driven and the driver's expectations. Some stock ... More