August, 2009 Archives - BodyShop Business
TECH TIPS: Engine Undercover Removal Caution for Mazda3, Mazda5

With all the refinements and advanced technology built into today’s vehicles, it’s amazing how technicians, estimators, production managers and parts managers can keep up with the changes and correctly restore vehicles to a safe and accurate condition. If one continues to repair vehicles with outdated practices, parts and procedures, the completed outcome may ultimately affect

POINT-COUNTERPOINT: Should Labor Rate Surveys Be Abolished?

YES By Lee Amaradio Jr. A labor rate survey’s intended purpose is to establish a starting point so labor rate negotiations can begin. It’s intended to create a floor to build upon, not create labor rate caps. Today, it’s not serving any purpose other than keeping costs down for insurance companies.   The major problem with

TECH FEATURE: No Raw Deal Here

Refinishing raw, unprimed bumper covers is more involved than refinishing primed ones. You can do a quality job by following certain steps, but you need to charge for the additional labor.

Eliminate Yourself and Add $50,000 to the Bottom Line

I have a solution to increasing insurance pressure, increasing costs and dwindling profits: Eliminate yourself.

PUBLISHER’S PERSPECTIVE: Pay Attention – You’re Being Watched

I recently had the fortune/misfortune to have a bad retail experience. I won’t bore you with the details but suffice it to say it was maddening. After I cooled down, I realized I had just been fed the idea for my next column. It’s very important to examine  how we look and sound to our

EDITOR’S NOTES: A Worthwhile Cause

At first glance, Bob Smith looks like the last person you would want to get in a gunfight with. Tall and imposing with a black cowboy hat and bristly white mustache, he evokes an image of the Old West and the kind of guy who might fill your belly full of lead at the slightest