Held Hostage by Your Credit
I was flabbergasted the day my local Dodge dealer questioned my ability to lease a new Dodge Dakota for one of my shop employees. Turns out, all sorts of inaccurate, slanderous information can be put on your credit report – all without your knowledge.
Bugged: The Alliance of American Insurers.
Big bugs live in Maui. Here in Ohio, winter takes care of most of our bugs. They don’t have long to live so they don’t have enough time to grow into monsters. Bugs in Maui, however, never know winter, so they just keep growing … and growing … and growing. I know this because I
Plastic Filler: a Good Product in Bad Hands
When plastic filler first hit the market, no depth of filler was too great and manufacturer’s instructions were just there to make the can look good. Even today, decades later, plastic filler is still misunderstood and misused. Why? Because repairers try to use it as a substitute for skill.
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Putting the Squeeze on Repairs
I’ve been the not-so-proud owner of four spot welders because I’m cheap. Though I wanted all the benefits of a top-quality welder, I didn’t want to pay for top quality. Learn from my mistakes … please.
More Brains, Less Brawn: Straightening a Vehicle
Brute force isn’t necessary to straighten a vehicle. Still, techs like to flex their muscles rather than use their brains to get the job done.
Behind the Paint: History!
Mistakes, World War II, foreign invasion and guinea pigs all played a part in the history of automotive paint. Who said history had to be boring?
Ditch Your One-Dimensional Ways
Only selling collision repair service these days? Diversification is the answer
to getting your profits back and making your business worth owning.
Straighten or Fill?
Many techs look at a job and immediately think about how to fill it, never considering straightening. In fact, some techs believe no job is complete without plastic filler.
Car Mending On A Mega Scale
Name: Chesrown Collision Center Location: Denver, Colo. Owner: The Chesrown Automotive Group and Republic Auto Nation Group Established: 1987 Square Footage: 60,000 (total); 20,000 (body shop and mechanical shop) Number of Employees: 63 (total); 27 (body and paint) Repair Volume: 350 cars per month (collision only) Average Repair Ticket: $2,000 (collision) Ever wonder what it’d