Pump Up the Volume
Can you increase volume by 35 percent without compromising quality while still working within insurance companies’ guidelines? This shop manager says, “Yes.”
Parts, Policies and Patsies
Shop manager Bradley Wooten asks why American Family Insurance is getting by using strictly used or A/M parts.
Write Better Estimates
The estimate is the most important aspect of our business process. If an estimate is poorly written, it can wreak havoc on your shop and cost you a boatload of cash.
Sell your Estimate
If you’re not explaining your estimate to a consumer and preparing him for why your competitor’s estimate may be lower, you might as well not bother writing the estimate.
The Cynic’s Guide to Structural Repairs
After 30 years of working on critically wounded vehicles, I can safely say I’ve pretty much done it all when it comes to surgical frame and structure repairs. I can also safely say that timely, quality repairs can still be done in our time-and-labor-hostile environment.
Aluminum Is Coming
Conceptions and Misconceptions
(Not) Stuck on You: Plastic Parts Repairs
Unfortunately, when it comes to plastic parts repairs, many techs have experienced failures and would rather perform a procedure they are successful at: replacing the part.
Charge for What You Do: Replacing a Quarter Panel
What’s a quarter worth these days? No, I’m not asking the value of an American quarter dollar. I’m asking you to consider what you should be charging to replace a quarter panel. Are you charging enough for the amount of work involved in a good quality repair? A lot of shop owners and managers insist
You Want a Piece of Me: Sectioning
The term sectioning makes some of us regress into our memories to a time when we lived to cut and splice automobile bodies to such an extent that they became unrecognizable as to their original make or model. Come on, admit it, at least half of you are looking back, somewhat reverently, thinking about the
Mastering the Mig
When I was faced with writing about MIG welding, it brought back memories of a friend who has long since passed on to the other side. What my friend Bernie lacked in luck (hence his early demise from an untimely car accident), he made up for with good intentions.
