Free Auto Repair Management Tips Blog

Does your auto repair shop charge for automotive inspections? If not, why not? Whether a customer needs a pre-trip check, a brake inspection, or a full vehicle inspection, your technician’s time and your service advisor’s time are worth charging for. Some shop owners have experienced customers taking advantage of them by getting a free inspection from your shop and getting the repair done at a rival shop! Others do not feel it is fair to charge for inspections. Still, others offer tiers of inspections, ranging from free to charging different amounts. This is a great discussion about the philosophy behind whether or not we should charge customers for inspections.

Automotive Inspections – Time Is Money

Jerry outlined the model featuring three levels of inspection: A basic inspection, which is free; a more thorough mid-level inspection for a nominal fee; and a thorough, complete inspection, costing more. His experience? Most people are willing to pay for the mid level vehicle inspection, rather than going for the free basic package. Bottom line: it is not fair to ask your technician to work for free, or for you to pay him or her when you are not being paid by the customer.

Pam joined the discussion, pointing this out from a Service Writer’s perspective. Customers understand there is value in our work. They come expecting to pay for it, or at least they should. If your Service Advisor explains the value of the inspection, customers will be happy to pay for it. If they are not receptive, the chances are that your front counter employee is not asking enough questions.

For example, if a customer says their Check Engine Light is on, your Service Writer should be asking if they have noticed any issues with the vehicle’s performance. If you don’t ask, there is a good chance your technicians may not know where to look for the problem. Then, when you fail to fix the issue, the customer will rightfully hold you accountable.

Scott makes the point that many of his older clients do not drive much, but will take a long trip once or twice a year to see family. They enter the shop, asking for a pre-trip inspection, and are happy to pay for it. That peace of mind is so valuable. Opening the hood for the inspection also creates opportunities to sell more work if necessary.

What Are Your Competitors Doing?

Fred added that his Service Writer recently called around to other shops, asking how much they charged for automotive inspections. He was surprised to know how high their fees were to inspect customers’ vehicles. Since the market is bearing it, he found it necessary to raise his own inspection fees.

Jerry gave an example of the basic inspection in action. His shop offers a free 15-minute visual “no wrench” inspection. From just a few minutes of eyeballing the engine and wheels,  his technicians can recommend premium services such as a full brake inspection. Again, customers who come in and let us inspect their vehicles should expect to pay for our services ultimately. Obviously, if a more thorough brake inspection is in order, Jerry’s shop rolls the cost of the inspection into the repair charge.

Bottom line? Don’t give away free full vehicle automotive inspections. Many times, customers will take advantage of your generosity and get the work done elsewhere.

In this clip from on of our Working On It Tuesday sessions, Brian and the class discuss Action Flow Charts. Specifically, Brian brings up the question of which color coding should designate who is performing the listed tasks. Pam suggests that instances where both technicians (blue) and service advisors (red) share the load, the chart should be color coded purple.

Color Coding Your Action Flow Charts

Pam expanded on her answer, indicating that the Service Advisor at the front desk sells the job. Then, the technicians will perform the repair work. Therefore, many automotive repair tasks require a shared responsibility.

Pam brought up the Test Drive step in the Trip Check Inspection form. Jim mentioned that his shop’s team performs an extensive test drive. He then explained how this test drive is part of his Preventive Maintenance Inspection process. The question arose on whether to charge for such an inspection.

Brian mentioned that any job that you are color coding for technicians to work on is worth their time, and you should charge for it. Some folks may take advantage of your free inspection offer, and then take their vehicle elsewhere that they know is cheaper. They may even perform the repair themselves, now that you have diagnosed the issue for free. Chances are that if you explain why they must pay for their vehicle inspection, they will agree to the inspection and repair.

Here is a clip from one of our weekly Working On It Tuesday training webinars. This week, the topic in question is our leadership process. Brian details the six steps to auto shop leadership mastery, also known as The Lotus Code.

The Lotus Code in Action for Auto Repair Shop Leaders

When automotive industry owners want to up their leadership game, it’s great to have an ordered list which they can refer to. Our Auto Repair Leadership Process is based on the Lotus Code, which is an ancient six step method for success. In order, the six steps are:

1. Thinking
2. Words
3. Action
4. Habits
5. Perseverance
6. Attainment

The other owners on the call recalled Gary Gunn teaching this age old concept to them many years ago. Brian then goes over the history of the Lotus Code, which is over 2500 years old. Mastering your goals always involves these six steps, in this order. Whether it’s a simple task such as cleaning your house, or a more complex one like managing your auto repair shop’s daily operations, this is how it comes together.

When the Lotus Code is applied correctly, we think through our task. Then, we verbalize our plan. We take action, and with repetition, those actions grow into habits. Although obstacles can (and will) arise, we take step five, which is Perseverance, to conquer them. Finally, through that perseverance, we reach step six, Attainment. Only then can we call ourselves masters. As any shop owner knows from experience, mastery will only come through hard work and focus.

Here is a great discussion on how we can document an auto repair invoice. In this clip, Brian and our guest Keith begin the process of writing a ten step SOP on building automotive repair invoices.

Auto Repair Invoice – When And How

Brian starts out the segment by setting the ground rules of the SOP. The front of house staff, specifically the Service Advisor at the desk, is responsible for writing the auto repair invoice. When you write a Standard Operating Procedure, you number the steps in order to clearly describe how the job is done. In this case, your front of house staff will have  a handy guide to refer to when questions come up.

It is also a great idea for you to review this and other SOPs regularly when in team meetings and one on one’s in order to keep everyone sharp. Sometimes, it will help for individuals to taylor certain steps and scripts to their own strengths. However, when you have one standard form on hand for the whole team to reference, it makes a huge difference.

Auto Repair Invoice SOP Step 1

Next, Brian called on Keith to provide step one. Before we fill anything else out, we will need to gather the customer’s contact and vehicle information. The first question we always need to answer is “Why is the vehicle here?” Then, from there, we can fill in the rest of the blanks on the SOP.