Maintain your Car in Shape by taking It to a Good Auto Repair Facility
If you see fewer auto repair shops in your area then you are witnessing a trend that is spreading throughout the auto repair industry. The small independent auto repair shop is getting squeezed by both the dealers along with the ‘backyarders’ creating shrinking margins and putting many auto repair independents out of business.
The global problem may be the auto repair and service market has been shrinking in the last 10 or 15 years. Technology has made cars much more reliable with fewer breakdowns, repairs and scheduled maintenances.
Many manufacturers offer some sort of 100,000 mile warranty which means that the independent will get little chance to work with that car for the most important 5-10 years it is owned.
As new car sales margins go down, VW, Chevrolet, Toyota and other manufacturers are seeking to their service departments to make in the difference.
Additionally many dealers such as Porsche and Saab in order to adding other useful benefits such to be a loaner car while repairs are being made. Independents are forced to give courtesy rides to customers in trying to keep with the dealers since customers now expect this service.
Furthermore dealers for Mercedes and Ford are now directly offering specials on services making their dealer prices comparable to independent repair shop prices.
But it’s but not just competitive pricing is actually not worrying the independents.
The battle for skilled labor may also be won by the dealers: the dealers have always competed for skilled labor and already have got become a great deal more aggressive. With fewer right now entering effect on repair profession and opting instead for careers such as health and technology, essential talent pool of methods to use skilled auto technicians is shrinking.
Increasingly it is becoming more difficult for independents you ought to hire and retain these competent employees. A great automotive technician, would you rather work in Audi or Joe’s Drive way?
The dealers are discovering the best ‘mechanics’ or as may well known today, ‘technicians.’ A premier end dealer technician may well $100,000 a whole year with benefits while a self-employed shop owner would have to gross over a $1,000,000 every year to make that and still have to purchase their own benefits and social equity.
Because of this economic realities many independent owners are at this moment closing their shops on and on to work with GM, Nissan and other dealers.
This puts the independent auto mechanic shop at a distinct disadvantage when diagnosing and repairing difficult drivability, fuel injection, electronic and computer related problems.
Additionally, each time a diagnosis is made and an area needs replacing the dealer will buy it in stock, not only verifying the identification but greatly speeding in the repair time and increasing customer satisfaction. Big advantage Cadillac and Bmw.
But it’s not just a skilled employee war. Techs cannot fix cars without information and you’ll find a long and ongoing dispute with the dealers/manufacturers and independents over technical information access and diagnostic tools.
The manufacturers claim that their technical information is proprietary while independents claim the information should build up to anybody that owns or fixes help to make of car.
Excel Auto Repair & Sales
94 E Falmouth Hwy, East Falmouth, MA 02536
(508) 444-2777
