Words to live by
(January 23, 2012) --
Everyone needs inspiration sometimes. What words of wisdom do you rely on? I really want to know. I’d love to hear why it means so much to you. Tell me how you stumbled across it and when you first learned its motivating power. I’ll let others know a ...more
Feeling the pressure
(January 06, 2012) --
The relearn procedure can be especially long when there’s a young apprentice on the case! ...more
Letting your invoice be heard
(December 26, 2011) --
A professional-looking repair bill is your opportunity to reinforce the buying decision, and prevent post-purchase disappointment. ...more
Tips from the counter
(December 08, 2011) --
Service advisors are the liaison between the customer and the technician. It is hard to underestimate the importance of their job. Here are some tips from some of the industry's best. ...more
What tomorrow will bring
(November 28, 2011) --
Key automotive trends outlined at industry gathering are mostly good news for the aftermarket. But there's a threat on the horizon: the waking giant that is the automotive OE dealership. ...more
Adapting to the economy
(November 08, 2011) --
Chris Kennedy, owner of the Mister Transmission shop in Moncton, N.B., knows what a tough economy does to maintenance customers. It turns the three-times-a-year people into two-timers. It turns the two-timers into one-timers. And you can say goodbye ...more
UNDER INVESTIGATION
(October 21, 2011) --
NBC’s Today Show puts repair shops under the microscope... again. ...more
The Evolution of Technology
(October 12, 2011) --
Speaking at Automotive Service and Repair Week in Orlando Florida last week, Delaware shop owner Pete Rudloff said his success as a true problem solver is a direct result of his familiarity with scan-tool technology, and his understanding of the bene ...more
New Brunswick ponders changes to safety inspections
(October 03, 2011) --
Public meetings begin in New Brunswick this week to determine the direction of the province’s annual vehicle safety inspection program. Minister of transportation and infrastructure Claude Williams says the review was prompted by 400 responses to onl ...more
Wanna be a wheeler dealer?
- by Allan Janssen
(September 20, 2011) --
Getting into the tire business involves a lot more than putting up a few displays and hanging a shingle… it’s a unique business with unique challenges. ...more
Canadians spending less on maintaining/repairing vehicles
(September 06, 2011) --
Canadian Customer Commitment Index Study by J.D. Power and Associates 2011 reveals significant drop in annual service spending. Among automotive service customers, NAPA Autopro gets highest marks for satisfaction. ...more
The empty wallet syndrome
(August 04, 2011) --
AAA says repair shops in U.S. finding fewer customers able to pay for major repairs. ...more
Survey Says:
(June 07, 2011) --
What was the most bizarre question a customer has ever asked you?
“If I have a screw in my tire and I take it out will the tire go flat?”
Dennis Kokoai, Serbu Tire, Windsor, Ont.
“But do you think it’s safe?”
Perry V ...more
Email scam targets auto shops
(May 20, 2011) --
Shops beware. If you receive an email from “Richard Summer” (printed in all of its ungrammatical glory below), simply hit the delete button – Summer’s proposal is nothing but a scam. ...more
Jean Vanier students win big at CIAS skills competition
(March 22, 2011) --
A pair of automotive technician students from Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School beat out 19 other Toronto-area high school teams to win a unique skills competition at the Canadian International Auto Show. ...more
Consumer Reports Reveals “Worst of the Worst”
(March 08, 2011) --
The 2011 Autos issue of Consumer Reports has hit the stands, and once again, the magazine strives to identify those makes and models that are vehicular creampuffs and lemons. ...more
Tanks for the Oil Change!
(February 08, 2011) --
From two-seater convertibles to super-sized SUVs, the folks at the Jiffy Lube in Guelph, Ont., have seen it all when it comes to vehicles rolling into the shop for an oil change. But a tank? ...more
Training Technicians
(January 19, 2011) --
Calgary-based Motive-Action, an organization that teaches unemployed youth and adults the personal and professional skills required to succeed in the workplace, recently celebrated its 25 anniversary at a gala event. And there was much to celebrate.
...more
The Vehicles you Love and Loathe When it Comes to Oil Changes
(December 23, 2010) --
Our friends at National Oil & Lube News have an interesting cover story in their recent issue. Namely, the U.S.-based magazine presents a list of the various vehicles that shop owners are happy to see in their bays for an oil change. And then the ...more
Viva SEMA!
(November 24, 2010) --
Forget the Vegas strip and its pseudo pyramids and fake Venetian canals. The real head-turning action in Nevada during the first week of November can be found at the Las Vegas Convention Center, home to the Specialty Equipment and Market Association ...more
Mr. Lube Canada sells 23 corporate owned stores
(November 17, 2010) --
Mr. Lube Canada, a Delta, B.C.-based quick lube and preventive automotive maintenance provider, has sold 23 corporately-owned stores across Canada as the company says it plans to focus on its franchise business model.
Financial terms of the deal w ...more
Calgary tech wins his second Subaru competition in three years.
(November 08, 2010) --
Lee Harrison, a technician with Subaru of Calgary, was recently named the winner of Subaru Canada’s 2010 Technician Recognition Competition, which took place at the company’s Mississauga, Ont. Canadian headquarters.
Harrison – a ...more
