Keep Car in Shape getting It to a Good Auto Repair Facility
If you see fewer auto repair shops towards you 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 as well as the ‘backyarders’ creating shrinking margins and putting many auto repair independents out of economic.
The global problem will 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 getting 100,000 mile warranty meaning that the independent will get little chance to work with that car for one 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 up the difference.
Additionally many dealers such as Porsche and Saab have been adding other useful benefits such as being a loaner car while repairs are being made. Independents are now being forced to give courtesy rides to customers in trying to keep up with the dealers since customers now expect this service.
Furthermore dealers with regard to Mercedes and Ford are now directly offering specials on services making their dealer prices comparable to independent repair shop prices.
But it’s not just competitive pricing that’s the worrying the independents.
The battle for skilled labor all means being won by the dealers: the dealers have been competed for skilled labor and already have become a great deal more aggressive. With fewer individuals entering business repair profession and opting instead for careers like health and technology, fundamental talent pool of physical exercise skilled auto technicians is shrinking.
Increasingly it is becoming tougher for independents to rent and retain these highly skilled employees. As an automotive technician, would you rather work in Audi or Joe’s Garage?
The dealers are collecting the best ‘mechanics’ or as they may be known today, ‘technicians.’ An increased end dealer technician may well $100,000 twelve months with benefits while an independent shop owner would must gross within a $1,000,000 twelve months to make that as well as have to afford their own benefits and social basic safety.
Because the hands down economic realities many independent owners are now closing their shops on and on to work with GM, Nissan and other dealers.
This puts the independent auto mechanic at a distinct disadvantage when diagnosing and repairing difficult drivability, fuel injection, electronic and computer related problems.
Additionally, each time a diagnosis is comprised and a portion needs replacing the dealer will purchase it in stock, not only verifying the diagnosis but greatly speeding inside the repair time and increasing client satisfaction. Big advantage Cadillac and Rolls royce.
But the goal wasn’t a skilled employee war. Techs cannot fix cars without information and you’ll find a long and ongoing dispute from the dealers/manufacturers and independents over technical information access and diagnostic tools.
The manufacturers claim their technical details are proprietary while independents claim the information should be for sale to anyone that owns or fixes that make of automobile.
Excel Auto Repair & Sales
94 E Falmouth Hwy, East Falmouth, MA 02536
(508) 444-2777
