Looming Mandate: Without Help, Shops Face Dark Future
…How Will You Cope?
Aftermarket Update: CARS 2005 Provides Education, Networking, Entertainment
Bedford, TX — Hundreds gathered at the 2005 Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) held at The Mirage in Las Vegas Nov. 3-5. CARS, the premier event of the Automotive Service Association’s (ASA) Mechanical Division, is held annually during Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW) and focuses on education while also offering entertainment and networking
Back From Vegas
Last month I attended the grandaddy of all automotive trade shows in Las Vegas. “Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week” (AAIW) is a multi-show affair that fills both the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Sands Expo Center with more than 2 million square feet of exhibits and cars. The event is not open to the general
Customers for Life: The Key to Earning Customer Loyalty and Trust
Nothing about your business is guaranteed. The number of repair orders you write each day, the number of vehicles you service per month, the amount of money you’ll spend on tools, equipment and supplies, the amount of time you’ll spend working on and in your business, or your year-end profit. You know all too well
Marketing Mufflers: Muffler Replacements Are a Fast, Easy Way to Improve Your Shop’s Bottom Line
Have muffler inspections become a low-priority undercar service in your shop? With the introduction of stainless-steel exhaust systems into the import market, it’s easy to forget that muffler and related exhaust parts sales are still a lucrative service that can enhance any profit and loss statement. Muffler replacements can be profitable at any skill or
Selling Service for Low-Maintenance Ignition Systems
ition system maintenance as long as it feels like it’s “running good.” In reality, spark plugs eventually develop high electrical resistance because the electrodes wear away. When this happens, the secondary ignition voltage will increase until the ignition coil, ignition cable, spark plug boot or spark plug develops a high-voltage leak. When a high-voltage leak
Perspectives
What do you get when you cross Las Vegas and Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week? A working vacation worth taking this fall. You’ll find so much to see and do, you may not even go near a slot machine. In addition to coinciding with CARS, AAIW – which includes the AAPEX and SEMA shows – will
Muscling in on Restoration Work: Part 2
There’s a hot trend in the automotive aftermarket to return car owners to the past. Literally. Today, aging baby boomers are spending big money on “recapturing the rapture” of the cars of their youth. Just turn on your television any evening and you’re sure to find some type of automotive program on the cable and
News
What do you get when you cross Las Vegas and Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week? A working vacation worth taking this fall. You’ll find so much to see and do, you may not even go near a slot machine. In addition to coinciding with CARS, AAIW – which includes the AAPEX and SEMA shows – will
Muscling in on Restoration & Performance Work: Part 1
As automotive technology continues to become more complex with each new model year, you may be longing for the “good ol’ days” when engines had carburetors and distributors but no sensors, fuel injectors or computers. Most driveability problems were fairly simple to diagnose and only required a trained ear and a few basic tools. Alas,