Recent Stories
Dan Shine
The temptation to just fix it myself

After a couple of years writing and editing articles about the automotive fixed ops industry, I'm now tempted to pick up a wrench and try to fix a problem on my kids' Jeep Wrangler.
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For forty grand, auto technicians competed for top honors

A national competition just declared a winner for the title of best auto tech in America. Meet Logan Brown.
For customers declining repairs, don't pressure; instead, build trust
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5 minutes with Stephany Birkholz, KPA environmental, health and safety team supervisor

Stephany Birkholz, an environment, health and safety team supervisor at consulting firm KPA, discusses how service departments can maintain a safe and productive workplace.
Carlisle CEO Paul Gurizzian
How to cope with the supply chain crisis

Carlisle CEO Paul Gurizzian how supply chain issues impact the service lane and shares strategies dealers can adopt to deal with challenge.
Walmart Marketplace adds dealer parts sales

Walmart is working with RevolutionParts, a digital commerce solutions company with 1,600 dealership clients, to feature genuine automaker parts on the retail giant's website.
Dan Shine
Success starts with great customer service

At a gathering for fixed ops directors and service managers, a hotel employee taught us all a lesson.
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Professional, student techs vie for cash and prizes in national event

Yes, there are career opportunities in fixing cars. And the inaugural Auto Technician National Championship competition aims to show that.
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5 minutes with Nate Chenenko, director, Carlisle & Co.

Dealership service departments that don't offer point-of-sale financing to customers are missing a big opportunity.
Dan Shine
Transparency can help build loyalty with service customers

Customers are looking for reasons to come back to dealerships for service. More transparency on pricing will help.
Dan Shine
Signs of struggle in those busy shops

Are dealership service departments coming down from the high of a busy spring and early summer?
Dealership classroom lets trainees ‘see the future'

The service manager at a Toyota dealership in Edmonds, Wash., believes his shop's training program is the answer to the technician shortage.
How to keep techs: Find ways to ‘sell a career path'

Matrix Trade Institute CEO Dustin Peugeot said service managers must make tech workers feel like they're part of a larger growth plan.
Partnering with schools to fill tech gap

Two service directors say cooperation with area schools have gone a long way toward easing technician shortages.
Affordability, transparency, experience are keys to customer retention

Why do dealerships score low on customer-retention? How can they give customers a luxury experience? And what help do dealerships need from their makers?