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CALL OPTION
Dec. 17A Miami dealership group says its business development center focusing on service department calls is generating more repair orders, higher profits.
ONE YEAR AFTER
Dec. 17A year after a strike by service technicians at Chicago area dealerships, union officials say that the settlement has left key issues unresolved.
Service counter
Dec. 17A look at the financial profile of franchised U.S. new-vehicle dealerships in the first half of the year.
Online parts sales' high volumes can offset lower profit margins
Dec. 17Parts sold via the Internet generally are less profitable than those sold in the dealership, but the potential to sell online in large volumes can overcome that disadvantage.
FEEDBACK
Dec. 17Service customers greatly prefer that dealership shops notify them by text message when their cars or trucks are ready, a new survey suggests.
PARTS SKIRMISH
Dec. 17A new campaign aims to enlist state lawmakers to mandate greater use of factory parts in collision repair.
Flat-rate pay system continues to divide dealers and technicians
Dec. 17The flat-rate pay system, which assigns specific amounts of time to do vehicle repair and maintenance work, was a key issue in last year's strike of service technicians at Chicago-area auto dealerships. Flat-rate is a blessing to techs who can regularly beat “book times,” but a curse to others who can't always complete jobs in the allotted times.
PARTS AND HOLES
Dec. 17Fixed Ops Journal Editor Dave Kushma juxtaposes two trends: Savvy dealers who are increasingly relying on parts and accessories to shore up profits, and a potentially ruinous tide of discontent among service technicians.
PARTS PROFITS
Dec. 17Online sales of replacement parts and accessories are a fast-growing fixed ops profit center for dealerships.
FROM SHOP TO PIT ROW
Dec. 17Mini says its program of embedding dealership service techs with race crews is promoting teamwork and building morale.
FIXED IN TIME
Dec. 17Before selling cars, the Kari family opened a bicycle garage in the late 1920s that expanded to vehicle maintenance and repair. As this late 1920s photo shows, the family also sold gasoline: 16.6 cents a gallon.
TECH TURMOIL
Dec. 17A new survey of 35,000 dealership service technicians concludes that techs are unhappy with their jobs, and especially with their flat-rate pay plans.
