Servassist Blog

New Group to Offer Collision Help For Women

No, this is not some sort of luncheon round table where Mrs. Doolittle is handing out checklists to tell her girlfriends what to do when they have an accident. As a matter of fact, it's not for women on that end of the wreck at all, though conventional wisdom and stereotypes might indicate so.

This is actually the formal organization of an industry group that will provide support and best practices to women who work in the collision industry, a breed once so rare that you would probably have had as much success in finding the famed Jackalope than a women working in any capacity other than administrative at the body shop.

But times have changed and with a shift in the workforce and specialization in the collision industry, more women are finding opportunities here. WIN or the Women's Industry Network's mission is "to be a supportive, nurturing and educational network for women in the auto collision repair industry." The group will aim to enhance the women's collision industry through education, networking and sharing of resources.

The collision network joins an initiative formed in the 1990's by female members of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence to support women in auto service. To read an article on the network or find out how to become a sponsor, please click here.

We are seeing a more active role in the auto business in general from women group that help other women in the purchasing and repair process and even all female-run dealerships, it is logical to see this progress to collision where a women's touch is likely welcome by many.

How long will they last?

When a consumer is purchasing a car these days, reputation of reliability and vehicle longevity certainly influence the more rational parts of the decision (however, the emotional aspect can do amazing things to the rational part). Often questions about a vehicle's durability are focused around the engine and all it's moving parts with questions of oil change intervals and regular maintenance leading the way.

While it is true that many newer spec engines are built from lighter weight (less durable?) materials and are designed specifically to be more efficient often makes no difference in the useful life of an automobile, even when compared to the "bulletproof" cast iron push rods jobs found in earlier cars. (Queue: they don't make them like they used to...)

In actuality, even today's fancy dancy materials and exotics designs typically employ very similar moving parts and in the absence of the most gross negligence for basic service and maintenance, the engine will more than likely outlast virtually every other part of your car. As a matter of fact, the majority of vehicles scrapped each year have heads, pistons, cams and other major components that are in perfectly fine working order, yet the accompanying accoutrement (clutches, transmissions, electrical systems, exhaust, suspension etc.) have given up the ghost somewhere along the way to that magical economic point of doom where it no longer makes financial sense to fix the car.

When you consider all of the electronic stuff (with their shortened lifespans) that go into a car these days, it is likely that we will being seeing even more adequate and significant powerplants sent out to pasture well before their prime simply because a witch-hunt for a silly circuit board or the nerd needed to install it proves too costly or difficult. Want to know how long they will actually last? Click here for a short article.

By the way, according to the Guinness book of world records (1994), the  highest recorded mileage for a car was 1,442,044 (authenticated) for a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle. The most mileage for an engine without overhaul was 577,363 for a 1979 Cadillac Sedan de Ville.

EU Repair Info. Ransom

It looks like North America isn't the only place where auto manufacturers are stingy with their technical information in an attempt to provide their dealer network an advantage over the independent garage. The independents in Europe seem to have been a bit better organized (or otherwise more successful) in their lobbying efforts as Automotive News Europe is reporting that the European Commission is taking significant steps to ensure technical service and repair information is available to any service facility.

The penalty for non-compliance is that the company's cars will not get type approval, which is the very right to sell cars across EU member states. Pretty harsh.

An interesting note is that the propsed regulations have been tacked on to some new technical data (Euro 5) rules aimed at exhaust emissions, that really have little to do with type approval. Sounds like there is some very interesting behind the scenes activity going on. The new rules need to be approved still by both the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers, but could go into effect by the end of the decade.

The car makers (and their dealers) are obviously unhappy with the news and some including Toyota, Fiat, GM, and DaimlerChrysler are already under investigation for withholding technical information.

The Cost of Independence

The number of independent automotive service and repair facilities may still outnumber new car dealerships (and their service departments) by as many as 6 to 1, but that number is shrinking, and quickly. We have talked here before about the difficulty in getting the necessary diagnostic information from OEMs to make appropriate vehicle repairs, though political pressure and at least the threat of substantial legislation has made many of the companies comply, to some degree.

So much of the information is formally available, but you will have to pay for it.

Independent service facilities used to purchase service manuals and books that were often good for a few years and would contain the latest service procedures, codes, etc. As cars have become more complicated, so to has this information to the point where it has outgrown print publication altogether and for many reasons is available exclusively online. Access to a brand's service website can cost as much as $2,500 a year, which means that a full service shop that wants to work on all brands must invest as much as $40,000 a year simply on the information alone.

Additionally, the cost for specialized tools to complete some of the diagnostics and repairs can easily exceed this cost and you see why they are having trouble staying in business. Such an environment has led to the unique makeup of our independent service industry, where you have some small specialty shops that tend to focus on a couple of brands (picture the SAAB garage out in the middle of nowhere), mid-sized outfits and small chains that will work on most of the major brands and finally the larger national chains, which are about the only ones who can afford the investment to cover all brands.

This progression to consolidation, specialization and outright contraction is likely to continue even with the help of legislative protection for the independent garage as pure talent, experience and ability are simply no longer rewarded the way it once was.

Click here to read one account.

Good year for tires, or a bad vintage?

The labor dispute and subsequent strike between United Steelworkers of America and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, which began back on October 5th has gotten downright nasty as at least one party involved has decided to hit below the steel belt.

Both sides tried to utilize the media in an effort to invoke some support for their side's issue with the Goodyear chief negotiator striking first. Yet the union was unhappy with the tone and content of a letter (which was posted on the company's website) saying that it made it sound like the workers had no reason to strike.

In what can only be described as a very strong rebuttal, the union began disseminating information including handouts to retail centers and an auto trade show titled, Consumer Safety Alert: Will Goodyear tires be safe for your family? The information cites a Princeton University study which found that quality problems arise during periods of strike and use of replacement workers, which led to the major Firestone tire recall of 2000 and deaths of several people driving on a defective product.

Of course, Goodyear has come back to claim that they are immune from the occasional bad year that afflicts say a fine wine producer and that their products have the same quality even with the temporary workers. The legitimacy of claims from either side is obviously up for debate and will more than likely be making more headlines as we head into the holiday season.

The fact that we are talking about the strike here suggests that the plan to use the media as a stage to fight has apparently worked. Whether or not we can depend on Goodyear's or need to choose a different vine is still up in the air. At the end of the day however, given the choice between a set of tires produced by "happy" workers versus a set made by disgruntled or replacement ones, I know which way my grape would roll,

To see the steelworker's site, click here.
To see the Goodyear negotiations site, click here.

So who is the "top wrench?"

Since we ran our post on the Golden Mechanic Award last week, two additional service technicians have also been crowned with top mechanic honors by their respective organizations. So who really is the best mechanic of the land? Well, apparently it depends on who you ask, but if I were "reality" guru  Mark Burnett, I would be all over it like shock to an absorber.

We have America's Top Model, Top Designer, and Top Chef, how about a little love for the men and women of the lube and filter variety. Just because they may have some dirt under their nails doesn't mean they don't have TV charm or deserve "realistic" representation. Not to mention, the industry's top performers are just begging for a showdown.

In addition to BP's Golden Mechanic Award, the Automotive Service Association (ASA) and National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) recognize the top performer in their master automobile certification exam and not to be outdone, ACDelco has just crowned their Technician of the Millennium.

Add to this the other winners from a host of other companies and organizations and you have a real knock-down, drag-out in the making. The auto sharks are circling folks and there's grease in the water. Stay tuned to see if anyone wants to bite.

Real Moms choose Jiffy (Lube)?

Well, at least that's what the company's internal numbers indicate. As a matter of fact, Jiffy Lube International, a subsidiary of Houston-based Shell Oil, claims to service 25 million vehicles each year, so when five Los Angeles-base Jiffy Lube franchises were caught recently by a local news undercover operation charging customers for work they never performed, it might seem like an isolated anomaly.

Unfortunately, it seems as this really just opened the floodgates to a number of disgruntled customers in at least 17 different states.

The Jiffy Lube franchise business model is simply ripe with interpretation and just begging for controversy as it is one of the most prominent places where petty greed (some honest, some dishonest, if there is such a distinction) and auto service (some necessary, some preventative) come together in a world so grey, it would make a pachyderm's bottom pale in comparison.

It seems the company's success (and the "quick lube" industry's, really) can be attributed to a combination of price, convenience, and popular misunderstanding of automobile mechanics (the physics, not the people). Because most people have a limited knowledge or care of how vehicles actually work, they like to entrust the services of what they consider a professional. One thing most do understand however is that the car is a complex conglomeration of components and systems, which are depended on regularly.

This creates a notion that people want to do something nice for their cars when they can, and having a trusted service provider uncover some dirty (neglected) filter here or loose tie rod end there can be appreciated. The rub is, with so many vehicles and so many service operations, this idea and trust has been exploited.

So, for an untold number of customers the news and accusations of some variation on the "switch and bait" campaign at Jiffy Lube stores doesn't come as much of a surprise. In response however, to this most recent investigation, Jiffy Lube International has instituted a company pledge and "operational initiatives" in an attempt to prevent fraud at their stores.

A step in the right direction for sure, but when the pledge fully admits that the company will consider customer's vehicles to be operating under "severe conditions" and that they may recommend services outside the OEM's standard procedures, you know this is one franchise that will likely see a wide variance in customer "care."

Heaven knows that if there ever were anyone in this world who could get some mileage out of a name like "Jiffy Lube," it would have been Jerry Garcia. Should the company wish to add a tune to go with their new corporate edicts, I might actually suggest something a little less like the Grateful Dead's "Touch of Grey" and a bit more like Depeche Mode's "Policy of Truth."

To read an article on the investigation and some of the stories that have come to smear the industry, click here.

Changing of the guard

Any automotive service technician over the age of about 45 years will be able to describe for you a certain "evolution" in the demands and responsibilities of their job. New techs turned out today have received high tech training since day one and have grown up with computers giving them an edge in servicing vehicles that have become technology-driven.

In addition to the change in the nature of the work from lifting wrenches and specialized diagnosis skills, the outgoing tech must deal with a different marketplace where the knack for effectively diagnosing and fixing a vehicle may be significantly less appreciated. The nature of the competitive marketplace has grown to a point that technicians, especially those working for chain franchises and less scrupulous lube shops, are rewarded for doing less work, turning a car over faster, and most importantly generating a higher margin service.

We have all heard (and many experienced) the hard-sell from a mechanic less interested in just changing the oil or addressing a straightforward issue informing us that we must do such-and-such immediately or the car is likely to end up upside down, in the bushes and on fire the very next time we drive it. Like so many other industries, the experienced and specialized employees are being pushed out by people who are trained more specifically to make a quick buck.

Even at new car dealerships, there is significant pressure on service managers to meet certain criteria and goals, so techs able to sell the money-makers are going to get all the work even if they are quarter of the actual tech an experienced wrench is. Those services, which in someone's defense are often necessary (sometime prematurely) are big ticket, high-margin items like brake work, timing belts, And the infamous "flush" service.

Dealerships and independent garages are regularly bombarded by "flush" salesmen and their newest equipment telling everyone who will listen that they can double their profits with their stuff. So when someone bites, they want to flush more than a Grand Central Station Terminal toilet. Unfortunately, they end up handing them out like some doctors are now prescribing Maris for everything from a twisted ankle to nausea.

Where does this leave you as a car owner? Well, knowing the situation is half the battle. You will do yourself a favor by being aware when you go in for service. Should you already have a trusted facility/tech, then you are probably in good hands. But should you ever patron an unfamiliar place, looking to the eldest and dirtiest guy in the place might be your safest bet.

Recycling (Reautoing)

North Americans purchase about 17 million new vehicles each year. 17 million vehicles! That is a lot of cars. At an average length of 5 meters (16 feet) if you stuck the cars end to end, the world's longest traffic jam would extend over 51,000 miles, which is almost exactly twice around the world! The total automotive population in North America is currently approximated at around 270 million, which would stretch around the globe a staggering 34 times!

The thing is, these cars don't last forever and when one of them gets in a wreck or has simply run the full gamut of family "hand-me-downs," they have to end up somewhere. For most of us the last we see of them is in handing over the keys to either a new or used car salesperson as we trade in for a new set of wheels. If they are lucky (and still worth something) they will be wholesaled/auctioned off to find another temporary home somewhere. If however, your car has a dramatic component failure and you turn it in (with the cost of repair equally more than the car is worth) then it is off to the garage in the sky.

Auto heaven used to be really just some lot or field somewhere with less strict municipality laws where cars would endlessly rot with hundreds if not thousands of other has-beens. But fortunately, today those junkyards you remember seeing as a kid along the highway etc, are not growing at the rates they once were as Auto Reclamation or recycling has ballooned into big business.

Roughly 6 million vehicles per year now find their way to the more efficient, though less humane for the cars, reclamation sites where items like batteries, catalytic converters and parts worth resale are removed and categorized for the used parts market. Then the car is usually sent through the shredder, wheels, engine, body and all where it is spit out as scrap metal. Scrap metal itself has become big business with emerging markets and growth in places like China, where much of the metal is now sold (sometimes in the manufacture of cars again). Additionally, federal, local and state laws protect the environment and landscape by regulating the disposal of vehicles as the numbers have grown.

So next time you turn in the tired family roadster, if you tell it that it is off to pasture (literally) where it can serenly live out it years, you would be lying. It is much more likely in for a trip through a gigantic cusiniart and then possibly on to a slow boat to China. The one solace is that it may live to roll again.

To see some of the different shredding possibilities, click here, here (choose car), or here.

To see some interesting industry stats, click here.

Golden Mechanic Award

Why does it seem like everybody is whispering about something these days? And when did become so fashionable to talk under your breath? Horses have a whisperer, dogs have a whisperer, even babies have a whisperer, so why can't cars have a whisperer you ask?

Well, apparently they do.

BP (British Petroleum) and their Amoco Ultimate fuels decided that if anyone was going to be doing any whispering in the automotive industry it was them. Last year the company launched its annual "Golden Mechanic" award to be given to an independent automotive service technician, who demonstrates top character and personality, is involved with their community, possesses an environmentally friendly attitude, a desire to be the BP spokesperson for one year, and can repair the bejesus out of a '71 Chevelle.

Top nominees are given a trip to Las Vegas where they compete in formal event to demonstrate their auto repair abilities as well as be grilled by a panel of automotive experts, for the Golden Wrench, a $25,000 prize and a year's supply of BP fuel.

Congratulations to this year's winner, Greg Damon of St. Charles, MO, who has apparently foregone the whispering for a while and is shouting from the rooftops. Read about the BP Golden Wrench contest here.