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WrenchWay

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Tom Wood Ford

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about 14 hours ago

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Here at Tom Wood Ford, we take on any challenge of any size!
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McCurley Dealerships

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about 15 hours ago

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🔧 Behind the Scenes: Tech Shop 🚗💡
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1:01

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Kocourek Subaru

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about 18 hours ago

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Congratulations to Chris Keding, our Tech of the Month! 🔧👏
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Kocourek Kia

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about 18 hours ago

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Congratulations to Chris Keding, our Tech of the Month! 🔧👏
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WrenchWay

about 19 hours ago

2

Vote for Your Favorite June Shop Talk Post by 7/14

Here are our staff picks for Shop Talk Post of the Month! Vote for your favorite and if you’ve got a good reason why you picked it, drop it in the comments. Brag about your pick a little!
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Craig's Car Care

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about 19 hours ago

1

Where do you get your information from these days? What's your number one go to source?
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Pride Kia of Lynn

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about 20 hours ago

1

It's officially summer! What is your favorite way to spend your free time during the summer months?
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Woody Anderson Ford

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about 21 hours ago

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"Karina and the team as a whole was just absolutely amazing and very helpful. After a few visits the technician, Tanner, was able to locate the issue and got the repairs done in a very timely manner. The car is back driving great and I am very happy I chose this location to work on my car!"
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Tom Wood Porsche

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1 day ago

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Lunch for the Fixed team today.
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WrenchWay

4 days ago

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Red, White, & Blue Collar
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0:20

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Tom Wood Volkswagen

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4 days ago

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Junior certified tech Mikael taking apart drivers door to install new switches!
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Tom Wood Subaru

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4 days ago

Shop Talk Post

#ThrowbackThursday: The Start of the Tom Wood Legacy 🚘
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Tom Wood Subaru

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4 days ago

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Have a safe & Happy 4th of July!
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Carr Chevrolet

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4 days ago

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From Everyone here at Carr Chevrolet we wish you a Happy and Safe 4th of July!
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McCurley Dealerships

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4 days ago

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🔧 A Day in the Life of a Technician! 🚗
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0:55

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Sara Kerwin

Thanks for bringing up this important topic, Craig. It's very timely because we're also going to be hosting a roundtable where we're bringing on 4 technician to discuss flat rate. It's free to attend and anyone can register here: https://wrenchway.com/events/flat-rates-contribution-to-the-technician-shortage/

2 years ago Like

Russell Wickham

So, Lucas Underwood on the "Changing the Industry Podcast" a week ago said, "Flat rate is a lazy man's management method." I agree. Flat rate can be made to work, if the entire team is on board and no one person gets stuck doing all the crap work (unless said person is paid hourly or salary and isn't under the gun from management for low hours). Usually what happens is a favorite tech gets fed, other techs pick up the scraps, and one really good tech starves to death. The good tech leaves, the others flounder, the attitude goes in the toilet, and the shop ends up circling the drain. Yes, labor times are down, sometimes grossly inaccurate, and the quick maintenance jobs that used to allow us to make up time are few and far between. A few very gifted techs can still turn those outstanding hours, but they are rare. A few gifted service managers make flat rate work for their location. They aren't the lazy kind Lucas was referring to. For everyone else, flat rate is a punishment to those who do good quality work and an easy way to create friction and anger in the shop.

Dale Techel

I've worked flat rate for 38 years, don't really have an issue with it. First thing you need to realize, clocking 60 hour weeks plus wasn't difficult for a few reasons, first is, most shops were open 6 days a week and we worked an average of 70 hours a week. Another thing was we only worked on a handful of makes and models back then, repetitiveness of vehicles we worked on made it that you'd become very good on doing repairs because you've done it many times and you knew the tricks to get the job done quickly. The amount of makes and models now, along with the fact vehicles are driven 15-20 yrs plus just adds to the amount that you the tech need to know and be great at to clock a ton of hours. You need to be flexible in your estimating of vehicles in today world, if a vehicle comes in and a complex service you know is going to take a tech longer than book time, don't be afraid to slightly adjust the labor also. Shops and techs are out to make money and stay in business, if for example an evap core job pays 8.5 hours and the past few you've done takes 10, adjust labor on next repair. Shops have to realize that in today's world, no tech, even the best and most experienced is going to have the knowledge to be the best and fastest on the amount of makes, models and years of vehicles on the road. It's not humanly possible. Have my labor amounts dropped a bit over the years, yes, but I'm also down to working a 45 hour week compared to close to 75 I would work year round not long ago and I'm 56 years old and my body isn't like it was at 20 yrs old either. I think my point is, be flexible yet fair, make the shop, tech and customer happy and satisfied, if you don't, more techs will continually leave the industry.

Filter the Posts You See

Filter the Posts You See

Shop Talk
Online Community to Promote Auto & Diesel Careers

Share your thoughts on industry topics

Tom Wood Ford

McCurley Dealerships

Kocourek Subaru

Kocourek Kia

WrenchWay

Vote for Your Favorite June Shop Talk Post by 7/14

Craig's Car Care

Pride Kia of Lynn

Woody Anderson Ford

Tom Wood Porsche

WrenchWay

Tom Wood Volkswagen

Tom Wood Subaru

Tom Wood Subaru

Carr Chevrolet

McCurley Dealerships

Sorry

Success

Craig Tomczyk

Sara Kerwin

Sara Kerwin

Russell Wickham

Russell Wickham

Dale Techel

Dale Techel

Shop Talk Online Community to Promote Auto & Diesel Careers

Shop talk polls and posts

Share your thoughts on industry topics

Tom Wood Ford

McCurley Dealerships

Kocourek Subaru

Kocourek Kia

WrenchWay

Vote for Your Favorite June Shop Talk Post by 7/14

Craig's Car Care

Pride Kia of Lynn

Woody Anderson Ford

Tom Wood Porsche

WrenchWay

Tom Wood Volkswagen

Tom Wood Subaru

Tom Wood Subaru

Carr Chevrolet

McCurley Dealerships

Sara Kerwin

Russell Wickham

Dale Techel

Shop Talk
Online Community to Promote Auto & Diesel Careers