Waste Oil Collection Safety
As a tire and automotive repair shop, your business handles used oil and fluids daily, and there are certain good housekeeping practices that must be followed. These required practices, called “management standards,” were developed by the EPA for any business that handles used oil. These standards are common sense, good business practices designed to ensure
Turning Vendors into Partners
Today, with the news of insurers becoming more involved in the parts purchasing process, shops are concerned about change more than ever. The relationship any business has with its vendors is more than simply its face-value financial position. Good discounts alone have little chance of turning into value for the end customer if there’s no
Specialized POS Software Available For Tire Dealers
Point-of-sale (POS) front-counter software used to be distinct from that employed for accounting and other “back office” duties. Now the trend is to integrate the functionalities of both into a seamless, all-encompassing enterprise system that facilitates any marketing task imaginable and is completely customizable to the individual user. The choices can be overwhelming, so it’s
Use Quality Wheel Bearings and Seals to Please Customers
Sealed hub assemblies and sealed wheel bearings have become the OE standard for wheel ends in most vehicles. To meet customer expectations for extended warranties, OEMs have replaced the traditional two-piece caged bearing and seal sets with factory-sealed units to maximize bearing life. These units last longer, but inherently cost more to manufacture. Because the
June 2010 Sales Intelligence
Covering Albuquerque, N.M., Anchorage, Alaska, Atlanta, Ga., Cheyenne, Wyo., Pittsburgh, Pa., and Sacramento, Calif., retail tire markets during the period of May 27-28, 2010.Tire Review and InteliChek present up-to-date tire and service price information from U.S. metropolitan areas. For this monthly feature, InteliChek directly contacts a selection of independent tire dealers, mass merchants and car
New VP Sees Numerous Opportunities for Conti to Score
Just over a year ago, Bill Caldwell was named vice president of sales and marketing for Continental Tire the Americas passenger and light truck tire unit. He was moving over from the tiremaker’s OE side of the business to replace Andreas Gerstenberger, who during his six-year tenure helped bring Conti’s U.S. consumer tire unit back
Michelin Employs New Technology For Luxury Performance Tire
19 feet shorter in wet conditions than a leading competitor, Michelin said. The tire also features 3-D variable thickness sipes, which interlock to preserve rigidity in the block for precision handling, and the tiremaker’s MaxTouch construction, which is a unique contact patch shape that evenly distributes the forces of acceleration, braking and cornering for long-lasting,
Detailed Market Research Can Help Dealers Plan Growth
Ever wondered what customers really think of your business or tire brands? Or what drives their tire buying decision? Or where your true growth and profitability opportunities lie? Now you can find that out – and so much more – with MetroScan, a highly detailed study of both national and local markets produced by well-known
Does Sharp Fall in Buying Intent Signal the End of the Car Culture?
On the face of it, seven years doesn’t seem like much. Ask any parent. Seven years is the difference between bringing a newborn home and watching him or her get on a school bus. That time goes by in the blink of an eye.Seven years, though, is a marketer’s dream. The highly prized 18-24-year-old demographic
Digital Revolution Makes Information Available Anytime, Anywhere
About two years ago, I made the big leap into the 21st century new media by buying an iPod. At the time, I was driving about 1,000 miles per week – and I thought the novelty of listening to my album collection without having to lug a couple hundred CDs with me in the car
Getting the Most Data From Your Scan Tool
e in point, I recently took in a 1996 Dodge 3.3L Caravan that seems to prove that many techs don’t effectively use the features built into the average aftermarket scan tool. According to the service history, one shop had tackled the van’s cranking, no-spark, no-code failure by replacing the PCM and the crankshaft (CKP) and
Lawn and Garden Segment Returning to Slow, Steady Growth
As was the trend with the majority of tire segments, the lawn and garden niche suffered during the economic slump of 2009. But tiremakers are optimistic, and a surge in sales of both residential and commercial landscaping equipment this spring has jump-started the segment’s recent growth. “The lawn and garden market has some correlation to