Always Install Two New Tires on the Rear Axle
When it’s time to replace only two tires on passenger vehicles, logic should take a back seat to physics – or in this case, a rear axle. Typically, vehicles are shod with four similarly designed and constructed tires of the same size on the front and back. The tread depth of each starts out equal,
When it Comes to Employee Skill, You Get What You Pay For
If you’ve never seen the mockumentary “This is Spinal Tap,” put it in your Netflix queue. The plot: Spinal Tap, the world’s loudest band, is followed by documentarian Marty DiBergi (played by Rob Reiner) on a disastrous tour. My favorite scene shows guitarist Nigel Tufnel, played by Christopher Guest, showing DiBergi some of his equipment.
Retreading Market Grows as Fleets Look to Reduce Costs
After a slight dip in sales in 2009, the retread market has already recovered and resumed its pattern of steady growth. And even during that blip, the segment picked up new customers as fleets looked for ways to cut costs in the face of hard times.
Tire Dealer Financials: Tracking Your Key to Success
Virtually all tire dealers have a business plan that they revise periodically – and if they don’t, they should. Part of that business plan should be a comprehensive financial plan, one that is easy to review and will tell you what you need to know to be profitable. Whether you’re an industry veteran or are
November 2010 Sales Intelligence
Covering Boston, Mass.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Des Moines, Iowa; Indianapols, Ind; Miami, Fla.; and Seattle, Wash. retail tire markets during the period of Oct. 28-29.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
ACCC Looks to the Future for ‘Eco’ Program Concept
Over its 21-year history, American Car Care Centers has recognized a great deal of success with its business model. In fact, the Memphis, Tenn.-based marketing group’s 1,000-plus member dealers are some of the best in the business, according to ACCC president Len Lewin. But ACCC’s growth has been limited because of its policy of protecting
Michelin Urges Alliance Dealers to ‘Bib Up’
In September, Michelin invited more than 100 of its independent dealers to its headquarters in Greenville, S.C., to learn more about a number of upgrades to the Michelin Alliance Associate Dealer (AAD) 2011 program. The meeting was the first of 41 such regional events that will be held throughout the continental U.S. “This program is
Choose Auto Service Jacks to Lift, not Support
Car jacks – the floor or garage type – are indispensable tools for any auto service shop, and the same care should be taken in shopping for them as for any other lift. There is always a risk of serious injury from using the wrong jack for the task, or using the correct one improperly.
Sophistication of Alignment Racks is Growing
Proper wheel alignment is a safety matter as well as a potential revenue stream for the independent tire dealer. The past few years have seen major advances in automating the alignment process, with improved sensors, enhanced software functions and “3-D” capability – where the system creates a color, three-dimensional model of the vehicle, then measures
Reflecting on Four Years’ Worth of ‘Top Shops’
Perhaps you’re surprised to see my face on this page instead of Editor Jim Smith’s. Well, you should be. It doesn’t happen often, but now and then I like to resurface in the pages of the magazine and offer a few pearls of wisdom. Also, I like to see if I still have it in
Wheel Bearing Q&A
Wheel bearings play an important role in the ride satisfaction of your customers’ vehicles. To prevent comebacks by performing the service right the first time, check out the following wheel bearing Q&A: How much load can a wheel bearing carry? On a typical passenger vehicle weighing around 3,400 pounds, each pair of front-wheel bearings, as
Keeping Race-Tuned Vehicles on the Road Requires Dedicated Tires
An eerily maniacal grin emanated from my buddy Steve Lobel’s face, giving me only a hint of what was to come. I arrived in the small burg of Canton, Ga., earlier that morning to see his car – recently retrieved from the tuner shop Forged Performance just down the road in Marietta, outside of Atlanta.