Service Station and Garage Management January 2009

Service Station & Garage Management JANUARY 2009

SSGM www.autoserviceworld.com

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240

A Closer Look at Electrical Systems Selling Ride Control

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January 2009

Vol. 39 No. 1

what’s inside

Editor

Tom Venetis (416) 510-6790 tom@ssgm.com Assistant Editor

David Halpert (416) 510-6784 dhalpert@ssgm.com Technical Editor

Jim Anderton jim@ssgm.com Art Director

Ron Taylor

Associate Publisher

Marc Gadbois (416) 510-6776 marc@ssgm.com Publisher

Robert Telford (416) 510-6797 bob@ssgm.com Circulation Manager

Selina Rahaman (416) 442-5600 ext 3528 srahaman@bizinfogroup.ca Subscription Inquiries

Gail Page (416) 442-5600 ext 3549 Production Manager

See Page 10

Steven K. Hofmann (416) 510-6757

See Page 22

Print Production Manager

Phyllis Wright

Cover Story: Filter Profits

Vice President Canadian Publishing

Alex Papanou

Educating customers on filter changes can mean long-term profits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Power to the Electricals How to deal with the complexities of batteries, starters and charging systems . . . . . . . . . 16

Ride Control Many shops still reluctant to sell ride control to customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

CAT Finding the right wire for electrical system repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Meunier on Management Learning from one’s mistakes, failures the key to future success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Departments Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 CARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Jim’s Rant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Garage of the Year Nomination Form . . . . . . . . . .33 Baywatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Advertiser’s Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Crossword/Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Internet Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Last Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 In association with

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Canada Magazine Fund, toward our editorial costs .

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program towards our mailing costs .

PAP Registration No . 11028

CANADIAN

AUTOMOTIVE Member of

Technician Inc.

President Business Information Group

Bruce Creighton

Service Station and Garage Management is published 12 times per year. A Division of BIG Magazines LP. For reprints call: Michelle Hegland 651-582-3800 or 1-800-217-7874 email: msh@rsicopyright.com Subscription rates: Canada $51.95 + GST + applicable taxes per year; $82.95 + GST + applicable taxes for 2 years; single copy price $7.00 + $0.42 GST + applicable taxes.

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From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Phone: 1-800-668-2374, Fax: 416-510-5148 E-mail: jhunter@businessinformationgroup.ca Mail to: Privacy Officer, Business Information Group 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON Canada M3C 4J2 ISSN #0381 548X “Postmaster: Please forward forms 29B and 67B to 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800 Toronto, ON M3C 4J2 Return Postage Guaranteed” Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40069240 Return Postage Guaranteed.

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Association of Business Publishers 205 East 42nd Street New York, NY 10017

4 SSGM January 2009

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1/12/09 10:25:05 AM

|| TOM’S EDITORIAL

Should we help the Big Three?

Yes R

By Tom Venetis, Editor

When you are making a budget after you have lost your job, you will look at that vanished income and rapidly disappearing savings and decide paying the phone, gas, electrical bills and mortgage takes priority over work on the car’s suspension.

ight now, any talk about helping the major North American auto makers is met with near universal condemnation. Let them fail, is the sentiment. People will give any number of reasons: the Detroit Three have become bloated and mismanaged; they don’t build cars that people want; or the unions are to blame for the mess the car companies find themselves, so chuck them all into the waste bin. Others will say the U.S. has earmarked nearly a trillion dollars to help the liquidity of U.S financial institutions and the result has been tightening credit and an economy that continues to worsen, both domestically and worldwide. There is no guarantee that any money given to the auto makers will help and could, in fact, make things worse, the argument goes.

But let’s get off this hobby horse and think about this more carefully. The Centre for Spatial Economics has just published a report for the Ontario Manufacturing Council looking at the economic impact of the Detroit auto manufacturers in Canada and what would happen if they failed outright or severely scaled back. The study finds a full or partial collapse of the auto makers devastating: “Either scenario is sufficient to push Ontario into a deep recession while the nation may barely escape one in the 50 per cent reduction scenario. The initial job losses of between 157,000 and 323,000 (depending on the scenario) quickly rise to between 296,000 and 582,000.”

So what does this mean for our industry? The conventional thinking is people will forego buying new cars and hold onto their old vehicles longer, which translates into more work for independents as these vehicles need to be maintained and repaired. I’ve even said the same thing.

I’ve thought about this a bit more recently, particularly in the wake of this recent study.

If you are one of those persons who just lost their job in the auto manufacturing or parts industry, and the economy is in a deep recession, you might not only shelve the idea of buying a new car; you will forego any maintenance work on that older vehicle as well.

When you are making a budget after you have lost your job, you will look at that vanished income and rapidly disappearing savings and decide paying the phone, gas, electrical bills and mortgage takes priority over work on the car’s suspension. J.D. Power and Associates found Canadians, on average, spent some $850 a year on service and repairs in 2008, adding up to an $11 billion market. Imagine for a moment if that figure drops by one per cent or more as a result of those laid-off workers cutting back on repair and maintenance; now think what that means for the industry as a whole and then for independents individually.

The picture is not very edifying and could last for some years, depending on how long this recession lasts and people’s confidence in things remains in the doldrums because of the economic downturn.

This is the classic ripple effect. What happens in one sector of the economy affects other parts. So if thousands of workers for the Detroit Three find themselves out of work, their loss of income and confidence translate into loss of revenue for others, from the local Tim Horton’s to independents. So while many would like to see the big auto makers take their lumps and kicked to the curb, the consequences may harm more than it helps; and the independents will feel the result. So we may all have to swallow a bit of ‘free market’ rhetoric here and agree to help them if we want this industry to continue, unless we want to take some costly lumps and kick some independents to the curb as a consequence.

Do you agree? Disagree?

Let us know! letterstotheeditor@ssgm.com 6 SSGM January 2009

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|| NEWS BRIEFS Uni-Select makes cancer society donation

Uni-Select continued its proud tradition of donating to a good cause by hosting a cheque presentation to the Canadian Cancer Society. The Fred S. Armour Memorial annual hockey tournament held in October raised close to $5,000. More than $17,000 has been raised over the past five years, helping the Canadian Cancer Society and its important programs of cancer research, information, prevention and support, and advocacy for healthy public policies.

Picture from the left: Kelly Thompson (UniSelect), organizer, Chantal Saucier, Canadian Cancer Society, Andy Benner (Benner Sales Inc.), organizer.

AIA Canada holds annual general meeting in Toronto

On December 3, 2008, the Automotive Industries Association of Canada held its annual general meeting at the Old Mill Inn in Etobicoke. The event was attended by more than fifty representatives including automotive aftermarket and service members, board members, related affiliates and sponsors, as well as members of the trade associated press.

Brad Morris, AIA’s second vicechair, referred to the association as “healthy and strong” in a speech addressing the crowd, summarizing the achievements of the past year. Among them, a 160-page in-depth governance review, on the guidance of 30 hours worth of one-on-one interviews of almost a dozen past board directors.

“Governance is the outcome of looking at your strategy,” addressed Marc Brazeau, in a recap of recent activities. The review is an initiative meant to identify the association’s stra-

Total Lubricants signs distribution agreement

Total Lubricants Canada signed a major lubricants distribution agreement today with Canusa Automotive Warehousing through Uni-Select Inc. Canusa will distribute Total lubricants and coolants for Ontario in the Automotive market. Total has also signed an additional sponsorship agreement with Canusa that will involve the Canusa Motorsports team competing at various tracks in Ontario and the northern States under the Total colours. The five-year deal ties Total in with two significant players in the Ontario Automotive market, namely Canusa and Uni-Select.

Left to right: Stephen Drake, vicepresident, Canusa; Brendan O’Brien, Ontario General manager, UniSelect; Julian Cininni, Executive vice-president, Total Lubricants Canada; Jamie Ramsay, race driver; Bobby Jones, Canusa founder and Chairman; Olivier Goutal, President, Total Lubricants Canada; Ivor Jones, president, Canusa.

tegic value to its members as well as ways to improve awareness and operations of the association itself. The meeting concluded with John Watt being sworn in as the new chair of the board, replacing Larry Raymond as the incumbent head of AIA Canada.

The changes, which are set to be implemented this fall, call for several adjustments. Among them smaller, more-focused boards, an amendment to either remove or intensify the executive branch, a lean towards ad-hoc boards, increased accountability, the use of outside board advisors as well as increased funding from Natural Resources Canada.

According to its audited financial report, AIA’s total revenue increased 6.6 per cent from $1,880,763 in 2007 to $2,004,526 with a total of $159,878 set aside in 2007 for the Right to Repair Campaign. Over 7,000 service outlets in Canada are associated with AIA Canada. The financial reports were administered and overseen by Welch & Company LLP.

Oshawa Mayor frustrated over help for auto sector

As General Motors plans to temporarily cut at least 2,000 jobs across North America, the Canadian Auto Workers union says the newest layoffs will affect approximately 700 here in Canada

starting February 9th. In a statement released by the Canadian Press, Oshawa Mayor John Gray said it’s discouraging to hear so much negative news about the fledging auto sector.

“We’ve gone through these types of things before but never, ever to this extent,” said Gray. “But to be consistently receiving bad news — first it was a shift at the truck plant, then it became the whole truck plant — now it is car production.”

News of the layoffs came on the eve of a deadline for Canadian automakers to provide a restructuring plan to federal and Ontario politicians who have been asked to bail out the troubled industry. At 400,000 jobs connected in some way to the auto industry, Gray says this comes as a “big frustration” for auto-dependent cities and what he calls “wishy-washiness” from the federal government.

“I think they just got to make a decision — do they want to shed 400,000 jobs in the province of Ontario?”

GM’s U.S. sales fell 41 per cent in November when compared with the same month last year, and they are down 22 per cent for the first eleven months of the year. Overall, U.S. sales were off 37 per cent in November, the worst level in twenty-six years, and were down more than 16 per cent so far this year.

8 SSGM January 2009

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Enrolling in one of Dave Meunier’s shop improvement courses will provide you with the confidence to analyze your business monthly to look for ways to improve profits and lower your stress.

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1/9/09 11:13:38 AM

|| FILTERS

The Changing of the Filters Educating drivers about filters can save them money, improve a shop’s bottom line

By Nestor Gula

M

ost car owners think nothing of paying the premium for insurance coverage. There might be a bit of grumbling, but most see auto insurance as a necessary component of auto ownership. When it comes to preventative maintenance, things usually change. They put off and delay regular service checks, skip them altogether or get the bare minimum done to satisfy warranty requirements.

Filters, both oil and air, are the cheapest things a car owner can purchase to ensure that their vehicle runs properly and economically.

Oil filters – keep on changing

Traditionally the oil filter was changed twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall, whether it needed to or not. Times have changed, as different cars have different requirements for oil servicing. There are even some cars with extended range between servicing, up to 15,000 kilometers in some cases.

Ramon Nuñez, director of filtration for Bosch, and joint-venture owner of Purolator Filters, welcomes the debate on extended range oils and filters. “The good news is the dialogue about extended oil and oil filter change intervals is contributing to a growing awareness among motorists and automotive service, and parts professionals about individual styles of driving and what impact they have on a vehicle’s 10 SSGM January 2009

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You are not alone!

Join those of us determined to survive and prosper by working together to make a difference.

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Canadian Independent Automotive Association Visit www.ekw.ca & click on the CIAA logo to hear how Bob Greenwood feels about the CIAA p 11 CIAA ad.indd 11

1/9/09 11:12:07 AM

|| Filters engine.

“For instance, no matter what oil or filter is used, ‘severe’ driving conditions (frequent short trips, stop-and-go driving or towing) call for more frequent oil and filter change. Plus, more and more high-end cars now have a service engine light that is triggered by an engine computer designed to moni-

tor the conditions under which the vehicle is driven, and alert the driver accordingly.”

Nuñez continues that with some motor oils are marketed as ‘extended life’ lubricants, with suggested oil change intervals of as much as 25,000 miles or more, “we have engineered filters with greater integrity and there-

fore, longer life.”

“But, though the chemistry of these oils may well perform the job for that long a period of time, grit and particulates continue to accumulate in damaging quantities until they’re purged during an oil change,” he continues.

“Of course, if the motorist chooses to extend his oil and filter change it’s

12 SSGM January 2009

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Filters || more important to specify a high quality filter which will clean out the dirt and grime efficiently.”

Gary Bilski, chief engineer, filtration for Honeywell Consumer Products Group, the makers of FRAM Filters, says “it is important to read and understand the OE recommendations for oil and filter changes. They typically state both normal and severe duty service cycles.

“What many drivers feel are normal driving conditions are actually severe such as short trips around town especially in cold weather. High temperatures and idling a lot also add additional stress to the oil and filter,” he continues. “The choice of filter will depend on these driving conditions and the change interval selected.

FRAM’s Extended Guard filter has 70 per cent greater capacity therefore when oil selection and driving conditions allow extended oil changes this is a very good match. The FRAM Tough Guard filter with the highest efficiency of FRAM filters, a silicone anti-drain gasket, and screen over the by-pass would be a good selection for more severe driving.”

A growing trend in the oil filter field is the move away from spin-on type filters to canister filters.

Matthias Stegmueller the project manager of filters, NAFTA Aftermarket for Mahle Clevite Inc. remarks it is ironic as the spin-on filters were introduced in the forties as a convenience and now they are being slowly phased out.

“There are a lot of benefits with the canister type filter as the housing where the filter sits is part of the car and contains sensors for pressure, temperature

and other parameters which the car’s computer monitors to maintain optimum performance of the car,” he says. “By removing the housing and the canister filter you get a better oil change because all of the old oil is drained from the vehicle.”

The air the car breathes

A clean air filter is essential to the health of a car engine. Honeywell’s Bilski likens it to restricting the breathing of a marathon runner by placing a cloth over his mouth during a race.

The runner’s body will expend more energy trying to get oxygen into its lungs and therefore less on the running. There is no argument that a clean air filter is essential to a smoothly operating vehicle.

The days when a few standard air filters would fit all vehicles are long gone. Unless a service center has a contract to service a fleet of similar vehicles it is rare to have a lot filters in stock.

Renard Howard, business development manager for K&N Engineering Inc. says his company’s lifetime aftermarket air filters are washable and reusable, and offer the service station a valuable revenue stream.

“There is a great opportunity for cleaning and re-oiling, or recharging, these filters,” he said. “There is a special formulated cleaning compound and specially formulated oil that needs to be applied, but this can be easily accomplished during the time it takes to perform a routine service call at a service station.”

He says K&N’s air filters offer benefits to the driver as they allow better airflow than paper or foam filters and that there is the environmental element that these filters are not discarded and can be washed up to 100 times.

Because the filters need to be changed about every 50,000 miles (80,000 kilometers) one filter will last the lifetime of a vehicle. “All a service station needs is a regular water hose and the two compounds to recharge the filter. No special equipment needs to be purchased,” says Howard. “You wash the filter with the hose and you let it dry.

This can be assisted with a commercial fan but not with a compressed air hose.

Once the filter is completely dry, this can vary depending on the conditions, you apply the oil. The filter needs to be dry for the oil to adhere. ”

The air the passengers breathe

While cabin air filters are still not common in older passenger vehicles, many of today’s new ones have them and not changing them can have an adverse effect on the car’s owner and their passengers.

“Many motorists are unaware that their vehicles are equipped with cabin air filters that prevent pollutants such as dirt, dust and soot from entering the car through the heating and air conditioning vents,” says Bosch’s Nuñez.

“Over time, these cabin air filters can get clogged and actually multiply the dangers from air pollutants when the heating and air conditioning system blows them into the vehicle with no avenue for escape. Often, these contaminants can aggravate seasonal allergies, asthma and other respiratory conditions, especially in the cold Canadian climate when we are driving with the windows rolled up and we are breathing in re-circulated air.”

Service writers and technicians should know, even if the customer does not, if the vehicle has a cabin air filter is should be checked and replaced every 12,000 to 18,000 miles (19,000 to 28,000 kilometers) to keep the environmental contaminants in the passenger compartment at a minimum.

SSGM

RefeRence List Honeywell Consumer Products Group www.honeywell.com K&N Filters www.knfilters.com Mahle Clevite Inc. http://mahleclevite.com/ Robert Bosch www.bosch.com

Add your knowledge, expertise and experience. letterstotheeditor@ssgm.com January 2009 SSGM 13

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AUTO-CAMPING DRIVING YOUR SUCCESS If your shop maintains and repairs the best of European cars, then your customers expect the best in the parts you use. Auto-Camping Ltd. is your first and preferred choice for sourcing parts for such vehicles as Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Volkswagen and SAAB, and such popular vehicles as the new Mini and the Smart car. Since 1960, Auto-Camping Ltd. has been a leader in bringing to Canadian shops the highest-quality original equipment and replacement parts for these vehicles.

We stock the very best fuel, air and oil filters from OE manufacturers Mahle, Mann + Hummel, Hengst and Robert Bosch.

To cover all your manufacturer spec, warranty approved lubricant needs, we stock Total and Pentosin.

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With this kind of quality and service, you can assure your customers that you are getting them the best for their vehicles.

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|| ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS

Power to the Electrical Systems How to deal with the complexities of batteries, starters and charging systems

By David Halpert, Assistant Editor

W

hile advances in technology have led to more robust vehicle electrical systems, it has also made them more complex.

On-board computers, GPS devices, sophisticated audio systems, satellite radios and DVD players not only require more power to operate, but sometimes require more than a vehicle can seemingly spare. While batteries, starters and alternators are responsible for supplying power to all of the various electronic and luxury and entertainment gadgets inside, it is short-sighted to think these three systems are in isolation from all that they power. Rather, they and their components are part of a greater whole that represents everything electrical within the car.

Then & Now

Data communication has revolutionized how electrical systems work in today’s modern automobiles.

“When electrical systems were first developed everything was connected through wires,” says Mohammad Samii, owner of Sammy’s Auto Electric Service Inc. in Champaign, Ill., who specializes in the diagnosis and repair of charger and starting systems. “Data bus communication, the multiplex system through which data travels in vehicles, has allowed for circuits to reduce or replace wires.”

Modules are what control specific components in a vehicle, say the power locks, for example. They also function and communicate with other modules throughout the vehicle. While modules used to be connected to every other module through wires before, today they are connected to a central network, which not only takes up less space, but is also easier to manufacture, easier to maintain and provides greater flexibility to add and remove options

without affecting the entire vehicle’s wiring architecture.

Now why are these modules significant to batteries, starters, or alternators? Simply, everything from changing gears to turning on a cooling fan is carried out by these modules; and a car’s starter, alternator, and battery are no exception – they are also connected with modules to the central network and thereby communicate with all the other modules in the car. What this means for the technician is that a fault in set of modules in a vehicle may be caused by a problem in the car’s starter, alternator or battery.

For example, if the car’s battery is low the car’s air conditioning system may stop working. On the surface, a technician might think the problem is with the air conditioning system, when in fact it’s a builtin failsafe mechanism where the module is telling the A/C system that it simply cannot spare the power from the battery.

So as a technician, you will have to do some outof-the box thinking to trace a problem. Just because a problem seems to be with the automatic door opener, to give one example, it may in fact be a problem with the car’s battery or somewhere else in the electrical system.

Experts like Mohammad Samii say the first step is

16 SSGM January 2009

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ElEctrical SyStEmS || to get out one’s trusted scan tool and begin to narrow down where the problem might be and then to find out where in the electrical system or module the problem is originating. This is important as a module may be causing an electrical drain on the battery or that battery is causing a problem with the module’s operation.

Samii, who also is an expert training coordinator for the Automotive Parts Remanufacturer Association (APRA), says technicians can be trained in procedures that can help them pinpoint accurately where in the complex electrical system the problem is happening.

“There is no substitute for the right training,” he adds. “If you don’t know how to approach these systems there is no way you can repair them.”

Let’s take a closer look at the batteries for a moment. As mentioned before, what seems to be a problem with the A/C system is instead a problem with the battery. There are several tests that can be run to see if the battery is able to provide the right voltage so that everything runs as it is supposed to. The first thing often recommended is a state-of-charge test, with the electrolyte temperature at 25.7°C and an assumed specific gravity of 1.265 cell average and 12.65 VDC open circuit voltage reading for a fully-charged, wet lead-acid battery. If you wind up with a car that has non-sealed batteries, you need to check the specific gravity of each cell with a hydrometer and average cells readings. For sealed batteries, you measure the open circuit voltage across the battery terminals with a digital voltmeter. If the state-of-charge is below 75 per cent, that battery needs to be replaced as it will just not produce enough power to keep the car’s electrical system operating properly.

Another test that can be run is a load test. As well, when running any battery test, technicians are recommended to pay particular attention to the Cold Cranking Amp (CCA) values. Why? Many batteries are rated at Cranking Amp (CA) and not CAA, which means

that a CAA battery is measured by the amount of amps at 18°C for 30 seconds and a CA-ranked battery is measured at 0°C for 30 seconds.

But what happens if the battery tests fine, but the technician is still getting electrical problems? Then it might be time to check the alternator. Again, it is recommend to do several visual checks first, such as making sure that there are no broken wires or a faulty belt. If that is alright, then one can check the alternator charging output using a voltmeter and seeing whether at idle the charging system produces 13.8 to 15.3 volts with the lights and other electronic accessories shut off.

Another thing to be checked is the amperage, with new alternators today producing some 120-155 amps. Other things to check for are diode failure or to perform a circuit voltage drop test, which is a way to find hidden problems in the electrical system.

battery on the other hand can result in more power being drawn from adjoining systems, placing more strain on the alternator and starters.

Don’t overlook fuse links as well, Samii adds. Fusible links will puff up if there’s a short circuit inside. Loose or worn belts slip occasionally, preventing the alternator from either putting out enough current to keep the battery charged or putting out enough power for the entire electrical system. This can be corrected by a simple tightening of the belt just enough so that the pulley cannot be turned by hand. Similarly, too much belt tension may cause excessive strain on the drive bearing.

It is possible a defect lies in another component, such as the solenoid, cables, or battery. If a remanufactured starter is installed without a wellcharged battery, good connections or proper cable size, it won’t perform correctly.

Why low-tech is sometimes better

The importance of customer relations

More often than not a technician will discover that a problem with a battery, starter or alternator requires a very lowtech solution and results in replacing a damaged or broken part that affects the flow of electricity to the car.

“If the problem isn’t a result of typical wear from high mileage, the problem is often a result of neglect,” says Samii. If coolant or oil gets into the alternator, it can do further damage to a vehicle’s electrical system. A weak

While good communication skills and a friendly demeanour are expected when dealing with customers, what’s also important (if not more so) is getting the most accurate information possible without coming off as harsh or abrupt. As stated earlier, getting the most accurate information for sounding an electrical problem is the first step towards solving it.

Gale Kimbrough, technical service manager of Interstate Batteries System

Prevention is Key

Batteries fail for a litany of reasons but usually they are the result of, or combination of, fluid level, charge and discharge, freshness and corrosion.

“Heat still remains the biggest killer in terms of premature battery loss,” says David Saxton, head of product program development for ACDelco Canada in Toronto, “It promotes corrosion, grid growth and can also lead to internal short outs.”

If a problem is discovered during a preventive maintenance inspection, Saxton recommends performing a conductance test followed by a load test before deciding to send a battery back to the manufacturer for testing.

“Testing batteries on a consistent basis is the key to early detection,” says Gale Kimbrough, technical service manager for Interstate Batteries System of America. He suggests keeping track when customers’ batteries are being replaced or recharged. Reminding them every three years that their battery needs maintenance can lead to improved customer satisfaction as well as repeat business.

January 2009 SSGM 17

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|| ElEctrical SyStEmS of America in Dallas, Texas advises service writers to not take everything the customer says at face value. “Don’t always go by what the customer is telling you, but also go by what they’re not telling you.”

Oftentimes, a customer is either too embarrassed to come forward with

the truth, such as when a customer accidentally drains a battery overnight, for fear that their bill will be higher as a result.

This is why it’s important to verify related symptoms when attempting to determine any problem with a vehicle’s electrical system.

The best advice to give when dealing with customers is to be fair with them and realize that their priorities,

when it comes to automobile maintenance, may be different than yours.

Take the time to listen and use that as an opportunity to educate them on what is happening with their vehicle and why the fix proposed is needed.

You will find that a bit of patience and proper communications will result in getting them the right fix and your shop the revenue from a repair or replacement of a battery, starter or charger.

SSGM

RefeRence List ACDelco Canada www.acdelco.com Interstate Batteries www.interstatebatteries.com

Clearwater/AB/SSGM

12/1/08

11:30 AM

Page 1

Add your knowledge, expertise and experience. letterstotheeditor@ssgm.com

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JIM’S RANT ||

Saving the Big Three A

By Jim Anderton, Technical Editor

The public simply don’t understand that a turnaround isn’t just a good idea; it’s very possible with some fresh ideas.

s I write this, something is happening that I would have thought as likely as hell freezing over: GM, Ford and Chrysler are verging on bankruptcy. The media have beaten this issue to death and have largely gotten it wrong. You, as a member of the aftermarket, are more important to the survival of the Detroit Three than you realize.

Massive government load guarantees have effectively politicized any turnaround plan and governments are under tremendous pressure to either make the industry work, or cut their losses and let the Big Three go under. And contrary to popular belief, what constituents think has a major impact on economic decisions, especially in a minority government. What those constituents think is often shaped by what the garage owner, service writer and tech tells them. Like it or not, you’re an industry expert in the public’s eye, so choose your words carefully when addressing the issue. Don’t be afraid to express your opinion to your MP, either.

I have a plan which I think could work. See if you agree.

To save the Detroit Three I would create a jointly-owned fourth company that manufactures the cars and light trucks under contract. All manufacturing assets would be transferred to the new company which would be free to bid on assembly of “foreign” makes as well. By consolidating production by vehicle type instead of brand huge economies of scale can be realized. A flex line that makes Chevy/GMC, Ford and Dodge ladder-frame pickups, for example, is relatively easy to build. The same goes for small unibody front-wheel-drive cars, or crossovers. Want to add real savings? Standardize the parts that don’t affect the brand identity of the vehicles. Everything from wheel bearings to window lift motors could be standardized without anyone but the technician noticing. The result would be bigger volumes for fewer part numbers and big savings all around. Keep the current dealer network, but make GM, Ford and Chrysler sales and marketing companies that contract assembly to any one of dozens of assembly plants using common components.

And what about the unions? I have no idea why the CAW/UAW is even an issue, since there’s no evidence that hourly wages are a factor (there’s no price advantage for Japanese over North American vehicles at the retail level, for example) but politically, they will get hammered anyway. If that is inevitable, add a preferred employee stock purchase plan to the new assembly company to trade equity for lost wages and give workers something to build a retirement around.

This would cost nothing from a cash flow perspective but would let all workers share in the success of the new enterprise.

Do you have a better idea? Tell somebody. Hell, tell everybody who will listen, because the public simply don’t understand that a turnaround isn’t just a good idea, it’s very possible with some fresh ideas.

Do you agree? Disagree?

Let us know! letterstotheeditor@ssgm.com January 2009 SSGM 19

p 19 Jims Rant.indd 19

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1/9/09 10:06:44 AM

|| RIDE CONTROL

Don’t be afraid to sell ride control There are tools, information that you can use to educate customers on ride control

By Tom Venetis, Editor maintenance

A

sk anyone in the industry today and they will tell you ride control products and service are one of the most undersold jobs in the independent market. Service writers and technicians have no problem recommending and then selling a brake replacement, replacing worn tires or exhaust systems. But when it comes to ride control, service writers and technicians become reluctant to make those same recommendations and sales.

Doug Rockefeller, director of sales for Canada for Monroe shocks and struts and Walker Exhaust (Tenneco) in Monroe, Mich. says the reluctance stems from the fear of the customer walking away and the resulting loss of revenue for the shop.

“An installer may have already done a $1,200 repair on a vehicle and they may be a little gun-shy to tell a customer that they need their shocks and struts repaired,” he says. “But you have to remember, and it’s recommended by the Motorists Assurance Program (MAP), that by 80,000 km an OEM shock has seen better days and should be replaced.”

Rockefeller gives this example to illustrate his point. Within that 80,000 km lifespan, a typical OEM shock will have moved on average up and down some 88 million times. Now instead of a shock, think of it as an engine piston.

If that same piston moves some 88 million times, there would not be any second-guessing that one should replace the engine oil regularly to maintain it properly or to replace that piston if it is showing signs of damage. If it is not

22 SSGM January 2009

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Ride ContRol || replaced or maintained, then the piston will soon cause damage to the engine and affect performance and safety.

Rockefeller says the problem is many technicians and service writers become tongue-tied because they cannot really explain to the customer what the ride control system does and why the various parts need to be regularly inspected and replaced.

“Technically, a shock absorber, for example, helps keep your tire on the road,” he continues. “But what exactly does that mean to the customer? Their tire is always on the road, isn’t it?”

Educating the customer on ride control

So let’s take that simple example of the shock absorber. Telling a customer shock absorbers keep the tires on the road, is technically correct. But they do more than that: they help maintain, within the whole ride control mechanism, the drivability and safety of the vehicle. As a shock absorber wears out, along with the strut and other components, a driver will begin to notice certain things. First, the smooth ride and handling of the vehicle just is not there anymore, it lacks that firmness and comfort that the car had when it was first driven off the lot. More importantly, and critically, is that as the various mechanisms wear, they begin to affect the stopping distance of the vehicle. So it might be a good thing to ask the owner if they have noticed that when they apply the brakes, does the nose of car dip forward? If so, then the technician can explain that this is a symptom of worn shocks and struts, and that nose dipping is also causing more forward momentum and increasing the braking distance, which is a safety issue.

Steve Cartwright, systems curriculum manager, chassis with FederalMogul Corp. in St. Louis, Mo. says car owners should be made aware of, and which will make selling ride control products easier, is the wear

on tires failing ride control systems can have.

Wearing of the ball joints, where the play within them increases over time to over 1/8-inch, can cause excessive wear to one side of the tire. If there is diagonal wear on the rear tires of a front-wheel drive vehicle that would indicate an improperly set rear toe; a diagonal wipe could be signs of worn bushings, grommets or the ball joints; and worn or failing tire rods can cause inner or outer tire-edge wear.

“The problem that technicians will have is that when a customer comes in with such problems (the customer) sometimes think that an alignment will fix the wear,” he says. “A technician can tell whether the wear patters he sees is being caused an alignment issue or if it is, in fact, a result of a ride control issue.”

He says the technician or service writer speaking to the customer then has to take that information and explain that an alignment will not fix these problems with the tires. In fact, leaving the ride control issue uncorrected, and just replacing the tires, will have the car owner coming back

complaining of the same wear issues and fuming that they have to once more buy a new set of tires.

This is why Cartwright goes so far as to suggest taking the customer into the bay and showing them the wear on the parts, or even going so far as to give them a glove or cloth and move the tire-rod to see the amount of movement.

“The technician knows that a loose tie rod can cause problems, but the customer thinks they are fine, or it does not seem to move all that much,” he adds. “The technician needs to be able to tell the customer, to show them directly, that while that 1/8-inch amount of movement seems small, in reality anything over 1/16-inch of movement is too much and it will cause the wear issues they are seeing and also impacts safety as well.”

Tenneco Inc. recently expanded its Monroe Quick-Strut replacement strut assembly product line by introducing 16 new part numbers.

January 2009 SSGM 23

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|| Ride ContRol Cartwright says technicians should also pay particular attention to some of the new changes happening with ride control system designs as they pose significant challenges.

Right now, he finds more vehicle manufacturers are moving to using aluminum parts.

While this has an advantage of reducing vehicle weight and thereby improving fuel efficiency, aluminum is fragile.

“So technicians who have grown used to using hammers, ‘pickle-forks’ or air chisels when working on various parts will have to think again,” he says.

“Using a ‘pickle-fork’ to separate a tie-rod end from an aluminum knuckle will damage the knuckle; and you would never think of using a

torch on aluminum; or running down the knuckle with an impact wrench as it would split the aluminum knuckle.”

Both Cartwright and Rockefeller say ride control parts manufacturers have been moving for some time to creating education sales and technical programs that can help make the education and sale easier, and to keep technicians up-to-date on new technologies. Rockefeller points to Tenneco’s 4 More program that provides technicians not only diagnostic and training on ride control issues, but ways to better communicate with vehicle owners and then secure a sale for ride control repair and parts. Cartwright says Federal-Mogul offers a variety of training programs that also emphasize proper diagnostic and customer communications and sales strategies.

In the end, both agree that training on diagnostics and customer communications are going to be key to getting that ride control sale.

SSGM

RefeRence List Federal-Mogul Corp. www.federalmogul.com/en Tenneco www.tenneco.com

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24 SSGM January 2009

p 22-24 Ride Control.indd 24

1/9/09 10:10:54 AM

Preventative Maintenance – The Key To Savings!

C

ities and towns are among the many doing their part to promote ecofriendly programs and practices to help people drive $marter.

Don’t you think it’s your turn now?

Your service department personnel can make a difference. They simply need to make their customers more aware of the important role regular vehicle maintenance plays in reducing both fuel consumption and harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

You will have a captive audience, as most customers want to prolong the life of their car, save money on gas and do their part to help save our environment.

By also reinforcing key messages about the benefits of fuel-efficient driving and vehicle maintenance, your customers will think about their driving behaviour in a new way — a way that makes the connection between fuel efficiency, climate change and road safety.

The Canadian Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) Council is currently working with industry stakeholders to develop training designed to better prepare service personnel to be able to talk to their customers about this very important and timely topic. The training program will be four hours in duration and offered over the Internet through the CARS OnDemand network, in two modules. The training content is designed to improve the customer relation skills of service personnel and provide them with the information they need to talk to their customers about the issues affecting fuel consumption and vehicle emissions.

This project is a win-win situation for all concerned the industry, its customers and the environment.

Additionally, shop owners who participate in the project will benefit from: • enhanced customer loyalty • having more informed and capable service personnel

• seeing your business positioned as being proactive on important environmental issues • increased business in your service departments Steven Flynn from NAPA AutoPro L.D.L. in Saint-Hubert, Quebec agrees.

“Regular vehicle maintenance not only reduces fuel consumption, but also helps reduce costly breakdowns for your customers;” said Flynn. “In return you build confidence and trust, because they see this as not only trying to save them money, but also as saving the environment. Less fuel equals more money.”

Your shop will be sent a number of promotion materials that will encourage your customers to seek advice from your

Canadian Tire Service Manager in Woodbridge, Ontario. “Saving fuel and energy should be everyone’s concern,” says Mele.

“Regular maintenance not only saves money at the pump, but reduces repair costs for the consumer and improves the air we all breathe.”

Let’s work together!

Thank you for helping us make a difference. That’s why CARS has taken the steps to build a curriculum that will help your customers: • $ave on the life of their car • $ave fuel • $ave our environment Your effort to make the topic personally important to your customers can help

Service personnel who can demonstrate knowledge and an understanding of fuel consumption and vehicle maintenance and the factors that impact it, will be more successful at selling regular maintenance services. service personnel. The material will as well outline the types of regular service required to keep their vehicles in top condition for efficient fuel consumption — which translates to cost savings.

The promotional items will focus on the theme:

us make a difference that will ultimately benefit all Canadians.

The CARS ecoEnergy training program is currently being validated with the industry. CARS plans to have the program available on CARS OnDemand by early spring, 2009.

“Preventative Maintenance – The Key to Savings”

In the meantime, we invite shop owners and managers interested in participating in CARS ecoEnergy training program to contact Brenda Carroll at: bcarroll@cars-council.ca or at 1-888-224-3834.

This EcoEnergy promotion is intended to be fun, colourful and effective in communi-cating the core message.

This is a theme echoed by Tony Mele, a

January 2009 SSGM 25

p 25 CARS on Demand.indd 25

1/9/09 10:11:15 AM

CANADIAN

AUTOMOTIVE Technician

Pondering Power How do you choose wire sizes for automotive electrical system repair?

Jim Anderton, Technical Editor

W

ith most technical innovation in light vehicles coming in body electronics and accessory loads, the quantity and variety of conductors are a major issue for effective troubleshooting and repair. Repair of damaged wiring harnesses is rarely taught beyond cut-andsolder; but there is more to vehicle primary wiring than matching colour to colour.

The underappreciated issue is heat, or more accurately, heat rise. Just as the alloy element in your toaster uses a resistor to convert current to heat, every current-carrying wire in an automotive circuit acts as a resistor, just like the toaster element. Why does this matter? One reason is that most automotive primary wire is bound into looms, with bundles that can be as thick as your wrist. Wires at the centre of the bundle are effectively heat-insulated and will heat up faster than circuits at the surface. This has two implications for repair. One is that wiring in bound looms is factory selected to account for the extra heat rise, meaning a replacement wire that’s tied to the outside of the original loom will have an extra margin of current capacity. If the repair is inside the engine compartment, however, the opposite may be true if the repair splice is exposed to exhaust heat. While high-temperature sleeving is an option under hood, it only delays the inevitable heat, making the nature of the load important. Intermittently used circuits of moderate current may tolerate the heat load, but continuous duty circuits have to be repaired with a larger wire gauge, insulating sleeving, or both. Typical wire selection guides, like the one at right, assume intermittent loads where heat isn’t a factor … if it is, upsize at least one gauge.

Choosing replacement primary wire for 12 volt circuits Circuit Amps 0 to 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 15 18 20 22 24 30 40 50 100 150 200

Circuit Watts 30 36 42 48 60 66 72 90 108 120 132 144 180 240 300 600 900 1200

3’ 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 16 12 10 10

Wire gauge (for length in feet) 5’ 7’ 10’ 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 16 16 18 16 16 18 16 16 18 16 16 16 16 14 16 14 12 14 12 12 12 10 10 10 8 8 8 8 6

15’ 18 18 18 18 16 16 16 14 14 14 12 12 10 10 10 6 4 4

Adapted from http://www.rbeelectronics.com/wtable.htm

26 SSGM January 2009

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CANADIAN

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Tips for wire selection:

• 18-, 14- and 16-gauge wire kept in stock will handle all except main alternator and starter loads.

• Never judge wire gauge by the external appearance. Some offshore replacement wire uses extra-thick insulation to conceal thinner copper conductor.

• Breached insulation, especially showing blue/green corrosion must be cut back to bare copper or entirely replaced as a section to avoid excessive resistance and heat rise.

• Heat shrink tubing is an insulator but not a heat barrier.

Use a woven heat sleeve or relocate to avoid heat. It’s better to add length to the replacement wire to route away from heat than use sleeving.

Be careful around relay-controlled circuits. The coil (control) circuit will use the smaller gauge wire. If the relay pinout isn’t known, break out the coil circuit with a test light by energizing the circuit with the relay removed, if necessary.

Don’t forget grounds. Poor grounding can appear like a wire break or excessive primary circuit resistance.

Add your knowledge, expertise and experience. letterstotheeditor@ssgm.com 28 SSGM January 2009

p 26 28 CAT.indd 28

1/9/09 10:11:52 AM

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|| Meunier on ManageMent

When Opportunity knocks, Choose the right door to open

By David Meunier, president of Total Automotive Consulting

R

ecession and tough economic times can create opportunities or disasters for anyone, let alone independents. It is forecasted that in the next twelve months there will be 30 per cent fewer dealerships in Canada and the US. In talking with many automotive repair facilities, they are ringing their hands in anticipation of growth, profitability and better times ahead. Not so fast, I say. If we believe that all of these vehicle owners who once belonged to a dealership which has closed its doors will come to our facility we might be sadly mistaken.

Invest in your shop and make huge profits

The statement of investing in yourself and your business is not wrong — it’s just too generic and non-specific. Tell a technician who now owns their own shop to invest in themselves and I guarantee he will invest in …… That’s right, you can fill in the blank with tools, equipment and technical training. These are not bad investments.

However, such investments are only a small part of your investment portfolio as a shop owner.

If you are given a tried and true road map to success, but just before you read it or begin to follow it someone takes ¾ of the map away and burns it, how will you follow your path to success? That is like someone who goes to school for seven years, achieves and M.D. and decides, “Ok now I have the knowledge to run and administer a full-fledged hospital and be profitable.” What do you believe their chance of success will be? That person was trained to be a doctor, not a busi-

& Training

ness owner/manager/administrator.

What makes us believe that because I have training as an automotive technician I am now qualified to go out and buy an automotive repair facility and run the business and be profitable?

Profitability does not come from the customer coming into the shop, but rather it must come from a healthy, well-run, team environment with productivity exceeding 90 per cent.

So the questions must be: • Necessary investments should include management training, technical training, human resources, tools and equipment. The next question should be where do I find these resources?

• What is the right order or priority of investment?

• What are my expectations for complete implementation of best business practices, systems and procedures?

• How much will it cost in terms of real money?

• From where do I get these funds?

• How do I get my whole team to get on the bus and have a true understanding of the required changes as well as a desire to make the necessary changes?

• What are my fears and how do I overcome them?

• Can I be a mentor and coach to my team, or will I resort to paternalistic management practices?

• Do I have the complete vision and understanding of how it will all come together, or do I just do it because a professional automotive consultant told me to do it?

This last statement is what I will focus on for the rest of this article.

I have devoted the last 15 years of my professional career in the automotive business management training and consulting industry with varied results. I have some incredible success stories to tell you about from amazing ex-technician shop owners who are now professional automotive business owners. By the way, these success stories come from across Canada in all markets, rural, urban, small town, big city, poor provinces and rich provinces.

The intent of this article is not to brag about my limited success. More importantly, it is to share with you about what we have learned through all these years of trial, error and in some cases failure to convert great, intelligent hard working, technically smart inde-

30 SSGM January 2009

p 30 31 Meunier.indd 30

1/9/09 10:13:07 AM

Meunier on ManageMent ||

pendent shop owners into the business success they truly deserve to be.

My greatest epiphanies and inspirations have all come from my failures, not from my successes.

When you have some success you believe you must be right and therefore why change what is working. Maybe not success every time or as consistent as you would like, but it is working.

This is a trap and limits growth. Most of us have fallen into this trap at some point in our business.

I have written many articles and training manuals about an important business practice which I call “My Fault Management.” Basically, it means stop trying to find fault with something or someone else. If we make it our fault, we can regain control and can change it. If we do not make it our fault we

have created an excuse to justify failure.

With this ideology as my guide I began to examine the shops which had received our training, left the class filled with inspiration and determination to return to their facility with absolute resolve to change their business practices, and yet implement very little and consequently have very limited success. They said, “Give me something new! I’m tired of hearing the same thing over and over again.”

Knowing and relying on the success of my team and of successful shops across Canada, I had no choice but to make their lack of success “my fault” and try to ascertain what I was not doing or doing wrong.

My epiphany came in understanding that telling someone something

and what their comprehension of what I was teaching is quite another matter.

There is not much difference between teaching and preaching if there is no engagement with the intended student on their level of comprehension and understanding. Toyota management has a saying, “The teacher hasn’t taught if the student hasn’t learned.” If that is not a great example of my fault management I do not know what is.

When I went back to these very intelligent, highly frustrated shop owners who were asking for something new and began to engage them on their level of comprehension about our best business practices, I quickly understood that I had failed in helping them completely understand the value and importance of how this training positively affects the customer, technicians, service advisors and the business. Once I truly listened to them and let them talk about what their interpretation was in regards to our training, it was only then I could have meaningful dialogue and provide clarification on our best business practices. I am very proud and excited to inform you that the results of our new T.E.A.M. training program, has begun to succeed. T.E.A.M. is our newest acronym and stands for: Train.

Engage. Acknowledge. Manage.

I am proud of the shop owners who have succeeded as a result of allowing me and my team to serve them. If you have attended our training program and have left because we did not serve you well enough to affect the changes you desired, we would love the opportunity to prove to you that we are capable of listening to you and your concerns.

I will close where I started, with my opening statement: when opportunity knocks, choose the right door to open. Many dealerships will close their doors in the next several months; however, the ones remaining will be doing everything possible to bring these clients to their facility. Having more vehicles to work on has proven over the years to sink many independents. Having a team of professionals to take care of your clients needs will bring more of the right clients to your door and more profits than once ever imagined.

SSGM January 2009 SSGM 31

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SSGM BAYWATCH New Products

Environmentally friendly seat, floor covers Clearwater Impex Group Inc. announced the availability of the Eco Reusable Seat & Floor covers which the company says can save up to 75 per cent on disposal costs over disposable seat & floor covers. Fully reusable with over 100 plus applications, the Eco-Seat & Floor cover is ecologically friendly and effective to ensure complete protective coverage of a customer’s interior.

Produced from soft polypropylene cloth, the Eco Seat & Floor Service covers are 30-inches wide by 80-inches deep, with 5-inch side flaps and have a pillowcase design, sewn hems and 30 mc coating to ensure its durability.

Clearwater Impex Group Inc. www.ecoautosupply.com

UView releases A/C dyes safe for hybrids UView Ultraviolet Systems Inc. announced the release of A/C dyes for hybrid vehicle air conditioning systems.

The dyes are made to be safe to use with hybrids and to meet industry standards.

UView Ultraviolet Systems Inc. www.uview.com

Oil Eater parts washer The Oil Eater 45-gallon water-based parts washer is made to reduce the need and cost of disposal service and its industrialgrade HDPE resin tank provides for trouble-free operation. The washer, which comes ready to use, can be heated to 110 degrees Fahrenheit which enhances solution cleaning effectiveness. A set of 1,000-watt heaters shorten heat-up time.

Other key features include separate heater and pump switches with lighted on/off indicators, a filter system that prolongs fluid life, a flexible spigot and flowthrough brush and a stainless steel work shelf. Protection is provided with a ground-fault interrupter.

Kafko International Ltd. www.oileater.com

DynoMax releases performance exhaust for 2009 Dodge Ram DynoMax Performance Exhaust, an exhaust brand of Tenneco Inc., has released a high-flow exhaust system for the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500, delivering both performance and sound to the new truck. The dual DynoMax exhaust system for 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 4.7L, 5.7L (p/n 19480) features a single inlet/dual outlet Ultra Flo SS muffler, 2.5inch type 409 stainless steel, mandrel-bent pipes and a set of 4-inch DynoMax logo-embossed, buffed and polished T304 stainless tips. The system fits regular, quad and crew cab models (both 120- and 140- in. wheelbases). At the heart of the exhaust system for the 2009 Dodge Ram is the DynoMax Ultra Flo SS muffler. The DynoMax Ultra Flo SS muffler has a T304 polished stainless steel case with a straight-through 409 stainless steel internal design.

The Ultra Flo SS provides a true performance tone at a moderate sound level and minimal resonation through CRF (continuous roving fibreglass) technology. Like every performance exhaust system from DynoMax, the new dual Dodge exhaust comes complete with easy-to-follow instructions and necessary brackets, hangers and clamps.

DynoMax Performance Exhaust www.dynomax.com

32 SSGM January 2009

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2009 SSGM Garage of the Year Presented by:

?

I Nominate: _________________________________________ Garage Name ________________________________________ Owners Name ________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________ Phone (_____) ________________________________________ The reason I believe this nominee deserves this award is: ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ My Name: __________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________ Phone (_____) _______________________________________

Nominate your choice online at www.autoserviceworld.com or complete and mail this form at left to: SSGM Garage of the Year 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, North York, ON M3C 4J2 or fax to: 416-510-5140 p 33 Garage of the Year form.indd 33

Who has the best shop in Canada?

The 2009 SSGM Garage of the Year, presented by Total Lubricants, seeks to recognize the very best independent service provider in the Canadian automotive aftermarket.

Anyone can nominate an automotive service provider. The award recognizes excellence in the areas of good business practice, training, customer satisfaction and community involvement.

Make copies and simply ask your customers, suppliers, members of your community or even competitors to complete this form. Return all your nomination forms by fax or mail to SSGM by September 21st, 2009, or be nominated on-line at AutoServiceWorld.com.

The finalists will be identified in the October issue of SSGM and the winner will be announced in the December issue.

1/9/09 10:13:59 AM

SSGM BAYWATCH New Products

Prevost releases one-push, quick release coupler Prevost announced the release at AAPEX/SEMA in Las Vegas of their “New Generation PS1” coupler in the HVLP (High Flow) profile, a quick release coupling for compressed air.

Prevost safety-couplings complying with ISO 4414 and ISO 6150 standards and use a double-locking device. The user has to operate a safety coupling twice to disconnect: A first time to purge the compressed air, a second time to release the plug.

This 2-step operation is mostly done by any combination of rotating the sleeve from left to right and/or viceversa or to push the sleeve back and pull it forward again, north, south, east or west.

Prevost ALR Aluminum Air Piping Systems www.prevostusa.com

Corsa Performance introduces BMW exhaust systems Corsa Performance Exhausts has expanded its BMW offerings with a new exhaust system specially designed for BMW’s 2007-2008 E92 335i and 335xi Sedan and Coupe.

Developed to complement the 3.0-litre inline 6-cylinder twin turbocharged engine of the 335i, Corsa’s new axleback exhaust system features the company’s Reflective Sound Cancellation (RSC) technology and the dual rear exit exhaust features 2.5-inch premium stainless steel tubing with a single 4-inch Pro Series Tip per side. According to the company, the system, which is 13 lbs. lighter than stock, also makes an additional eight horsepower and 14 lb. ft. of torque when tested on a chassis dyno. In addition to the E92 platform, Corsa offers axle-back and catback exhaust systems for the 2001-2006 E46 3 Series, 1992-1999 E36 (including M3) 3 Series, 2000-2004 E39 M5 and 2006-2008 E60 M5 BMWs. All of Corsa’s BMW exhaust systems feature the company’s proprietary RSC technology as well as premium stainless steel tubing and hand-crafted Pro Series Tips.

Corsa Performance www.corsaperformance.com

Monroe includes air disc brake coverage for trucks Tenneco Inc. has introduced Monroe Dynamics disc brake pads and shoes covering the latest air disc brake systems from Workhorse, Knorr Bremse, Meritor Wabco and other manufacturers. The Monroe Brakes product line covers a broad range of popular trucks, vans and utility fleet vehicles, including trucks equipped with pneumatic disc brake systems. Monroe Dynamics brake pads and shoes are packaged complete with all hardware and related components needed for the job. Each Monroe Dynamics semi-metallic brake pad features an application-specific friction material developed and tested to meet the vehicle’s unique operating requirements.

In addition, these friction materials are secured to their backing plate with an OE constant-pressure manufacturing process called positive molding. This provides a better bond and denser friction material, resulting in less resin versus conventional flash-molded products. This, in turn, reduces pedal fade and helps ensure outstanding stopping performance.

Tenneco Inc. www.monroebrakes.com

Robinair introduces infrared refrigerant leak detector Robinair, an SPX brand, announced the availability of its IR Refrigerant Leak Detector (P/N 22791), a breakthrough hand-held tool designed to make the automotive technician’s job easier, faster, and more efficient when uncovering hard to find refrigerant leaks in A/C systems.

The 22791 meets the new SAE J2791 standard and unlike other leak detection methods such as corona discharge and heated diode leak detectors, the Robinair 22791 sensor doesn’t touch refrigerant as it passes through the instrument. With its compact design, the 22791 tool fits into a technician’s hand and its ruggedized construction stands up to abuse. In addition, it comes with an eight-hour battery and mute and peak functions.

Robinair www.robinair.com

34 SSGM January 2009

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1/12/09 8:31:18 AM

SSGM BAYWATCH New Products

Philips lights up with EcoVision headlamp bulb Philips Automotive Lighting North America, a division of Royal Philips Electronics, has launched its EcoVision line of fuel-saving halogen headlight bulbs. Philips EcoVision’s technology enables drivers to replace standard bulbs with ones that consume up to 20 per cent less power.

EcoVision’s bulb design uses a high-performance filament and a proprietary gas composition that together can help to increase MPG by consuming less power. By switching to EcoVision, drivers can save up to four gallons of fuel over the life of the bulbs. Philips EcoVision bulbs are DOT compliant. Based on Philips’ recommendation to always replace bulbs in pairs, EcoVision headlamp bulbs are offered in a two-bulb package.

Philips Lighting North America www.nam.lighting.philips.com/us/automotive

Hella expands headlamp coverage for late European cars Hella, Inc., the North American aftermarket subsidiary of automotive lighting and electronics supplier Hella, has expanded its OE Lighting Spare Parts Program with the addition of over 50 replacement headlamp parts. The new parts cover late-model Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Volkswagen models.

Hella Inc. www.hellausa.com

Bosal expands domestic catalytic converter line

Bosal USA Inc. has expanded its line of domestic OE direct-fit and universal catalytic converters and now has over 500 SKUs. Bosal’s OE direct-fit line covers over 300 domestic makes and models from 1975 to 2007. The universal line includes four series – 6000, 7000, 8000, and 9000 and features 108 SKUs. The 9000 series is heavy metal loaded. Bosal catalytic converters feature heavier gauge stainless steel construction with seam welded design, a ribbed body for structural stability and durability, smooth flowing inlet/outlet joints, and a monolithic honeycomb catalyst for maximum flow. To minimize installation time and additional labor, Bosal installs a factory capped, 90º-air tube, where applicable.

Bosal USA Inc. www.bosalna.com

Classified Advertising GARAGE INSURANCE PROGRAM Angelo Zacharakis, B.Comm, RIBO Suite 500-90 Allstate Parkway Markham, Ontario L3R 6H3 Tel: (905)-479-7322 Toll Free: 1-800-240-5283 Fax: (905)-479-7321 azacharakis@deeksinsurance.ca www.deeksinsurance.ca

Advertisers’ Index ACDelco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Autocamping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Autogenics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Canadian Independent Automotive Association . . . . . . . . . . . .

CARQUEST Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Clearwater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Irving Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Panasonic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sayco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Total Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

www.ACDelcoCanada.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,OBC www.autocamping.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,15 www.lankar.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,21 www.ciaassociation.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 www.CARQUEST.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC www.cars-council.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 www.ecoautosupply.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 www.irvingoil.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 www.panasonic.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 www.canbuilt.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 www.proshopmanager.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 www.total-lubricants.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC January 2009 SSGM 35

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|| PUZZLES CROSSWORD

by Myles Mellor

You know where to turn

Across

1. Warning signal on the

road 5. Alternative fuel source

11. Car stereo option

12. Battery company that has unveiled

it’s global technology strategy

15. Steak topper 16. Prying 18. “Days of ___ Lives�

19. After-tax amount

20. Gun or King?

21. Open the car door 22. Engine purr 24. ___ment, tire’s balancing act?

27. Dot the i’s and cross the ___ 28. Bridge position 30. Battery size 31. Long periods 33. Bamboo chewer 36. The Specialty Equipment Market Association 38. Car bars 39. London’s continent, for short 40. Web address 42. Do it yourself 43. Siesta 44. Fuel usage 46. Hospital room 48. C70 model starting letters 49. Road sign statement 50. ___light, car feature 51. Mine, in Madrid 52. Tail___, it is powered by an internal-combustion engine 53. Michelin product 55. Car cut 57. Shady tree 59. TV show type 61. ___ Authority, truck permit service

63. Bright metallic auto trim 65. October birthstones 68. Vital life force 69. Returnable envelope, for short 70. ___ absorber, a device for damping sudden and rapid motion 71. Couple 72. Winter wheel covering Down 1. Japanese car company that is now offering Yokohama tires 2. Lennon lady 3. Car starter 4. Grown-ups 6. Gas containers 7. Garden tool 8. ___-freeze, radiator liquid 9. Compass direction 10. Friction reducer 13. Lithium-___ battery, hybrid electric car part 14. Greek god of love 17. Mont Tremblant activity 20. Windshield wiper part 21. Single in Madrid?

23. Comedian Aykroyd 25. Sodium hydroxide 26. You may have this type of shifter in your car

29. Pop the trunk 32. Moron or gen preceder?

34. Now, now, now!

35. Body preceder?

36. Cellphone storage card 37. Kind of shot 38. Tire necessity 41. Used your headlights 42. Cabinet div.

45. Pressure measure 47. Simple drawing 48. Car ID 49. Observe 50. __ Lanka 51. Citrus brunch beverage 52. Gas saving Toyota 54. A belief 55. Palme ___ (Cannes award) 56. Lately automakers have been focusing on these types of vehicles 58. Oil problem 60. Stylish 62. Dove call 64. ___ tai, tropical cocktail 66. Computer type 67. Auto ground 68. Firm, for short

36 SSGM January 2009

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1/9/09 10:14:24 AM

Automotive Internet Directory Visit these companies directly at their web addresses or check out the growing list of Hot Links at www.autoserviceworld.com.

To find out how your organization can be included in this directory and on the web, contact Brayden J C Ford 416-510-5206

AUTOMOTIVE PARTS & ACCESSORIES Goodyear Engineered Products www.goodyearep.com/aftermarket www.goodyearbeltsandhose.com The officially licensed belt of NASCAR. Gatorback, the quiet belt. You can never replace Goodyear quality.

NGK Spark Plugs Canada Limited www.ngksparkplugs.ca The World Leader in Spark Plugs, Oxygen Sensors and Ignition Wire Sets.

Used by 87% of the World’s OE Manufacturers S.B International Inc. www.sbintl.com “We keep engines humming”

ZEX AC Compressors Division of Mister Starter

www.misterstarter.com Remanufactured/New A/C compressors and Turbochargers/Superchargers for complete line of cars and trucks, DOMESTIC & IMPORTS. Custom Rebuilds also available for your needs.

HAND CLEANERS GOJO Industries, Inc. www.automotive.gojo.com GOJO is a leading manufacturer of skin care products and services for many marketing including automotive and manufacturing. GOJO continues to pursue a commitment of creating well-being through hand hygiene and healthy skin.

LUBRICANTS & ADDITIVES Empack/emzone Automotive Care & Maintenance www.emzone.ca The high performance emzone product line is specially formulated for your detailing and maintenance needs. For maintenance: Lubricants, Brake Cleaners, Degreasers, and Coatings. For detailing: Glass Cleaners, Carpet Foams, Tire Shines and Auto Fresh.

REFRIGERANT Duracool Refrigerants Inc. www.duracool.com Nationally Distributed by: Deepfreeze Refrigerants Inc. The Leaders in Hydrocarbon Refrigerant Technology Guaranteed In writing not to harm any Mobile A/C System You can feel the Difference that Quality Makes “Our Formula Never Changes”.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING CARS COUNCIL

www.cars-council.ca Smarter hiring, better personnel assessment, and training accessible 24/7.

We are the CARS Council, a not-for-profit organization, delivering tools developed by industry for industry. www.cars-council.ca

TOOLS & EQUIPMENT AIR LIQUIDE CANADA INC. www.airliquide.ca Your one-stop shop for all your industrial gases and welding supplies.

Genius Tools

www.geniustools.net Genius Tools provides a complete line of hand tools, as well as power tools, tool storage, and other solutions for the toughest jobs in automotive and industrial markets. Premium quality at competitive prices.

Rotary Lift

www.rotarylift.com World Leader in Lift Productivity

Empack / emcool Refrigerants www.emcool.ca WAREHOUSE DISTRIBUTORS COLLISION REPAIR The innovative, environSUDOKU

by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan & BUYING GROUPS mentally friendly emcool Masters School of Autobody Management product line of Refrigerants, www.masters-school.com Automont Distributions Inc. Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9X9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller Stop Leak, Kits and Accessories offers superior Masters offers a number www.automont.com performance andcolumn value. Ourand quality products grids of 3X3 squares.

To solve the puzzle each row, box mustare contain each of of education programs and implementation Importer & Wholesale specifically designed for the maintenance and follow-up programs to take bodyshops Distributor of German, the numbers 1 designed to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult. repair of mobile A/C systems. to the next level of success.

Swedish and Asian Auto Parts.

Level: Difficult

SUDOKU

by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan

Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9×9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3×3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult.

Level: Difficult

Solution p 37 directory and sudoku test.indd 37

Bestbuy Distributors Limited

www.bestbuyautoparts.ca Independent buying group and warehouse distributor that allocates its profits to member shareholders and provides unbeatable value for Independent Jobbers.

The E.R.I. Group

www.theerigroup.com Canada’s Premier Machine Shop Buying Group

Kerr Machine Shop Group Inc.

www.kerrmachineshopgroup.com Buying group for machine shops and performance shops.

January 2009 SSGM 37

1/9/09 10:14:53 AM

|| L ast Word

Perception is Reality R

ecently, I was speaking to a good friend of mine who trains individuals that work within the automotive industry. He made a comment to me that I found very encouraging. He said, “I never hear a negative word from you regarding your business.” He continued to say he comes in daily contact with shop owners and technicians, and is tired of hearing all that is wrong with our trade. He found it very discouraging to hear nothing by complaining day in and day out.

The business of automotive repair can be very frustrating. Parts often arrive late, defective or incorrect. The bolt you attempted to remove is seized or snaps off. The supplier you are speaking with has no clue what type of part you are trying to order. The list goes on. However, I think it is very important we do not let it influence our thinking.

I remember when I started in this industry, training under seasoned technicians. At times working with them was not pleasant. I thought my peers

By Kirk Robinson, owner of Robinson Automotive, Mississauga, Ont. (www.robinsonautomotive.com)

could swear, but these men took it to a new level. I stuck in there because I had a passion for the trade and because of my perseverance; I became a very good technician at a young age. Now, as an automotive repair shop owner, I have proved with my own staff that you can train without the “grumpy old man” attitude and colorful words, but instead teach in an environment of encouragement and positive reinforcement.

I wonder how many young apprentices are filled with the passion of wanting to fix cars, are also discouraged from the negative attitudes they experience within the automotive workplace.

I hear of many student apprentices who try the trade for a while and go elsewhere to different fields. I believe that we have a lot more influence on the new generation that is rising up in the automotive field. Could our negative attitudes be driving these passionate individuals away? Are they worried that the negative weight of the industry will wear on the same way it has worn on their teachers? Are they

bailing out of the trade so that they do not turn into the grumpy old men that I’ve encountered?

We, as automotive repair owners and technicians, need to focus our eyes on the positive reality of our industry.

There so are many good things to look for in the future of aftermarket automotive service providers. In 2002, more cars were sold in Canada than ever before. That means vehicles today are at that age when even the most dealer loyal consumers will look to our industry for service. With the constant doom and gloom in the media, folks are more concerned with keeping and maintaining their car longer. Consumers want their car reliable so they are not late for work; they want it to last, to save them the cost of a replacement car.

Thus, if we change our negative perceptions into a positive reality, we will see many happier individuals working in our industry. New apprentices and technicians will see a bright secure future to make a living within our trade. The shop owner will see a new customer base come out of the woodwork as the economy shifts. And with our positive outlook on the industry, we will be able to convey to our customers that the aftermarket automotive industry is the best place for their car to be cared for and serviced. When all who are around us can see a confident smile on our face, then all who are around cannot help but feel at ease themselves. We can have a contagious positive perception of our reality.

Have something to say to our industry?

Let us know with the Last Word! tom@ssgm.com 38 SSGM January 2009

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1/9/09 10:15:17 AM

CARQUEST

®

IMPORT SOLUTIONS: Your First Choice

At CARQUEST we are committed to providing the products and services our customer’s need. We source our product from original equipment manufacturers around the world and have them available right now at your local CARQUEST store.

www.CARQUEST.ca CQ1274

p 39 Carquest ad.indd 39

1/9/09 11:08:54 AM

Client: ACDelco Project Name: ACDelco Battery Ad Studio Artist: P-Dominique Plante Colours: C M

Y

Date: 08-09-26 K

Flat: 8.5x11” Trim: 8 1/8x10 7/8” Ad# ACD-PARTS-08-M-711-EN

Bleed: 8 3/8x 11 1/8” Publication: SSGM

CMG MarketinG • 1125 Leslie St, toronto, Ontario M3C 2J6 • t 416.646.3050 • F 416.646.3051

Docket#: 99-5089 Descr.: Full Page Ad

Consumers all over the world recognize the power of the ACDelco name when it comes to replacement batteries.

Why? Because for over 100 years we have provided you with a product that you’ve sold with confidence. Your confidence comes from knowing that ACDelco consistently delivers power, performance and reliability at a price that allows you to put some profit into your pocket and that’s a good thing!

No matter what kind of Battery business you service, you can count on Providing you with 360 degrees of support for your business.

1-800-263-3526 p 40 ACDelco battery ad.indd 40

www.aCDelcoCanada.com 1/9/09 10:15:43 AM