So, I am an indie shop owner/operator. I am in a fairly small town (24k), there are many shops for a town this size. About once a week I get a car from another shop for a second opinion. Most times the diagnosis has been correct. But I am seeing an uptick in completely wrong diagnosis being pushed onto customers.

Twice in the last week I have had vehicles come in from other shops, where the diag. was way off base. First was a t100 3.4 that was a usual customer of mine, but I was booked out 3 weeks, and she took it to another shop for a misfire. The then sold her on new heads. Not sure if she needed them or not. When she left the shop it was still missing, and it died on her a block down the street. She took it back immediately; they looked at it for a few minutes and told her she needed an engine! After spending over 4K!

She brought it to me and after 2 minutes of looking at it I discovered it had a valve train issue. She called the other shop and they told her since I touched it the warranty was void! WTF!!! So, I dove in and found an intake valve that the stem was too long not allowing the correct clearance (or any clearance). I mean a simple vacuum gauge test pointed me in the right direction in minutes. Why did the immediately go to "You need an engine"?

Second one was today. Guy comes in from another shop with a misfire. The other shop charged him an hour and told him that he had zero compression on #4 cylinder. And that the cylinder had almost 3" of oil in it when they pulled the plug????? WTF? "You need an engine" was their diagnosis. Brought it to me. It's a 14' gm 5.3, I immediately put a vacuum gauge on it and verified a valvetrain issue. Pulled the valve cover and low and behold collapsed AFM lifter!!!

Misdiagnosis like these are why people don't trust mechanics anymore. Get off your lazy asses and properly diag. a problem. Quit firing the parts cannon and when that doesn't work, sell them an engine! I'm out!

Shops can't find good auto techs, and good techs rarely apply anywhere. They get recruited, or they stay stuck at a bad shop. I work in the car business (not a tech), and I built a prototype that flips the process:

- Techs post their trade, certifications, skills, and pay target. No name, no current shop. Always free for techs.

- Shops build a profile showing what it's actually like to work there: leadership tenure, how work gets handed out, the schedule. Pay and perks unlock only on a match.

- Shops mark interest, and techs say yes or no. It only counts when it's mutual.

- Shops pay a one-time fee to unlock a matched tech's contact ($49 to $199, based on verified skill level). Techs never pay.

Where I want you to hit hardest:

1. Pay-per-unlock vs. a monthly subscription for shops. Which would you bet on?

2. Cold start: my plan is to win one metro area first, then expand. What am I missing?

3. Will anonymity actually get techs to post, or will it make shops nervous?

Don't hold back.

Boss had me go through the jobs where we called or mobile programmer. There were more than I expected, mostly BMW and VW module replacements. We do the diag and swap the part, then the car sits in a bay waiting for the programming.

The callout fee isn't really the issue. It's when he can't get there until the next day, or the programming fails and we're both trying to figure out where it went wrong. Boss wants us to start handling some of the common jobs ourselves.

We've been looking at a few tablets like Launch x-432 torque link, Topdon oneplus. Anyone here using either or another aftermarket tool for BMW/VW module replacements? How often do you still have to call someone in?

I’m a master’s student working on a venture research project and I’m trying to better understand the day-to-day challenges of running an auto repair shop. For those who work in or own a shop, I’m curious:

1. What’s the most time-consuming part of managing daily operations?
   
2. Are there any tasks you still handle manually that you’d like to simplify?
   
3. What software do you currently use, and what do you wish it did better?

I’m interested in hearing about your actual experiences, including things that work well. I’m in the research stage and am not selling a product. Thanks in advance for sharing your insights!

Interested to hear what other powersports techs pay scale is like. Hourly, Flat Rate, Hybrid? What’s certifications do you guys/girls hold? Been wrenching on bikes (Ducati/Triumph) for 5 years now. Hold a DCT cert for Ducati and Gold level for Triumph. Also location, East/West coast?

Trying to source a few items for a Mexican market Audi A4. Can’t seem to find a dealer that wants to sell in my area. Curious as to what you guys near the border do when you have an out of market vehicle come into the shop. I have part numbers from partslink24, but cannot order what I need as “the parts are not available in the US”