You Just Fix Cars? Right!

Below, find an important and smart overview of what I call ‘Confident Professionalism.’ Understanding and knowing how important it is to provide your client with a smart perspective on vehicle longevity.

It was written by shop owner Tom Ham from Grand Rapids. Tom is the founder of Automotive Management Network and the Labor Rate Tracker. He gave a speech from this very smart outline to an annual AVI meeting a few years back.

Thank you, Tom. Here are his words that every owner and professional client advocate must value:

Most of our clients do not appreciate the value of nurturing their vehicle with a smart maintenance program. 

Review this post with your entire team and consider this ‘story’ as an opportunity that will regularly present itself for you in 2026.

The John and Mary Smith family brings you their 150,000-mile 2017 Toyota SUV family transporter.

They have three issues that need repair. You locate the problems. Your inspection locates four other repair issues.

Your maintenance history check determines that 8 of 12 Toyota factory-scheduled services are due.

This vehicle should be good for at least another five years and 100,000 miles if fully brought up to date and properly maintained.

Your estimate to do that is $5,853. You get the authorization.

Two days later, they pick up, and you collect. Their car is in far better condition than when it arrived. Shop profit and employee pay are both excellent. But the story doesn’t end there. What are the results of your sales ability and service expertise?

Let’s stop by the Smith house and see what happens.

The Smith family has avoided a $59,000 “accident” in a new car showroom. If they had bought a new car for Mom, Dad would have argued that, to be fair, each of them should get one. He would have opted for a new F150, so they also avoided a $68,000 (on the low end) accident in a different showroom. Of course, those are only car loan amounts. The sales tax alone on those two cars would have been over $7,000.

You did all that work for less than the sales tax!

The loan payments on those two new cars would have been about $1,850 per month for the next six years. $1,850 x 72 months = $133,200

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE THOUSAND AND TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS!

Some of the money they save will go toward increased service on their older cars (a bonus for your shop), but most will go into their pockets.

Over the next few years:

They’ll spend a week camping at the lake each summer – because they won’t have to make car payments. The kids will participate in additional pay-to-play sports and other activities   – because they won’t have to make car payments. They’ll be able to expand that 3rd bathroom, which helps with four kids  – because they won’t have to make car payments. They will take family vacations to Yellowstone, Florida, and Washington, D.C.  – because they won’t have to make car payments. John and Mary will have fewer arguments about money – because they won’t have to make car payments.

Of course, I could go on. You are probably thinking of several more right now. All these things will improve their quality of family life.

However, their quality of family life will not suffer from the lack of newer cars in the driveway. The impact, however, is not limited to the Smith family.

When families are financially healthier, it impacts their neighbors, relatives, church, coworkers, and so many other areas in their community.

All from that ripple that started at your shop with that $5,853 sale.

And you thought you just fixed cars.