work shop

[nosaj81_2000]

ok the wife and i are thinking of starting an import domestic car shop. dealing with engine mods, body mods, electronics (i.e. stereos, amps, wiring, ect...), detailing and possibly painting. any body have any ideas of what should i have in stock and what i shouldnt have in stock if we decide to actually go through with this idea of having our own shop. i know i will have to have i/h/e stuff but what would be good to have in the building.

[ebpda9]

heh, it will be good to have mostly everything. just make sure you know what you are doing and don't rush into things. start small

[GirlSolRacer]

Yes, start small. Work your way up to things, and treat people well. They are the most important thing to your business. Even if you think they are young ricers who don't know the difference between a cold air intake and a short ram. My husband and I have been running the same kind of business out of our home since January. We still have our other jobs, but it is getting harder and more stressful by the day. This is actually good, because that means business is growing. I am very happy to say that our official shop will open in mid-October. ;) We haven't even advertised yet, and we have so much business we have to turn people down sometimes. When we open the shop, we will try to stock a little of everything. People don't like going to a shop and still having to wait on something to come in. They want it then. Just don't over stock and have items that will never sell. That's a waste of money and space. Good luck with everything!! Just remember no matter how busy and stressed you both get, make time for yourselves to spend together away from the shop.

[MAXed Out]

yep that's all i can say start small and work your way up.

[pdiggitydogg]

be sure to have all the parts that dealerships dont have in stock...like damn gaskets...

sell things too...like antiseize (i dont know why, but i can never buy a tube when i need it...no one ever has it)

[GirlSolRacer]

Yes, things like different types of lugnuts (including tuner lugs), antiseize, Honda seal, the good motoroil, like Royal Purple and Redline oils, brake parts cleaner (for under the engine cleaning) odd things like that. We get all those things, and once people know you have this kind of stuff, they will be ever grateful to you.

[GT40FIED]

You'll be fine as long as you do good work and keep a good stock of parts. It's always great to have the little things that other big shops overlook like the aforementioned different lug nuts, antisieze, and other bits and pieces. I'd also become an Amsoil dealer. That shit's THE BEST motor oil (actually proven to beat out Royal Purple in coefficient of friction tests) and it's insanely hard to find unless you happen to know some guy who sells it out of his garage or something. start looking around at other stores in your area and see what they carry and what they don't carry that you, as an enthusiast, would like to see in a shop. Also start familiarizing yourself with all kinds of makes and models unless you plan on hiring mechanics to do the actual work (if you in fact are going to be doing work there). I'd volunteer myself, but I've got two years of school left (I'm through the mechanic stuff...now working on the business side). Damn school...never did nothin for nobody.

[pimpinprelude]

yea id work there too... but yea... NM.. kinda far for a 16 year old...:no:

[AzCivic]

get a dyno! of course they're not cheap.

[spoogenet]

Not to sound like a broken record, but I definitely gotta go with what most people said above.

Nothing pleases me more than to walk into a shop that has that one hard-to-find thing that it seems everybody knows about and wants, but nobody sells.

Also it's frustrating to ask a shop about something and their reply is always "We can order that." That's an OK answer for less common requests, but when that's the answer for more common things (i.e. they don't stock anything, really), it just makes me not want to shop there. Not to mention when told their price it's $40 more than what I can get online, AND I have to pay shipping. Let's see.....$40 less plus free shipping online......I'll order online.

I think one of the keys to success is to supply enough to keep the DIYers satisfied and also to take care of the peeps who don't want to, or can't, do it themselves.....while maintaining profitability from both groups. :yes: Sounds easy, doesn't it? ;)

b

[GirlSolRacer]

Yeah, a dyno helps business :yes: . We will have one in January. And like a guy up there said, try to get familiar with all makes/models. It's hard, but it's worth it. When people ask you questions to see if you can look at this or that, you better at least sound like you know what you're talking about. If you have the "Huh?" look on your face, they lose confidence in leaving your car with them. And if it is something that sounds major, and you question your ability to perform, refer them to someone for that particular problem. They will thank you for it, instead of coming back to find their car a mess and you having no idea what's going on. Just make sure your customers feel taken care of.
And another thing, if one aspect of your shop really takes off and is holding steady, like, your audio is the biggest seller every month and you have compliments coming in about it all the time, think about dropping something from the shop. Like the slowest gaining area. You'll just stress yourself out trying to keep up in the audio, and still trying to fit in engine mods and things. Unless of course ya'll really make it big and have a large shop, and employees to take care of everything. :)

[nosaj81_2000]

well i thank you all on giving your imput on what you think should be or what you would want to see in the shop if you were going to go into it. Pimpinprelude we werent planning on having the shop in NM, we were planning on having the shop over on the east cost if i can ever get transfered there or if i get transfered over to the west coast that would be fine to as long as we are located near the beach. GirlSolRacer since you replyed the most i would like to thank you more cuz you gave some of the best i deas that ive heard on having a shop. i know with Hondaforums.com i mentioned this idea to them and i got a lot of good ideas but i also got a few negative replys and with you guys and gals i didnt get any negative replys the wife and really appreciate that. as soon as we are able to get to wjere we feel we will be comfortable having this shop i will probably try to bring this thread back to life later on in the futre but right now im just looking for what you guys think and stuff like that.

as far as the schooling process goes i will be doing that. and i wont just be doing the mechanic portion but i will also be doing the portion that teaches you on how to run your own business and teaches you how to keep it going financially as well. i dont know if any of you have heard of wyotech but that is where i will be going as soon as i get stationed somewhere close to that school.

[spoogenet]

What kind of negative feedback did you get????

It takes a lot of balls, money, time, and hard work to open up a shop of any kind. I give mad props to those who try.

Just remember.....most people who open a small business fail the first 1 or 2 times, but failing can be an invaluable experience on how to do it right.....lots of luck and don't give up without a really good fight. :yes: That's why venture capitalists are more likely to give money to someone who's failed twice than someone who's trying for the 1st time.....much better chance of succeeding. Funny how things work sometimes, eh?

Just don't forget to have lots of fun in the whole process. :)

Another thought of something that may be worthwhile (I'm thinking a little down the road when you start getting established) would be to become a certified Honda mechanic or something like that. I think there's some classes you take that are taught by Honda or something or another.....anyhow, if you're into service the more service you can do I think the better. Personally I hesitate to trust ANY car shop including dealerships. While a car's under warranty I generally trust the dealer, but after warranty's up.....I consider them just another car shop.

If you have a good rep for doing honest work and a good job then you can go a long ways.....I'm always looking for honest shops, unfortunately I don't hear many people highly recommending ANY place around here. :(

b

[nosaj81_2000]

as far as being a certified honda mechanic that will come into play when i get to being a fully ASE certified mechanic (master mechanic) and as far as having a good rep for honest work i do have that atleast in new mexico in the are that i live in. i will just have to work that respect back up when i get to where i want to be which is hopefully in CT or in CALI.