I know we have a list of shops but what makes one stand out from another.

Let's keep names off this thread so feelings and arguments are avoided


What do you want in a shop ?

Anyway if you read this please leave a brief sentence or even one word.

I have had multiple friends try to start shops and all of them always had the same question for me but I could never definitively answer.

 

well what do i want in a shop?

one that is reputable to everyone. i hate seeing "this shop is great GOGOGO" and then seeing "this guy joeschmo fukced me over and gave me the run around and something that should have been this price was triple the price..."

also i want a reputable shop in omaha =/ or something thats not 8hrs away in st louis...

 

i dont buy parts from shops, BUT if i did i would want them to be able to get me a price and info ASAP, when im ready to buy something i want to order it right then. i have been trying to help a local shop owner get on his feet, but he dont have a garage just a store front, but the $ isnt in selling parts, the $ is in the labor.

im a 110% do it yourselfer, but if i was person to buy from a shop i would want to be able to show up, pay for and order a part and have it installed asap as soon as it showed up and not be jerked around. i see alot of shops jerking people around for their own benefit and dragging their feet on stuff and if it was my car it would drive me crazy.

and i cant stand pulling up somewhere and see a bunch of kids hanging out talking about neon lights or whatever and combing over customer cars, if i owned a shop i would have a no hanging out policy.


just my opinion. maybe what your looking for maybe not

 

all i want is when i pay for something i want results or the product delivered. thats it

 

I want my car done when they say it will be done. If the job hits a snag then contact me with how much longer it will take so I can plan my life around the delay.

Also, if you quote me one price and something changes then inform me ASAP so I can decide what I need to do.

Make a waiting area comfortable with nice audio, DVD, gaming system, snack machines (that work) and a few chairs/couches for more than 2 people to sit on.


My 2 cents!

 

cleanliness. accurate quotes. and don't hand my ca rback with missing or extra screws/clips, etc.

 

I assume that a shop is a place that you take your vehicle for repairs or mods?

1. The shop owner knows my needs and knows my car. We have an unwritten contract that the shop will take care of my needs. This is not a "one visit" relationship. I am a loyal customer.

2. Quality work. Want it done once - want it done right.

3. No need to oversell me on stuff that I do not need. You have my business. I will return.

4. Time is money. Treat me right. If I drop off the car at 8 AM, do not wait until 4 PM to look at the car and order parts. That means the car must stay overnight, and I am out of a car for 2 days.

5. Treat my car with care like your own. No greasy fingerprints inside of outside. Do NOT kick the doors with dirty boots.

 

honesty

 

This is probably a key when choosing a shop. If the bays are clean and orderly chances are that your car will be returned clean and orderly.

 

 

One thats around Pittsburgh

 

They dont try to screw you for every damn penny. If you buy a turbo kit from them lets say, and it didnt come with spark plugs, they should throw them in for free. The little things will make you come back and have repeat business and then people well go to the forums and post they even threw in free spark plugs!

 

everything lol

 

I agree. If a shop is well kept, clean, tools in order and the techs clothes aren't filthy (they are getting in and out of your ride) it's a plus. But the workers have to know what they are doing.

 

Like Joe Dirt said "Its about the consumer"

 

the first part is unrealistic. Nobody stocks much. Small businesses, imported parts, extremely varied applications. aint gna happen nevah.

2nd part is ur opinion. Glad you said it.
While I dont like kids and theives milling around my car at the mall, anyone that has built a realtionship with said shop.. at least enough where they are allowed back to the shop, well.. I hold the shop liable for that. They are all enthusiasts just like we were.

If kids at the In N Out burger ask me about my car, im nice to them, but im also very selective about what i say. DOnt need to be followed home and car jacked again.

But at the shop, well you always run the same risk, but its the place i can , well, talk SHOP w other enthusiasts.

At car meets, its about meeting people and asking about their cars, not talking about your own i say too.

So all kinda parts of the same idea i guess.


I bet yal though my post was gna be totally different didnt ya? haha.
NOT going to go OT, but we will just say that things in my neck of the woods have done a 180 at the moment.




I guess i can at least safely say when snags do happen..
Just like in friends, realtionships, employees.. or shops...when life happens..

if you screw up, be honest, tell me about it when it happens,
dont just say your sorry, show me a change in behavior.
Then if you keep it up the positive behavior over time, i will trust you again.

pretty simple rules for a new business OP..

NOW, after you compile common answers from this thread, you cant say you didnt know when someone complains about something later on haha. Maybe sometimes ignorance is bliss haha.
thanks for asking and taking an interst tho.
The forum is indeed pretty disgruntled w some things.. just like the politics on tv, etc etc.. general unrest is in the frikn air n water these days.
Part of life in 2011.

 

This...

 

Details on everything is what I want.

Nothing erks me more then when I get a bill and it just has a total, and nothing else.

If your doing multiple things to my car I want to know how much everything is costing me, each part, total number of hours and how much was charged for the labor, garage fees, etc...

I went to a shop a few months ago to get a quote on four different things I want done to my car, after talking with the guy he goes behind his computer and about 10 mins later tells me a number I felt was high, so I ask him can u write up how much everything is gona cost so I can decide exactly what I want to do. So he gives me a list of everything we talked about with a single total next to it at the bottom.......I was like are you kidding me?

 

Honesty. If I ask for a service, I want to be able to take the shop's word for it that they're doing it to the best of their ability and not going to take advantage of me. I stupidly agreed to pay a shop 3 hours to bleed my clutch earlier this year because I had previously spent 10 researching on these forums and trying and couldn't do it. My friend and I then did it later on after finding the correct procedure in about 30 minutes (rebuilt master cylinder).

 

(1)Layed back atmosphere but REALLY knows their stuff.
(2)Specializes in the car(Z),not a general "works on all" shop.
(3)Competitive pricing in parts&labor.
(4)DONE WHEN THEY SAY IT WILL BE DONE...OR,BEFORE!
(5)Squeaky clean
(6)Able to be in the shop/talk with the guy doing the work.
(7)Comfortable waiting area.
(8)Suggests what also "could be done to the car" while its there.
(9)It does'nt matter if you are in for a minor mod or,a big ticket purchase.You get the same treatment!
I have most of my work done at a shop that is also a major stocking distributor.
Z1 Motorsports,Carrolton,Ga.
Parts in stock have never been a problem.All the personnel are like "family".
They live& breath everything Z!