From highlighting free tools that operators can share with customers to improve their preventative maintenance habits to strategies for driving up car counts and hiring good employees, our NOLN columnists shared wisdom on a wide range of topics in 2024.
Below are the columns from Joanna Johnson, Scott Hempy, Adam Tatum, and Lenny Saucier that resonated most with our readers this year.
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Johnson: Even NHTSA Blames Hyundai/Kia Customers for Lack of Maintenance
Hyundai and Kia owners learned the hard way that no matter what automakers’ advertisements say or imply, consumers who don’t want to get bogged down in litigation or become engine defects activists should follow the owner’s manual directions on maintenance, and they would be wise to follow the shortest (sometimes called “severe driving”) schedule for everything.
Johnson: Read It or Weep: Automotive Maintenance Providers and Consumers Need Scan Tools, Part 1 | Part 2
For better and worse, the phrase “laptop on wheels” accurately describes later model passenger vehicles. One of the biggest unforced errors consumers make is failure to protect their cars’ files. They’ll back up a $500 tablet but not their $50,000 transportation. Good scan tools have the potential to catch engine malfunctions before disaster strikes as well as lessen the impact of OEM-related shenanigans especially regarding engine defects.
Johnson: Auto Stop-Start, Oil Monitors, and Severe Service Intervals
A new device that makes SUVs and trucks burn less fuel at stoplights? Wonderful. An electronic oil monitor that tells you when to change the engine’s oil? Even better. Everyone can stop worrying about checking their oil, which, frankly, has been a drag for non-mechanically inclined consumers since full-service gas stations disappeared in the 1990s. Right? Wrong.
Hempy: Driving Your Car Count
As you seek to grow your quick lube operation, there are two levers you can pull: You can grow your “ticket” per car or grow your daily car count. Quick lubes can grow their ticket by increasing prices, converting more guests on additional services, or adding new services to your offering. Growing car count can often feel more elusive, but there is actually a simple recipe. It just requires some hard work.
Hempy: Sense of Urgency - Putting the 'Quick' Back in Quick Lube
The world has changed, and speed of service is now more important than ever. Consumers expect things to be faster today than they ever have. In the quick lube industry, this expectation has put more pressure on operators to move quickly and to improve their service times.
Johnson: The Two Smartest Free Things to Give Vehicle Maintenance Customers
Informed drivers get more preventative maintenance because they know it’s required, makes them safer, and is far less expensive than losing warranty coverage. The challenge is helping more drivers get informed as to how their cars and their respective automakers’ repair, recall, and warranty systems work. Luckily, two excellent tools exist to promote consumer enlightenment, and they’re both free.
Hempy: The Importance of a Mission Statement (Lessons from Larry Dahl)
When done right, your mission statement can be a north star for your team, directing and aligning the team around why everyone shows up to work. One of the most amazing benefits of joining a team and company that has been in business for 35 years, is the rich legacy and culture that has been developed and cultivated over time. Oilstop’s founder, Larry Dahl built a company that is admirable in countless ways.
Hempy: Selling Your Service Center
These days, it seems like there are two groups of oil change operators: those who are thinking about selling at some point in the future, and those who are looking to acquire shops to expand their footprint. Operators who have prepared and plan ahead for their eventual “exit” have an easier time selling, have a smoother transition, and may even be able to sell at a higher price! So, what does it mean to plan ahead?
Tatum: What Do You Look For?
As we all struggle to find the right people to add to our teams, we need to look at what it is that we are looking for to begin with. The first step in finding the right people is to know what it is that you are looking for in a given position. Here are a few things to consider.
Saucier: My Final Rant
In his final column for NOLN, Lenny Saucier wanted to ask you just one question: What is your impact in life? Saucier said he learned from a great entrepreneur for whom he had worked that business was less about profit and processes than it was about building a team and making an impact.
