Your customers are not grading you on effort. They are grading you on how fast you move, how easy you are to understand, and whether you treat them like a human being. From Auto Care Connect in Atlanta, Jacki Lutz and Stacey Miller talk with Jay Baer, Hall of Fame speaker and best-selling author, about a customer experience framework that cuts through the fluff and actually works in the real world: quick, clear, kind.

They dig into why 75% of customer experience initiatives fail to produce ROI and how to make progress without launching a multi-year “experience transformation” that dies on the vine. Jay shares research from his work on speed and responsiveness, including the simple habit he calls “reply without answers,” plus a hard truth about automated replies that quietly guarantee disappointment. They also unpack how to close the “uncertainty gap” by answering the most common questions before customers and partners are forced to ask, wait, and worry.

Then they go deeper on kindness and empathy as a competitive advantage, including a Delta gate agent moment that proves how small, genuine recognition can create loyalty that outlasts the inevitable service hiccups. Finally, we look ahead to AI in customer service and B2B buyer experience. If automation makes interactions more efficient and more uniform, the differentiator becomes the human moments you choose to create when it matters most. If you work in the auto care industry, B2B sales, marketing, operations, or service, you will walk away with tactics you can use immediately.

Subscribe to Auto Care ON AIR, share this conversation with a teammate, and leave us a rating and review so more curious industry pros can find the show.

Send us Fan Mail

To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org.

To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

Your feed can make the world feel like it is changing every hour, but your business cannot afford to swing with every alert. We built this Traction Control segment around a simple idea: the real danger today is not missing news, it is overreacting to the wrong news. If headlines about tariffs, AI, war, regulations, or market shifts have your team feeling whiplash, we offer a practical way to slow down and regain control.

Stacey Miller walks through why headlines mislead even smart operators in the automotive aftermarket. They flatten nuance, they blur the line between announcement and implementation, and they amplify controversy that may have little real impact on your warehouse, shop, or supply chain next week. Instead of ignoring the news, we show how to read it with discipline so you protect time, money, and focus.

Her three-question headline filter is designed for importers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and service providers who need clear prioritization. She asks: who does this actually apply to, what changes now versus later, and is it truly new or just louder. We also talk through “now, soon, later” planning, stress testing best case and worst case scenarios, and communicating with calm clarity so your team knows what matters and what you are watching.

If this helps you, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a rating and review so more aftermarket pros can find it. What headline do you want us to break down next?

Send us Fan Mail

To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org.

To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

A single sentence from the White House can change the pressure on an issue overnight, and right to repair just got that kind of spotlight. Stacey Miller reacts to the President’s public comments about restrictions that can prevent people from fixing their own cars and choosing where they get repairs and why that matters for drivers, technicians, and independent repair shops across the country.

From the day-to-day reality inside a shop, this is not theoretical policy talk. We see vehicles come in where the fix is clear, but critical repair data, software access, or basic functions are locked behind barriers that slow everything down. The result is longer wait times, higher repair costs, and fewer choices for consumers, even when a qualified technician is ready to do the work. Right to repair is ultimately about affordability, competition in vehicle repair, and keeping local small businesses strong.

She also breaks down what is happening in Washington: the push for federal right to repair legislation known as the Repair Act, what changed as Congress moved a broader highway bill forward, and why a narrower approach tied to a voluntary MOU plus FTC enforcement may not go far enough to guarantee meaningful access. This moment is rare because the public, policymakers, and the auto care industry are finally focused on the same question: if you own it, should you be able to fix it?

If you care about consumer choice and fair prices in auto repair, listen, share this with someone who relies on a local shop, and take action. You can send your automated letter to your legislators at repairact.com

Send us Fan Mail

To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org.

To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

One of the biggest career accelerators in the automotive aftermarket is also the simplest: someone decides you’re worth their time. From the Women in Auto Care conference, Jacki Lutz sits down with two award-winning industry leaders, Tanya Hunt (TERREPOWER) and Autumn Lamb (GSP), to get honest about what “investing in people” actually means when calendars are full, budgets are tight, and confidence is shaky.

They talk about the moments that changed their paths, a quick note of encouragement, an invitation to get involved, a mentor who helped them take a risk, and the “full circle” feeling of watching someone you supported step onto a stage of their own. We also break down a hard truth: high achievers often hear praise the least, and a few thoughtful words can be the difference between someone shrinking back or stepping up. If you’ve ever assumed people “already know they did great,” this conversation will change how you lead.

You’ll hear practical ways to build retention and community in the auto care industry without needing a big title: micro-volunteering, mentorship programs through Women in Auto Care and YANG, connection circles that make a big conference feel small, and LinkedIn networking for professionals who cannot travel or who feel intimidated reaching out. They share how to be a better investee too: get specific about what you need, ask anyway, and give yourself the chance to hear an official yes.

If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with someone you’d invest in, and leave a rating and review so more automotive professionals can find the show.

Send us Fan Mail

To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org.

To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

A dashboard used to be a project. Now it can be a conversation. Host Mike Chung sits down with Arthur Lee, founder of Fyne and a longtime data and business intelligence practitioner, to show what modern AI analytics looks like when large language models and AI agents move from hype to real workflows. Arthur shares how companies are using LLMs to boost productivity, automate repeatable reporting, and turn unstructured text like sales call transcripts into usable marketing insights and follow-up documents that no one has to write by hand. 

Then they get concrete: Arthur walks through a demo mindset using public NHTSA recall data, explaining how an AI coding agent can pull large datasets, shape them into charts and summaries, and produce a clean, stakeholder-ready dashboard in under an hour. They also unpack the “progression path” from ad hoc ChatGPT questions on smaller files to standardized templates using projects or custom GPTs, complete with citations and exportable reports. If you’ve been wondering how to operationalize AI without becoming a programmer, this is the bridge. 

They also get honest about the hard parts: governance, privacy, security, and the trust problem. AI is powerful, but it is not a mind reader, and it does not arrive with your domain knowledge. Their best advice is simple and practical: treat AI like the smartest intern you’ve ever hired, give it context, and always verify outputs before you scale. 

If this sparked ideas for your team or your own life, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a rating and review so more listeners can find the show.

Send us Fan Mail

To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org.

To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

Gas prices may be the headline, but the next real pinch could show up when you pop the hood. We’re tracking a fast-moving shift in the motor oil market that’s pushing wholesale prices up and putting pressure on some of the most common synthetic motor oil grades, especially the low viscosity oils modern vehicles require. If you’ve noticed oil change costs creeping from the $80–$100 range toward $100–$120 or more, there’s a bigger supply chain story behind it. 

Host, Stacey Miller, zooms out to the global picture and explain why disruption risk near the Strait of Hormuz creates uncertainty not just for crude, but for lubricant production. Then she gets specific about what’s happening with Group III base oil, a critical ingredient in many synthetic oils, and why reliance on a small number of producers makes the market vulnerable. We also unpack why motor oil pricing doesn’t behave like gasoline pricing, and how additives, refining, transportation, packaging, and logistics can drive retail increases even when crude is only part of the equation. 

From the automotive aftermarket perspective, Stacey lays out three trends to watch: rising maintenance prices, more consumers delaying routine service, and an even greater need for steady aftermarket support when supply tightens. She closes with clear takeaways for drivers, repair shops, distributors, suppliers, and policymakers so you can plan without panic and keep vehicles reliable for the long haul. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a rating and review so more people can find the show.

Send us Fan Mail

To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org.

To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

Training is everywhere in the automotive aftermarket, yet too many teams still treat it like a checkbox and then wonder why sales, retention, and customer experience stay flat. Stacey Miller sat down with Laurie Bacopoulos, founder and CEO of Cobblestone Consulting, to get practical about what actually works when you need training that scales across employees, locations, and channel partners without watering down the message.

They talk about how Cobblestone helps companies pull knowledge out of subject matter experts and package it into interactive e-learning, micro videos, and software tutorials, supported by a learning management system like TalentLMS. Laurie explains why “completion rates” are a weak finish line and how stronger metrics connect training to outcomes leaders care about: SKU sales, reduced returns, improved partner performance, and better employee retention. We also dig into role-based learning paths in the shop environment, so technicians, service writers, and owners can see a clear growth path and stay engaged.

Then they zoom out to change management and modern formats, including brand transition training and the rising power of video. Finally, they get real about AI in training: where it accelerates development, how it can create realistic scenarios from dense manuals, and why it should augment human expertise instead of replacing it.

If you want partner training that drives loyalty, workforce development that reduces turnover, and a clearer way to prove ROI, hit play, subscribe, and share this with someone responsible for training. 

Send us Fan Mail

To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org.

To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

The hardest part of a difficult conversation isn’t what you say. It’s the story you tell yourself before you ever open your mouth.

We’re recording from the Women in Auto Care conference with two award-winning leaders: Courtney Pedler, Lifetime Achievement Award winner and co-founder of Autology Data, and Lauren Briggs, Woman of Excellence with the NAPA Auto Care team. Together, we dig into why workplace conflict can feel like “landing a plane without being a pilot,” and how a few small communication habits can change the outcome fast.

Courtney shares a simple, powerful framework from the book Difficult Conversations: you’re not having one conversation, you’re having three at the same time. There’s the “what happened” conversation (where you only have half the story), the feelings conversation (where unspoken emotion drives defensiveness), and the identity conversation (where insecurity whispers that one mistake means you’re a bad person or about to get fired). We talk through how to slow down, stop assuming intent, and walk in with clear goals: what you want for yourself, what you want for the other person, and what you want for the relationship.

Lauren brings the practical side of leadership communication and emotional intelligence: using "I" statements, asking better questions, and listening to understand instead of listening to respond. We also cover influence without authority, how to motivate people who don’t report to you, and why connecting someone to the “why” behind a request can prevent conflict before it starts.

If you want better conflict resolution skills, clearer feedback conversations, and stronger team trust, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a rating and review so more leaders can find it.

Send us Fan Mail

To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org.

To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

AI is changing how drivers discover and buy aftermarket parts, and the shift is happening faster than most teams are ready for. Mike Chung joined by Jon Hedges, founder of Hedges & Company, to unpack what “digital marketing” truly means in the automotive aftermarket when the customer journey spans Google search, marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, reviews, video, email, and in-store research with a phone in hand. 

We start with the fundamentals: why being visible online is now table stakes, how the industry moved from paper catalogs to online catalogs and shopping carts, and why accurate product data and fitment details still decide whether a shopper trusts your brand. Then we get practical about measurement. Jon explains how to think about goals, which metrics actually matter, and how to avoid the attribution traps that make reports look great while sales stay flat. If conversion tracking is misconfigured, today’s algorithms will optimize for the wrong actions and send you more of the wrong traffic. 

From there, we tackle SEO versus LLM optimization (LLMO) and what it takes to show up when consumers ask AI tools for shopping answers. Jon shares why original, useful content and technical signals like schema are becoming essential, and why trust frameworks like EEAT (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness) will matter even more as agentic AI begins shopping on behalf of customers. The big takeaway: better data and stronger trust signals can help smaller aftermarket brands compete with much larger players. 

Subscribe to Auto Care ON AIR, share this with a teammate who owns your web and marketplace strategy, and leave a rating and review so more aftermarket pros can find the show.

Send us Fan Mail

To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org.

To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

Mexico’s vehicle fleet just crossed a milestone that should make every aftermarket planner sit up: 36.1 million vehicles in operation. Stacey Miller sits down with Evaristo Garcia, Founder and CEO of IDF, to unpack the latest Mexico VIO data and what it means for the automotive aftermarket, distribution, and the North American supply chain.

They talk through where the growth is really coming from (light vehicles), and why Mexico’s average vehicle age stays high and steady at about 16.2 years. That long-lived fleet is shaped by strong new vehicle sales and by something uniquely important to Mexico’s market: used imports from the United States, often called “chocolates.” If you sell parts, service vehicles, or manage inventory across borders, this mix changes how you forecast demand and how wide your catalog needs to be.

Then they dig into the strategic shifts hiding inside the totals. Mexico is still a car-heavy market at roughly 56% of VIO, but trucks and SUVs keep gaining ground as global OEM strategies tilt away from sedans. We also explain IDF’s “modern segment” view: about 14 million vehicles from the last 10 model years, a huge opportunity for aftermarket businesses that want to win on newer applications without ignoring the long tail. Finally, they put Chinese automakers into perspective: more than 10% of new vehicle sales, yet only about 1.2% of the light-vehicle VIO today, alongside bigger penetration in medium and heavy trucks and real-world parts availability lessons.

If you found this useful, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a rating and review so more autocare professionals can find it.

Send us Fan Mail

To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org.

To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast