Auto Service World Conversations

Jim Caldwell is president and CEO of Surrey, B.C..-based OK Tire. During the worst days of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was his job to give leadership, direction, and encouragement to the 350-plus shops in the OK Tire family. He offers his thoughts on how the auto repair and service industry rose to the challenge and what may still lay in store for us.

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In his 50-year career in the automotive repair and service industry, Bob Paff has done it all. He's worked at dealerships, independent shops, and specialty shops. He's been a technician, a service advisor, and a shop owner. Fifteen years ago he added another job to his resume: web creator. His vision drives the Automotive Service Business Network (www.asbn.ca). We called him up to find out what his plans are for this unique web resource.

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We pick a question from our mail bag this week, and dive into what every shop needs to think about as they build their web presence. There are a lot of social media options and landing page ideas... but are there land mines to avoid? Uh... ya. Here's one.

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The Automotive Industries Association of Canada is talking to Ontario legislators about requiring collision shops to be provincially certified in order to do business. If those negotiations go well, AIA believes mandatory certification might also be good for the mechanical repair industry -- not just in Ontario but across the country. We spoke to Ontario shop owner Bob Ward about what he thinks of the idea.

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Thousands of times every working day technicians across North America return perfectly good parts as defective. Whether for reasons of confusion, expediency, profit, or convenience, it's a practice that is having an impact on the aftermarket. The industry has been wrestling with it -– usually quietly for fear of offending customers -- for decades . We spoke to David Tobin, a senior strategist with California-based parts manufacturer Motorcar Parts of America, about the scope of the problem.

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Sahas Katta founded Smartcar – a mobility software company – with his brother Sanketh in 2015. Its application programming interface is a “way in” for developers of programs that use vehicle telematics. Unlike others, however, it taps into the data stream without hardware. The company’s platform allows web and mobile apps to do a number of things, include locate and unlock the vehicle, read its fluid and pressure levels, and report odometer, oil and battery readings from vehicles across brands. We spoke to Sahas about the future of telematics and how it could impact aftermarket players.

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As national sales manager for traditional aftermarket for Bosch Auto Parts, Cam Young has been able to see how the pandemic has impacted everyone in the aftermarket, from parts manufacturers, to distributors, to service providers. He anticipates a coming surge of auto service work as economies re-open and consumers get more comfortable conducting their daily business. We asked him to give us his take on how the pandemic unfolded for the automotive aftermarket.

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Porsche technician Nhu Nguyen followed her passion for fixing broken things into the automotive repair world. She's now a technician at a Toronto-area Porsche dealership, a volunteer at Porsche driver events, and an advocate for getting more women in repair bays. Her active social media profile, led her to be selected by eBay Canada as a tastemaker. You can find the eBay "finds" she recommends at eBay.ca/ebayedits. We spoke to her about her very busy -- and unique -- career.

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David Lawes, CEO of the B.C. Used Oil Management Association, talks about an innovative series of videos featuring a hilarious technician named "Ken the Mechanic" who discusses the recyclability of motor oil. The videos make the point that not everything that gets dirty needs to be thrown away... and that's especially true of used motor oil. We spoke to David about how the campaign came together.

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Tim and Becky Brough, owners of Reliance Automotive in Hamilton, Montana hit a home run with their spirited “Who is Becky!” marketing campaign earlier this month. The campaign dominated the local news media and was the top trending topic in town for weeks. It also drew lots of new faces into the shop. We talk to Tim and his son T.J. about how the campaign was conceived.

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