Customer service is a priority at Shutes Alignment & Frey Tire in ...

Customer service is a priority at Shutes Alignment & Frey Tire
Continued from page 1
supplier of tires. We want to
determine what is best for
customers’ driving habits with
their particular vehicles. Much of
our clientele is not pricing the
cheapest tires. They want what is
best suited for their vehicle.”
As for parts, about 15 to 18
percent are OE, Reynolds said.
Otherwise, the shop deals with
the local NAPA Auto Parts and
Bumper to Bumper stores.
“They have a good grasp on
our market, the top movers,” he
said. “Both have great quality
parts and their service is fantastic. And
they’re just right around the corner. If I can
keep my inventory down, I can keep my
overall expense and bottom line for the
customer low and give them the pros and
cons; you educate the customer. If there’s an
option, they should have some say in what
they are spending. You’re there to fix their
car. Give them the same respect they are
giving you.”
Reynolds said he is a “die-hard Monroe
and Moog fan. Their quality is above and
beyond everybody. They’re the industry
Since
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AUTO & TRUCK, INC.
P.O. P.O. Box Box 565 565 Effingham, IL IL 62401-0565 email: ��email: autoparts@y-yard.com
Local: 217 217-536-6116 Fax: 217-536-5551 www.y-yard.com
. 536 . 6116 Fax: 217 . 536 . 5551 www.y-yard.com
leaders for a reason.”
Whenever Reynolds talks about his
business, it is not long before the
conversation turns to one subject:
personalized customer service.
“When you walk in that door as a firsttime
customer, if you don’t leave here
feeling like you made a friend, then I did
something wrong. We consider a customer’s
needs, budget, wants, but keep safety and
function in mind,” he said.
When customers come in for an oil
change, they are given an Identifix printout
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800-2552-4040
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Hours:
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Over 45 Acres of Quality, Recycled Parts for Domestic
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Technician Ty Perez prepares an automobile for routine
maintenance at Shutes Alignment & Frey Tire. General
Manager Brian Reynolds says he recently invested in a
Hunter Engineering Hawkeye Elite alignment system.
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to review scheduled maintenance
periods. “That way, the customer can
see what the manufacturer
recommends, and maybe break it up
over two or three visits, budget it in,”
he said.
Reynolds said he recently purchased
a Hunter Engineering
Hawkeye Elite
alignment system.
“We’re taking
alignment times out
from 35 minutes per car
to 15 to 16 minutes per
car, including
adjustments. We’re
going to quarter reduced tolerance over
manufacturer’s specs,” he said. “It’s a large
investment but worth the expense.”
Other equipment in the Shutes shop
includes some Snap-on scan tools, though
he said he primarily uses OTC Genisys and
Pegisys, Road Force tire balancers, and
Robinair A/C equipment.
Reynolds said that eventually he will have
Owatonna, Minn.—Find the leak. Clear
the code. Smoke the test. At least 80
percent of the top emission codes on
vehicles today originate from the EVAP
system and can be diagnosed faster and
more accurately with smoke technology.
“Technicians proficient with engine
maintenance, vacuum, gaskets, and seals,
including EVAP systems, have a multitude
of problem-finding opportunities using the
smoke-based leak detection offered by
OTC’s LeakTamer,” said Andy Forsberg,
product manager of Electronics at OTC.
“And when working on EVAP systems,
you need more than just a scan tool. The
LeakTamer is less than half the size of its
predecessor model, offering improved
portability in your shop and more
powerful diagnostics in a smaller
package.”
General repair and body shop
technicians can use this tool to solve
problems including wind noise and
heating, ventilation and A/C (HVAC)
performance, or to locate and repair water
drainage issues. The OTC LeakTamer
incorporates patented technology by
introducing an OEM-approved smoke
compound with UltraTraceUV dye to
locate nearly any kind of leak quickly and
easily. The tool also helps technicians and
shop owners save money by eliminating
wasted time.
A leak as small as 0.020 inch in diameter
can allow more than 30 times the amount
to purchase new A/C equipment and train
his staff to make the switch from R-134a
refrigerant to R-1234yf. But so far, his shop
has not seen vehicles with the new
refrigerant.
“We’ll take that in stride, just like we did
when we went to R-134a,” he said.
Reynolds said he sees
“We consider a
customer’s needs,
budget, wants, but
keep safety and
function in mind.”
similar changes taking
place every day in the
automotive industry.
“We’re seeing more
and more hybrids. We
went to Schaumburg for a
three-day training seminar
recently. I was awed by
everything, and I thought I was on top of the
market,” he said.
To keep up with those changes, Reynolds
said, continuing education for his
technicians is imperative. “If you don’t
allow your technicians to do that, if you
don’t reward them for doing that, you’re
gonna be a mom-and-pop gas station and
out of business in five years.” n
OTC’s LeakTamer with UltraTraceUV
Technology smokes out microleaks
The LeakTamer comes with the
UltraTraceUV smoke solution and includes
a standard accessory package with
exhaust cone, service port adapter,
Schrader removal tool, assorted cap plugs
kit, and three-in-one flashlight with
ultraviolet (UV) light to highlight the
fluorescent dye deposited at the exact
location of a leak.
of hydrocarbons into the atmosphere than
is currently acceptable through the exhaust.
The LeakTamer can detect microleaks
down to and below 0.010 inch with its
large, easy-to-read flow meter. The unit
also includes precise flow control, which is
a powerful new feature that allows the
operator to adjust the amount of smoke the
LeakTamer puts out. This helps pinpoint
leaks faster and more efficiently,
minimizing customer comebacks and
improving service bay productivity. n
Page 20 May 2012 Parts & People www.partsandpeople.com