Discounted MOTs attract the wrong type of customer… and fail to generate additional revenue, a new survey has indicated. An analysis of workshop data by MOT Angel found that 72% of garages...

Nearly 50% of vans between 3.0 and 3.5 tonnes gvw failed to pass their MOT first time, according to official figures for 2012/13. It was the worst failure rate for any class of vehicle and is likely...

Very few dealerships have ISO 9001 accreditation, but the owner of Castle Point Motors Alan Foster believes it has been the number one reason why the business has increased turnover by 25%+ in each of...

Kent Auto Panels is not a conventional franchised retailer. With a degree in engineering and a passion for aftersales, managing director Garry Furneaux has unveiled a unique plan to develop that side...

New research into electronic vehicle health checks suggests that franchised dealerships are missing out on opportunities to sell service and parts. The figures, from BTC and based on a survey of 1,000...

Like most dealerships and groups today, Stephen James BMW is working hard to get more older cars into its workshops. Ryan O’Sullivan, aftersales manager of the Ruxley dealership, said the...

Four to five years ago, Humming Bird Motors was selling around 100 new Kias annually from a site shared with Mitsubishi. Want to read more articles on this website? Sign up for a free trial...

Ford retailer Motorcare of Alnwick has seen workshop profitability and utilisation increase following the launch of a new Android app version of its eVHC system. Want to read more articles on this...

Longer service intervals and improved vehicle quality have reduced the amount of time our customers’ cars spend in the workshop, reducing the available profit opportunities. It is getting harder...

Main dealer servicing is different to non-main dealer servicing, but customers don’t always see it that way. It’s a problem faced by virtually every aftersales department in the country....

There is very little customer loyalty in today’s marketplace. With the internet and the focus on deals, people are more likely to shop around for all their motoring needs. That includes...

Last month in Auto Retail Manager I wrote about some simple guidelines for creating direct mail letters that sell, so now let’s look at what we should be aiming for when writing a...

It’s not just UK dealerships that are struggling with service absorption. In the USA, the NADA reports, it is well short of the traditional 100% benchmark at less than 60%. However, the top...

If you’ve got big companies and organisations in your area and they are close to your dealership, why not offer to pick up employees’ cars for service and return them while they’re...