HOW TO START YOUR OWN
AUTO TUNE-UP SHOP


This business idea is one of those recession-proof
opportunities that can put you on "easy street." When the economy
heats up and inflation increases the cost of living, people become
"do-it-yourself" conscious, looking for ways to save money.
Whenever the economy falters, people again are searching for
methods of saving money and making what they already own last
longer.

The marketing principles outlined within this report emphasize
the money-making potential of an independent auto tune-up shop in
any part of the country. One of the secrets of success in this
business is the specialization. No longer do auto owners expect
their neighborhood service station to keep their cars tuned-up and
running smoothly.

There are several reasons for the demise of the local "do-it-
all" auto mechanic: First, there are very few auto mechanics
running service stations anymore. A good journey man auto
mechanic can earn much more, without the responsibility, by hiring
out to big-time auto dealerships. Most service stations today are
simply gas and tire selling outlets operated by the major oil
companies who advise you to take your mechanical problems
elsewhere for repair. When you do find one with a mechanic on
duty, the prices are such that only the very rich can afford them.

There's also the problem of unethical operators. Although
many state legislatures have enacted licensing and consumer
protection safety measures, the rip-offs continue. The crux of
the problem is that most auto owners do not realize they've been
taken until after the fact, and then it's too late. After being
taken once or twice, many consumers turn to "do-it-yourself" auto
repair until they run into the technology and advanced electronics
of the ignition system on today's cars. That's when they'll be
needing your help.

It really doesn't take any special education or training to
set up an independent auto tune-up shop. Any automotive repair
experience you may have will help, but a simple knowledge of basic
tune-up procedures is all that's really necessary. In fact, the
important prerequisites will be a strong business sense and an old
fashioned "down-home" ability to get along with people.

Remember this fact: In starting and operating this business,
it's not mandatory that you be a qualified auto mechanic; but your
success will depend upon your ability to "serve others," and upon
having a genuine desire and ability to do a good job.

This means remembering faces and names; addressing customers
by first names as you get to know them; and listening to them;
interacting with their problems and achievements. The best way to
explain the kind of "people empathy" you need for success in any
kind of service business is to think of all your customers as
close friends.

You can start this business in your garage - and even on a
part-time basis. Run an ad in your local paper:

QUICK IN & OUT AUTO TUNE-UPS... Low cost, guaranteed...
We pick up and deliver... Call Jim at 123-4567

Place a similar ad or notice on all the bulletin boards in
your area. To drum up business and get the ball rolling, you
could even elicit customers via telephone. Simply start calling
people out of the phone book. Tell them that your shop is
offering a change-of-season special on auto tune-ups - in and out
in less than an hour for $5, plus parts, which usually run less
than $10, and then ask them if they'd like for you to pick up and
deliver their car this afternoon or evening.

Another way of managing, building, and promoting your business
is via the service stations and auto parts stores in your area.
Have posters or signs painted, advertising your "quick in-and-out"
tune-up service. Take them around to all the service stations
that don't handle auto repairs, and to the auto parts stores, and
ask them to put your signs in their windows.

The next thing would be to hand out your business cards
wherever you go and to everybody you meet. Give a handful to
your friends, and ask them to write their name on the back of the
cards and hand them out for you. You could promise them a dollar
or two for every customer who brings in a card with their name on
it. You'll be quite pleasantly surprised at how fast your
business will grow when you take advantage of these promotional
methods.

Still another idea is to have advertising circulars made up.
Pay some junior high school students to hand them out at busy
shopping centers on weekends, especially after the first cold snap
or hot spell of the year. If you live in a large metropolitan
area, leave off stacks at your downtown parking lots and get the
lot attendants to hand them out as the people pay their parking
fees.

You should be able to trade tune-up work for free radio
advertising, especially after or during any change in the weather.
This kind of advertising should work very well for you, so plan on
it and use it at those times when people are most likely to be
thinking about a tune-up.

You can set this business up very simply and operate it
according to the sophisticated time-saving methods of the highly
capitalized franchised operations.

This means an electronic check of the ignition system and
scientific diagnosis of the engine. Check with the auto parts and
tools distributors in your area. They should be able to steer you
onto the national manufacturers or suppliers of the equipment you
need.

Here's how to buy the equipment: Decide upon a supplier and
explain your business plan to him. Tell him you want to finance
the cost of the equipment through your local bank with him as your
co-signer. Get the bank to draw up the papers, make a layout of
your shop and equipment with the help of your supplier, and that's
all there is to it.

After you've electronically checked the ignition, the next
step in your quick tune-up procedure is to replace all parts that
aren't operating properly. This usually means points, condenser
and plugs. In some cases, this may include a new rotor,
distributor cap, fuel filter, air cleaner and maybe spark plug
wires. Be hesitant to suggest extras beyond the basics until your
business is established. Spray some chemical cleaning fluid into
and on the carburetor, start the engine, set the timing, make any
necessary adjustments - and the job is complete. You charge the
customer about $10 for parts, (or according to your cost) plus $5
for labor, and you should be on your way to a good income.

As you become established, and as your customers gain
confidence in your work, you'll be able to suggest and sell them
such things as new batteries, battery cables, starters, voltage
regulators, alternators and sometimes even generators - when these
parts are not working properly and need replacement. It's
important that you don't sell, or even allow your customers to buy
parts from you that are not really needed for continued trouble-
free operation of their vehicles. Another thing: when you do
replace a major piece of equipment on a customer's auto, always
schedule the replacement work for a time when you're not handling
regular in-and-out tune-up customers. In other words, you might
schedule the replacement of a generator for Monday, after advising
the customer of the need on Friday. Suggest that he leave the car
with you all day, and pick it up on his way home from work. Or he
could stop by on his way to work, and you take him to work,
replacing the generator during the day, and pick him up after
work.

The charge for replacing major engine components such as
suggested should be $10 plus the cost of the replacement part.
It's also very important that whenever you contract to do this
kind of work, you have the work done and the car ready for your
customer at the time you promise him it'll be ready. No one likes
to wait around for the completion of work that was promised to be
done at a specific time. By completing the work on time, and
having your customer's car properly serviced as promised, you'll
build more long-term loyalty than any fancy advertising, "come-on"
gimmicks or rock-bottom prices ever offered.

So the thing to do as you organize your business is to
establish accounts - sources of wholesale priced parts - with the
major auto parts distributors in your area. You'll want to
maintain a general supply of new parts on hand, and not have
to worry about paying for them for at least 30 days. In other
words , you'll need a cash-flow system that works to your ad
vantage .

Your profit will come from developing a standard routine that
allows you to move at least four cars through your shop every
hour. Some automotive purists may argue that you're only
providing a "pep-up" instead of a tune-up, but let them beat their
gums. Give each car the same procedure: an electronic check, new
points and condenser, then an engine diagnosis, and collect your
fee.

Talk with your customers. Get to know them and allow them to
get to know you. Then when your engine diagnosis indicates a
valve job or a new carburetor you can recommend it to them and
they'll trust your judgment.

You, as the operator of a quick tune-up shop, should not
volunteer any major mechanical work. Suggest someone whose work
you trust. Your customer will appreciate your suggestion and
concern. And he'll remain loyal to you for not taking his money
and attempting to give him a repair job in an area where you don't
specialize.

After all, you're a tune-up specialist - the guy who knows all
there is to know about a car's ignition system - the guy who keeps
cars running smoothly. By specializing in a particular area of
auto repair, and recommending other specialists as needed, you'll
be able to quickly dispel the skepticism many car owners have for
independent auto repair shops in general.

An assembly line in-and-out operation will reduce the
necessary investment for tools, enable you to hire lower-cost
workers, and greatly increase your profit potential by eliminating
wasted motion. Keep it simple, routine and according to a
definite procedure on every car.

Once you have your business established and a regular
following of people who bring their cars to you for regular tune-
ups - usually every six months - you can begin thinking about
expansion. It's best to hire college students, or "car-crazy"
high school students, to work alongside you. Give your customers
a chance to recognize and know your help. When you find one who
seems to be especially mechanically inclined, take him aside and
offer him the title of assistant manager of your shop.

Teach this young man how you want the business to operate;
explain where the profit comes from; and assign more of the actual
responsibilities to him. Leave him on his own to run the shop for
longer periods of time. Be patient; compliment him on his work;
and if you want him to stay with you, give him a raise now and
then, and eventually, a percentage of the profits.

Offering him a percentage arrangement will result in even
greater profits for you, plus a very strong local image for your
business. Because you're "giving him" a part of the business,
he'll promote your business to his friends, and through him and
his friends, a long line of new customers and a chain of loyalty
that could become more valuable to your business than any amount
of advertising you could buy.

When you're ready to expand your operation from your garage to
a regular commercial location, look for a vacant service station.
One of the larger facilities built by a major oil company, located
on a strategic corner, will be your best bet.

So long as you operate out of your garage and on a small
scale, you probably won't have to worry too much about licenses.
That is, providing you get along well with your neighbors, don't
clutter up the street with 5 or 10 cars at a time, and don't erect
any kind of sign indicating you're doing business in a
residentially zoned neighborhood.

However, once you move into a commercial location, you'll need
to register the name of your business with the appropriate local
government authority. In most states, this is the office of the
county clerk.

If your state has a sales tax, you'll have to check with the
state tax commissioner's office to learn the rules on how the
collection system operates.

All these licensing offices are in reality offices for tax
collecting. Basically, they know nothing about your business, and
usually could care less. Their main reason for existence is
simply the collection of money for the administration of
government in your area. If they should ask you questions
relative to the worth of your business, or how much money you will
be taking in, always estimate a much lower figure than either the
true worth or those you anticipate. Most license fees are based
upon the investment of the entrepreneur and his anticipated income
from the new business, and you certainly don't want to start off
paying excess taxes.

A good eye-catching sign is vital to the success of any
business in a commercial location. The most important requirement
for you is visibility. Your sign should be big enough and tall
enough for people to see it from several different directions at a
distance of at least a half block away. Check with your city
ordinances for the sign limitations in the location you select.

Secondly, your sign should immediately state the service
you're offering. Hence, a sign that clearly and simply announces
"Auto Tune-ups" fits this requirement. However, in order to
attract customers into your shop, your sign should "promise" a
benefit. It should describe an added benefit to the reader. So,
your sign should read: "Rapid Auto Tune-Up!"

Basically, that's all you'll need for a sign, but to "fill it
out" you might come up with a special logo or business motto. You
can probably get an art student at your local college to design
something for little more than the privilege of including it in
his or her portfolio. For a business slogan or motto, something
along the lines of "Better performance from your car, at a price
you can afford," is the kind of thing you want to come up with,
and that will do you the most good.

Remember, fast, efficient service and low prices, coupled with
a personality that makes the customer feel you're his friend, are
the keys to your success. Organize yourself; start slowly and
build your customer loyalty; instill these principles in your
employees, and you'll be on your way. Study this report again,
then act on the recommendations given here.

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