1 Mar 2016

What to Look for When Shopping for Used Cars Salt Lake City

by | posted in: Selling Auto Services | 0

If you are interested in buying used cars Salt Lake City, it would not take you long before finding a car that best suits your needs. The city has numerous car dealers having a variety of used vehicles of all makes and models including import used cars, domestic used cars etc. However, it goes without saying that some of the used cars being sold are likely to have some hidden problems that can greatly cost you down the road. Hence, there is great need for a thorough inspection and testing of the car before buying it to avoid potential future problems.

The Following are Some Things to Look for When Shopping the Used Cars.

1. Inspect its External and Internal Aesthetics.

Firstly, thoroughly examine the exterior and interior upholstery very careful and if there be any repairs in the external, check whether they were done professionally. Open the hood to inspect its engine and other parts to ensure they are in right condition.

2. Research Some Reviews on the Make/Model.

Search on consumer and industry reviews, possibly from Google, to uncover any possible defects or common problems related to the car.

3. Get the Car History Report.

Either from dealers or order it online to help in revealing potential title problems, its previous accidents and other important factors. These can also help in your price negotiation.

4. Doing a Drive Test.

Take the car on some drive test in different environments to see its response and performance. On local roads for instance, you can test the brake conditions while in highways, its engine operation can be tested. You can then decide if it’s good for you or not.

5. Do Leak Tests.

During the test drive for any visible leaking substances such as oil, anti-freeze or in the transmission.

6. Certified Pre-owned.

If possible, try to buy a car that is certified pre-owned, for this offers you an extra level of assurance and probably some warranties that can extend to you.

7. Decode the Car’s VIN.

To avoid the common VIN cloning from scammers, ensure you decode the VIN of the car you are to buy.

8. Research on its Price.

To ensure fair price charges, compare different prices of cars of similar make, model and year perhaps from various online sources.

9. Inspection by a Mechanic.

Last but not least, take the car to a trusted mechanic for general inspection before purchasing to find out any other hidden problems; determine its value and help prevent more costly car maintenance in the future.

Hope these are helpful tips to enable you to get the right car at the best price possible.

16 Feb 2016

Electronic Auto Body Repair Salt Lake City

by | posted in: Selling Auto Services | 0

auto-enthusiastsI run an auto body repair Salt Lake City. My shop works on all kinds of cars and trucks with all kinds of problems. Unfortunately, fixing the cars and trucks are not the only kind of problems I have to deal with on a daily basis. No, in addition to fixing damaged cars and trucks I also have to manage the people who work for me. Case in point: Jimmy G a technician working for me got into a heated argument with Bobby B, another technician in my employ.

MY AUTO BODY REPAIR SALT LAKE CITY EMPLOYEE NAMED JIMMY G

Jimmy G came up to me the other day and told me that electronic modules within twelve inches of a weld must be removed. Now at the time I was sitting at my desk figuring out payroll. I had no idea why he felt the need to burst into my office to make this declaration. But I have worked with Jimmy G for a long time and have known him to be a guy that calls it like he sees it and tells it like it is. So I was willing to hear him out. But before I could ask my follow up question Bobby B burst into my office yelling that Jimmy G was wrong and that an electrostatic discharge strap should be worn when handling electronic modules.

Jimmy G and Bobby B are both valued employees. They do tend to get into stupid arguments from time to time but I think this has more to do with clashing personalities rather than different opinions as to automotive knowledge. It took me a while but I managed to smooth things over between them. After a half an hour of talking it through I got them both to admit that their statements were not mutually exclusive and that in a sense they both were right. These are the types of things I have to deal with in my repair.

15 Jan 2016

Dirt Nibs

by | posted in: Selling Autos | 0

2-collision-repair-advertisementI work in an auto body repair shop in Salt Lake City. There are two auto painters who work under me whom I supervise. One is named David and the other is named Bobby. Yesterday the two of them were working on a Crown Victoria that required a repaired metal frame to be repainted. I thought everything was going fine between them but around 3:00 PM in the afternoon (I remember because the Rush Limbaugh program had just ended) I heard them arguing about something. It sounded pretty heated.

First I heard David yell, “Damn it Bobby, we sanded the dirt nibs from a metallic base coat before applying the clear coat!”

“Yeah,” replied Bobby. “So what?”

“So the clear coat can now be applied directly over the sanded basecoat,” said David.

“You got that all wrong,” said Bobby.

“How so?” asked David.

“We have to apply another basecoat,” said Bobby. “It will help prevent the sand scratches from showing up.”

I heard all this from the other room. Of course I agreed with Bobby on this one. Those sand scratches would show up clear as day without the second basecoat. But I wanted to see if they could work it out on there own. That way I did not have to intervene.

Luckily the next thing I heard was David say, “Okay we’ll do it your way.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. I do not like to intervene if I have to. It just causes unneeded friction that I do not want to deal with. This is one of the many things I have learned not to do while working in this collision repair shop in Salt Lake City all these years. It is not merely about fixing cars in this shop. It is also about keeping relationships from needing fixing.

 

5 Jan 2016

Tales From a Collision Repair Shop in Salt Lake City

by | posted in: Selling Auto Services | 0

2-collision-repair-advertisementI work in an auto body repair shop in Salt Lake City. Two days ago I had to settle a dispute between two of the technicians (named Frankie and Johnny respectively) who work for me. On that day they were repairing a 1998 Lincoln Town Car with a heavily dented steel fender. Frankie had already roughed out the fender and prepared it for the plastic filler. Frankie wanted to apply the metal conditioner to the base metal areas arguing that this would improve the filler adhesion. But Johnny argued that all the paint should first be removed from the damaged area to improve filler adhesion.  

 

Of course I knew that Johnny had the right idea but I did not want to come out and say that because I knew that Frankie would get upset. Frankie and Johnny are both great technicians but there is a bit of ego between them. For this reason I do not often have them working on the same project together. It only leads to problems. On that day I was a little short handed and I needed to get that Lincoln Town Car out of auto body shop to make room for another car. So I made the executive decision to have them work together on the Town Car.

 

Luckily, Frankie got a call from his old lady. I think they are having marital issues and I do not want to get involved with that. Frankie got off the phone visibly upset so I told him to take the rest of the day off. He seemed to brighten up a little after hearing that. Once he left I told Johnny to remove the paint from the damaged areas of the town car before applying the plastic filler. Problem solved. These are the types of issues I have to deal with working in my collision repair shop in Salt Lake City.