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New to the Industry PLEASE HELP!

B

br01985

New member
Hey guys I am pretty new to the industry and had a few questions. I am thinking about building a " hybrid " quick lube. I will have 4 bays double stacked. So total 8 bays. I was going to do 4 bays for Oil and that would leave me with 4 for Alignment, Inspection and other services.. What are yall's thoughts on this?

Also some of my questions were..

1. Where do I get bulk oil?
2. Where do I store it?
3. What is a good POS system to get
4. What oil should I carried? 10w30 5w30? What is most common?
5. Where could I get some training?
6. Know of a any consulting company that would offer their service?
7. Where can I get a state inspection machine?



Thank you guys for the info I have gotten from this site so far! Greatly appreciated!!

If you want to contact me personally. Please email me at AP75150@yahoo.com
 
1. Where do I get bulk oil?
2. Where do I store it?
3. What is a good POS system to get
4. What oil should I carried? 10w30 5w30? What is most common?
5. Where could I get some training?
6. Know of a any consulting company that would offer their service?
7. Where can I get a state inspection machine?



Why dont you look in to an Oil Company to come in and brand you I have a Valvoline Express Care. I am not a franchise. We are privately owned. They can do everything to set you up including machines and all. Go to expresscare.com for more info. There is plenty more companies out there but we found them to give the best support,training and all around help.
 
Thank you for the reply! Greatly appreciated. Any other input from anyone else will be much appreciated!
 
Jon - i went to expresscare.com but there is no contact info for them. Do you have their number? Also who are some of their competitors?
 
Thanks guys they contacted me. And I am going to get with a regional manager sometime next week. Do you guys have any other suggestions? What are some competitors of expresscare?
 
Honestly, if you don't know any of this, and can't find a way to figure it out, then you probably shouldn't be working on people's cars in the first place.

No offense
 
br01985 said:
Jon - i went to expresscare.com but there is no contact info for them. Do you have their number? Also who are some of their competitors?
Click to expand...

Most major Oil Companies have programs like this. If you go to aoca.org there is a bunch of info you can get. You dont have to know how to work on cars to own a Quick Lube. Thats why you hire good techs to work for you. I am a mechanic but my father was not and ran a very successful garage.

Any more help just let me know. I just found that Express Care gives you the best bang for the buck and I looked in to all my options when we started up.

Jonathan
 
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No offense taken bighead. I personally won't be working on the cars.. This is strictly an investment operunity for my in my part of town.

Jonathen, thank you for all the info! Appreciate your quick replys.
 
You need to do a lot more home work! This situation seems destined to fail. The quick lube business is tougher than ever. It is a tough time to be an independent (non franchised) operator.

Some suggestions:

-work in one for at least a month
-buy an existing one and improve it
-consider becoming a franchise (eg Jiffy Lube has a great brand awareness)
-get an accountant to help you with the business case
-speak with a bank about financing
-even if you have a lot of money and this is hobby so you dont mind losing a couple million dollars; create the business case with an accountant and have a bank review. These outside parties will provide much needed reality check.
-have some people in the industry review your plan. There are consultants that can discuss plan with you for a a few thousand $. Think that's a lot of $? Wait unit you you build and staff this place as you are planning and you find out you made some huge mistakes! You will wish you had spent the thousands.
-resources: join AOCA.org; NOLN.com, contact Jiffy Lube
-spend hundreds more hours on research

Sorry for the direct language. I thought I should save you from a state of mind that I have been in: IGNORANT OPTIMISM. The fallout effected my physical and mental health. I survived but it was a very tough period and it wasn't fair to my family.

Do more research!

Let me know if you want the numbers of some consultants.

Have fun doing your research!

Turbo

Chicago 3 bay jiffy lube, 3 bay self serv, 1 southern pride automatic (20 years old)
 
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