Lube Shop Confidential
(Continued)

And boy, did I ever make my share of mistakes as a tech! Ever started a car with no oil in it? I’ve done that. Ever double-oiled a car? I’ve done that too. How about starting a car with no oil filter on it? Yep, I’ve done that and soaked the lower-bay tech with oil in the process. How about pumping five quarts of oil into an engine with the drain plug still out, sending the fresh oil straight into the waste oil pan? Yeah, I’m guilty of that, too.

I made these mistakes, and others too, but I am proud to say that not one of these cars ever made it out of the bay onto the street with these or any other mistake on my part. Why is that? Our safety procedures, final calls or whatever you want to call them. Tom, the manager in the first lube shop I ever worked in, pounded it into our heads that “safeties are done on every vehicle, and done correctly, every time…no exceptions!”

Stringently adhering to a good set of service procedures will ensure that most of the obvious mistakes are prevented in the first place, and that the ones that unfortunately slip through are caught by the safeties, ensures that there is no customer dissatisfaction and no claim against the shop.

In my quick lube career I have worked on thousands of customers’ vehicles personally, and I am proud to say that I have never had any claim based on any of the work I have done personally. Many of the mistakes I have made could easily have led to an expensive customer claim, but the safety procedures caught them all. As they were designed to do.

By following a great set of procedures, I soon was having a lot of fun and doing a great job in any location I worked in.

Now, these several years later I am happy to say I love this industry, and I love getting up and coming to work every day. I think back to when I naively thought I was “too good” to work in a lowly lube shop, and I’m ashamed.

I am now proud to say that I run the best group of lube shops in my county. Along with each of my great employees, my stated goal — every day and every minute — is to get every one of my customers to think and say the same thing.

This year is going to be a great one for our industry. The economy is slowly but surely improving, and great customer service has never gone out of fashion with customers.

I encourage each of my employees to have fun while they work, and I have a lot of fun while I’m working, too. My customers seem to have fun while they are here also, and I like that.

We are all excited by the prospects of this new year, and each of you should be, too.

Good luck and I’ll see ya’ next month!

KIT SULLIVAN is a partner in a multi-unit Florida-based quick lube company. A 16-year veteran of the industry, Sullivan has more than 25 years experience in sales and management training. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers. He can be reached via e-mail: quicklubekit@aol.com

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