March 20, 2015
Cheap Brake Services Can Be Expensive
Cheap Brake Services Can Be Expensive Brought to you by AASA For eighty
years,there has been a war on the price of brake services. Shops were
advertising low-priced brake relines on sandwich boards for $,but they
complained about"gyps"selling brake jobs for $ on the side of the road. We see
almost the same situation today. Some car dealers,chains and independent shops
still chase the cheapest brake job. This time the price point is around $150.
Today,shops are complaining about some guy on Craigslist who will perform a
brake job for around $40 if he is provided with the pads. Shops that chase the
cheapest brake job do so for a few reasons,the biggest being they are afraid of
costing more than the competition down the street and maybe losing a customer launch
crp229 creader. Some almost treat the brake job as a loss leader to get
customers in the door so they can inspect the vehicle. While this might work for
some retail businesses,it will not work for a traditional repair shop building
long-term customer growth and profitability. Cheap Brakes = Cheap Result Most
factory labor times call for hours to just replace the pads. To replace a rotor
is about to hours depending on the vehicle. According to the most recent Brake
& Front End Shop Profile,the average labor rate is $72 per hour. With
hours,or about $65,the profit margins start to get thin. Brake jobs finished in
less than hours require short cuts that are not recommended,such as not
measuring for runout in the rotor or hub and not cleaning and lubricating the
guide pin and slides. Then there is sourcing the pads. Cheap pads exist at the
bottom,but by cutting these corners,you are drastically decreasing the life of
the pads,the safety of the vehicle and customer satisfaction. Shops that perform
cheap brake jobs are making a dangerous assumption that their average customer
only needs a certain performance quality to get around town and will sacrifice
that higher quality for price. But is it really worth taking the risks that come
with installing cheap brake pads in order to advertise and maybe make a profit
on a brake job special? The Value of Quality Buying a quality brake pad is like
buying medicine maxitpms
ts501. When you are buying a legal drug,you are not just paying the cost to
manufacture,package,and market the pill. The bulk of what you are paying for is
research and development. The same is true for brake pads. Aftermarket brake
pads require a great deal of testing and engineering because they are made for a
specific vehicle. A quality brake pad manufacturer will spend a lot of time and
money developing a brake pad application for your vehicle. This includes
simulated and on-the-vehicle testing. These types of tests are time and
equipment intensive. A brake dynamometer,for example,can be more sophisticated
and larger than an engine dynamometer. Brake dynamometers can simulate the
conditions the brake system will experience in a much shorter time. This means
that a brake dynamometer can simulate the mass,inertia and performance
capabilities of a vehicle. Rotor Service There is usually a disclaimer on most
cheap brake job banners that says:"Machining of rotors or drums extra."Not
addressing the rotors every brake job is setting your shop up for a comeback
that can destroy any profit from any cheap brake job. If you look at most OE pad
replacement procedures,they typically say that if the rotor is within
specifications,you do not need to machine the rotor (assuming you are taking the
time during a brake job to measure runout and thickness variation). But these
procedures assume that exact same friction material on the vehicle. With some
ceramic and NAO pads,a transfer layer of friction material is bonded to the
rotor's surface. The layer is always being worn and replenished by the brake pad
during braking. This layer cannot be washed away by water or an abrasive disc
and can only be removed with a brake lathe. If this layer is not removed,the new
pads can become contaminated and not perform to their full potential. At the
least,you should be checking thickness and runout. Use of an on-the-car brake
lathe or runout correction plates take time,so you should charge for it.
Hardware is Never Extra Cheap brake job coupons almost always come with the
clause:"hardware extra."But new hardware is critical to protecting the driver's
investment in a proper brake job. Heating and cooling cycles can weaken springs
and anti-rattle clips. Weak hardware parts can result in excessive caliper/pad
movement or binding,which will cause noise and other related problems. This can
lead to uneven and premature pad wear,warped rotor and pulling. Most floating
brake calipers use a rubber or plastic insulator or shim around the mounting
bolts of the caliper. As materials wear,they start to flatten into an oval shape
due to the torque from the brakes,which can cause excessive caliper movement.
Torn boots can also allow water to enter the guide pin holes,causing rattles and
thumps even if the brakes are not applied. Ask Your Best Customers Cheap brake
jobs can artificially inflate car counts in the short term,but they attract
customers that will not build your business' bottom line in the long term. Look
at your top customers. For most shops,these top customers account for a large
percentage of your revenue and even more of the profit. They come in more than
once and recommend your shop to their friends. If you ask them why they come to
your shop,chances are they will not say price. They will typically say trust and
service. Cheap brake jobs are also an inventory issue. Your shop has only so
many hours of labor it can sell a day. A fixed-price hour of labor for a cheap
brake job is not as profitable as an hour of labor for a major undercar repair -
but not doing brake jobs isn't a solution either. The solution is to perform
brake jobs that use the best quality parts with labor prices that reflect
reality and not what the guy down the street is willing to take. The customer
really wants more than price.
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