Thoughts on Consumerism

Thoughts on  "Business Responsibilities Towards Customers Within the Automotive Industry".

I have read this booklet on business responsibilities, and have done some research.  A lot of my information is from stats.govt.nz (I find it funny how there's a sub category on 'Asian peoples')

The introduction mentions that there was a time where the 'buy beware' attitude was practiced by retailers and service providers.   It is great that we live in such a civilized country where we have passed this phase and follow a fair trading act.

Obviously in the bigger picture, we do not have families with an average of 16 children, a working father and a stay-at-home mother.  There are many factors that could have taken affect on this, but a major one would be how financially stable people  are these days.  With two partners per family working on average, this gives them more purchasing power.  As of September 2012, there are currently 2.4M people who are employed.  (Population of New Zealand 4.4M people)

Buyer demand is obviously increasing, with a current of two vehicles per household on average, this plays a huge toll on small automotive repairs and services workshops.

It also mentions extended trading hours being a key factor in the development in consumerism.  With almost all workshops being open six days a week, it is now much easier for people to get their vehicles serviced on their day offs.

Advertising and Media Development is actually getting a lot easier these days.  With technology increasing it is now easy for businesses to create their targets and only send their advertisements to them.  For example,  I received an email from a company selling castor wheels, because one of my blog posts contained the word 'castor'.  Obviously with social networking sites like Facebook, businesses can create free pages and expand their image through mutual people.  This is a completely free way of advertisement and is highly effective. Facebook has recently reached 1billion users.

Consumer behaviour patterns is mostly based on how much money the customer has and how they are feeling.  If a consumer has more money, they have more power to spend it.  This means that in the long run, if consumer behaviour patterns tend to change within periods of thirty days, a business may have a sale every thirty days at the period where it may be suited for consumers to spend their money.

As an automotive tradesman, it is important to have loyal customers that will come back.  Even though it is essential for vehicles to be services and eventually repaired, we need to consider our competition.  one customer bad experience can lead to many consumers creating an image on the company.  This is because people talk and 'bad news spreads like wild fire'.

Job sheets

It is essential for an automotive workshop to have job sheets.  The job sheets will have the full information on what will be done to a vehicle, what has been done to it, when it has been done and can be referred to in the future if there are any concerns of it.

Many workshops will have a stack of clipboards with job sheets, a mechanic will inspect a vehicle and will write down what jobs it will need.  It will have the information for how everything is charged out as well.

The customer will in the end receive a copy of the job sheet, along with an invoice, and should show exactly what the customer is paying for.  This includes labour, parts, etc.

Each job does not represent a vehicle, however, represents the exact appointment the vehicle had at the workshop.  This means that customers that come in more than once can still refer to a specific job sheet, as well as that special time when it was service.  This is done by using a specific job number for each service/repair.

Here are the essentials to a job sheet:

Workshop details - Address, contact details, etc.

Date - date of service

Job sheet number - for reference in the future.  Can also be used for IRD purposes.

Customer details - this is filled out by the customer, including name, contact details, address.

Vehicle details - including rego, chassis number, odometer and import/NZ new.  It is good practice to try and get these details (if possible) as soon as a customer rings up for service or comes in to organize an appointment.

Mechanic name - sometimes the name of the mechanic who is working on this vehicle will be listed.

A list will also be included, will have labour cost per hour and how many hours, parts, parts prices and +15% GST for a sub total.  the last line will be the invoice total, which is what the customer will be paying in the end.

WOF date due - this is an extra and can be added to remind the customer when a WOF is due, or even a service.

The customer's signature will also be required, in order to confirm that the shop has permission to do this job.

Customer Story of a Bad Experience

Steve has written a story about his neighbour having a bad experience with his mechanic.  A small business man running a laundry business cleaning industrial clothes and cloths with his van.  He lately, nhe van was not running right, and was often misfiring.  He asked the mechanic for a tune up or a 'fix up'.

Don returned to pick up the van, only to find that the engine had been pulled out. 


The problem here is that there was a major lack in communication between the mechanic and the customer, and possibly the team at the shop.

If this was done right, the shop would have rung up Don to explain to him why the van is not running right. This would have given Don the opportunity to decide if he wanted it done or not, rather than coming to find he had no option.

As a mechanic, we need to make sure that we meet customer's satisfactions and care, making sure that the customer does not feel pressured and feels free to make the decision for themselves.  One bad customer experience can lead on to a bad reputation.

It is important to treat every individual customer right and have consistency.  This is a very good example of a bad experience. 

Drum brakes & Servicing

Drum brakes today are commonly found as the standard set up for rear or park brakes.  They offer very good braking and are naturally stronger than caliper brakes.  They have a set of brake shoes which rub on the inside of a brake drum, and are pulled back together with springs.  The force that pushes the shoes apart and towards the inner of the drum is a brake drum cylinder, which builds up with pressure as the foot brake is applied.  A parking brake cable is also connected to the assembly, which pulls on the other end of the levers.  between the cable end and the cylinder ends of the levers, is the pivot point.  

Servicing brake drums:

A typical vehicle servicing will involve checking the tightness of the park brake.  Release the handbrake before the car is hoisted up into the air.  After the wheel is removed, we give the drum a turn, the shoes should just be touching a little bit.  Remove the brake drum.  This may involve using an impact screw driver. Use an impact screw driver and a hammer.  I generally spray the assembly with brake cleaner first to get rid of all the brake dust inside. 

Check the dust seals by pulling them out slightly, to check if there is any fluid or dust in there.  It should be clean inside.  The dust seal is to protect the master cylinder from any dust that can come inside and damage the internal parts or get into the fluid.  The tightness can be adjusted by using a small flat head screw driver, and giving it 'clicks'. You will notice the shoes moving slightly further apart. Put the drum back on after every 5-10 clicks, to make sure it's not over tightened.  Over tightened drum brakes will begin to smoke while driving and completely wear out the shoes.

Different types of shoes are duplex, servo and simplex.  Duplex is the more common one, while the other two may be found in heavier duty vehicles like trucks and vans.

To replace the shoes,  There are two pins per shoe, that are tensioned with springs. (similar to removing valve springs and valves). Push the springs down and twist, this will come off.  The shoes will then come off.

Steering box & Linkages

A steering box would most commonly be found in heavy duty vehicles and SUVs.  They are similar to steering racks, but use a worm gear.

1. sector shaft cover

2. adjusting screw 

3. gasket

4. sector shaft 

5. bearing 

6. plug

7. plug 

8. seal 

9. bearing

10. housing 

11. bearing cup 

12. balls and cage

13. ball nut 

14. ball-return guides 

15. retainer

16. balls

17. input or mainshaft 

18. balls and cage

19. bearing cup 

20. input shaft bearing adjuster

21. seal 

22. locknut

The column is connected to a worn gear (input shaft), as the worm gear turns, it turns a sector shaft.  This sector shaft has a lever (drop arm) which then turns the steering rods and tie rods.  

Brake caliper servicing

The floating caliper is a very simple component with not much sophistication.  It has a brake hose mount, a bleeder nipple, and a piston with a cylinder that builds up with pressure as the brakes are applied.  This is the main problem that can happen with calipers.  The piston has rubber seals, which not only seals the piston, but helps pull the piston back when the brakes are disengaged.  So to check that the sealing of the cylinder is okay, measure the bore size of the cylinder, than measure the diameter of the piston.

We start by disassembling the caliper.  We give it a good bath so that all measurements and workings are accurate. 

Check that all the rubber seals including the piston seals and dust seals are not cracked or worn out.  They are rubber, so they may be hardened and not as healthy as they used or need to be.

Chassis/Body/Frame types

The chassis is the main frame that holds the main body parts together.  It is very important that this piece is designed well, and breaks in a certain way during an accident. 

The most common chassis types would be monocoque (for typical road sedans, coupes, etc.),  ladder frame (many SUV and large family cars), backbone chassis and the least common, tubular frame chassis.

Here is some research that I have done. This is a commented posted on a forum with the topic of chassis types.  (reference: http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40386) It is very true, there are many cars that are monocoque but are also supported by a type of frame.  It is quite uncommon to find a car that is 'purely one type'. 

Types of chassis:

The most common is the unitised (monocoque) type body, which is a bunch of different shapes welded together into one piece, in which the engine components, suspension components and interior are bolted to the strongest parts.   The main advantage is that it is much stronger for the weight it is.  It also reduces squeeks and rattles as compared to having for example a ladder frame where the rest of the car sits on.

The space frame is a frame built of tubular steel or steel bar in which these are all welded together to create a frame.  crosses are used to reinforce the framing.  This is a type that would be found in DIY built vehicles or motor-sport vehicles.  This is because it is made from complete scratch, starting with just steel tubing which the tubes are bent, welded and hammered into place.  Mounts are built on for engine and transmission components, suspension components, etc.

 In this photo, the whole front (from the strut mount forward) has been completely cut off, and re framed with steel tubing.  All the mounts for the radiator, bonnet clips, etc. are welded onto this frame.  Builders will also do this to the rear, for extra strength and less weight.

The ladder chassis has a main purpose of being high in strength.  This type is found in commercial trucks and vehicles.  The ladder frame is a ladder shape of large steel bars that run length ways down the vehicle.  Other main components of the vehicle eg. the cab is bolted into this frame.