Littleton, Colo.--Trust. Without it, it's hard for a repair shop to retain customers. Perhaps there's nothing more damaging to a shop's trust than sending a customer to another shop or a dealership for a repair it can't perform. Yet many shops continue this unhealthy business practice. 
Since its inception as a foreign repair specialist more than two decades ago, Jeno's Auto Service has grown to include all makes and models, Owner Steve Horvath said, while maintaining a core philosophy of making the repair process seamless for the customer, even if it means personally driving the car to a dealership for a specialized repair.
Horvath said that his brother, Jeno, from whom he purchased the business a year ago, realized early on that a significant number of customers also owned domestic vehicles. It was then, he said, that "we learned to just take care of the customer."
With only three bays, Horvath said it's costly to tie one up with a trouble car. If the shop is unable to complete the job, he said, it'll sublet the work to a nearby specialist or dealership. "Even if I don't do it here, I'll take care of it," he added.
Many of today's modern vehicles with drivability problems can be fixed with a reflash of the vehicle's electronic control module (ECM), Horvath said, adding he's increasing his shop's capability in that area. Equipping his shop with the proper scan tools, reflash capabilities, and service information Web sites has been a priority over the last few years, he said.
"We'll go to Chrysler or Ford's Web site and download a specific reflash," Horvath said. "Just like a computer's operating system, there are updates; it's the same thing for your car."
To assist in diagnosis, Horvath said he recently purchased a subscription to NAPAFix.com, a Web site powered by Identifix that offers repair suggestions for specific trouble codes or through a description of a vehicle's symptom.
For example, Horvath said he had a 1999 Subaru Legacy with a PO400 trouble code, keyed the information into NAPAFix, and confirmed that the problem was a restriction in a tube leading to an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) sensor. Several other shops that have encountered that problem posted repair suggestions, he said.
When it comes to selecting parts to use in repairs, Horvath said he uses both original equipment (OE) and aftermarket parts depending on the application. For aftermarket parts, he said he mainly relies on his local NAPA jobber store and Import Car Parts.
"If I do an exhaust system, it's generally OE," Horvath said, adding that on a European or Japanese vehicle he uses Bosal, which offers a direct fit for OE replacement. "There's no welding, shaping, or cutting," he said of Bosal exhaust. "It's much better for the vehicle."
On about 95 percent of his fuel pump jobs, Horvath said he prefers OE replacement assemblies. If an aftermarket pump is installed, he said more than half come back. "When you buy the OE assembly, it's easy," he said. "We don't like to have to do things twice." However, when it comes to shocks and struts, Horvath said there are better options from aftermarket manufacturers, such as Monroe and KYB.
"We try to tailor what we buy according to the customer's request," he said of shocks and struts. "If you get too stiff a shock, a customer might come back."
Horvath said that sticking to certain brands for specific applications gives his service writer confidence when selling the job and provides predictable repairs for his two technicians, Phillip Eickmann, a master technician, and Brad Dean, a recent graduate of Lincoln College of Technology, formerly known as Denver Automotive & Diesel College.
On brake jobs, for example, Horvath said he mainly installs Centric Parts purchased from Import Car Parts. He cited their attractive pricing and performance as the main reasons.
To further reduce comebacks on brake jobs, he said he no longer turns brake rotors and drums. The cost of brake rotors has become so cheap on most vehicles that it's not worth the time and effort to machine them, he said. On a Mazda Miata, for example, he said they're about $10 each. He pointed out that rotors still can be pricy on Audis and Volkswagens.
To keep bays turning quickly, Horvath said he installs remanufactured or rebuilt engines and transmissions.
For customers who want their transmission rebuilt, he sublets work to Key Transmissions & Gears, located in nearby Sheridan. Because of the depth and availability of inventory, he said, he uses Jasper Engines & Transmissions because of their immediate delivery.
On a daily basis, Horvath said he's able to measure how his shop's performance stacks up to his sales goals with the help of NAPA's Total Repair Automotive Computer System (TRACS), which tracks his repair orders. The system is also connected to a local NAPA jobber store, where a part number can be looked up and ordered online, reducing potential communication errors, he said.
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