760.544.6181
TUE-SAT 8:00AM - 5:00PM

2420 Industry Street, Suite C
​Oceanside, CA 92054
​info@theheads.biz

IS THIS SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO?

A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business. -Henry Ford

You might think that a passion for cars or working on cars is the most important quality that a do it yourself shop owner should possess in his quest to open a do it yourself auto repair shop. The most important quality we’ve found to be is the passion to help.

You’ll find many customers are not gearheads or car fanatics. They are often people who are not in a position to spend a lot of money on fixing their car. Many have no experience working on cars. These are the most appreciative customers. In fact, you will find this business extremely rewarding if you have the patience to help people solve problems.          

WHAT KIND OF CUSTOMERS CAN YOU EXPECT?

"A man without a smiling face must not open a shop."
-Chinese Proverb

I can break down into five categories the most likely customers that will visit your shop:

THE GEARHEAD - This customer is totally self-sufficient. They may be former techs or have a lot of experience working on cars and will usually only request certain tools or order parts. These are your dream customers. 40%-50% of your customers will be gearheads.

THE INDUSTRIOUS  - This type of customer has a working knowledge of vehicles and likes to figure things out for themselves. They are also excellent customers but may require some additional assistance from a professional. About 20% of your customers will be industrious.

THE YOUTUBER - This customer typically has little experience working on cars and has even less respect for how hard and frustrating it is to work on cars. They will state that they have done their research and are ready to tackle the job of rebuilding their transmission. Watch these customers very closely and expect to finish the job for them. We are in the habit of providing them a job estimate on what it will cost for us to finish their job for them prior to them actually starting work in the shop. This will make it easier for everyone in the end and keeps the customer from feeling taken advantage of when they are in a tight spot and have to turn over their job.

THE CHEAPSKATE – This customer usually has no clue on how to fix their car, doesn’t care to know, has little respect for the job, and most likely would rather do the job wrong then pay someone to fix or complete it. BE VERY CAREFUL OF THESE CUSTOMERS! You will see these types come in to do a lot of brake jobs and doing these wrong can have serious consequences as you may have guessed. Periodic inspection while they are working might be in order and a very long disclosure in the final bill should be added.

THE ALBIE - You will get many curious people in the shop who want to talk about cars and want to get a look at such a unique concept. Many of them will be “albies” as in “I’ll be back”. Some will, many won’t. You also will get a lot of “I used to do all the maintenance on my car but now it is just too tough with this ingrown toe nail”. These customers are harmless but tend to take up a lot of precious time when the shop is busy.Type your paragraph here.