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Diagnostic franchises! #

Posted by Michael Whitworth on May 10, 2009, 10:43 am
Message modified by board administrator May 11, 2009, 3:34 pm

Car Doc

Go Diagnostics

Following on from recent revelations of a certain company in liquidation,

I pondered the question does this prove that it is not possible to set up a mobile franchise based on modern diagnostics and auto electrics/electronics,

Unlike the old Hometune days where 4 or 5 national companies were going strong in the "HeyDay".

Have these two people been completely misguided and misjudged the market, or was their approach wrong?

You have to admire them for trying, I just hope they didn't take many casualties with them when they failed.

I would be interested to know what others think?

Mike

Re: Diagnostic franchises!

Posted by Ian Baxter on May 10, 2009, 1:38 pm, in reply to "Diagnostic franchises!"

Hello Mike,
Going back to the good old days of mk1/2 escorts and hillmans and BL offerings etc. The mobile diagnostics of the day or even garage operators could keep a few HT leads and a long king lead, half a dozen dizzy caps few coils, plugs etc and hey presto you've covered alot of vehicles. People probably thought cars were more complex mechanical machines. Nowadays most of the people i have delt with have moved into much more complex vehicles, i.e one person I know,started with an Austin Maxi and over the years up to a Mercedes S320 BUT he thinks its much easier now because,- His words "you just plug it in and it tells you". Bare in mind Maxi dianostic equipment, bit of wire and a bulb, Fits all makes (if you was flash a voltmeter and strobe light) and you could make a bob or two, car working. NOW to the Merc same costomer Merc diagnostic equipment, well how deep are your pockets what do you want it to do? you invest and hope over time you will see enough Mercs to get you money back and then try to make a bob or two, but the customer has probably in real terms paid less for the repair now than he would have done years ago but they think you are having a holiday on them! Because they have a mate at the Golf club who has a mate who has the latest diagnostic gear that can do EVERYTHING

for £9.99 of the e-bay!!!AND this is only one example ("O" look outside the workshop BMW X5 and a Citroen Saxo wheres me multi purpose king lead gone!!or where is the man from the golf club with his E-Bay £9.99 silver bullet machine

) Then you find yourself spending more time explaining the truth over the myth but by then the customer glazes over and just thinks you've lost the plot. (Rather like this book what I have rit).

Answer to your question>>>>>No I don't think you could make a living only doing diagnostics, as you could have done not so many years ago, its just far too complex and the general public don't understand what their cars have become

"The Hampster wheel gets bigger and we run faster just to stand still"

"Its Not Easy,"

Ian.

Re: Diagnostic franchises!

Posted by Michael Whitworth on May 10, 2009, 5:41 pm, in reply to "Re: Diagnostic franchises!"
Mike Whitworth - Administrator

Hi Ian,

You raise some good points some of which I agree with and I too have the same conversations everyday with customers.

However you seem to have misunderstood my question,

In response to your interpretaion of my question, I would dissagree with your answer, In fact you can make quite a good living out of just doing diagnostics although you will never be rich.

There are many members on here who do make a good living out of diagnostics, but it takes many years of experience and dedication amongst other things to do so.

Back to the original point can a franchise model successfully be made out of diagnostics/auto electrics/electronics?

Mike

Re: Diagnostic franchises!

Posted by Ian Baxter on May 10, 2009, 6:33 pm, in reply to "Re: Diagnostic franchises!"

I do make a living out of diagnostics but at a much higher cost (investment) than say a mate of mine that only specializes in fitting truck and tractor tyres. Specializing in diagnostics when you are using your own brain is one thing but making sure all of your franchises are up to the mark is another especially when your company name is on the side of the van.

Lets put it another way "what do most franchises have in common?".

Well its simplicity be it flipping burgers to doing smart repairs on alloy wheels.

There is a Begining a Middle and an End mostly at set prices be it a £1.99 burger Or a £50 alloy wheel repair nationwide (franchise advertising).

E.G Begining.- customer asks for burger.
OR can you repair my alloy.

Middle.- You cook the burger and serve.
OR you repair said alloy.

End.- You get your £1.99 for burger.
Or you get your £50 for repaired alloy.

Even the franchise outlay is defined I.E to cook burgers you know you will need a cooker and frying pan etc and you are in bussiness all over the land. Smart repairs paint mixer, spray gun etc same equipment to do the same jobes be it alloys on a wheelbarrow or Ferrari!

Same for all franchises Tyre fitting, windscreen repairs, Window cleaning to drain jetting the list goes on.

And to your question of the mobile hometuners of the days gone by. The work was defined.

Begining.- Can you tune my car?
Middle.- car tuned.
End.- Pay for the tune £70 or what ever it may have been.

Hometune Franchise outlay Defined, A Van And A Crypton type Tuner (Which did most if not all the cars it was ever going to see).

Jobe Done!

Now tell me is vehicle diagnostics on a franchise ever going to be that easy or defined?

Ian.

Re: Diagnostic franchises!

Posted by Tom Williams on May 11, 2009, 12:15 pm, in reply to "Re: Diagnostic franchises!"
Tom Williams

I think that diagnostic work on all makes is too complicated to successfully franchise.
The expert technician with many years of multi-make experience can probably make success of it, although there are probably easier ways to earn a living.
Many franchisees seem to take on a franchise with little previous experience, often with their redundancy pay.
I suppose a franchise is a good thing is for someone who is technically proficient, but with little in the way of financial or commercial experience.