Screenman

No, as I want them to remain customers and respect their privacy.

I do work for main dealers who have more techs in the workshop than jobs turning up each day, they sure are looking for work right now.

Mind needed cleaning because it got dusty in storage.

Have you cleaned it, some have plates inside and if they get dirty they do not generate enough if any ozone.

Mark101, just speaking from experience. 2 tins of beans on a shelf one dented and one not, which one are you going to buy, most would buy the undented one even if there was a price difference. Of course there is an exception to that rule, but I would rather appeal to the majority than the minority. Nice cars sell to nice people.

I call it open gates, dirty car gate shut, scuffed alloys gate shut, dents gate shut, damaged screen gate shut, you want as many gates open as possible for when that customer turns up so that there is a nice clear path for them to walk through.

From the experience of working for many dealers over a lot of years, (pdr and glass repair) I find it is the guys who do not prep properly before the customer see's the car is also the one to go quietest first and for longer if things do go slow. Before anyone jumps on me that is from my experience and could well be different to others.

I cannot figure out how you guys have time to do the dirty work, surely buying comes first selling second etc.

With a picture I could give better advice, right near a seam and it would be off to the trimmer to have it stretched and restitched, in the middle maybe add another seam. The seat repair kits were designed for velour, think mk3 Cortina not today's materials. Showing my age and the length of time I have been around this trade, yes I have repaired mk3 Cortina seats.

Spend the most time doing what earns you the most per hour, I doubt Mr Finn has ever cleaned a car.

It was certainly going on when I first started selling at Brentford back in 1975 ish. I bet the sellers do not complain, I know I did not.

Advertising is only expensive when it does not work, speculate to accumulate.

You have been lucky, very lucky I have had a good few straightened, as I said most tyre places will have the machine as they are only a few grand to buy.

Most tyre companies around these parts have the machines to straighten them, from memory about £35 a wheel.

I missed that bit, just saw the $ part. Just seen it is only in Bulgaria, I have exported out there a few times and it is not like bringing stuff in from over the pond.

It may cost a few bob to get it over here.

Textured paint a doddle for any smart repairer, chrome trim just paint it black and it will never be noticed.

There was a time not that long ago when people in these parts would not buy a car from outside of the area, reason being, they did not want something that had been driven up hills or in traffic.

Clever marketing, I have to admit they are far better at it than I am.

I find it interesting how little some dealers make margin wise out of the base sale without supells.

An old neighbour of ours used to think if she saw a car with sold on my site we had that whole amount to spend, she just could not understand we only got a small perecentage, most employed people I know do not understand the difference between margin and profit.

You can get a bit off of a Snap-on man if you pay up in full when you purchase, you have to ask them for it though.

Is the bike still for sale? Yes. How low will you go? Anything less than 2mph and I tend to fall off.

NCP make a good job of it.

I do work for quite a few dealers, you busy ones are lucky. In some area's "even the liars are doing no good" that was a quote Geoff Warren gave me about 40 years ago. As a dent guy I am doing alright as an importer prices have had to go up but the sales side of that are holding strong.