What Does a Fixed Operations Manager Really Do?
Car dealerships face a silent profit killer. Profit margins keep shrinking, and customers expect perfect service every single visit. Rushed teams make mistakes, which leads to angry customers and lost revenue. Trying to coordinate technicians, parts inventory, and unhappy customers all at once creates a daily logistical nightmare. A skilled fixed operations manager steps in […]
How to Improve Service Profit Margins in Dealerships
Running a dealership service department feels like trying to fill a bucket that has several small holes at the bottom. You see plenty of cars filling the bays, but when you check the financial statements, the actual service profit margins often look thin or stagnant. Rising labor costs and increased competition for routine maintenance mean […]
High Performing Service Advisors: 7 Traits That Drive Results
What separates average advisors from high performing SERVICE ADVISORS? Success in Fixed Ops is not luck.It is not traffic.And it is never just the location. In Service Drive Revolution #349, the conversation focuses on the seven core traits that consistently show up in top SERVICE ADVISOR performance across hundreds of dealerships. If you are a […]
Auto Dealership Budget Hacks for Financial Success 2026
Running a car lot often feels like plugging holes in a leaky bucket when cash flows out just as fast as cars drive off the lot. Dealership owners face difficult financial choices involving inventory management, staff payroll, and daily running costs. Holding too many vehicles ties up your available funds, while tracking customer add-ons complicates […]
Why Dealerships Struggle with Service Bay Utilization
Getting the most out of your service bays is tough when inefficiencies pile up. You’re paying for space that isn’t being used, technicians who can’t stay productive, and vehicles that sit idle waiting for parts or approvals. The impact? Lost revenue and frustrated customers. Service bay utilization is the key to turning this around. Smarter […]
How to Reset a Toxic Shop Culture and Get Your Technicians Back on Your Team
There’s no easy button for fixing a struggling shop culture—but there is a process. And if you’re a service manager or service advisor trying to regain control of a shop where the technicians are “running the show,” you already know the stakes are high. Technician morale, productivity, respect for leadership, CSI, and even retention are […]
Auto Dealership Consolidation Trends Reshaping the Market
Auto dealerships are changing, and not every business is keeping up. Smaller dealerships are struggling with deteriorating profit margins, aging systems, and increased competition contra larger, well-funded groups. It’s clear that the old model of running a dealership isn’t cutting it anymore. Consolidation is becoming the go-to solution. By merging operations, dealerships can reduce costs, […]
Success Boost: Finance Office as Dealership Leadership Hub
Running a car dealership is a high-stakes operation. The automotive industry generates over $1 trillion in annual sales and employs more than 2 million people in the United States. But, did you know? In such a demanding environment, the finance office often gets overlooked. It is perceived as where paperwork is done, not a growth […]
Extended-Range Electric Vehicles Growth and Global Interest
Getting more people to switch to electric vehicles hasn’t been easy. High prices, limited driving range, and a lack of convenient charging options have kept many buyers from making the switch. For some, the idea of relying solely on battery power feels risky—especially with long road trips. Here comes extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), solving the […]
Data Risks in Dealerships: Protecting Customer Information
Current dealerships handle large volumes of personal customer information, including credit ratings and bank account information. However, as AI-driven infotainment systems become more common, there is an increasing threat that such data will be revealed or misapplied, particularly when combined technologies are not managed correctly. These risks may result in violations, legal disputes, or even […]
Service Department Leadership: How to Survive Bad Bosses, Bias & Broken Systems in Fixed Ops
If you’ve spent any time in a dealership service department, you already know the truth:Most of the chaos doesn’t come from customers—it comes from the leadership inside the building. Bad bosses, biased decision-making, missing processes, and broken communication systems damage performance far more than RO backlogs or parts delays. In this episode of Service Drive […]
Why Dealers Are Shifting to AI-Powered Infotainment in Vehicles
Driving used to be all about getting from one place to another, but let’s be honest—using traditional infotainment systems can feel frustrating. Unintuitive controls, outmoded interfaces, and limited functionality make drivers wish for more intelligent, less complex tech that would make road trips more enjoyable and less distracting. The good news is that artificial intelligence […]
