Auto Service World Conversations

ASW Conversations: Meet the company that's offering all-inclusive maintenance experience by Peter Bulmer Support the show

ASW Conversations: LeddarTech exec talks future of ADAS and connected cars by Peter Bulmer Support the show

ASW Conversations: Solera exec pinpoints the AI-based repair & claims processing revolution by Peter Bulmer Support the show

ASW Conversations: AASA's president Paul McCarthy on the aftermarket's global recovery by Peter Bulmer Support the show

ASW Conversations: Mark Lemay by Peter Bulmer Support the show

Erin Vaughan, owner of Kinetic Auto Service in Saskatchewan, opens up about winning CARS magazine's Shop of the Year award for 2020. Support the show

Dan Billie, CEO of Plews & Edelmann, is making waves in the aftermarket by acknowledging the limitations of remanufacturing when it comes to steering components. In the interest of producing reliable aftermarket parts, he's taking the company in a new direction. Support the show

Steve Van Kessel and his sister Susan Peacock are partners at Parry Automotive in Orillia, Ont. The business, founded by their father Peter, is this year's Jobber of the Year. We called Steve up to talk about managing a family business during a pandemic, and what it means to them to win a distinguished industry award. Support the show

In the era of big data, automotive telemetry has increasing value. Software company Otonomo has been harnessing a wide array of telemetry for B2B and B2C apps. We called Asaf Weisbrot, Otonomo's chief commercial officer, for a rundown on what to expect as vehicle data goes even deeper. Support the show

Christine Hogg is the new face of Jobber News and CARS magazine. In her first appearance on the podcast, she offers her early observations of an industry in transition, and discusses her goals for the magazines. Support the show

Don Frisby and his team at Frisby Tire in Ottawa, Ont., have reached a rare milestone in our business. The company is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Founded by George Frisby in 1920, the family-owned business has rolled with the changes and challenges of the decades and is as healthy as it has ever been under the third generation of stewardship. We talked about the lessons of the pas...

In today’s episode, we're speaking with Shad Smereka, the general manager in charge of people and Store Innovation for Edmonton based Fountain Tire. They’ve been industry leaders in designing systems and processes to streamline automotive service and enhance customer experience. The company recently announced it has standardized the use of digital vehicle inspections (DVI). We called to find...

It was once unthinkable that a battery-powered ratchet could deliver the torque necessary for serious automotive work. But that has changed in recent years.  Mike Owen, product manager for power tools at Milwaukee Tool Canada, says there's been a sea-change in the world of power tools, as battery technology has taken a giant step forward. So, what's the advantage of using battery-powered...

Jim Caldwell is president and CEO of Surrey, B.C..-based OK Tire. During the worst days of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was his job to give leadership, direction, and encouragement to the 350-plus shops in the OK Tire family. He offers his thoughts on how the auto repair and service industry rose to the challenge and what may still lay in store for us. Support the show

In his 50-year career in the automotive repair and service industry, Bob Paff has done it all. He's worked at dealerships, independent shops, and specialty shops. He's been a technician, a service advisor, and a shop owner. Fifteen years ago he added another job to his resume: web creator. His vision drives the Automotive Service Business Network (www.asbn.ca). We called him up to find o...

We pick a question from our mail bag this week, and dive into what every shop needs to think about as they build their web presence. There are a lot of social media options and landing page ideas... but are there land mines to avoid? Uh... ya. Here's one. Support the show

The Automotive Industries Association of Canada is talking to Ontario legislators about requiring collision shops to be provincially certified in order to do business. If those negotiations go well, AIA believes mandatory certification might also be good for the mechanical repair industry -- not just in Ontario but across the country. We spoke to Ontario shop owner Bob Ward about what he thinks of...

Thousands of times every working day technicians across North America return perfectly good parts as defective. Whether for reasons of confusion, expediency, profit, or convenience, it's a practice that is having an impact on the aftermarket. The industry has been wrestling with it -– usually quietly for fear of offending customers -- for decades . We spoke to David Tobin, a senior strategist...

Sahas Katta founded Smartcar – a mobility software company – with his brother Sanketh in 2015. Its application programming interface is a “way in” for developers of programs that use vehicle telematics. Unlike others, however, it taps into the data stream without hardware. The company’s platform allows web and mobile apps to do a number of things, include locate and unlock the vehicle, read its fl...

As national sales manager for traditional aftermarket for Bosch Auto Parts, Cam Young has been able to see how the pandemic has impacted everyone in the aftermarket, from parts manufacturers, to distributors, to service providers. He anticipates a coming surge of auto service work as economies re-open and consumers get more comfortable conducting their daily business. We asked him to give us his t...

Porsche technician Nhu Nguyen followed her passion for fixing broken things into the automotive repair world. She's now a technician at a Toronto-area Porsche dealership, a volunteer at Porsche driver events, and an advocate for getting more women in repair bays. Her active social media profile, led her to be selected by eBay Canada as a tastemaker. You can find the eBay "finds" she...

David Lawes, CEO of the B.C. Used Oil Management Association, talks about an innovative series of videos featuring a hilarious technician named "Ken the Mechanic" who discusses the recyclability of motor oil. The videos make the point that not everything that gets dirty needs to be thrown away... and that's especially true of used motor oil. We spoke to David about how the campaign...

Tim and Becky Brough, owners of Reliance Automotive in Hamilton, Montana hit a home run with their spirited “Who is Becky!” marketing campaign earlier this month. The campaign dominated the local news media and was the top trending topic in town for weeks. It also drew lots of new faces into the shop. We talk to Tim and his son T.J. about how the campaign was conceived. Support the show

AIA Canada is working with industry to convince the Ontario government that mandating the certification of collision shops will help reduce the hight cost of insurance in that province. If the initiative is adopted -- and it looks like it might -- they think it would be a good idea for mechanical shops to face mandatory certification too. We spoke to AIA president J.F. Champagne to understand what...

Tim Cifelli is the marketing director for shop software company Bolt On Technology, which has led the way with things like digital inspections and text-based communications strategies. Tim says modern tools have opened up a world of new opportunities for aftermarket shops, and that, ironically enough, the Covid-19 pandemic has helped prove how effective they can be. Support the show