Winworks expansion features provides options for growing your business

5 New Features in Winworks Auto Shop Software That Save Your Shop Time and Money

Running an auto repair business isn’t easy. Between managing work orders, handling customers, and keeping your team productive, you don’t have time to waste. That’s why the latest Winworks Auto Shop Software 9.5 update is packed with features designed to save you time, improve shop efficiency, and keep your bottom line in check.

Here are the top 5 new features shop owners like you will want to take advantage of right now:

1. Add Users or Support Packages Easily

Need to expand your team? Now you can easily add more users to your Winworks system or upgrade your support package without jumping through hoops. This is ideal for growing shops that need more hands on deck—and fast. Better support also means less downtime when you run into issues.

Why it matters: More users = more work done. Enhanced support = less stress when something goes wrong.

2. Recover Credit Card Processing Fees Automatically

The new Merchant Fee Recovery Surcharge allows you to automatically apply a small fee to invoices to cover your payment processing costs—something many shops lose hundreds on every month. This feature helps you pass fees back to the customer where allowed by law.

Why it matters: You keep more of your hard-earned money.

3. Increase shop productivity with the updated Labor Productivity Report

The labor productivity report by technician now includes an option to exclude warranty and no charge services.

Why it matters: More accurate reporting helps you to keep track of shop productivity

4. Search Your Scheduler by Customer Name

Can’t remember when “Bob with the Chevy” is coming in? No problem. The new Scheduler Search by Customer feature lets you search appointments by any part of the customer’s name—no exact match required.

Why it matters: Find appointments in seconds without wasting time clicking around.

5. Show Cost and List Price of Parts in Inventory

Your inventory list can now display both the cost and list price of parts, instead of just part group names. This makes pricing more transparent and helps you stay on top of your margins.

Why it matters: Know what you’re making on every job. No more guesswork.

Final Thoughts

The new 9.5 update from Winworks Auto Shop Software is all about making your life easier and your shop more profitable. If you haven’t upgraded yet, now’s the time. These features are built for real shop owners who need real solutions—fast.

Ready to make the most of your shop software? Contact Winworks today to activate these new tools.

So after you run an End of Day process, you may see this screen. That means it is time to archive. No need to panic. This is an easy process.

Step 1- Is to get onto the main computer or the server.

Step 2- Make sure everyone is closed out of Winworks AutoShop.

Step 3- Run a backup. Go to Options then Backup Files. Make sure you have the right drive letter selected and hit ‘Backup Now’ and wait for the backup to complete. It is important that no one interrupts this process by logging into Winworks.

Step 4- Once the backup is done close out of AutoShop and open Winworks Applications.

Step 5- Open the Archive Utility and log in with admin credentials

Step 6- Click ‘Create New Archive File’

Step 7- Now the utility will run and if you look right here you will see how many total work orders need to be archived. The larger the number the longer it will take to archive. So plan your archive accordingly, as you cannot stop the archive once it is started. If you only want to archive 300 Work Orders click no. But if you want to archive all the available work orders click ‘Yes’

Step 8- Click Begin Archive Creation, then wait for the archive to complete.

You can also watch the video on how to do this here-

The History of the Winworks AutoShop Management System
In the early 1990s, software for automotive repair professionals did little more than write work orders and provide some basic reporting using a DOS interface. Winworks engineers worked closely with local shop owners to re-design the work order writing experience from the ground up. Special care was taken to the flow of work for the service adviser and the growing need for comprehensive management information for owners. The result was the Winworks AutoShop Management System introduced in February 1995 to an overwhelming response. Since that time, we have continued the process of carefully listening to our customers, continuously improving the software to increase the efficiency of service writing while also providing valuable insight into business information. Providing the key information in innovative ways has allowed our customers to increase not only efficiency but profitability. We have also introduced multiple work order formats and a custom format option to allow service advisers to communicate the work done and the pricing in an effective and streamlined way. Our engineers are continually addressing new technologies and improving the Winworks AutoShop system with new parts catalogs, online ordering and text messaging to name a few.

The Philosophy of Winworks
It is our customers that measure the quality of our software and our technical support services. Our loyal following is a testimony of our determination to serve each customer providing them the best experience possible with our software. Our technical support has earned high ratings because we will take the time to remotely connect and solve your issue in the most efficient way possible while keeping our technical support rates among the lowest in the industry.

Step 1- Make sure you are on the main computer. and that you have done a backup- If you want to learn to do a backup, click the link in the description below.

Step 2- Make sure all users are out of Winworks AutoShop. And Clock on Winworks Applications.

Step 3- Click Database maintenance

Step 4- Now there are 4 main databases in Winworks, 5 if you are a premium user. AutoShop, ShopData, MgmtData, W_Orders. So now click AutoShop, and then click ‘Repair and compact’ Click ‘Ok’ Through the next prompts. Go through all the databases. Once you are done with the 4 or 5 databases. You are done with database maintenance. This should not have to be done all that often. Occasionally, it may be needed.

Your brakes are arguably the single most important piece of equipment on your car, and a faulty brake system quickly puts you and others in danger.

While it seems obvious that brake pads, brake rotors, and brake calipers should be maintained, brake fluid maintenance seems to be altogether forgotten—many owner’s manuals stop at checking and adjusting brake fluid level. Below we cover whether and how often brake fluid should be changed, and for do-it-yourselfers, we’ll cover the hows as well.01of 04

How Does Brake Fluid Work?

The brake system is made up of levers, pistons, and hydraulic fluid (brake fluid), designed to transmit brake pedal force to the four brakes. When you step on the brake pedal, small pistons in the brake master cylinder convert mechanical force into hydraulic pressure. Because brake fluid is incompressible, it transmits this pressure equally to the brakes.

The brake caliper pistons convert this hydraulic pressure back into mechanical force. Because the brake caliper pistons are larger than the brake master cylinder piston, it multiplies your force by many times to compress the brake pads.

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Why and How Often Do You Need to Change Brake Fluid?

Brake fluid is so overlooked that about half of all American cars and trucks over ten years of age have never had a brake fluid change. Interestingly, in Europe, where brake fluid inspection is required, about half of them fail the test.

Why do vehicles fail this test? It all has to do with a special property of brake fluid, one that prevents even bigger problems.

Brake fluid is hygroscopic, absorbing water which could easily boil at the high temperatures in the brake system. This is important, because the entire function of the brake system is to convert the kinetic energy of your vehicle into heat energy.

While water is incompressible, it boils at just 212 °F (100 °C) becoming an easily-compressible water vapor. Under normal driving conditions, brakes might reach 100 °F to 200 °F (38 °C to 93 °C), and it’s perfectly normal for the brakes to exceed 400 °F (204 °C) braking on hills.

• Dry DOT 3 brake fluid boils at 401 °F (205 °C), which is fine in normal traffic, but might cause problems on hills, so some prefer DOT 4 brake fluid, boiling at 446 °F (230 °C).
• Wet DOT 3 brake fluid, containing 3.7% water, boils at just 284 °F (140 °C), while wet DOT 4 brake fluid boils at 311 °F (155 °C).

The longer one waits to change brake fluid, the more water it absorbs, increasing the chance of brake fade at the worst possible moment.

You should change brake fluid about every 20,000 miles or two years.

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What You’ll Need to to Change Brake Fluid

In order to change brake fluid, you’ll need the following. Note that if you’ve ever “bled” your brakes to address brake pedal sponginess (an indication compressible air has gotten in) then you already know how to change brake fluid.

You’ll need:

• Jack and Jack Stands – To lift and support your vehicle.
• Wheel Removal Tools – To remove your wheels to access your brakes.
• Torque Wrench – To reinstall your wheels.
• Brake Bleeder Tool – Buy one or make one of a plastic bottle and hose.
• Brake Bleeder Wrench – Usually an 8 mm or 10 mm box wrench, to loosen the bleeder screw.
• 32 oz Brake Fluid – You’re going to use a lot to flush out the old fluid.
• New Bleeder Caps – Bleeder caps degrade or get lost.
• Brake Fluid Siphon – To remove old brake fluid from the brake master cylinder reservoir.
• Brake Cleaner and Rags – To clean everything up.
• PPE – Nitrile gloves and safety glasses, as brake fluid is an irritant.
• Rust Penetrant – WD-40 or PB Blaster can help loosen an old bleeder screw.

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Step by Step Brake Fluid Change

Start by lifting and supporting your car on jack stands and removing the wheels.

Remove the bleeder caps and spray the bleeder screws with rust penetrant. While this is working in, open the hood and remove the master cylinder reservoir cap.

Use the siphon or extractor to remove as much of the old brake fluid as possible. You might need to remove a strainer to get deeper into the reservoir. Refill the reservoir, then move on to bleed each wheel in order, right rear (RR), left rear (LR), right front (RF), left front (LF). Important: Do not let the reservoir go empty, otherwise you must start over to get air out of the master cylinder.

1. Place the bleeder wrench on the bleeder screw, then attach the plastic hose. Open the bleeder 1/4-turn and pump the brake pedal 5 or 6 times. Check and refill the brake fluid level in the master cylinder reservoir.
2. Pump the brake pedal another 5 or 6 times. Check for fresh fluid and no bubbles in the bleeder hose. If fluid is still dark, another 5 or 6 pumps might be needed to finish the job. Aim to pump about 8 oz of new brake fluid into the system for each brake, then close the bleeder screw.
3. Repeat A and B for the LR, RF, and LF brakes.
4. After checking all brake bleeders are closed, fill the master cylinder reservoir to “FULL,” install the cap, and start the car. Step on the brake pedal and check that it feels firm. Clean any spilled brake fluid, install the bleeder caps, install the wheels, torque the wheel nuts, and go for a test drive. Used brake fluid can be recycled with your used oil.

Now, to change brake fluid might sound like a lot of steps, but it’s a simple job that can significantly improve braking effectiveness and vehicle safety.

Source- https://www.thoughtco.com/change-brake-fluid-4160176

Source- https://asashop.org/blog/coachs-corner-know-say-customer-price-shopping-inquiries/

Know What to Say with Customer Price-Shopping Inquiries

Get past the price shopper to a future customer

Making the phone ring at your shop takes tremendous effort. It’s called marketing, advertising and brand awareness. Your business depends on people to respond to these efforts and reach out to you for help with their vehicle maintenance and repair needs .

You already know from my last blog that people calling your store in response to your marketing is the primary reason for your phone to ring. Hopefully, you’re already implemented strategies to move the unnecessary inbound phone calls to outbound calls. When you’re answering the phone for the right reason, you have the time to do a better job serving the caller.

For all the effort put into making the phone ring, a similar level of effort is required when answering the phone to achieve the desired outcome. Our purpose in answering the phone is to make an appointment. That’s the measurement of the interaction with the caller. The owner is responsible to make the phone ring. The customer service staff is responsible for turning that phone call into a car in the service bay. As a service adviser, you’re expected to assure the caller that they found the right place – a place that’s a better choice when compared to all your competitors.

Frequently, when a service adviser fails to make the appointment they’ll suggest the caller was just another “price shopper.” In reality, many callers are incorrectly categorized as price shoppers. Just because the caller inquires about the price of a repair or service doesn’t mean they’re shopping. The label “price shopper” infers they’re looking for the least-expensive price. Service advisers often have the preconceived idea that the caller already has a price or is prepared to make additional calls until they find the lowest price.

The real reason they called is the result of a referral, your website, a social media post or your customer reviews. Any of which gave the caller an expectation that your store could help solve a problem. The caller asking, “How much is [a certain product or service]?” is often simply because they don’t know what else to ask. The caller’s price inquiry usually prompts a thought process of “how do I respond, should I give them a price or how do I avoid giving a price?”

I suggest you take the price inquiry as an invitation to have a discussion if they have a problem with something, and every sale starts with a conversation. A great way to respond to a query like that is to ask why they think they that product of service or ask if they have a problem that requires the product or service. The caller will usually describe the situation they need help with, and you can shift the focus of the conversation away from price.

Instead, discuss how you can help resolve their problem and assure them you are capable of seeing the car quickly, resolving the problem and having them back on the road in a minimal amount of time. Time is today’s currency.

The conversation with a true “price shopper” is different. The caller responds with the fact that they have their car with a certain shop and they’ve been told about a product or service and how much it will cost. They’ll want to know how much you’ll charge for it. The chances of the vehicle leaving that store to come to your store depend strictly on price.

Unless you’re desperate for work, this isn’t the customer you’re looking for. Unfortunately, these calls can become long and unproductive. A suggestion for avoiding these conversations is to ask why they’re uncomfortable with the other shop doing the work?

When you have a sincere desire to help, callers know it. Allow them to tell their story and you learn what’s really important. Focus on whatever that is. You aren’t able, or expected, to repair the car in the course of your conversation. Find a way to alleviate the pain caused by time without their transportation, and you win. Leave the repair or maintenance to the techs in the shop.

Remember, there was something that influenced the caller to contact you in the first place. Chances are, it was not price. Your job is to confirm they find competent and qualified help to resolve their problem.

Source- https://asashop.org/blog/coachs-corner-know-say-customer-price-shopping-inquiries/

Parents, if becoming an automotive technician is not high on your list of career choices for your child, perhaps it’s time to look again.

Automotive service and repair has changed dramatically in just the span of a generation. Working in the automotive service and repair industry is now one of the high-tech careers that is always in demand and can’t be outsourced overseas.

Sophisticated computerized control systems, unheard of 30 years ago, are now standard equipment on much of the nation’s fleet of vehicles. Modern advanced driver assist systems (ADAS), such as stability and traction control, adaptive cruise control, automatic braking and variable valve timing, just to name a few, are part of the rolling computer network we use every day for personal transportation.

In the 21^st century, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles are commonplace; hydrogen fuel cell and other alternative fuel vehicles are deployed in municipal fleets around the country, and internet connections, voice recognition commands and GPS mapping are available in economy to luxury models.

Given the advance of technology and a richly varied automotive industry that offers an array of positions and career paths, the future is bright for talented young people with math, science, communications and technical skills. And unlike many high-tech careers that require four, six or even eight years of college, automotive technology careers can begin after just two years of education.

As with any career, lifelong learning and continuing education is necessary, but the simple fact is that students in automotive technology can get out into the real world sooner – and with less college debt.

This is the first of a series of blogs wherein we’ll explore the wealth of choices and opportunities a career in the automotive service industry can offer. I think you’ll find it an enlightening journey. Next up: job prospects and career paths that may surprise you.

Source- https://asashop.org/blog/dont-overlook-automotive-technology-high-tech-career-path/