Yup. Like I said, tires can’t wait. No tire, no go. Tires bring people into the shop, then you PMCS the car, and tell them what else it needs, and there’s almost always something.
Actually, it kind of scared me, knowing how many people were driving around with tie rod ends and ball joints that were ready to go.
Body work will cost you;
Emissions make you ill;
Engine problems strand you,
But front ends kill.
Uh, $190k gross sales probably doesn’t pay the rent for a standalone shop. Let alone salaries, taxes, utilities, and overhead.
In microeconomics, this is called a market equilibrium, where businesses will continue to increase the competition to provide a service until everyone is breaking even.
They are getting more than $100 in “up sales”; they are likely averaging several hundred per individual car brought to the shop over several visits. They get loyal customers who will bring their car there for everything, and will get people who shop around, looking for the service each company will do cheapest. Instant Oil change shops do this as well; offering and performing the basic maintenance people would otherwise ignore after getting them in for the oil.
Cars are expensive, and the mechanics benefit. I just bought my first car a year and a half ago, and never realized how much it would cost to keep it in tip top shape!
I would imagine at least 5x that would be needed for anything even resembling a reasonable economic profit.
then the Shoe Event Horizon happens.