At Liskey’s Auto & Truck (Lansing, Mich.), there is no substitute for quality. That’s been the motto for over 50 years.
“Liskey’s is our name and that’s our niche,” says Jerry Liskey, owner.
“Having that connection to the Parts Plus family helps us broaden out more than we ever could.”
Liskey’s has bought parts from Parts Plus for over 15 years. The human connection is what first drew Liskey to the Parts Plus Car Care Center program, and it’s what keeps him there today.
“I think the biggest thing when we choose where to buy parts is the connection—are they going to take care of me when I have a problem? The relationship we build with our vendors is the biggest factor,” he says.
“When we need some extra help on a job, Parts Plus has always been the one to stand up and take care of us. They know we’re in trouble, they understand downtime is money and they know what we need on the street.”
Liskey’s is a Platinum member of the Parts Plus Car Care Center program and upgraded as soon as it was available. As a Platinum member, Liskey enjoys the maximum offered discounts, annual cash rewards and larger and longer warranties.
Platinum benefits include (but are not limited to):
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36 Months / 36,000-Mile Parts and Labor Warranty
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(4) Mile 1 Warranty Claims for Labor, covering post-repair breakdowns
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Double ASE Reimbursement of $50 (as opposed to $25) per Qualifying Test
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$200 Enterprise Rent-A-Car Reimbursement
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(4) No-Cost Injectronics Technician Training Webinars
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Double Points for All Repair America Promotions
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Customized Hood Wall Sign (upon New Enrollment)
Liskey also enjoys a 2 percent rebate on parts purchases, which he commits to the marketing program.
“We use that quite a bit,” he says
“Whether we update the look of our building, advertising—anything to help us increase our business—that’s where it goes. We keep receipts; Parts Plus reviews them and they credit us the money. It’s nice to have that extra support when times are tight.”
There’s also a seed-the-industry aspect to Liskey’s partnership with Parts Plus. He sits on the advisory council at the local college and hired a top-GPA high school student who was interested in shop experience.
“I can use some of our marketing money to help re-train him,” Liskey says, “and he’s been with me for a year now. It’s rewarding to watch young kids like that blossom. It helps energize us.”
Overall, Liskey credits a quality distributor such as Parts Plus as essential to his business.
“Parts Plus is very efficient; we’ve been very happy,” he says.
“They help us fix the cars that meet our expectations. As independents, we’re all in this together—there’s more than enough cars to fix. It’s important to have a network among car care centers and shops; it makes us all better at the end. To be able to leverage that network is powerful.”
Parts Plus Partners: Dena Ganje, My Mechanic
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The Parts Plus network puts you in front of the manufacturers, which is great. They bring them to the shop and host appreciation expos and more. Being able to meet with and talk directly with the manufacturers allows for an open dialogue on what’s working and what is not.
Parts Plus has taught me so much about the automotive industry. Many technicians and owners are fairly new to it, and the business support Parts Plus provides will help you be successful. Your success is theirs.
The Parts Plus network always supplies the best parts at competitive prices and they stand behind it with a great warranty. Parts Plus takes care of us so that we in turn can take care of our customers. And they always care about our input on how to improve the program—they do want our input, and they do value it. It’s very clear to me. They want to know from the ground level how the program is working. They’re not just a company pushing numbers; they know what they’re doing and that keeps families safe and on the road.
