Industry Evolution: Insights from Retired Shop Owners on the Past, Present, and Future of Auto Repair

Changes in Culture

As technology flourished in the industry, Morsli says, the talent pool unfortunately did not. In fact, building a quality team became a tall order for him and many other small shop owners who were often required to wear many hats. Complicating matters, he says, are the types of training he felt he needed offer in an already strained labor pool and the whole process just became too much.

“Now it came down to having to teach them personal behavior or the right way to conduct yourself, things that are basic in society,” he explains. “And I found that in the end, after 10 years, I didn’t see that there was progress being made in the quality of some of the candidates that we were getting.”

For his part, Marconi describes a do-it-my-way-or-get-out mentality that raised his generation that no longer exists.

“My boss said to me, ‘You come to me after 30 days, and we’ll sit down and talk if you’re still here’,” he explains. “And he says, ‘And by the way, there are three ways of doing things, the wrong way, the right way, and there’s my way. You do things my way, and we’re going to get along just fine.’ That wouldn’t fly today.”

Both Morsli and Marconi agree that the culture of shops has changed, some for better and some for worse.

“I think the challenge for shops today is to find the right people to adopt the right philosophy in their shops,” Morsli notes.  

Marconi adds the only way to do that is by getting personal.

“Shop owners of today have to understand that they need to have empathy for their employees. They need to respect their employees. They need to sit down with them and build relationships with them,” he stresses. “You have to reach employees on an emotional level. If not, they’re going to shut down and they’re not going to perform the way they should.”

To bridge the workforce gap, Morsli looks to ideas such as opening the country’s borders to qualified individuals from overseas, embracing apprenticeship programs, and even accepting non-human help as the answers to assisting the industry through the labor crisis.  
“We need to be showing people it’s a great way of living,” he says. “It’s not going to get outsourced. You’re not going to lose it to some offshore destination because we’re not going to be exporting your car to get it fixed in Mexico and bring it back to you.” 
Morsli also points to robotics and humanoids as potential problem-solvers—something Japan has already embraced in certain factory settings.

“I would be willing to buy a half-a-million-dollar robot if I was able finance it,” he asserts. “Because if I get a robot, I can get that robot to work seven days a week except being down for maintenance, right? And I don’t have anyone that’s going to refuse to do the work, not show up for work, or do bad quality work, etc.”

Changes in Technology

Where a single toolbox once outfitted a technician for success, Marconi says, workers now “need an entire warehouse” to get the job done right. Gone are the days when a creeper and some basic tools allowed employees to work on most makes and models and address basic issues.

“You can’t expect what we expected 35 years ago. I go back to my joke about General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. That was predominantly what you found on the streets, those three cars,” Marconi notes. “And if you were a good technician, you could become very proficient at those vehicles in a short amount of time and you could become a master technician of all systems on those three vehicles and become very successful and highly productive.”

He adds: “If you fast forward to today, the biggest challenge is can you really be all makes and all models? I think it’s too much to ask a young technician who’s 22, 23 years old by the time he’s 30 to be a master tech and be able to solve a check engine light on a Mercedes, then jump to an oil leak problem on a BMW, then a transmission problem on a Chrysler, then an engine problem on a Chevrolet. I don’t think it’s possible anymore. The training alone is just too comprehensive. The equipment and tools you’re going to need is just too much.”

Morsli agrees being an all-service repair shop for any make or model is no longer in the cards and cites an “erosion of margins” for those attempting to do so. Instead, he says, shops need to narrow their focus.

“I think the biggest challenge today is shops need to define their business model. They need to define exactly who their profile customer is,” he says. “They need to find what vehicles they want to work on and what services or repairs they want to provide to their clientele.”

Changes in Ownership

Back when gas stations had an auto repair component in the 1950s and 1960s, the owner was likely the jack of all trades—mechanic, fuel filler, cashier, and customer service representative.

Even as automotive repair shops shifted into their own buildings with multiple bays, the owner still showed up at that location every day, determined to make a living for himself and his team.  

These days, as owners age out of the industry and look at options to cash out, many are considering alternatives to selling to their competitor, such as private-equity firms. Although the financial aspects are appealing, Marconi says he has concerns about how it will affect the industry.

I get the X’s and O’s and the numbers, but they’re not going to duplicate what that shop owner does in the community,” he points out. “They’re supporting the Little League, they’re supporting the cheerleaders, they’re supporting the dance club, they’re supporting everybody in the blood drives, all the heart walks. Those are the shop owners that are in the community. When a private-equity group buys that shop, are they really interested in maintaining it? No, they’re not. So private equity will be a major force in the next 10 years. I just don’t know if it’s a good thing.”

Get a Handle on Your Shop

Whether they’re for the better or not, changes are inevitable. To survive the next revolution, Morsli and Marconi recommend keeping it simple.

“Know your numbers and what they should be,” Morsli advises. “Because without profits, you’re not going to be able to make it. You’re not going to be able to grow. You’re not going to be able to do the things that you need to do. So definitely take the time to look at your numbers, know your numbers, and plan accordingly.”

Marconi zooms out even further on his lens of simplicity: “Take care of your employees, take care of your customers,” he urges. “Because they are the lifeblood to your legacy.”