Santa Barbara shop teaches more than the techs about automotive repair.

By Tschanen Brandyberry, Managing Editor

Ayers Automotive Repairs has focused its service on its current customers, but has taken a look down the line for those customers who will need service for years to come.

This Top Shop, located in Santa Barbara, Calif., moved its way to the top of entrants for a number of reasons, including seminars and teaching opportunities it takes to educate the public about vehicle service and purchase.

"I've been in small business my entire life. You have to give back to the community, you just can't work all the time and expect everyone to buy your product," says Ayers co-owner Nikki Ayers. She and her husband Robert have owned the two-location business for 33 years.

The shop has helped its next generation of customers by hosting a clinic on purchasing a vehicle for youths who attend a teen center located across from the shop. Nikki Ayers says it was an easy decision to make when the center said it was looking for summer programs.

"What's a way that a kid can take a worksheet and if he's going to look at a car or is going to buy a car, what should he or she look at as important things to do whether it's a good car or not.," she explains. "You can make that decision before you ever bring it in for a buyers check."

The public education goes beyond buying vehicles to how to handle vehicle repairs, especially hybrids. This year's Fall Car Care Month celebration at the shop featured Blue Sky's Jack Rosebro, who taught a class "So Now I Own a Hybrid, What Do I Do No?" to shop customers.

"He's kind of an expert in hybrids, and I thought it was important that people could talk to someone who's not just in the shop and thinking that they're getting sold something," Ayers says.

It's just another way to secure business going forward. But the shop also has its hands firmly on a successful plan right now.

From Humble Beginnings
Robert Ayers started as a machinist in 1971, becoming an automotive technician at a Connecticut Alfa Romeo and Mazda dealership in 1974. He opted for warmer weather, moving to Santa Barbara in 1977 and opening Ayaers Reairs in an empty gas station. A move and a second location later, and the shop is growing.

The Ayers have built the business largely on training and education, beyond that of the public. All employees are required to attend a minimum of 40 hours of training a year. Service advisors focus on training from vendors like ATI and WORLDPAC, while technicians look into everything from hybrids to drivability and advanced diagnostics to stay on top of the market.

Nikki Ayers says she chooses classes to be taught in the shop based on her knowledge of the instructor, the quality of the instruction and what the technicians will get out of it.

"I try to make it well balanced, because we're general repair and everybody in our shop needs to know a lot about everything," she says.

Beyond the classroom and hands-on training are bi-weekly shop meetings featuring speakers like dieticians, financial managers, health care providers and more. Ayers says she and her husband want to provide their employees with access to a variety of training to better themselves, and thus the business.

"I make the meetings fun and interesting. The meetings are not always tied to the training. One month, especially in March I'll bring someone in to talk about IRAs or savings or banking that they might need to know about for their taxes," she explains. "I try to bring in a mix so it's not all just everything business related. Yes, there has to be business related stuff, but I try not to make every meeting goals and things like that."

Daily Progress
Focus on improving and learning, beyond the larger and bi-weekly training, does happen every day at Ayers Automotive Repairs. Days begin with a brief staff meeting, the first of two during shop hours. While Ayers says the morning meetings start as a way for technicians to be accountable to each other, it gives them a chance to talk about customer-related issues like comments, scheduling, parts and problems.

"It's time for a tech to say I have a problem with a car and I don't know where to look or I'm stumped on this one. You get input from that. It's also a time to say, I need this bay at this time for this reason so we can coordinate that stuff," she states.

A second meeting at 1 o'clock meeting is a chance for the entire shop to get up-to-date on what has happened during the day, what parts are in, what priorities have changed and more. It lasts between four and five minutes.

"It's just to get everybody back on track and focused again," Ayers notes.

It all goes hand-in-hand with daily goal sheets the shop utilizes. They are handed out each morning at the meeting.

"That gives them an idea of what jobs need to be done by what time. It gives them an estimate time that the repair order worksheet needs to be turned back in, and it also tells the promise time and if they can't meet that, then we need to know that before the customer is there," Ayers explains. "It also helps them keep track of, because my guys are flat rate, how much time they're spending on a job during the time. The time they lose they can't make back up. It helps them watch that."

Staying Involved
Involvement in the aftermarket is important at the shop, not only for the owners, but also for the technicians. While this is evident in the training, it also can be seen in the technicians' input in equipment.

Ayers reports that the shop was the first MFS users for a general repair shop in 1984, and the technicians always have had a say in what tools they need.

"In October, I start asking them, let's look at the equipment we have, what needs repaired or replaced and then after that, I say if you had a wish list, what would you wish that we would buy," Ayers says. "I ask them also to talk to the tool guys, because I want them to be telling me what they really want. And they need to know what the cost of stuff is. I actually have them give me prices so I can think about it."

By having the technicians learn about the prices, they have a better sense of the business. This unique look at the shop has helped both Nikki and Robert Ayers better the aftermarket. The couple 30 years ago began volunteering at their local IGO chapter, which evolved into ASC/CA. Robert Ayers has served on ASA's Mechnical Operations Committee, and the couple was honored in 2004 by ASA for their dedication to educational programs.

With her approach to the business, Nikki Ayers is executive direction of the Independent Automotive Professional Association of California and is active in the Car Care Professionals Network. All of the involvement has boosted the business and helped them learn the ways to train their employees and educate the public.

"You learn new ideas all the time. Any time you go to one of the events, it doesn't matter if it's a local meeting or a national meeting, you always learn something new. Or you can say, wow, I'm not so bad. You can compare yourself and say, I do that," Nikki Ayers says of the involvement. "Until I got involved with CCPN I really didn't have a clue how big this industry was. You live in your small little world here in Santa Barbara and you just don't see what all really goes into getting the parts to you."

But she has learned, as has Robert, and they've passed that onto their community. In return, the community will provide customers for the shop for years to come, the continuation of a good business plan.