About Us
Del Mar Automotive is a 25 year family owned business providing repairs and maintenance on all makes and models of cars and light trucks, both foreign and domestic, including diesel engines. Specialties include Diagnostics, Brakes, Air Conditioning, Suspension and Alignment.
How We Got Started
Todd went to work for previous owner in 1989, bought the business in 1992.
The products and services we offer
Recommendations Received (5)
"Honest, professional auto repair!"
"I've used Al many times for my cars maintenance. The work is excellent and doesn't over charge. I..."
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"I've used Al many times for my cars maintenance. The work is excellent and doesn't over charge. I highly recommend Del Mar Automotive. "
Products & Services
Oil changes, brake repair, air conditioning, wheel alignment, suspension repair, tune up & diagnostic. Also smog testing for cars 2000 and newer.
Recommendations Given (7)
"They have been a neighbor, customer, supplier & friend for all the 30 years we have been in..."
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"They have been a neighbor, customer, supplier & friend for all the 30 years we have been in business here. Can't say enough good about them."
"My grandson did a college prep class with Eva. Very happy, was able to get into UC Davis..."
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"My grandson did a college prep class with Eva. Very happy, was able to get into UC Davis engineering program, now in his 3rd year."
Recent Activity
Over 90% of our business is by credit cards and we only have one unit so my provider has to be available when there is a problem. We cannot be without it. If that means that we may pay a little more it's worth it.
Our provider supports our trade association and helps with the annual...
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Over 90% of our business is by credit cards and we only have one unit so my provider has to be available when there is a problem. We cannot be without it. If that means that we may pay a little more it's worth it.
Our provider supports our trade association and helps with the annual processing audit. Can't get any better.
In our business of auto repair and service we have found a huge benefit in belonging to an association of like businesses, ASCCA. The Automotive Service Councils of California lobby the state legislature regarding issues affecting our industry, have a seat at the table with
our regulating...
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In our business of auto repair and service we have found a huge benefit in belonging to an association of like businesses, ASCCA. The Automotive Service Councils of California lobby the state legislature regarding issues affecting our industry, have a seat at the table with
our regulating agency,the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR), sponsor legislative visits and maintain a chat room.
The chat room alone is worth the membership fees in that it allows us to post questions which typically result in an array of responses from other shops all over that state that may have confronted the same issue. The questions range from "where can I find this part?" to "what do I have to do to comply with this new state law?"
There all also local chapters and we have always benefited from attending the San Diego Chapter meetings both for the meeting content and discussions with other shop owners.
This is a long answer, but many businesses have similar associations. If there is an association for your business type join it. If there isn't, consider trying to start one or find out if there are business coaches out there for your type of business. If you know other people in the same business, contact them and get together for monthly lunches to kick around common problems. Help takes many forms.
What we sell is maintenance and repairs. Put another way, we sell safety and reliability. Our customers trust us to tell them when their cars need service and/or repair so that they can rely on the car to safely take their family where they need to go.
Our customers don't bounce from shop to...
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What we sell is maintenance and repairs. Put another way, we sell safety and reliability. Our customers trust us to tell them when their cars need service and/or repair so that they can rely on the car to safely take their family where they need to go.
Our customers don't bounce from shop to dealer to shop because they realize the value we offer. The bouncers are not our customers. Define who your customer is, nurture them and fire the others. Those properly nurtured will be your best sales people.
We have no "entry level" positions. Every position requires some level of experience and training. Our industry is scrambling to create and nurture trade schools with apprenticeship programs. There was a time when every high school had auto shop but now a high school auto shop is rare. The...
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We have no "entry level" positions. Every position requires some level of experience and training. Our industry is scrambling to create and nurture trade schools with apprenticeship programs. There was a time when every high school had auto shop but now a high school auto shop is rare. The recent push for everyone to go to a four year college has aggravated the problem.
We have been very fortunate in that most of our employees have just showed up looking for a job. Most have worked out well and we take good care of them to make sure they stick around. We have virtually no turnover.
Local community colleges are stepping up with trade programs in cooperation with the Automotive Service Councils of California (ASCCA), of which we are a member. So there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Success in our business is not based on negotiation. We have rent to pay, technicians to nurture and owners to satisfy. We set our prices in order to pay the bills and stay in business. We perform our services in a way that makes people want to come back, recommend us to their friends and give...
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Success in our business is not based on negotiation. We have rent to pay, technicians to nurture and owners to satisfy. We set our prices in order to pay the bills and stay in business. We perform our services in a way that makes people want to come back, recommend us to their friends and give us great reviews. Long story short, the great majority of our customers are willing to pay for superior service. Those that aren't go elsewhere.
We develop long term relationships with our customers. We sometimes get early resistance when, for example, we charge for diagnosis and won't apply that diagnosis time to the repair. But over time, as customers realize we won't take advantage of them and we stand behind our work, that...
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We develop long term relationships with our customers. We sometimes get early resistance when, for example, we charge for diagnosis and won't apply that diagnosis time to the repair. But over time, as customers realize we won't take advantage of them and we stand behind our work, that resistance goes away. I suspect you get many more one-time customers who don't understand what it costs for you to be in business. This puts you in the position of constantly explaining why you have to charge what you do and that's the worst part of the job. You have probably already developed a short explanation in simple terms explaining why you have to charge for everything you do (so you can pay those bills at the end of the month). You might include something on your website - "Why We Charge What We Do" since most people have no clue what it costs to operate a highly regulated business in California. Rough description, few hard numbers: Office rent, telecommunications, licensing, monthly payments on $75,000 trucks, insurance on same, maintenance on same, driver's pay, driver's benefits, etc. The list could get very long and most people would get the point. Hope this helps.
Good reviews on multiple platforms, such as Google, Facebook and Yelp, plus word of mouth from happy customers. This means providing such good service, all the time, that people want to talk about you.
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Good reviews on multiple platforms, such as Google, Facebook and Yelp, plus word of mouth from happy customers. This means providing such good service, all the time, that people want to talk about you.
I fired a customer once who was being difficult. I refunded his money (not a lot) and told him we didn't want his business. He wound up being a good customer.
While running an auto repair shop may be different from those who deal with large contracts, I think any small business should be able...
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I fired a customer once who was being difficult. I refunded his money (not a lot) and told him we didn't want his business. He wound up being a good customer.
While running an auto repair shop may be different from those who deal with large contracts, I think any small business should be able to define their ideal customer. When a customer doesn't fit that profile or proves impossible to deal with we have to say no.
Our shop management system allows us to run reports on who has referred who. We then reward the referrer with a free oil change which we note in the customer file and communicate by email. Depending on the car, that can be worth from $50 to $150.
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Our shop management system allows us to run reports on who has referred who. We then reward the referrer with a free oil change which we note in the customer file and communicate by email. Depending on the car, that can be worth from $50 to $150.
Get customers involved in your marketing. Go above and beyond to provide the best experience possible and ask them for a review. We use a third party service that solicits those reviews which get posted to our website and to Facebook. We don't hesitate to ask people who leave exceptional...
(more)
Get customers involved in your marketing. Go above and beyond to provide the best experience possible and ask them for a review. We use a third party service that solicits those reviews which get posted to our website and to Facebook. We don't hesitate to ask people who leave exceptional reviews to post the same review to Google.
