When you get started with your mobile oil change business one of the hardest parts is knowing which oil filters to have on board your truck. There are tons of oil filter sizes and trying to figure out which ones you will need will seem very daunting.
One of the most frustrating parts of this whole "mobile lube" idea is having the correct oil filter you need for jobs. It drives me crazy when I have to pack everything up and go to the auto parts store several miles away because I either a) did not have the right filter I needed or b) brought the wrong filter. You will find that this is going to happen quite often.
If you do not already you are going to need some type of shelving units in your oil change van. Mine already came with them and so do several others if you get yours already pre-made.
Here are the filters you need to have in your vehicle. If you get the following oil filters you will be prepared to do 92% of the passenger vehicles you come across. I put them in order of popularity.
Have 8-12 of the following
PZ-42
PZ-48
PZ-45
PO-167
PZ-21
PZ-34
PZ-19
PZ-28
PZ-27
PZ-12
PZ-37
PZ-39
PZ-109
PZ-9A
PZ-58 (Only keep two of these)
Have two of each of the following
PZ-49 Powerstroke Diesel 7.3
PO-156 Powestroke Diesel 6.0
PZ-59 Duramax Diesel
PZ-47 Cummins 5.7 Diesel
If you keep your mobile oil change vans stocked with these Pennzoil filters than you will be ready for almost anything. When you upgrade to the huge diesels than that's a whole other story. There are 100s of choices when you get into that. But as far as average gas engines these numbers will work just fine. I suggest you also keep a filter book in your van at all times. I take mine out to look at it and forget to put it in sometimes.
I also suggest Pennzoil oil filters for two reasons: their yellowish color looks really nice and they have excellent brand recognition. Everyone is comfortable with that brand and they have over half the market share as far as oil and oil filters go.
The other 8% of the vehicles are imports that take canister oil filters and you will have to buy them on a case by case basis.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Your Oil Change Prices
I have heard this question a lot: "How Much Should I Charge for An Oil Change?"
There are two ways to answer that question. You have to consider two things. First whatever you do charge you need to be making $100 an hour. Second, what is the price of an oil change at Jiffy Lube.
I will attack the second consideration because I have already talked about the first one at length. I would like to say, if I have not already, that I like Jiffy Lube model. I have spoken to the owner of the Jiffy Lubes were I live, have been in them, and I love their system. They have created a great assembly line type system for oil changes. I have learned a lot by watching and copying their model and applying that to a mobile operation. Obviously it works. I figure they have to know what they are doing. If they didn't than they would not be in every city and on every block.
So what does what I just said have to do about pricing? Well, what I just said about watching Jiffy Lube applies to a lot of facets in this business but setting your prices for a typical oil change is one of them. Think about it! They know the market better than anyone. Jiffy Lube will always charge what they market will bear. They are never too low or too high. Where I live they charge $54.99 for a regular oil change. They charge $57.99 for an AWD or 4WD vehicle. I know many of you gasp when you hear that but I promise you customers were lined up, some bays 5 deep, yesterday. What does that tell me? Why should I be any lower? If anything my price for an oil change should be at least $56.99 because I am bringing the service to them!
Where you live I can promise you that Jiffy Lube will have already researched the market for you. Set your prices right where they are. Not their seasonal or at times special discounted price but there standard prices. They do the $19.99 oil changes too but only on certain days and for certain times of the day for most places.
No matter where you live I can guarantee that your prices should not be less than $35.00 for a basic oil change. If your market cannot or will not bear at least that I would suggest buying a Taco Bell or KFC franchise. I rarely see a place those two stores cannot make money in.
Do not worry about Wal Mart's prices. They cater to the people who would not use your service anyway. They do terrible service and make the customers wait for a long time on purpose. They want people to shop more. Thats the only reason they have it.
So you have the answer now. For your average price of an oil change your prices needs to be A) at Jiffy Lube's rate or higher and B) high enough where 4-5 vehicles can net your $100 per hour. Its that simple.
There are two ways to answer that question. You have to consider two things. First whatever you do charge you need to be making $100 an hour. Second, what is the price of an oil change at Jiffy Lube.
I will attack the second consideration because I have already talked about the first one at length. I would like to say, if I have not already, that I like Jiffy Lube model. I have spoken to the owner of the Jiffy Lubes were I live, have been in them, and I love their system. They have created a great assembly line type system for oil changes. I have learned a lot by watching and copying their model and applying that to a mobile operation. Obviously it works. I figure they have to know what they are doing. If they didn't than they would not be in every city and on every block.
So what does what I just said have to do about pricing? Well, what I just said about watching Jiffy Lube applies to a lot of facets in this business but setting your prices for a typical oil change is one of them. Think about it! They know the market better than anyone. Jiffy Lube will always charge what they market will bear. They are never too low or too high. Where I live they charge $54.99 for a regular oil change. They charge $57.99 for an AWD or 4WD vehicle. I know many of you gasp when you hear that but I promise you customers were lined up, some bays 5 deep, yesterday. What does that tell me? Why should I be any lower? If anything my price for an oil change should be at least $56.99 because I am bringing the service to them!
Where you live I can promise you that Jiffy Lube will have already researched the market for you. Set your prices right where they are. Not their seasonal or at times special discounted price but there standard prices. They do the $19.99 oil changes too but only on certain days and for certain times of the day for most places.
No matter where you live I can guarantee that your prices should not be less than $35.00 for a basic oil change. If your market cannot or will not bear at least that I would suggest buying a Taco Bell or KFC franchise. I rarely see a place those two stores cannot make money in.
Do not worry about Wal Mart's prices. They cater to the people who would not use your service anyway. They do terrible service and make the customers wait for a long time on purpose. They want people to shop more. Thats the only reason they have it.
So you have the answer now. For your average price of an oil change your prices needs to be A) at Jiffy Lube's rate or higher and B) high enough where 4-5 vehicles can net your $100 per hour. Its that simple.
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