We designed our ShockwaveTM automotive lifts to help dealers and repair shops get more done, and we could say plenty about why we love them. But how about we shut our traps for a minute and let real shop owners share real experiences? It turns out they have a lot to say, too.
Customers On: Productivity
“Better” and “faster” are two words that come up a lot when shop owners talk about their goals, so it’s probably no surprise that efficiency and productivity dominate the conversation when we hear from customers. For example, the Larry H. Miller Group, which has 55 dealerships in 7 locations, is always looking to save time, and that’s why they went with Rotary Shockwaves. Liza Christensen, Regional Fixed Operations Specialist with Larry H. Miller, says:
“They’re fast. They’re efficient. And the techs can complete more jobs in one day due to the ease of getting the vehicles on and off, and the workable space around the lifts. And the speed going up and down is very quick compared to the old lifts.”
Technician Shane Hemsley adds:
“Speed is everything to us. I mean, that’s obviously how we make our living, make our money. Spending less time raising and lowering the vehicle just equates [to] getting a job done quicker, faster, make more money.”
When Forry Hargitt, Director of Sales and Operations at TireDiscounters needed to choose a lift for his “store of the future,” he wanted to go with something that would reduce the amount of time the customer had to be in the store. He says:
“One of the ways we’ve done that is we’ve gone to the Rotary Shockwave. … We can see a huge improvement in service in the store by putting the Shockwave in. It’s a light switch effect as far as being able to do service. We set up a drive-through system [where] we pull a car in and [put it] onto the Rotary Shockwave. [It] can go up in the air, we can get the tires off. We set it back down, they drive straight forward onto a drive-through alignment rack. The alignment’s done and out. And we can do this in under 10 minutes. We can do it accurately, efficiently and the customer can be in and out in a reduced amount of time with that Shockwave.”
Productivity is a big deal at Ed Morse Automotive Group, too. Gene Byrd, Fixed Operations Director puts it like this:
“The bottom line is, we’re getting cars in and out of the bays safer, technicians like it, they got a smile on their face when they’re lining that vehicle up and they’re looking at that laser beam. They don’t have to be hanging outside the window. … We can now do it quicker faster, be more productive.”
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Customers On: Battery Power Benefits
Companies have an opportunity to make a big impact when it comes to going green, and battery power helps Shockwave owners do more good. Plus, there are some other benefits to battery power, too. Hargitt, notes:
“TireDiscounters has really taken the green initiative to heart, so the Shockwave being 110v does a couple things for us. It reduces our carbon footprint because we’re not using 220v, and it costs less on installation.”
That cost savings is a big deal, especially when you have lots of lifts and multiple locations. Larry H. Miller’s Dan Johnson says:
“I looked at the cost of electrical installation. It was estimated that we would save about $500 a lift. From a construction cost point of view, it made a lot of sense. And the energy cost savings means a lot to us, and being green and compliant is a big priority for us. We can save up to 80 percent in energy savings, [and] we’re doing the right thing for the environment. Going forward, we’ll have Shockwaves in all of our bays.”
And there’s another reason to love batteries: power outages. Johnson points out:
“It never fails, we’ll have a thunderstorm roll through or we’ll have a construction project or a power outage, and it’s that car on the hoist that you need to get down. That you can’t get down.”
Storm or shine, Shockwave lifts will get your cars down when your customers need them.
Technician Love
From a planning standpoint, Shockwaves make sense (Hargitt calls them a “no-brainer”), but what about from a technician’s perspective? Here’s a roundup of what they think:
TireDiscounters’ Thomas Litteral, Cincinnati Ohio General Manager Store #82: With the Shockwave lifts being twice as fast as the standard lifts, it really helps the technicians get to work right away. They’re not waiting around for the lift to lower or raise the lift where they need it.
TireDiscounters’ Kevin Robards, ASE Certified Technician: I’ve worked in a lot of shops over the years, and some of the equipment was old and tired, and some of it didn’t work very well at all. Doing a major job, if you need to move the car up and down several times during the process of the job, they work really well, and I like ’em.
Larry H. Miller’s Thorn Bickel, Diagnostic Specialist: Anything that you can use that can save you time is money in your pocket.
Ed Morse Automotive Groups’ Jonathan Lane, ASE Certified Technician: My favorite part of the Shockwave is that it has a wide base. It’s lower, so if you had to work on the ground next to the car, you could get in without busting your knees up.
Ed Morse Automotive Groups’ Michael Hedrick, ASE Certified Technician: The Shockwave is at least twice as fast as the other electrical hoist we have. … If you can get a car up and down faster, you can get it in and out faster. [The] less time you [spend] standing around, the more time you have to make money.
From technicians to directors, repair professionals love our Shockwave lifts. Think your shop could benefit from the speed and reliability too? Learn more here.
4 Post Lift Comparison: Shockwave™ vs. Standard from Vehicle Service Group on Vimeo.