"Deltyn drives a meh car" (retro-mod) 03/19/2020 at 17:00 • Filed to: None

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Auto factories across the nation have shut down, but as far as I can tell from the dealership side, the fear of closing up shop has come and gone. A recent article from Forbes confirms that dealerships will likely stay open as Big Wigs have appealed to the government to have dealerships considered an “essential service”. In the case of a “shelter in place order”.

All I really know is that I and everyone in my shop gets in and out of other people’s vehicles  all day, and it’s very likely that many of our customers pick their buggers.

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WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Deltyn drives a meh car 03/19/2020 at 17:12

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I still talk daily with the sales guys at the dealership I used to work for. They’ re all still on normal schedules. What they’re worried about is getting laid off. Evid ently, some lube tech guys have already been let go. Th eir time off plans have been gutted too.

RallyWrench > Deltyn drives a meh car 03/19/2020 at 17:40

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I have our techs rotating days because our schedule has evaporated. We’ve been sanitizing all touch surfaces from keys to shifters for a week already, with all staff instructed to wear masks and gloves in client cars at all times. We’re under a shelter in place order as of 5pm tonight but shops are on the “essential” list so we’re open and taking all precautions. I don’t see that sales staff should be on the job, but m achines don’t stop breaking just because people get sick so the people who fix things are still needed. B ut the fall off in business has been precipitous. I’m just trying to steering this ship through the storm and keep guys paid enough to get by with what reserves we have. Going to be interesting and painful. 

Deltyn drives a meh car > RallyWrench 03/19/2020 at 17:48

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Very similar situation here in the New Orleans area. No talk of shelter in place yet, and we’re still a full crew on a regular schedule, but business has been slow  since last week. 

hike > RallyWrench 03/19/2020 at 18:15

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The rotating days is interesting. Better than laying off techs. How's it working for you and your employees? 

ranwhenparked > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 03/19/2020 at 18:22

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Well, obviously. If everyone is going to be unemployed (and most of us are) , why the hell would anyone be buying a car right now?

RallyWrench > hike 03/19/2020 at 19:57

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Remains to be seen, really. But it’s the best solution we have for the number of techs and available work right now. There are unemployment options besides layoffs, for reductions in hours or revenue due to disasters or other outside circumstances, and that seems to require a reduction of 10-60% in work, which may be where we fall. This way the guys are eligible for some help if needed but we can still support them and fairly distribute what work we have . We’ll also be doing some percentage of previous pay as a basis using available reserves to help prop up their checks in the meantime. It won’t be full pay for any of us, but running a rotating skeleton crew is the best “all in this together” plan I could throw together as a first phase. 

RallyWrench > Deltyn drives a meh car 03/19/2020 at 20:01

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Best of luck, man. Hope you pull through it.  We’re in the middle of CA and our order starts in... 7 minutes. I actually misspoke before , it’s technically a “shelter at home”order , not shelter in place. Apparently “shelter in place” is reserved for active shooters and missiles.