Fixed Ops Focus

Episode 44 - The $100K Career Nobody Tells High Schoolers About (And It's at Your Local Dealership)

Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers celebrate the career service advisor — the often-overlooked professional whose dedication keeps customers safe and dealerships profitable. This episode makes the case that a young person can build an above-average income, raise a family, and enjoy a meaningful life as a career service advisor — no four-year degree required.

Episode 43 - Why Your CDJR Dealership Will NEVER Be a Luxury Brand (Until You Fix This One Thing)

Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers tackle one of the most underrated challenges in the modern dealership: what happens when a high-volume domestic or import store suddenly decides it wants to play in the luxury sandbox? The case study hits close to home. Steve walks us through his own Jeep Grand Wagoneer experience at a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram dealership — where a $100,000+ luxury SUV gets serviced in the same chaotic drive as a $25,000 Compass, a leased Cherokee, and a twelve-year-old Wrangler with three brake jobs in arrears. The mismatch isn't just uncomfortable — it's costing dealerships real money, real CSI, and real luxury customers.

Episode 42 - AI vs 30 Year Fixed Ops Expert: The Results Will SHOCK You

In Episode 42, we put 30+ years of fixed operations expertise on trial against the most advanced AI on the planet. Steve Shaw asked Claude to generate ten of the toughest, most revealing questions a fixed ops expert could face — then handed the mic to Dave Rogers and let him answer them cold. We then compared Claude's AI-generated answers side-by-side with Dave's real-world, dealership-tested responses. Key talking points covered in this episode: • Claude (AI) generates 10+ expert-level fixed ops questions • Dave Rogers answers cold — no prep, no script • Side-by-side comparison: AI answers vs. expert answers • Where AI surprises us — and where it falls flat • Why the future belongs to experts who know how to use AI

Episode 41 - Service Writing Fundamentals with Tyler Smit

Dave Rogers and Steve Shaw sit down with service advisor Tyler Smith — an experienced young man who ends up schooling both of them on how to write service in 2026. The kicker: the fundamentals Tyler swears by today are the same fundamentals that drove top-performing service drives back in 1987. Key talking points covered in this episode: • Preparation for the appointment • Reviewing the repair orders before the customer arrives • Proper menu presentation • Why having a manager working the drive is non-negotiable

Episode 40 - Watched a Dealership Lose $50K Because They Skipped ONE Step

In this powerful episode, Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers dive deep into the importance of having solid processes in your fixed operations department. They break down: What exactly is a process? Why every successful operation needs them How to start with the end in mind The critical role of accountability Steve and Dave use a compelling analogy: flying an airplane. Just like pilots rely on checklists to ensure safety and consistency, your service department needs proven processes and strict adherence to them. No more guessing — results come from repeatable systems!