Fixed Ops Journal - August 2019 - F26

FIXED OPS JOURNAL

PROFIT BUILDER

CHANGE AGENT

Replacing lube techs with oil-draining devices can save money, boost efficiency

MARK ELIAS

foj@autonews.com

om Kane faced a standard dilemma
for a fixed ops director - efficiency
vs. expense.
The parts and service director for
Universal Nissan and Universal Hyundai in
Orlando wanted to stay competitive with local
aftermarket providers in the time his express
lanes took to perform basic oil changes, tire
rotations and multipoint inspections. So Kane
assigned two-member crews of lube technicians to work on each quick-service vehicle.
That got the job done: The average time the
dealerships needed to complete a quick-service visit was a prompt 21 to 24 minutes, Kane
says. But the double-teaming had a cost: The
two-technician crews didn't generate enough
hours of labor under the express lanes' hybrid
pay system - a flat-rate plan combined with
an hourly wage supplement - to enable both
techs to earn an acceptable weekly paycheck.
Last year, Kane developed a different solution: He paired a single quick-service tech
with a device that extracts used oil automatically from a car or truck during an oil change.
Kane estimates the shift is saving each of the
dealerships at least $95,000 a year.
And because use of the oil extractor eliminates the need to remove a vehicle's drain
plug, Kane expects to save thousands more
each year on damage claims that previously
arose from stripped or loose plugs and related
mishaps.
The staffing change has not created any loss
of efficiency; cycle times in Kane's express
lanes are at least as good as they were under
the two-tech crews. Nor has it cost any jobs,
Kane says, because a 35 percent expansion of
service operations at the dealerships has enabled him to promote some lube techs to their
own bays.
"It was a win-win for everyone," Kane told
Fixed Ops Journal. "It helped to reduce our unapplied labor, reduce our cycle times, reduce mistakes and help the techs make more money."

One tech or two
Express service operations at many dealerships use a "dry man/wet man" system. A tech
in the upper quick-service bay performs such
tasks as inspecting the vehicle, rotating the
tires, replacing the air filters, cleaning the winPAGE 26

AUGUST 2019

Miguel Lopez, an express service
technician at Universal Nissan in
Orlando, uses a mechanical extractor
to drain used oil during an oil change.

Down the drain

How using fluid-extraction devices can
help improve express service oil
changes:
 Saves money by cutting labor costs
 Reduces quick-service cycle times
and human error
 Limits damage claims related to
stripped or loose oil drain plugs
 Allows service technicians to be
assigned more efficiently
 Enables waste oil to be checked for
possible engine damage

dows and vacuuming the interior. Meanwhile,
a technician in the pit changes the oil filter
and removes the used oil by loosening the
drain plug.
Instead of maintaining two-tech crews for
quick service, Kane has bought 24 oil ex-

tractors from John Dow Industries Inc. in Barberton, Ohio, for which he says he paid nearly
$600 apiece. A Dow distributor says the manufacturer's suggested retail price for an individual extractor is between $900 and $1,000.
The device, which uses compressed air to
create a vacuum, has long been used to extract oil from boats and heavy trucks. But it also can remove used oil from car and lighttruck engines, using a wand or probe that is
inserted through the vehicle's dipstick tube
and works its way to the bottom of the oil pan.
Extraction can take two to 10 minutes, depending on the engine's oil requirements and
temperature. Meanwhile, the lube tech can do
other work on the vehicle. The used oil is emptied into the shop's oil holding tank for later
removal.
"In a previous life, when I was the fixed ops
director at a Mercedes-Benz dealership, we
see OIL, next page

Fixed Ops Journal - August 2019

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