Autobody News: Business Owner Depends on WD-40 Products to Maximize Time & Provide Excellent Results for His Shop
CARLSBAD, Calif., May 22, 2018 (Newswire.com) - NOTE: This October SPS profile was originally published in print and online in September 2017.
From a young age, Randy Begin spent much of his time tinkering around and fixing cars in his garage.
I've yet to be handed a WD-40 product that doesn't function the way they claim it does. That's something that as an industry, we need.
Randy Begin, Owner of Mission Hills Automotive
He recalls always having a can of WD-40 Multi-Use Product within arm’s reach. The owner of Mission Hills Automotive in San Diego, CA, said that using WD-40 products in his shop has been very beneficial over the years.
The business was established by Woo Choi in 1981. Randy began working for Choi in the early 1990s, and eventually purchased the shop in 2008.
“I’m that guy in the shop who could fix anything,” he said. “I would do this for free. I love what I do.”
After buying Mission Hills Automotive, Randy worked hard to grow his business. He doubled the number of employees and began operating seven days a week.
“I pay rent seven days a week, so why not,” said Randy, whose facility is located near two hospitals. “Seven days a week is a very specific animal to tame. You need to be a shop that is viable to be open to people in the area.”
His plan is to begin running two shifts, starting in 2018.
“If you don’t maximize the time your shop is open, you’re out of business,” he said.
Meanwhile, two of the top priorities for the business owner is listening to customers’ needs and utilizing top-quality products, such as the ones from WD-40 Company.
“The most perishable commodity on the planet is time,” said Randy. “If you can get a product that saves five minutes every time it’s used and it’s used six times a day, you just bought yourself half an hour of labor.”
He said another time-saver is making sure to have enough of the product in stock, so technicians can easily find it and aren’t wandering around wasting time while trying to locate what they need.
Mission Hills Automotive regularly orders a wide variety of WD-40 products from its NAPA jobber. WD-40 Company’s original Multi-Use Product, recognizable to many by its signature blue and yellow can, was invented more than 60 years ago. Since then, the company has expanded its offerings, such as the Specialist line of products used by the crew.
These include high-performance products, such as the sticking lubricant WD-40 Specialist Spray & Stay Gel, which Randy says is amazing because the spray gel stays in place.
“Many times, we’re working in the dark,” he said. “I used to call it ‘spray and pray’ in the old days. Now, hitting the target is much easier.”
He said the lubricant dries cleanly and provides excellent results.
“It won’t run, drip or make a mess, and it prevents rust for up to a year,” he added.
One of the newest products he has found to be beneficial in his shop is the WD-40 Specialist Industrial Strength Cleaner and Degreaser.
He said the water-based, non-aerosol formula is very powerful and easier to use than other degreasers he has tried in the past. Not only can it be used to clean parts and tools, but it is also effective for the shop floor and other equipment.
The unique bio-solvent has corrosion inhibitors that were added to help protect against flash rust. It was also designed to not harm surfaces such as glass, copper, and aluminum.
Randy said the product has a refillable port so a funnel isn’t necessary, which means no mess. Prior to that, he said you had to unscrew the top and try to fill the liquid through a tiny hole.
“Now it’s easy to use and dependable,” said Randy. “What makes it really convenient is that you can buy it in bulk and then reuse the bottles. It is amazingly economical.”
Being environmentally responsible is an important priority for Mission Hills. Employees recycle all of the metal products in the shop, as well as other materials such as paper. It is an EPA-certified green shop and uses nearly all products in bulk. WD-40 EZ-REACH is another product used daily by Randy’s technicians.
“It’s the best thing they have come out with, other than the sticking spray gel,” said Randy. “It’s magic. The new directional nozzle is amazing.”
Equipped with an attached flexible straw, WD-40 EZ-REACH is helpful with a variety of tasks in the shop, such as O2 sensors and exhaust manifold flanges. Randy said the bendable straw is perfect for getting into hard-to-reach places such as automatic shift linkages and works great on control arm bushings, heim joints, and other moving parts.
“It helps techs ‘reach the unreachable,’” he said.
One of the many things that Randy said impresses him most about WD-40 is the company’s openness to listening to technicians about the products offered. Over the past few years, he has been asked to test new and existing products in blind packaging and provide feedback.
“They constantly keep asking me questions and following up on the products to find out how they are working in my shop,” he said. “That’s synergy.”
Many times, after sharing his opinion, he finds that WD-40 Company makes changes to enhance its products.
“I’ve yet to be handed a WD-40 product that doesn’t function the way they claim it does,” said Randy. “That’s something that as an industry, we need.”
Mission Hills Automotive
Location: San Diego, CA
(619) 299-9367
missionhillsautosd.com
Company At A Glance...
Facility Employees: 15
In Business Since: 1981
Number of Locations: One
Combined Production Space: 4,500 square feet
WD-40
(888)-324-7596
www.wd40.com
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Source: Autobody News
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