Automotive white paper.

By Mark Kline

This is going to make for some "rough" reading. It is not my intention to upset you but I feel you need to understand what's happening and how it will, and is, effecting you. However, there is good news in this as well.

The times, they are a changin....

As of August 2007, 36,000 automotive repair shops have gone out of business in the U.S. over the past 5 years... 900 right here in Colorado over the last year alone. The biggest reason is the lack of management skills. Many owners are well intentioned but lack the required skills to stay in business. The final effect is their departure due to lack of profit. To agrivate the situation there is a 60,000 shortage of automotive Technicians. Few young people are getting into the business to replace the many are retiring. Many independent Dealerships have been shut down or bought back by the manufactures. There is very little profit in car sales these days due to a well informed public only interested in price. No doubt you have heard the news of the poor shape the car companies are in these days.

But there is good news:

Cars are FAR more reliable, breaking down much less often per number of parts and miles driven. They also put out far lower polutants and are continually getting more miles per gallon.

So where is this headed?

The obvious conclusion is that like most everything