feedback

With the approaching of summer holiday, this semester finally comes to an end. But i still remember the time when i  wondered if i should choose this cource. because i thought what outcome can you achieve if we just hand around in a workshop and observe the operation and management of a worshop.  we paid Uni the money so i should learn sth from Uni not just waste time on things which we don't care. To be honest, the only reason why i finanlly decided to choose this course is that one of my friends told me it is easy to pass. and also i thought if i plan to set up my own workshop one day this may be  a good oppotunity for me to get all information which will help me for my own one.

Time goes by so fast, suddenly i realise carry out observation and research on a workshop does improve my understanding in managing a workshop. Opening a new workshop is not just a simple matter  with enough money and gets everything up in just a few days; the hardship is where maintaining the workshop in operational state is going to be tough. Advertising, customer attraction, providing good quality of services is going to be a challenge while complying with the rules and regulations established by the government and also taking care of the environment. Supports from families and friends is also important in maintaining the workshop as when managing a workshop there will be lots of obstacles and in failing to conquer the obstacles is going to devastate the workshop operational. and also this is the first time i actually know there is so many other professional organizations related to automotive industry which have been contributing great success to the automotive business.

has it covered

Workshop insurance is definitely one of the most important financial decisions which protect the workshop against loss that may incur during day to day trading. There are a lot of insurance companies in NZ such as Tower, AMI and State etc. To choose the right one will get your business covered as you expect. Takapuna Brakes & Automotive bought the insurance through an insurance broker. Tony told me that buying insurance via an insurance broker is cheaper and it also offers better services. The insurance policy that is used by the workshop includes: property insurance which protects the building, equipment and tool; business income insurance which provides coverage in the event of many perils beyond control such as fire, wind, hail or vandalism that may interrupt the business; equipment breakdown coverage, which protects if the equipment is damaged from power surges, mechanical breakdown, burnout or operator error; bodily injury and property damage liability, for those instances when the employees, products or services cause harm to other people or their property.

advantages

Takapuna Brakes & Automotive has all the necessary skilled labor requirement for the workshop. As a lecturer at Unitec, Tony is required to improve and develop himself with the new technologies available on automotive industry at all the time. The knowledge relating to new technologies, products and process has built him great reputation on problem-solving regarding to electronic problems on vehicles. On the other hand, Unitec has all these advanced equipments used in automotive industry. The skills on how to use them and awareness of them also make Tony equips his workshop with these necessary good equipments. As the master technician, Ray has over 30 years experience on cars and motorbikes. His problem solving and critical thingks skill have been approved a lot of times on the jobs of repair. and also he can accomplish any assigned job quickly and without any mistakes. owing to his advanced skills, the workshop has been building a new customer resources which are not satisfied with the service or repair offered by other workshops.

financial

Takapuna Brakes & Automotive had a two-years of start-up business loan package from the ASB bank, which now has been paid off. During the two years of period the bank will waive off the transaction and administration fees such as manual transaction fee for ATM fees, cheque and deposit fees. But a 6.25% of interest rate was charged by the bank for the loan to the workshop. The workshop accepts Eftpos, cash and credit card payments. However, for credit card transactions, a 3% charge will be laid to the customers. Since most of the customers are Kivi, they prefer using credit card payments. So having the option of credit card payment is very important in this workshop. However, most of the Chinese oriented workshops do not provide this option because of the extra 3% charges for the services. It is a quite easy math, every $100 transaction; $3 has to be charged by the credit cart suppliers. If a workshop has a ability of making $250,000.00 transaction annually, which means $250,000.00×3%=$ 7,500.00 will be lost as the workshop profit. The common practice in New Zealand is that when extra charge has to be laid on credit card transaction, the customers are should be told of this. And also there are a lot of companies charge nothing for credit-card payment.

week 10

I have to admit that Takapuna brakes have the worst ventilation system I have ever seen. One day a car with burning oil problem drove in and operated less than 30 seconds inside the workshop. It took at least half an hour to get the smoke out. And also any car with fuel consumption problem once operated inside the workshop, you would smell the exhaust gas everywhere inside the workshop. And sometimes the gas irritates your eyes and makes you feel headache. As we know when an engine is running, it produces carbon monoxide, a toxic and poisonous gas which when inhaled can cause dizziness, sickness, loss of consciousness and death. There is  only a window around the walls for the working area and it can only be opened on both lower corners which have very limited effect on ventilation.To prevent serious injury or death from carbon monoxide poisoning, the workshop should install exhaust extractor or exhaust baffles. and also the only light sources are the main entrance and the window. The hoist 3 always has enough illumination. However during cloudy weather hoist 2 and 3 are quite dark which is below the minimum of 70% required brightness in the workplace. Therefore lighting equipment has to be used.

waste disposal

Used brake fluid disposal: most brake fluid is made from polyglycol which is water soluble and can be considered hazardous if it has absorbed metals from the brake system. Wasted brake fluid should be only recycled in a container clearly marked to indicate that it is designated for that purpose. It should never be mixed with used engine oil. The waste oil collection container is placed in the workshop. Once the container is full all you need to do is to call the number. The company will arrange a time to come to collect the waste oil for free. used oil filters contain used engine oil that may be hazardous. Before an oil filter is placed into the rubbish bin, it must be drained thoroughly.coolant is a mixture of antifreeze and water. New antifreeze is not considered to be hazardous even though it can cause death if ingested. Used antifreeze may be hazardous due to dissolved metal from the engine and other components of the cooling system. It is a common practice in NZ, used coolant is recycled into the waste oil container. Since conventional ethylene glycol based antifreeze is attractive to pets and animals because its sweet taste. Ethylene glycol is fatal to any animal if swallowed, so any spill should be cleaned quickly. Spend battery disposal: a spend battery must be placed in the designed storage area of the workshop, from where it will be collected and recycled. The lead, sulphuric acid and plastic contained in batteries can cause damage to the environment if not properly disposed of.All the spend batteries are kept on a bench in the workshop waiting for the battery company to come and collect them.

Used tire disposal: used tires are an environmental concern because of the following several reasons:

l  In a landfill, they tend to float up through the other trash and rise to the surface

l  The inside of tires traps and holds rain water, which is a breeding ground for mosquitoes

l  Used tires present a fire hazard and when burned create a large amount of black smoke that contaminates the air

For other parts such as alternators and starters they can be sold to the second-hand parts companies for reconditioning.

week 8

I noticed a few times customers were freely walking around the working area sometimes even under the hoists without any warning from the technicians or employer. It is absolutely dangerous and if anything happens to them, the employer has full responsibility for the accident.

Since the door leads to the reception office is very close to the main entrance Sometimes the customers would take the main entrance to go to the office. As the vehicle moves in and out the workshop it will increase the risk to the safety of the customers.

Petrol and diesel containers are mixed together with other fluid containers without any highly flammable warning sign on it. And also other common workshop safety signs are not available in this workshop such as warning signs for the following situation: