KB Autos is a small, independent workshop located in Erith, Kent. It has been at its current site since 2016, but in one form or another has been around for over ten years. During a typical day it carries out servicing, diagnostics, welding, tracking and bodywork repairs on a variety of popular makes. All the work is done in-house and on average it deals with between five to ten vehicles per day. To ensure its business runs smoothly, KB Autos needs a comprehensive automotive information system that allows it to carry out work as efficiently as possible.
Time is money
KB Autos owner Kevin Buckley has been in the trade for 23 years and was originally introduced to the Autodata product as an apprentice, when it was supplied on a CD. Once he started his own business he insisted on the best product available and purchased Autodata online. “We are a typical independent workshop and have to deal with a wide range of makes and models,” said Kevin. “We never know what technical information we may need until we need it. We then need it quickly. Time is money.”
Like many independent workshops, KB Autos mainly uses the expected technical data particularly torque settings, tyre pressures and more recently air conditioning information, but finds the Estimate Calculator indispensable for good customer relations. “As most appreciate, when you provide an estimate to a customer, rightly or wrongly they will hold you to it, so it is essential to be as accurate as possible to maintain trust,” said Kevin.
Autodata is like a dependable friend
Kevin has a good example of this as last year he had a gearbox job on a Nissan Navara which at the time was estimated at £180. A few months later he had a similar job on a slightly later Navara model and was about to quote the same figure. Quite by chance a quick check via Autodata showed it would take much longer and was estimated at £400. Thanks to Autodata he avoided having a disgruntled customer.
As highly as he rates Autodata, Kevin was briefly tempted away to a rival product after hearing a sales pitch. The rival product barely lasted a few days as it didn’t have the depth of information and it was also very “clunky to use”. Kevin said, “I found the information was not as comprehensive as described and very disappointed, I got straight on the phone to Autodata. I was so thankful to get it back, it was like meeting up with an old friend. In contrast Autodata has a set suite of subjects which means you know exactly what information will be in there.”
Time savings and other benefits
Kevin particularly likes how the Autodata’s layout allows him to see everything at a glance but his favourite features are its ease-of-use, the Recent Activity (which saves time when working on multiple vehicles on the same day) and, as mentioned before, the Estimate Calculator.
Kevin concluded, “KB Autos has been an Autodata user for twelve years and it has become indispensable to my business. When you are running a workshop you have to be as efficient as possible and Autodata saves me lots of time with many fringe benefits along the way.”
