Top 10 Automotive Repair Web Sites

by Alissa Arford-Leyl

For the third year in a row, AutoInc. is proud to present the Top 10 Automotive Repair Web Sites. After viewing hundreds of Web sites found in search engines, links from other sites and shop sites in the Find Nearest ASA Shop section of the ASA Web site, 20 nominees were chosen and submitted to the AutoInc. staff for review.

The site needed to have a pleasing appearance with interesting graphics, easy navigation and a good color contrast and balance. We looked for basic information like services and affiliations, but online appointment forms, shop history, maps, testimonials and other extra information made certain sites stand apart from others.

Each site was rated in four categories: design and graphics, content, speed and navigation. It was a very hard task to narrow it down to the Top 10 because we reviewed a lot of great sites! Each of the Top 10 has something unique about them that we felt would help others in their efforts to create their own Web sites.

We are including a screen capture of the winners' home pages along with comments from the shop owners or managers when available. Be sure to visit these Web sites so you can experience the animation, graphics and read the extensive information they have provided. If you have a Web site and are an ASA National member, please call ASA at (800) 272-7467 so we can make sure it's in the Find Nearest ASA Shop section of the ASA Web site (http://www.asashop.org).

Bolts Quality Car Care, Inc., Denver, Colo.
http://www.boltscarcare.com

Burgess Car & Truck Center, Milwaukee, Wis.
http://www.burgessboys.com

Expert Automotive, Inc., League City, Texas
http://www.expertauto.com

Greg's Japanese Auto Parts & Service, Kent, Wash.
http://www.gregs.com

Greg Huntley, president: Greg's Japanese Auto realized that the Internet is the future of communication. Any business that does not have an Internet presence is doing themselves a disservice. The Internet is becoming as important as the fax, mail and telephone. We have made significant investments in technology, and will continue to do so to stay ahead of the competition. Future plans include focusing on customer service. We are planning to allow customers to retrieve repair order status, work history and previous service recommendations online. The estimating and scheduling page is constantly being improved based on feedback from service advisors and customers. We are also moving away from static pages to dynamically generated pages, tailored specifically for each viewer. Gregory Barnett has been our Webmaster since May of 1998.

Keller Bros. Inc., Littleton, Colo.
http://www.kellerbros.com

Larry's Autoworks, Mountain View, Calif.
http://www.autoworks.com

Larry Moore, owner: We have a Web site because we sit in the middle of Silicone Valley, surrounded by thousands of people who are on their computers all day. Our hope was to capture some more of this well-paid, vehicle-dependent market through our Web site. Most of the hits to our Web site occur between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., so I believe we are being looked at by people at their computers at work. Our goal to use the Web site to screen customers and direct those we desire to our shop has paid off. Respondents from the Web site spend two to four times as much on the first visit than a new customer from any other source. Although our hope for large numbers of new customers has not materialized, we do get a small, but steady, trickle of new customers. We are currently working to find ways to improve the quantity of responses; like any other new medium it is trial-and-error to find what works best.

Leon's Mufflers & Brakes, Eureka, Calif.
http://www.leonsmufflers.com

Lloyd's Transmission, Olympia, Wash.
http://www.lloydsauto.com

Neil DeBoer, president and general manager: We created a Web site to promote our shop and better inform our clients. It gives us an almost unlimited forum to explain our philosophy, history, types of jobs that we do, etc. And the potential client can read or skip any or all of it as he/she feels the need. It is a very user-friendly way to let folks know more about the shop and our employees. It is also fun to lay it out and add to it as time permits.

Mancinelli's Inc., Denver, Colo.
http://www.mancinellis.com

Steve Mancinelli, owner: I created a Web site to give my customers another alternative in doing business with us. I also felt it would help new customers familiarize themselves with our shop without the stress of visiting our facility cold. I feel our site is successful because our customers are using it and new customers are coming in because of it. However, I feel that it will have to continue to change in the future to meet the changing needs of an electronic society. As the Internet becomes more prevalent in our lives, our site will probably end up being the best source of marketing for us.

Parkway Automotive Service, LLC, Little Rock, Ark.
http://www.parkway708.com

Mike Davidson, owner: We have a Web site mainly to allow new customers to learn more about our company. However, it has become quite useful for our regular customers to set appointments or ask a question. It also sends a message in general that we are a progressive repair facility.

ASA Main Page || AutoInc. Main Page
Federal and State Legislative Objectives || Profile on Parts || Adhering to Labor Laws || Creating an Effective Shop Web Site || Top 10 Automotive Web Sites || NACE '99 Post-Show Report || Guest Editorial || Tech to Tech || Tech Tips || News Briefs || Taking the Hill || Around ASA || Net Worth || Stat Corner || Shop Profile || Chairman's Message

AutoInc. Magazine ® Vol.XIVIII, January 2000
E-mail: info@autoinc.org, Web Site: http://www.autoinc.org
Copyright © 2000 Automotive Service Association (ASA). All rights reserved.