Honest Garage Podcast

Welcome to The Honest Garage Podcast — where we talk shop about running a real repair business in the real world.Each week, David Laird sits down with independent shop owners, technicians, and industry experts to unpack what's working (and what's not) in marketing, hiring, leadership, and operations.No buzzwords. No agency jargon. Just honest conversations that help you grow your shop, keep your team steady, and build a business that lasts.Our show is about real shops telling real stories. Where shop owners talk about more than just repairs. They're building people, serving their communities, working on the shop, and not just in it. We are ultimately all shaping the industry that we all love!

Honest Garage Podcast is a business podcast hosted by David Laird, with 54 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

David Laird hosts Honest Garage Podcast, a business show with 54 episodes published.

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  Episode #55

  Business First, Bay Smart: Matt May on Numbers, Premium Vehicles, and Rebuilding Village Motor Works

  Sep 28, 202632 minS1

  Matt May did not come into auto repair as a technician. He came in as a businessman with a background in science, manufacturing, and the pharmaceutical industry. That outside perspective changed the way he looked at the shop from day one. Matt is the owner of Village Motor Works in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, operating out of a historic building that dates back to the 1940s. The shop focuses heavily on European and higher end Japanese vehicles, including BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen, Volvo, Lexus, Acura, and more. In this episode, Matt shares how retirement at 52 did not last long, how a struggling Midas opportunity turned into a shop turnaround, and how he grew what had been a two-car-a-day operation into a business producing more than one and a half million dollars annually. He also talks about moving away from the franchise model, returning the shop to the Village Motor Works brand, and shifting the customer base toward premium vehicles where the margins, expectations, and relationships made more sense. You will hear Matt's business-first view of the industry, including why every shop owner needs to understand labor costs, parts costs, rent, margins, pay plans, and the real numbers behind profitability. He also gets into technician pay, service advisor incentives, flat rate concerns, and why the wrong compensation model can quietly create pressure to sell the wrong things. Matt also shares a forward-looking take on AI, diagnostics, and the technician shortage. His view is that the next generation of techs may need to be as comfortable with computers as they are with tools, because the cars are not getting simpler. If you want to hear what happens when a numbers-driven operator steps into auto repair, rebuilds the model, and learns how to run a profitable shop without being the person turning the wrench, Matt's episode is worth hearing. Links: Honest Mechanic Marketing (HMM): https://honestmechanicmarketing.com/ Village Motor Works: https://vmwraleigh.com/

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  Episode #54

  Partner for the Next Chapter: Abraham Chavez on Three Shop Growth, Legacy Brands, and Building Leaders Who Think Like Owners

  Sep 21, 202631 minS1

  Abraham Chavez grew up in the family shop, learning the business from the ground up. Sweeping floors, cleaning parts, helping in the shop, moving into sales and service advising, then eventually stepping into ownership. But his story did not stop with one location. Today, Abraham owns Griffin's Auto Repair, Dieter's European Auto Repair, and Joe Jr's in San Diego, California. In this episode, he shares how Griffin's became the starting point, how he acquired and rebuilt Dieter's to preserve a European specialty shop legacy that goes back to 1960, and why his third location became an opportunity to turn one of his strongest managers into a partner instead of losing him to ownership somewhere else. Abraham gets honest about what three shop ownership really feels like. The numbers, the hiring stress, the vendor accountability, the quality expectations, and the fatigue that comes after more than 30 years in the industry. He also explains why the right people, the right procedures, and the right schedule are what give an owner the freedom to step away, spend time with family, and think about the next chapter. You will hear how Abraham identifies constraints by watching sales, gross profit, margins, and productivity, why he prefers quality OEM parts when possible, and how long standing customer trust is protected by one simple rule he learned from his dad: only sell or repair what is actually needed. If you are growing beyond one location, trying to develop leaders inside your shop, or wondering what the business should give back after years of grind, Abraham's episode is worth hearing. Links: Honest Mechanic Marketing (HMM): https://honestmechanicmarketing.com/ Dieter's Motorsports: https://www.dietersmotorsports.com/ Griffin's Auto Repair: https://www.griffinsautorepair.com/ Joe Jr's Auto: https://joejrauto.com/

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  Episode #53

  Teach Problem Solvers: Brian Weeks on Family Legacy, Core Values, and Building Technicians at ATC Auto Center

  Sep 14, 202649 minS1

  Brian Weeks grew up inside the automotive business. His grandfather was building transmissions in the 1950s, the family business started in 1972, and Brian was around cars, racing, and the shop long before he ever became an owner. But the real leadership story starts in 1998, when Brian, his brother Chris, and their cousin walked into work on a Monday morning and realized the previous generation was not coming in. Customers were waiting, the doors were open, and they had to figure out how to run the business in real time. A year later, Brian and Chris officially bought the shop. Today, ATC Auto Center has grown into two locations in Augusta and Grovetown, Georgia, with 22 service bays and a reputation built on people, process, and trust. In this episode, Brian shares what more than 25 years of ownership has taught him about core values, culture, accountability, and developing the next generation of technicians. He talks about why culture is not what you post on a wall, it is what you tolerate, and why even talented people cannot stay if they operate outside the values of the shop. You will also hear Brian break down how ATC teaches technicians to become problem solvers, not order followers. From their five steps of a proper repair to the 1-3-1 method, Brian explains how asking better questions helps young techs build real diagnostic thinking instead of just waiting for answers. If you are trying to grow a shop with strong people, better standards, and a team that can carry the reputation forward, Brian's episode is worth hearing. Links: Honest Mechanic Marketing (HMM): https://honestmechanicmarketing.com/ ATC Auto Center: https://atcautocenter.com/

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  Episode #52

  Service Advisors Need Tools Too: Coralee Zueff on Customer Conversations, Diagnostic Value, and Confidence at the Counter

  Aug 24, 202658 minS1

  Coralee Zueff knows the service advisor role from the inside. She has lived the pressure of the counter, the technician handoffs, the customer questions, the price objections, the phones, the texts, the parts delays, and the constant juggling act that most shop owners do not always see. In this Expert Spotlight episode, David and Paul sit down with Coralee Zueff, award-winning master service advisor, public speaker, coach, trainer, and Amazon bestselling author of Five Star Service Advisor and Coralee's Car Care Cookbook. Coralee breaks down why service advisors need more than scripts. They need real tools, real examples, technical understanding, confidence with money conversations, and the ability to explain value without sounding pushy. She shares how advisors can communicate the value of diagnostics, handle customers who walk in with AI-generated repair guesses, and turn complicated inspection findings into clear next steps. You will also hear Coralee's take on shop hierarchy, advisor and technician teamwork, ego at the counter, women in the industry, and why the best advisors learn how to educate customers without overcomplicating the conversation. If your shop wants better approvals, fewer counter conflicts, stronger advisor confidence, and a smoother bridge between the front and back of the shop, Coralee's episode is packed with practical takeaways. Links: Honest Mechanic Marketing (HMM): https://honestmechanicmarketing.com/ Coralee Zueff: https://www.coraleezueff.com/

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  Episode #51

  Only What You Need: Trent Sweitzer and Noah Warner on Scaling Integrity, Multi Location Growth, and Training Techs

  Jul 28, 202635 minS1

  Trent Sweitzer and Noah Warner are not trying to prove that one honest repair shop can survive. They are trying to prove that an automotive company can grow to serious scale without pressure selling, unnecessary repairs, or the kind of upselling that has damaged trust in the industry for years. Trent and Noah are co-owners of Summit Integrity Auto Repair, serving the Kansas City Metro through locations in Lee's Summit, Raymore, Leavenworth, and Fort Leavenworth. Their promise is simple: Only what you need, guaranteed. In this episode, Trent and Noah share how the business grew from three people grinding six days a week into a multi location operation with big goals and a clear point of view. They talk about building the company around different owner strengths, with Noah pushing growth, Trent focused on systems and strategy, and Bobby staying close to the technical side of the business. You will hear how Summit Integrity uses its Integrity Report to document every vehicle, educate customers, and draw a clear line between helpful recommendations and unnecessary upsells. They also get practical about technician development, state inspections, documentation, warranties, customer trust, and why "if it is not written down, it did not happen" became a hard earned operating rule. If you are trying to grow beyond one location, build a repeatable shop system, or prove that honest repair can still be profitable at scale, Trent and Noah's conversation is worth hearing.

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