Episodes

We've officially hit 100 episodes of Fixed Ops Focus! To celebrate, Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers look back at some of their favorite moments, conversations, and lessons from the first 100 episodes. From dealership leadership and customer service to technician challenges, training, and the everyday craziness of the car business, we've covered a lot of ground! A huge thank you to our guests, listeners, and everyone who's supported us along the way. Here's to the next 100 episodes of Fixed Ops Focus!

A hotel janitor in Las Vegas delivered better customer service than most car dealerships. Seriously! In this episode of Fixed Ops Focus, Dave Rogers shares an unexpected WOW moment at the Fontainebleau Hotel that raises a big question: Why are dealerships settling for customer service that's just “fine”? Steve Shaw also shares how a local CDJR dealership went above and beyond to resolve problems with his Jeep Wagoneer. Join Steve and Dave as they discuss what the automotive industry can learn fr...

What started as a two-hour Uber ride from Dallas to Waco turned into a story Steve Shaw will never forget. Steve shares his driver's incredible journey from Cuba to the United States, including crossing the dangerous Darién Gap, and how that conversation changed his perspective on hard work and opportunity. Dave Rogers and Steve also discuss work ethic, dealership profitability, service pricing, and why sometimes the best lessons come from the most unexpected places. It's a different kind of Fix...

Can triage help solve the technician shortage? On this episode of Fixed Ops Focus, Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers tackle one of the hottest topics in automotive service: triage. With skilled technicians harder to find, could a better triage process improve shop efficiency, make better use of experienced technicians, and create new career paths within the service department? Steve and Dave discuss why everyone is talking about triage, what it means for dealerships, and whether it could be part of the...

Can one person with the right attitude accomplish anything? On this episode of Fixed Ops Focus, Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers sit down with Ed Roberts, General Manager of Bozard Ford Lincoln in St. Augustine, Florida. Ed shares his incredible journey from humble beginnings to technician and ultimately General Manager, proving what hard work, determination, and the right attitude can accomplish. Plus, Ed takes us inside Bozard Ford's pioneering mobile service operation, one of the largest in the cou...

In Part 1 of this Fixed Ops Focus conversation, Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers sit down with Stephen Jeffries, Senior Performance Specialist at Xtime by Cox Automotive, to tackle one big question: Should AI or humans be booking your service appointments? Stephen explains how Xtime approaches scheduling, where AI can improve the process, and why the human still needs to stay in control. Plus, what dealers can do to improve performance in the service drive instead of expecting technology to fix a bad ...

Sending an email to your team is not training. In this episode of Fixed Ops Focus, Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers call out managers who lead from the inbox and mistake hitting “send” for actually coaching their people. Real leadership happens face-to-face — through training, feedback, accountability, and showing up for your team.

Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers are back from the Automotive AI Summit in Boston with a look at what AI could really mean for dealerships and Fixed Ops. They break down Aaron Strout’s “Human at the Wheel” keynote, separating real opportunity from AI hype and discussing how automation can give employees more time to build stronger customer relationships. Plus, could the future be dealerships building their own AI systems and connecting them directly to the DMS? The technology is changing fast — but th...

In this episode of Fixed Ops Focus, Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers sit down with Marcello Gloria, Fixed Operations Manager at Empire Auto Group, to talk about his journey from a CDK call center to leading Fixed Ops. Marcello shares how staying hungry, constantly learning, improving processes, and always doing the right thing for the customer helped shape his career. Never stop learning — no matter how far you climb.

In this episode of Fixed Ops Focus, Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers ask a simple question: Where did the WOW go? Customer service isn’t what it used to be, and dealerships aren’t immune. Steve and Dave dig into why service standards have slipped, how management’s attitude affects the entire team, and why “good enough” has become acceptable. If dealerships want to stand out again, it may be time to stop settling for average and bring the WOW back.

In this episode of Fixed Ops Focus, Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers sit down with Carm Capriotto, host of Remarkable Results Radio, to discuss The Rise of the Specialist and why it’s time to change how the automotive industry talks about technicians. From eliminating phrases like “just a tech” to elevating the skill, professionalism, and value of the people who fix the cars, this is a conversation about respecting the profession and building its future.

Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers tackle one of the biggest missed opportunities in the service drive: scheduled maintenance. Why are services listed right in the owner’s manual going unsold every day? The answer may have less to do with your advisors and more to do with management, expectations, and accountability. If your maintenance numbers are soft, it might be time to stop blaming the drive and start looking at leadership.

It takes a special kind of genius to call a customer at 10:06 PM on a Saturday night. In Episode 88 of Fixed Ops Focus, Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers are back on one of their favorite subjects: customer retention. But first, Steve has a story you really can't make up. Two weeks after buying a vehicle from a CDJR dealership, Steve's phone rings at 10:06 PM on a Saturday. It's the sales manager. Why? To tell Steve what a great job HE did buying the car. Here's to you, sir.

Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers make the case that once-a-year feedback simply doesn’t work anymore. As Steve puts it: “Pat me on the back every day, or I’m going away.” Employees want to know how they’re doing right now — not eleven months from now in an awkward meeting with a manager and a piece of paper. And there’s another problem in our business: we're pretty damn good at telling people when they screw something up. But when they do something right? Sometimes they hear absolutely nothing. Steve ...

Want customers for life? Start giving them reasons to come back. In Episode 85 of Fixed Ops Focus, Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers dig into customer retention through lifetime warranties — and why keeping customers may be a lot simpler than dealerships make it. The philosophy is pretty straightforward: Make it easy for the customer.

What happens when a Fixed Ops Director gets tired of the way service scheduling works? He builds something better. Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers sit down with Jimmy Powell, Fixed Operations Director of Horne Auto Group, for a conversation about AI, scheduling, profitability, and what happens when a dealership operator decides to build his own solutions. Jimmy developed Bay Sync, a scheduling platform pioneered inside his own dealerships. The goal: create a smarter way to schedule work around the re...

Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers are back from Las Vegas, where they attended the Mercedes-Benz After-Sales event — and Dave and his team managed to squeeze in The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere. Naturally, the two somehow became one conversation.

If you're not holding your people accountable, eventually YOU become the problem. Why are service advisors afraid to really connect with customers? Why are managers afraid of change? And why do general managers tolerate behaviors they know are costing the dealership money? Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers go straight at the questions dealership leaders don't always want to ask.

There’s money hiding in your repair orders. The question is: are you doing anything with it? Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers dig into RO marketing with two guys who actually live it: Jeff Thomas, Service Director at Matt Blatt Kia, Nissan & Infiniti, and Mark Payne of Total Dealer Solutions.

Nobody teaches you everything you need to know about the car business. Sometimes you learn by getting your ass kicked. Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers didn't get where they are because everything went according to plan. They learned from great mentors, hard lessons, mistakes, getting knocked down — and getting back up. In this episode of Fixed Ops Focus, Steve and Dave tell their own stories of how they got into the automotive business, the people who shaped their careers, and the lessons they learne...

Your customer might pay the fee. That doesn't mean they'll ever come back. Shop supply fees. Resort fees. Hospitality fees. Taxes. Add-ons. After 10 days on the road, Dave Rogers has had enough — and it leads Steve and Dave into a bigger conversation about something every dealership should be thinking about: What are all these fees doing to customer retention? Customers may accept a fee because they don't have much choice in the moment. But when they leave feeling nickel-and-dimed, you've potent...

New Cars. Used Cars. Service. Parts. Same dealership — so why are they so often working against each other? When departments compete instead of collaborate, the entire dealership pays for it — in profitability, culture and the customer experience. In this episode of Fixed Ops Focus, Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers are joined by Jamie Powers of Rhythm CDJR to talk about breaking down the walls between departments and getting the entire store working toward the same goal.

Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers break down one of the oldest battles inside a dealership — Used Cars vs. Service — and why letting the two departments operate against each other can cost the entire dealership money. They dig into used car manager pay plans, reconditioning costs, internal labor, technician hours, and the incentives that can turn two departments that should be working together into rivals.

In Episode 76 of Fixed Ops Focus, Steve Shaw and Dave Rogers ask a question that stings: do you really want to sell cars? Because here’s the truth most dealers don’t want to hear — fixed operations is the lifeblood of the new car department. When fixed ops blows, sales pays the price… and suddenly you’re discounting below invoice just to move metal. Steve and Dave get into why a strong service and parts operation is exactly what lets the front end win — and what happens when you neglect it. Stay...