About Fixed Ops Focus

He kicked off as an apprentice tech who genuinely believed “flat-rate” was a conspiracy theory cooked up by the parts department. Then survived eight legendary years as a service advisor, perfecting the thousand-yard smile while customers screamed, “But my brother-in-law who changes his own oil says it’s just a sensor!”

From there he clawed his way up: service manager, parts manager, warranty wizard (where he discovered that getting a $12,000 powertrain approved is 10% policy, 90% knowing which district rep’s kid needs a travel-ball sponsor and a prayer).
Twenty years dodging corporate auditors with one of the giant public groups, followed by nine glorious, white-knuckle years with a private group that runs so fast the coffee has to chase you.

He’s done hard time as GM of a Chevrolet-Cadillac store, a Nissan store, and a Volkswagen store—six total years of explaining to sales managers why you can’t trade two techs and a parts driver for one closer and a bucket of floor mats.
These days, as Fixed Operations Director over 30 rooftops, Dave is the last line of defense between anarchy and actual profit. He speaks fluent Reynolds, CDK, Dealertrack, and broken dreams; can smell a reversed labor op from the highway, and still swears the service drive is the only place left in a dealership where people tell the truth (usually right after “customer states noises only occur at 73 mph in the rain on Tuesdays”).

When he’s not on his soapbox preaching menu penetration, why ELR is life, why maintenance schedules beat factory “recommendations” every single day, or why “we’ve always done it that way” should be punishable by public flogging with a dirty shop rag (fair warning: “Be careful talking about factory maintenance or you might just get Dave’s rant”).

Dave is:

• • Dad to two amazing daughters who are convinced “RO” means “Really Old”.
  • “Pop” to three grandkids who have him wrapped tighter than a 10 mm on a rusty manifold bolt
  • Full-time employee of two dogs who pay him exclusively in slobber and judgment.
  • And the luckiest guy alive to have a girlfriend who doesn’t flinch when he walks in smelling like a toxic mix of brake cleaner, victory, and whatever died in the loaner car.
   

  He’s also dead serious that life is way too short for cheap cigars, bottom-shelf bourbon, or advisors who round hours down “because the customer seemed nice.” If you need someone who can make warranty audits hilarious, explain why parts obsolescence is the real dealership serial killer, or convince you that a fat repair order and a great cigar hit the exact same dopamine button—Dave’s your guy.
  Ladies and gentlemen… your co-host, the legend, the myth, the man who still answers his phone on the first ring… Dave Rogers!