Cost Cutting / Filling only to add mark-oil experiments continued--thoughts?!

[IndyIan]

What's involved in ending the unprofitable long term contracts? I assume if your customers had to hire your competitors right now, the price would be much much higher? Tell your customers that and renegotiate the contracts or end them.
Also I'd think your labour relations needs some work if you think locking the washrooms is going to be a good way to save money? Most happy employees aren't going to steal anything that's not bolted down either.

 

[Carbon12]

OP, your whole plan is 2 quarts low!

Good luck keeping your employees too. How much is the cleaning bill going to be when they relieve themselves in front of your office because bathrooms are locked?

 

[tblt44]

I wouldn't.
I would run a less expensive oil first

 

[eljefino]

Here's what you do.

On your next invoices add a 2% fuel surcharge above the contract price.

See who pays it, and who complains. After a few months, bump it up to 5%. Say that's just the way it is.

My wife worked for a big consulting business. They always paid 95% of their bills and told the payee they had to skim 5% off the top for "bookkeeping."

Or just reorganize under a new LLC and void your old contracts.

Back on topic, coolant is something you should always top off. If the radiator gets too hot it forces coolant through the cap. It will then flash-boil in the overflow hose. Those gas bubbles then bubble up through the overflow tank's fluid, which condenses the water (coolant) vapor back into water. The more water you have, the more you cool that gas down, and the more you keep overall.

 

[Quantico]

If you blocked my bathroom I would be calling osha. And local radio stations and tv stations. If i had an accident I would call my laywer... figure out how many jury members will be on your side locking the bathrooms.

Employees are currently in demand. I would leave and try to take others with me.

Heads up. You make enough employees angry and they will start dumping sand and coolant in your trucks.

 

[SteveG4]

ToadU is doing what he can to remain in business and profitable. His navigation requires investigation and finesse or savvy.

I applaud him for investigating what can be done to remain profitable -- putting himself "out there" on this website.

Mr. Willson may have something with his extensive statistical analysis concerning vehicles' extended OCI's. It's my hope that ToadU and WWillson explore this potential avenue. It could pan out that some combination of extended drain capable oil and filters would be optimal.

Is there a holy grail? Likely not. But, the stats can be revealing and shed some light on what to expect.

BTW, I'm just seeing your oil report on the other page [Oil Experiments on 2020 6.7 PSD w Lab Reports] ... the one using a Fram orange can and likely the cheapest approved oil likely meeting Ford -171 specs. Reading that with interest now.

 

[SteveG4]

Unfortunately the humidity is way too high here for swamp coolers----tried those years ago. Where I can raise prices I already have. The reality of inflation is a given. Its alarming. The guy causing double digit inflation doesn't even remember why or how and that its his fault.

Everybody hold on because its going to be a bumpy ride. Probably will be worse than 2008.

I foresee the same. It's worrisome, for I see no change in sight.

And just think... your post was from October of last year. You were right on the money then.

God help us all.

 

[Cygnus_]

I think you are focusing in the wrong direction on some issues. Penny pinching has its place, but hear me out: What does your employee turnover/retention look like right now? Are you ready for it to spiral faster than inflation? Mistreating your employees by banning them from your facilities restrooms is not only likely illegal, it’s a fast way to lose drivers and staff that you’ll never recover. People talk to each other and post reviews online, who would apply for a minimum wage position where the boss locks them out of the restroom?

Make no mistake here: a business depends on its employees, not the other way around. Treat others as you yourself would like to be treated.

It is illegal, and it is a violation of probably several OSHA regulations. I hope that he is also banned from the bathrooms there as he did to other employees. Don't expect others to deal with things you wouldn't deal with yourself.

For the record, if I worked for him, I would quit on the spot. After I quit, I would go to my lawyer, then to the Better Business Bureau, and then to OSHA to report all of this.

 

[billt460]

One thing I am considering is an experiment--monitored w oil reports during the OCI and at the change--is filling my trucks to the min line on the dipsticks--just a hair above the add mark.

Don't do it. I would save money elsewhere. There is a "ADD" and a "FULL" mark there for a reason. It's to give the engine a safe zone. Why risk that by running the engine with the bare minimum of oil? I'm not seeing the risk equal to the reward.

Not to mention there are other factors. Depending on the engine, less oil can equate to higher oil temperatures. More contamination, because you're dispersing the contaminates in a lesser volume of oil.

Giving up this safe zone means if you lose ANY oil, the engine is automatically running in a under filled condition. Remember "ADD" means exactly that.... "ADD". There are no dollar signs printed on any dipstick.

 

[addyguy]

I’m also in the camp of buy good-quality oil, fill to full, and stretch OCI’s to the max, you might be surprised how far that is - a full-syn 15w-40 could go as much as 50k miles on a change.

Agree about don’t get into petty savings that look bad, and are probably illegal. You look like a jerk; your employees are angry and look for ways to leave; stress level goes up; and you are not working as a team to deal with the situation you are ALL in.

 

[bullwinkle]

Unless the “unlimited mileage warranty” covers running low on oil & other fluids I think I would find other ways to save money. Or maybe raise your towing & storage charges and add fuel surcharges for all those tows! Can’t believe locking the bathrooms saves any money at all, they make locking TP dispensers…

 

[billt460]

You need to start with a clean sheet of paper, and come up with some better cost effective financial measures. Running engines as low as possible on oil, along with locking up bathrooms, doesn't exactly sound like a financial game winning formula. In today's world, it sounds like the place for the next mass shooting.

 

[loneryder]

I am laughing a bit about burning the waste oil---haha. Winter is 65F here at worst. Homes here don't even have furnaces or "true" heaters. Almost all of the heat is just the AC compressor running backwards--aka a heat pump which is used a couple of days a year at most. Even my swimming pool has a heat pump as the heater to take the edge off in the winter.

I know they make waste oil heaters but they are hella expensive--like extremely expensive. I have no idea what it costs to heat a house up north when it gets cold so maybe they are cost efficient? Running the AC here in the summer is hella expensive. My power bill in the summer is $800ish a month. Sucks but comfortable.

I'm in Ft Myers during the winter and it gets in the 40's every winter. Inland a few miles they get frost.

 

[DuckRyder]

I know this is kinda old.

A friend of mine who was at the time a pilot for one of the majors once said “ You don’t want to be the guy that burned the most fuel”. If you really believe driving habits is a major factor in fuel use - why not introduce a little competition give whoever has the lowest per mile usage per month a modest reward - like a lunch gift card … it could help.

As to the filling to minimum- I wouldn’t.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Just going to the OCI as recommended on the OLM would save me a lot. I change at 5,000 miles and have over 225,000 miles on my 3/4 ton. I’m just not that interested. I’d rather have a conversation on how to get 400,000 miles out out each vehicle.