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Pep Boys To Provide Service / Maintenance

eddie66

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nope, not Wayne, just a guy that hopes and wishes that things come to fruition for us. In fact also had my brother get in on it, so technically i am on the hook for $2000. Maybe one of you guys who knows everything will lend me your crystal ball so I can predict the future.
No crystal ball needed. This topic has been discussed already which is what we are making fun of. It's not that we don't value your opinion, it's just that we already know from previous discussions, there is no answer until we have a vehicle. But we do welcome your opinion.
 

LockMD

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nope, not Wayne, just a guy that hopes and wishes that things come to fruition for us. In fact also had my brother get in on it, so technically i am on the hook for $2000. Maybe one of you guys who knows everything will lend me your crystal ball so I can predict the future.

Just messing with you, please don't take offense. I'm in for 2K too :)
 

Jeff Porter

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nope, not Wayne, just a guy that hopes and wishes that things come to fruition for us. In fact also had my brother get in on it, so technically i am on the hook for $2000. Maybe one of you guys who knows everything will lend me your crystal ball so I can predict the future.

Tim, here's some perspective... on a different thread, we were discussing if Elio needs additional funding, the ATVM loan, etc. Someone made the comment that Elio Motors doesn't want any further funding from investors, and needs / wants to wait for the ATVM loan process to either happen or not. So I asked, why in the world wouldn't you accept further money? Could only make production happen sooner, give EM more security, other things can happen behind the scenes with more money, etc. It seemed so obvious and apparent to me. Folks here on the forum, with a different perspective and experience, helped me to understand why it's not a good idea for EM to accept further investor money right now.

For Pep Boys knowing / not knowing on Nov. 19 2014 about Elio Motors, it would certainly give us the secure feeling >IF< every Pep Boys employee, or even some Pep Boys store managers, were aware of Elio coming down the pipe. But there are 20 other reasons to helps us realize that our deposit is for a high probability of success for Elio Motors. One major reason is that Elio Motors states that they have funding plans behind the scenes, and contingency plans if certain things don't fall into place, such that the first year of production WILL happen.

If you work backwards from production start, which based on info that we have now, in best-case scenario it is Sept 2015, more likely it's 4th qtr 2015. An educated guess on time to get plant ready for production is 45-60 days. The final designs of all parts of the car may not be done until a month before that, who knows. The engine is fully designed now, but it is being tested as we speak, so changes may come from the testing on the engine.

So when will Pep Boys higher-ups start to pass the information down to the store managers? You would think it would happen when it is something that the managers need to plan for. If Elios aren't going to be delivered to the very first reservation-holder until October at the earliest, and training might take 2 weeks to certify the mechanic? It just doesn't make sense that store managers, let alone employees, would know about Elio, until they need to know.
 

Rickb

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I think it's just odd that Pep Boys hasn't acknowledged the servicing partnership with Elio Motors. PB store managers should be in the loop and aware of the Elio by now. I've posted questions on Pep Boys Facebook Page with no reply. I have full trust in Elio Motors to get it done. Little to no trust in Pep Boys. Obviously, no training or off the shelf parts space required until production begins but to not even acknowledge the partnership is very odd.

Employees working in any automotive field, at any level, reading industry journals, the local newspaper, surf the internet, or watch tv should be aware of the Elio...........and should be anticipating with some level of excitiement the first Elio in their service bays. Heck, lower level employees should have Elio reservations based on transportation need. The more I think about it the odder it becomes. Elio coming soon!

It's the one disappointing comment many Elio reservation holders have mention on Elio's Facebook Page. Elio has not replied regarding their concerns either. It's not so much an EM issue but rather a PB issue.
 

John Painter

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Why would Elio pay PB? I would think if anything, it's the other way 'round.
I think even up here in Maine Pep Boys will be getting plenty of business as a result of servicing Elio's.

EM has a great business model and product, especially after watching the NBC news last night which had a story about the new Toyota Mirai, a hydrogen powered car which will go for the tidy sum of $57,000.... I'm all for alternative energy, however most traditional auto makers don't seem to understand we need bridge vehicles like Elio to get us thinking differently and begin to wean us off petroleum and with the understanding not everyone wants or needs big cars with big prices. If Pep Boys is at the front of a sea change in American driving/buy habits along with Elio, they'll probably do really, really well. :)
 

Johnapool

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Okay, guys. First, it will still be about a year for the first production Elio to come off the line. Until the vehicle is totally completed, a service manual cannot be produced. Wiring schematics, engine and transmission diagrams, technical notes, etc., etc., cannot be imagined. It's a realtime project.
That said, NOTHING in the Elio is new technology. It's a simple overhead cam engine with cam setting varied by oil pressure, simple front-wheel drive with ordinary CV joints and axles, that back wheel will have a wheel bearing in it much like others we've all pulled and repacked or it will be a sealed bearing never needing servicing, etc.
I was a telephone technician for 20 years, working in carriers, microwave towers, digital office equipment, etc. I was trained to be a technician. That means I learned how to read circuit descriptions, circuit diagrams and repair manuals, and to use test equipment. With that training I could repair ANYTHING a phone company had.
A good mechanic of today knows how to attach a computer analyzer up to a car, and knows how to repair all those things that make up a modern car. The most difficult repairs are linked to engineers that simply MUST add modern digital electronic components to everything automotive.
In short, any decent mechanic should be able to repair an Elio, so the biggest requirement I see ahead will be making sure PB stocks parts for Elios so that repairs don't require waiting for parts. And, if common parts are used, that won't even be a big deal.
 
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JEBar

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on both a national and local level it will all boil down to the reputation they earn for the level of service they perform .... not all of their outlets will deliver good service, not all will deliver bad service .... word will spread quickly as more and more Elio trikes hit the road

Jim
 
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