A garage owner's year: what to do, month by month
A Quebec garage lives by the seasons: tires, road salt, holidays and deep cold. Here is a garage owner's typical year, month by month, with the campaigns Rex can prepare and follow up. Regulatory dates come from official sources; the rest is general advice, not legal advice.
October and November: winter tires
Winter tires are mandatory from December 1 to March 15 for passenger vehicles registered in Quebec, with a fine according to Québec.ca. Everyone calls at the same time: it is the peak of the year.
Action: a campaign to customers with tire appointments and to customers with stored tires, with a waiting list if space runs out. General tip: send the reminder early and book according to the shop's real capacity.
For every season, the same reflex helps: pick the campaign date, check the shop's real capacity and prepare in advance the messages your team approves.
Once the season is over, review the waiting list and note what was lacking (appointment slots, staff, storage space) so you can better prepare for the following autumn.
December and January: cold-weather breakdowns
Deep cold causes battery and starting failures.
Action: keep a list of customers to call back for a battery check and respond quickly to urgent requests. Rex takes the requests and books a slot; it makes no diagnosis and hands over for a safety case.
March, April and May: back to summer tires
Winter tires are mandatory only until March 15; the government recommends waiting a few weeks after that date because of changeable weather.
Action: a campaign in early April aimed at customers with stored summer tires. The tire register with location and label per customer lets you find each set without searching.
April and May: the spring check
Winter, salt and potholes wear down suspension, brakes and alignment.
Action: offer customers a check and alignment appointment. General tip: use the tire change to offer a maintenance appointment, and remind that the written estimate and the customer's agreement come before any work.
June and July: before the holidays
Trips are frequent before the construction holiday.
Action: follow up with customers whose maintenance is overdue before they leave. The next-reminder calculator, based on mileage and the date of the last service, spots these customers. The message stays informational: diagnosis and price are up to your team.
September and October: winter preparation
The battery, brakes, wipers and fluids are checked before the first cold spells.
Action: a winter check campaign for customers whose last service was more than six months ago. It also prepares the tire season, since customers who book early ease the November peak.
None of this replaces your advisors' judgment: the agent plans and reminds, but it never announces a price or a mechanical problem.
All year long: history, warranty and feedback
Some tasks do not depend on the season. Customers want the full history of their vehicle, and the shop must quickly find what has already been done, including the three-month or 5,000-kilometre repair warranty, whichever comes first. Keeping the vehicle record up to date (make, model, year, mileage, date of last service) makes every campaign of the year more accurate.
After each delivery, Rex lets the customer know the vehicle is ready, reminds them of the warranty and of parts to return, then asks for feedback a few days later. General tip: set a simple habit, such as reviewing every week the list of pending estimates and the maintenance reminders to send. Rex prepares the list; your team decides who to call back.
Knowing the rhythm of the year lets you spread the shop's workload instead of enduring it. Rex prepares the campaigns; your team keeps the diagnosis, the estimate and the decision.
General information, not legal advice. Check with your professional order or the official source.
Questions
When should the winter tire reminder go out?
The campaign runs in October and November, before the requirement begins on December 1. Book according to the shop's capacity and keep a waiting list.
Can Rex tell a customer their vehicle has a brake problem?
No. Rex makes no diagnosis. It offers a check, books the appointment and lets the advisor assess the vehicle.
Do seasonal reminders go to every customer?
Only to consenting customers, with the business's identification and a way to unsubscribe.
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