Thanks to our Partners, NAPA Auto Care and NAPA TRACS

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Eric Svedberg breaks down a smarter, more profitable way to price diagnostic work—what he calls the Level Testing Sales Amplifier. At its core, the system tackles a problem most repair shops quietly accept: testing is often a loss leader. When technicians are tied up diagnosing complex issues, shops miss out on parts sales. A-level technicians can earn less than their B-level counterparts doing routine work, and the rising cost of software and tools goes unpaid.

Svedberg reframes the conversation by using the word “testing” instead of “diagnostics,” a term he believes is clearer and more intuitive for customers. Testing implies a process, not a guarantee—setting expectations from the start.

The Level Testing system uses a tiered structure tied to the shop’s base labor rate:

• Level One – Basic Testing:Single, constant, duplicable issues (like a check engine light that’s always on).

• Level Two – Intermediate Testing:Multiple concerns or intermittent problems.

• Level Three – Pandora’s Box:Highly complex vehicles, often previously misdiagnosed or unsuccessfully repaired elsewhere.

• Level Four – “Grandmother Rate”:Disaster cars involving severe electrical damage, corrosion, or major disassembly.

While the levels are designed as an internal framework, Svedberg finds transparency with customers increases trust and buy-in. Service advisors are coached to remove Level Three from most conversations upfront, steer customers toward Level Two testing as the norm, and clearly explain that testing fees are for time spent—not credited toward repairs. For true Level Three cases, advisors frame the value honestly: if it were simple, another shop would have already fixed it.

Svedberg emphasizes that the system is easy to train and implement—often within a week—by focusing on quick wins with top advisors. Its simplicity improves communication, closes the tech efficiency gap, and can be applied beyond diagnostics to services like module programming and ADAS calibration.

Every decision, he says, must pass the test: Is it good for the car? Good for the customer? Good for the shop?

Eric Svedberg, European Autowerks, Virginia Beach, VA, https://www.gofuelcoaching.com/ , https://www.europeanautowerks.com/

Thanks to our Partners, NAPA Auto Care and NAPA TRACS

Learn more about NAPA Auto Care and the benefits of being part of the NAPA family by visiting https://www.napaonline.com/en/auto-care

NAPA TRACS will move your shop into the SMS fast lane with onsite training and six days a week of support and local representation. Find NAPA TRACS on the Web at http://napatracs.com/

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