EPISODE 03
Unlock Hidden Revenue: Optimizing Warranty Labor Rates and Parts Markup
Featuring Guest Evan Kilchenstein
Episode Description
Imagine uncovering a hidden revenue stream within your dealership’s service department that could add thousands to your bottom line every month—without increasing your workload. In this episode, Evan Kilchenstein, Major Accounts Specialist at Armatus Dealer Uplift, reveals how optimizing warranty reimbursement can do just that, transforming your parts and service profits overnight.
We explore how dealerships can significantly increase their profits by ensuring their warranty labor rates and parts markups are on par with retail levels. Evan details the history and evolution of legislation that allows dealerships to request higher rates from manufacturers, and how technology has helped streamline these processes. We also discuss the importance of regularly reviewing and adjusting these rates to prevent leaving money on the table.
Takeaways from this episode:
- How AI and proprietary software allow for faster, more accurate submissions
- Challenges dealerships face when going through the warranty reimbursement process
- The significant financial benefit that can be achieved by leveraging effective warranty reimbursement strategies
- Common mistakes dealerships make when trying to handle this process independently

BILL SPRINGER
and president of Krex Inc.

Evan Kilchenstein
Would you like to Be a guest on our podcast?
What AI Can Teach You About Service Defection
What if your biggest threat to retention isn’t the competition, but your own calendar? Most dealerships don’t lose customers all at once. They just stop showing up. But with AI and a few simple process shifts, you can catch defection before it happens and make retention feel automatic.
From Transactional to Relational: The Service Advisor Shift
What if your best retention strategy had nothing to do with pricing, loyalty programs, or even your shop’s hours, and everything to do with how your service advisors say “good morning”? Most customers don’t come back because they weren’t helped… they were handled. The fix? Train your advisors to build relationships, not just close tickets.
Service on the Move: Why Dealerships Are Going Mobile in 2025
Offering mobile service sounds like a win-win, but for many dealerships, the logistics feel overwhelming. How do you staff it? Route it? Make money on it? And will customers even use it consistently? In this episode, sponsored by DriveSure, Bill sits down with Amit Chandarana, CEO of Curbee, a mobile service software platform that’s helping dealerships turn these questions into action.