By Dave Foy
In fixed ops, the buzzword right now is “AI.”I hear it in conference rooms, webinars, and LinkedIn posts.
The problem?Most people are talking about sprinkling AI on top of the same outdated processes we’ve been running for decades — like putting a turbo on a rusted-out Cessna and calling it an F-18.
That’s not transformation.That’s procrastination.
If you want to understand what AI can do for fixed ops, you have to stop asking how it fits into the current model and start asking
“If we built a service department from scratch today, assuming AI existed first, what would it look like?”
The Gap Is Bigger Than You Think
Let’s make it simple.Here’s a view of what we run today versus what an AI-native fixed ops department looks like.
This Isn’t About “Adding” AI — It’s About Replacing
Notice something?The AI-native column isn’t just “today plus a shiny tool.”It’s a completely different operating model.
Advisors aren’t the middleman for every single piece of information.
Techs never have to leave the bay to chase parts or procedures.
Customers never have to call to check on their car.
Managers stop drowning in after-the-fact reports and actually have time to coach.
The Harsh Truth
If you’re just looking for ways to “bolt AI onto” your current processes, you’re thinking needs to change.
The stores that win in the next five years will rebuild around AI as the first assumption, not the afterthought.And when that happens, “the way we’ve always done it” won’t just be outdated — it’ll be unrecognizable.
Where to Start
Audit every single place in your service department where people are waiting on other people for information.
Ask: What if this update, decision, or approval could happen instantly without human intervention?
Identify what advisors, managers, and techs could do if 70% of their admin work disappeared overnight.
AI isn’t coming to take jobs.It’s coming to take the parts of the job nobody wants to do — and give back the time to focus on the parts that actually matter.
Your choice is simple:Keep patching an old systemOr start building the new one before someone else does.