In Part One we established something that is uncomfortable but true: most underperforming parts departments are not being held back by a lack of knowledge or a lack of tools. They are being held back by a culture that has quietly accepted underperformance as normal. Changing that is harder than installing a new DMS and more important than any training seminar. But it is not impossible — and for dealers who are serious about it, the results are transformative and lasting.

The first thing to understand is that culture change cannot be delegated. It cannot be assigned to the parts manager while the dealer principal or general manager remains disengaged from fixed operations. The tone of any organization is set at the top, and a dealership where leadership treats the parts department as a necessary inconvenience rather than a strategic asset will always struggle to build a culture of excellence within it. If you want the parts department to perform at the highest level, the people at the top of the organization must demonstrate — visibly and consistently — that it matters to them.

The second thing to understand is that culture change is not an event. It is not a meeting, a memo, or a motivational speech. It is a sustained pattern of behavior, expectation, and consequence applied day after day until the new standard becomes the only standard anyone can remember. High-performing dealerships are not disciplined once a year during the twenty group meeting. They are disciplined every single day, in the small decisions and the routine interactions that most people never think twice about.

Start with accountability. Define clear expectations for every role in the parts department — not vague aspirations, but specific, measurable standards. Fill rate targets. Bin check completion rates. Special order aging thresholds. Obsolescence as a percentage of inventory. When those standards are met, recognize it. When they are not, address it directly and without delay. A culture of accountability is built one honest conversation at a time, and it erodes one ignored problem at a time.

Hire for attitude as deliberately as you hire for experience. Skills can be taught. A person who genuinely takes pride in their work, who cares whether the bin count is right, and who holds themselves to a high standard without being told to — that is not something you can train into someone. It is something you select for, and it is the single most powerful cultural investment a parts department can make.

The dealerships consistently at the top of the twenty group standings are not unicorns. They are not blessed with better markets, better franchises, or better luck. They have simply built a culture where excellence is the expectation, accountability is the norm, and improvement is never finished. That culture is available to every dealership willing to do the work to build it.

The question is whether you are willing to start.