Well from my point of view they should've just told me that "we don't work on older cars" and left it at that. I mean if older cars dont bring in the money put up a sign in your shop that says that or tell the customer up front. just some heads up communication goes a long way.
If you think the "ONLY" positive thing in this situation is the car is back in you hands, you learned nothing from this experience. I agree with alot of what was said on this thread, but my personal "OPINION" is if you want to have an old car and don't want to/can't work on it yourself-be prepared to pay someone or don't own it. If you want a car you can install new windows, fuel system, gas tank, and exhaust work in a day or two, the new Toyota line is very nice. The parts are plentiful, a dealership will gladly do the work AND warranty it.
I dont agree. you pay someone that says that they can do they work for you. then return your car with the work not done is bs. "if you want something done do it yourself" that's what i learned.
I think it mostly boils down to communication. I wouldn't say that doing all that work on a new jap car is easier than an old car either. I do not run a mechanic shop however I do trailer service and repair, aftermarket truck accessories etc. No vehicle diagnose and repair. We have old cars and they are our hobby so they are always out front and when we want to sell or trade that is where poeple see them. With that in mind we have customers that want to us to work on their old cars. Generally I cannot afford to work on their cars because at $60 an hour shop time I do not have the experience to work effeciantly on their car. For me I can put a few hitches and wiring jobs and repack some bearings on a trailer and clear $600 give or take on those jobs with labor included in a day. Where throwing in a 57 chevy that the guy wants me to put in a wiper motor and fix his dash lights, do I tell him $200 labor on something could take me 3 to 4 hours- I have no idea, so I just tell people that we don't work on customers cars in that fashion and refer them to some other local shops. Now, with that said we had a 29 dodge sedan project for sale. The guy wanted to buy it but he wanted it to be a driver. My father in law sold it, it was his car, and we made a list of what needed to be done. It needed the rear end rehung, driveline, floorboards, master cylander, brake lines and exhaust, some wiring etc. Just a bunch of little stuff. We agreed on $1500 labor. That will go to my shop. Now the kicker is I told him plain and clear at $1500 for the job compared to shop rate of $60 an hour that is only 25 hours. Now all that can't be done in that amount of time so I told him it would be fill in work and we would have it done in the second week of april. I don't pay my help at a book rate, just hourly so when we are slower this works great, but most poeple don't want to wait that long. I hope you can get your car in order at a reasonable cost and time
I do not have a shop that builds cars. I had 3 big shops near Houston back in the 80's and had the same problems. People complained but I made sure that in the end we kissed and made up. Becasue I never wanted to get a bad rep. I still do my own cars and have had people stop by the house and ask if I will do one for them. When I give 'em a ball park price, most complain about how high it is. I simply tell them..."go do one yourself and after you get it done, come back and we'll talk price." You have to realize that if the car owner has never built or restored a car they really have no idea what is involved. As a business owner you have to educate them. We do not get paid for consulting but it is one of the critical steps in building a relationship with your customer. You gotta lay all the cards on the table. Same with striping. every once in a while I'll get someone who knows everything about striping, custom painting...because he saw it done on TV or has a DVD telling you how to be a Pinstriper in a month. When they complain about price, I just hand them the brush and say "okay, you do it." Never fails to shut em up. But those customers rarely happen now. What we need in this business is for both sides to learn about the process and how the business end of it works. As with anything artistic, striping, lettering, painting and building cars, the customer has this idea that they can always get a deal. The real deal is we are a very specialized group of talented professionals. You cannot go to the yellow pages and find a hundred, not even ten stripers listed like you can lawyers and plumbers. We spend years building our talents and reps and still there exists this idea that we can ***** ourselves out on the cheap. I really have no reason to gripe about it on a personal level but if you are a rookie in this profession remember this..It's easier to go down from a high price than it is to raise it from the low end. "Can't we all just burn rubber together" Mikey
Well said. I think there is something to be said for let the pros do what they do and you do what you do. Not everyone can build a car frame up. Just because one knows their limitations does not mean they haven't tried to do it, unfortunatly on this site people tend to get slammed for "Not doing it themselves." BTW I don't mean going and buying a car and acting like you built it is ok. Owning a hot rod does not mean you are a hot rodder. But I think recognizing you need help on some areas and seeking it or paying for it in necessary is fine.
I am gonna ressurect this...for a couple of reasons. number one- Why would anyone blame this guy for taking his car to a repair shop that obviously agreed to take on the job? it's not his fault they couldn't follow through. He didn't call them up and ask them to build a fence in his back yard. Using any example of "shop rate" from one side of the country to another is kind of a losing battle. I ***ure You the average shop rate in Jacksonville fla is VASTLY different than Austin, Tx. at pretty much any cl***ic shop in the nation- be it Fink'ds place in the "boonies" (love Your work,Jeff) to Rad Rods by Troy, I figure anything under about 100 bucks an hour is a pretty good deal. some guys are worth more, some a little less. depends more on skill set (what they specialize in-For example, B*** is a fabricator, Fink'd is a painter/Customizer, I am more of a repairman, so on and so forth) zip code, and overhead more than anything else. -Provided, of course, that You aren't a hack.-But here is the catch- I, like all these others, bill by the hour. there is no way to accurately gauge how long it is going to take You to do even the most simple task. there is ALWAYS a catch. be it rust, age, or just good 'ol ****ed-uppedness, something always goes awry. -and the worst is un-****ing someone elses **** up. (more on that in a minute.) a Gas tank pull, vat and install (complete with gas in the armpits, rusty *** bolts, and the joy of fumbling with that large, sharp, stinky *******) along with a carb rebuild (which can be a total pain in the *** depending on just how screwed up it was to begin with) for 650 sounds about right to me. I figure 4 to 5 hours for each portion (again, depending on "blood tax" and "rust tax") which at my labor rate of 80 an hour would have run You 640.00 with no parts, or any gasoline to dump back into the tank. herein lies the rub... someone mentioned "standard issue" shops being compe***ion. not the case. I love those innocent *******s. they either take on the job and do it right (yay!)-or completely **** it up in the process (boo!)-either way, it will inevitably generate more work and customers for me and my Ilk. here is why. The more shops that take on the job and do it right inevitably discover that there is no money to be had at this in a general repair shop- and more frequently, they use "mechanics blinders"- meaning they don't have time to look for broken,worn, or otherwise busted stuff. I, on the other hand, have to drive this potential deathtrap)) So You bet Your *** I am gonna give it a once over and make sure that nothing important is gonna fall off the car/onto me/or bouce off something expensive whilst cruising. it's part of the deal. If I have to un-**** something, I get to be the hero for the customer. meaning 2 things-1-Many happy returns. 2 word of mouth advertising. better than a blimp, or superbowl commercials. However, I always end up feeling bad because the customer got to pay for something TWICE. I may seem a little flippant about this, but realize that there is no tone in text. 6 Years later, and my little hot rod shop is doing well! we are here to make money and have fun. some days ****. some days rule. it's just a matter of where You position Yourself in Your surroundings that dictates that. I got lucky and landed ****er side up in a good place. and 20 Years of experience didn't hurt,either. My point in all of this is pretty simple. They had The car longer than expected, but that happens. (well, we prepare folks for that. They clearly did not.). but in the end, the car is (mostly) fixed. I am excited that Cracker is doing more of his work himself (I love a customer who doesn't have to bring the car to me for every little thing. those guys RULE.) and hopefully, many miles of enjoyment will wash the bad taste away.
No. This is actually a huge huge learning experience, one that can serve you well. Read this thread 3 times. Look at it from everybody's angle. Lot of GREAT points made on both sides. But ultimately, if you keep hiring out work, you'll keep fighting the same battle. Doesn't matter if it's car work, construction, or whatever. Point being, this was more than a mechanical interaction. No matter what trade you're talking about, the same personalities and situations apply. Extract the people lessons from this, and it's not a waste. Quite valuable actually. good luck
Man, I thought that at***ude was a thing of the distant past. Good for you and I hope you do get rich!
yeah the bad taste has gone away a little bit i've actually been out driving it around..good stuff. As far as the exhaust issue, they were not able to fix. I took it took a muffler hsop that has been in business for 50 years and they had it patched up in 1 hour at a great price. very happy with their services.
I am a shop owner also & when I take these on they are usually projects for down time because they can be so time consuming .But when I get back on it I have parts & a plan This is always up front with the owners. I cant see spending any ones money on search time . I had a friend in the 80s that worked as a consultant for A Ford dealership that charged $50 a hour to talk to you about your car B4 it ever was worked on Damn Where are those jobs at
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