REAL cost of not knowing basic auto repair (sorta off topic)

Tomslik, I am a machinest by trade, i am sure my tooling collection per piece cost 3x as much as yours did.

Dont tell me that you cant make a living by not ripping people off. I have never argued Labor prices, but telling people they need stuff just so you can score on the commission when they dont actually need it is complete bullshit.

 

And another thing, with you bitching so much about not being able to make it, maybe you should look into another job/career eh?

 

Tomslik
I'm not saying that you shouldn't be able to recover the cost of tooling up for a job. What I am saying is that the cost should be spread out over several years time. That's called depreciation. Thge cost of doing business. A 25 year old ratchet works just like a brand new one. If you feel the need to charge each customer the replacement cost for each tool used then that customer should go home with a new and full toolbox. Otherwise they are getting ripped off. As for my business, I make clothes. I have around $600K in my tools. 350 sewing machines, embroidery machines, cutting machines and tables. I employ 140 people and in order to stay in business I have to have a competitive prices. I can't jack up the price of a garment because I have to use a different color button than I have in stock. While most textile products are now made overseas and domestic plants are shutting down we are expanding. Mainly because we can offer quick delivery and a made in USA label. I have to pay my employees well but newbies make less than experienced operators. Prices are set by time plus materials multiplied by a factor. Time is a constant. Everyone measures it the same way. A machine will only run so fast and so a seam of x length is not possible to do faster. I realize repairs have no such constant especially when mechanics are distracted by one thing or another, be it lending a hand to another or shooting the breeze. Sure I'd like to sell a shirt for $50 but I can't justify it.

 

so you're saying that there's no such thing as a 50 dollar shirt?

bullshit!
ain't NO shirt worth $50


if there was a faster machine that makes whatever, you wouldn't take advantage of that?
no?
you're lying!

you guys need to get a grip, we're not doing repairs as a hobby, it's bread and butter.
ever seen a rich mechanic?
i haven't.

i haven't seen a rich machinist, either, but i've sure been fucked by a few.
you smart fuckers seem to know EXACTLY what we do...

 

who said that?

 

This is a bit of a hornets nest..eh.. Stacy is pretty dead right that her friend was abused "if that"s what happened and I have no reason not to believe her"...but in most cases the mechanic doing the work is not the same guy doing the selling or making out the invoice and I'm pretty sure that if they charged that much for a set of wires and she can get a OEM set for the price she quoted I would be taking her dad or brother or somebody back with me to talk to the owner for a explanation of the charges... or contacting the better business beureau because most of "us mechanics who work in this trade are honest" I have been licensed and run my own shop and have for more than twenty five years with very few complaints and most of the troubles I get come from assholes who have attempted their own repairs and screwed the job up "and" then expect me to save their ass for chump change...and the guy that says his dad or whatever that needs a tune every two years for $300 is getting ripped off...well asshole you don't know diddley-squat about what it cost to service and maintain a vechicle nowadays...I have well over $100,000 thousand invested in tools, training, and special equipment continual upgrading of my education and tools and electronic equipment not to mention insurance, hydro, phone, coverals, shop supplies , waste disposal, rags, contracts to dispose of hazardous materials, taxes,lawyers to collect money from crooks who try to steal from me by not living up to credit arrangements they made...fucking lowlifes.. and the list goes on , plus I spent 25 to 35 years learning my trade and you assholes think I should work for nothing ...many of you who have responded to this thread don't know shit from rubber,, not all ...but lots of you are brainless and just like to run off at the mouth so you can feel big in your little world ...From what Stacy said "I do think her friend was ripped off".... and I would go back and take my complaint to owner /manager...to the rest of you that don't know shit about maintaining a car go get a fucking life and do the rest of us a favor... And don't lump all mechanics as being theifs and dirtbags ..I have been doing this most of my life and quite frankly I'm sick of all you asshole"s who can't even change a Goddamn tire,, running off at the mouth like you know it all ..you don't know fuck....most mechanics are hard working decent people trying to make a living and feed their family and have a few bucks in their pocket to play....we are not crooks and I'm sick of you assholes trying to tar us with some fucking story you heard or made up...I sit on the other side of the fence and there a large number of asshole"s just like you who think you fucking know it all.... I have to deal people just like you who always fucking whine about everything and try to get out of paying the bill. I treat my customers fair and honest ,I do a good job , I do not want coble up some old peice of shit that shouldn't be on the road in the first place especially with a fucking brain dead know it all..but you are the same asshole who always want a favor or some free advice.... if you got a problem deal with with the owner .fatchuk

 

"Tomslik, I am a machinest by trade, i am sure my tooling collection per piece cost 3x as much as yours did."

more like we're about even up

"Dont tell me that you cant make a living by not ripping people off."

never said that

"I have never argued Labor prices, but telling people they need stuff just so you can score on the commission when they dont actually need it is complete bullshit"

i don't make dick on parts, shop does(and it ain't my shop), but I don't and we're not pressured to sell shit that people don't need.



lemme ask you this, did you ask how much it cost to make a reamer?

how about your lathes/mills/new fucking car/computer/whatever?

did you ask how fast they built it?
how about the oil/gas you use?
did you ask?
how about lawyers,doctors,dentist's,cpa's,organ grinders,the stripper you tipped last night, yop get the idea yet?
seems like ya pick on mechanics,'cause they're fair game.

there's plenty of people cheating you every day but YOU don't question it!
i guess because it's something you THINK you can do yourself,it's a ripoff.
wait'll you have REAL problems and that mechanic turns his/her back on you because you think ALL mechanics are out to screw you.
sure, there's a lot of theives out there that i wouldn't let change my washer fluid much less anything important, they're usually the one's that aren't very busy,cheap, and very few return customers.
got a question about whether the shop is reputible?
ask around ahead of time.
don't shop price, it ain't always "cheaper"


next!

 

You guys that work in this field shouldn't be getting huffy. You know and we know there are guys out there ripping people off. Day after day. Unfornate, those guys are the assholes that have ruined for you and your business. It only takes one bad apple! Is this case thousands of them.

I can do 90% of my own work, but when the time comes to get work done it's real hard to trust anyone. Sorry if that upsets you, but that's just the way it is.

 

A few years ago, my wife and I were on holidays in Calgary. The alternator seized up on me on one of the busiest streets in Calgary. I herded our squealing 88 Safari into a brand new GM dealership. They drive you through some sort of service bay where some goomba assesses the problem. This genius tells me I need a new alternator. I head to the parts counter and they don't have the correct one in stock. They do have the most expensive one they make in stock with enough output to power DisneyWorld which they graciuosly offer to sell me for $185, plus core. They quote me 2 hours shop time at ONLY $72 an hour to change it. I took the alternator, changed it myself - our van didn't have air and it ended up being 15 minutes of my inept time. They weren't going to let me leave since I was already in their building. I did some yelling and screaming until the manager came over and asked the problem. Let's see, $185 for a $120 alternator, $144 labor for 15 minutes work, and to top it all off, my free and clear VISA came up as NFG on their machine, and the bitch in finance cut it up in front of me. That was the last straw. I paid for the alternator in cash, and demanded my vehicle back. The service manager said I couldn't leave without the alternator being changed. After I pointed out to him, and showed him I got let out. In this case it wasn't the mechanic's fault, since no mechanic got near the van.

Where I live the two mechanics I deal with are both my friends. I get my parts at cost or cost plus 5%, and the charges are discussed and put on paper before any work is authorized. and neither go by flat rate. I get charged $10-5 dollars below shop rate, and I send any and all business I can to both of them.
I like where I live and the big city dealerships with their polished service entrances and $85/hr flat rate can go to hell. Sorry for the rant. I feel much better now

 

I've got a friend who owns a local garage. He is very fair, doesn't charge book, does actual time and doesn't over inflate his parts prices. he makes a good living and has more business than he knows what to do with. I send everyone I can to him. There are a bunch of other shops on the same street. Doesn't seem to be near as many cars in their lots. It seems that friendly and fair wins out for everyone...

 

and just what the heck do YOU do for a living?
how about i take THAT little bit of info and run my mouth off about it?
actually, it's assholes in general that ruin it.

"I can do 90% of my own work, but when the time comes to get work done it's real hard to trust anyone. Sorry if that upsets you, but that's just the way it is."

got the same problem.
doesn't matter, computers,home repairs,machine shops,etc.
ya can't trust anybody anymore and nobodys word is worth anything and yeah, it upsets me because some of you jokers seem to paint every body with the same brush

 

If you can change an alternator on a Sarfari van in 15 min I'll eat your floormat ..that's exactly the kind of bullshit exageration that starts these storys...fatchuk

 

he DID say "no a/c".....
with ac it's a whole nuther matter..

 

maybe when he's having a heart attack he'll be glad to wait till his backyard buddy can stick a $2.00 battery pack in the pace maker cause he thinks the hospital one will power disneyland and their just rippin him off...fatchuk

 

'course we've been having problems with "good" parts

 

The whole point of this was saying that you can save alot of money by working on your own car. And it's true. I work in a little shop that's just my friend and I. Some jobs we charge by the book, some we don't. I find that it's pretty fair with the time it gives, sometimes it's well over what you need, and there's been a few times when it's way under what I could see it being done for. I'm not saying it's right by any means, but really, who's fault is it that she got ripped off? Maybe this will make he open a book and learn to change her own spark plugs.

 

Fifteen minutes in a plain jane NO A/C Safari van. Twenty at the outside. I have a well stocked toolbox with me whenever I travel. You think I'm kidding? I don't BS, buddy. Took me longer arguing with the service manager.

 

There's a few things in regards to us "crooks" that I would like to bring up. I'm not going to act like I am the most experienced, the best, or anything along those lines. I've been at the independant shop that I work at now for roughly 2 1/2 years, and just recently finished my apprenticeship and moved onto book hours. From what I've been told by teachers and fellow mechanics, book hours are created after the car is built by a mechanic that works for said company. They do the job on a BRAND NEW car 3 or 4 times and they average the amount of time it takes them. This means someone else screwing with it, rust, seized bolts, etc does not count. Where I'm at, rust and other people trying it first is a big issue. Book hours are good and bad from my little experience, good because the customers are paying for your knowledge to diagnose and fix their car, and if you have done a certain job 10 times and know a shortcut to get a 2 hour job done in 1, that is your experience and knowledge, it should get paid for otherwise you're giving it away. Bad because things don't ever go as planned, other stuff breaks, one leak is hiding another, etc. Customers don't like hearing there is more wrong with their car than was originally planned, but it happens. The choice of parts, quality of parts, and markup is not up to the mechanic. I have no say in what we use or charge, I just diagnose and repair which is what I went to school for. I'm not trying to upset anybody, and if I'm wrong, please tell me, I'm not perfect.

-jeremy

 

Well I'm ganna say yer full o shit....if you do the work safely and correctly you can't do it...Look lets be honest ..you work in the shop for me ...I give you a work order to bring a Sarfi van in and install a new serp belt, and your gonna tell me you got the job done and the customers van is waiting for him .in 15 min...your full of shit I been in this game to long ....I see you guys run off at the mouth all the time with sloopy half assed work ..you wouldn't last a day for me with doing work like that ..I want a tech that does a good job and works safely and respects my customers car ...I also don't expect my tech to run or work like a race car driver all day every day...and I pay him well for his skill and knowledge, and his tools...so $80.00 dollars an hr is not out of line,,,,15 min your full of shit.......that's my story and I'm sticking to it....after 25 years in this business I think I know what I'm talking about....fatchuk

 

Listen Fatfuck. Have you ever been under the hood and doghouse of a Safari without air conditioning? Two piece shroud that had been apart before. No staples any more. four easily accessed bolts. The doghouse - two clamps and two bolts. The alternator is right there. The most time consuming part is the belt, I admit. If it takes you, or anybody else "with xxx years of experience" for that matter, more than 5 minutes to wind a serpentine belt on a non a/c van, go back to school. I know what I did. And I don't do sloppy or shoddy work.

Maybe you should eat my floormat, sounds like you could use a bit more fibre in your diet

My point being here, the girl got ripped off, plain and simple. The dealership in Calgary tried to rip me off when all I needed was a 65 amp alternator, not the 105 or 115 or whatever it was that was 'the only one we have in stock'. You have to be careful out there. Maybe I am just lucky I live where I do.