Date:         Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:39:12 -0400
Reply-To:     eric ley <eric_ley@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         eric ley <eric_ley@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Mechanics using customer supplied parts.. Was bars leaks
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2009091711213697@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
              reply-type=original

One more little tidbit on the Mechanics side of it. A few years ago here in
Quebec
 a customer brought his own spark plugs into our shop to install on his car.
We
said no problem checked the gap installed the plugs, three days later the
car
comes back to the shop on a tow truck. We check the car, the motor is toast.
The customer decides it is our fault as we installed the wrong type of plugs
in
his car. We go to court with the customer Judge decides that it is our fault
as
we should have taken the time to call and find out if these were indeed the
exact
plug that went into this car. Long story short we had to pay for the towing
twice
and for the rebuild of the motor at another shop. We normally charge 65 a
hour to
work on cars but if you bring your own it jumps to 90.00 a hour as we have
to
guarantee the job. And we are considering putting it higher as we are one of
the
few garages in the area that still agrees to install customer parts.

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Benny boy" <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 11:14 AM
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Subject:      Re: Mechanics using customer supplied parts.. Was bars leaks

> Thank you.
>
> So why people bring their own part?
>
> To save money is one, difficult part to get is #2, in the tuner world,
> some
> mechanic will ask that the customers get everything himself and that's is
> fine.
>
> That said, some parts are available online and with a price tag, customers
> are quite aware. Ex: Fuel tank at BS is 159$ USD, about 185 CAD, not ship
> and no custom. My cost price for a fuel tank is 235$ CAD (made locally,
> very
> good quality), i sell this one for 290$ + installation. I think it's a
> fair
> price and the profit is welcome. So if a guy as is own tank i loose 55$ on
> a
> 1.5hours job. Of course i will also loose all the westy talk time, so over
> all it take like 4.5 hours of my time in one day, i make 100$ on labour
> and
> nothing on the tank. I am aware of that i'm am sick and tired of trying to
> justify myself. So I don't no more, i just don't care. Not happy, go
> elsewhere.
>
> So don't ask me why i'm not doing normal maintenance anymore. Any newcomer
> mechanic will do anything to get new customers. But he will realize pretty
> quickly that it's not good money when his compressor break down.
>
> This as been discuss here before, like anything else. The one with
> business
> fully understand the situation, the one with normal job don't, period.
>
> So don't come to my shop with your own parts, nop! unless i ask you to and
> you better have the right parts.
>
> Doing stuff like brake, or anything under a car is real good money as to
> part profit, i mean big time. Doing insurance claim for body work is the
> way
> to go, very good money also. Doing full paint job / body work like I do on
> rusty van is simply plain stupid financially. The Subi conversion is ok to
> good money if i have to change a bunch of other parts like starter,
> radiator, axle, muffler... Me stupid, but I get it this year.
>
> Why don't you think i don't even touch old VW Bus's no more. Lack of
> parts,
> van stuck on my lift because i don't have the part i just broke trying to
> fix something else. That problem is slowly including the Vanagon.
>
> To keep running a Vanagon repair business you need to make good money to
> compensate for the job that don't or didn't pay before.
>
> It took me some years to stop worrying about the invoice i was doing after
> a
> job, even me i was like: Men it's to much $$$, i felt bad, got to remove
> some... Today, i don't even care. Come with me work for a week and you
> will
> go back in your nice office.
>
> This morning i can't stop cuffing, i forgot to put my mask yesterday night
> (yea, night!) wile sanding a van, even with the mask i still cuff.
>
> So please, if you have a good and honest mechanic stop bringing you parts,
> and be happy that he make a bit more money with you instead of trying to
> save a few $$$.
>
> It's a business. Not happy, get dirty!
>
> Regards, Ben
> http://www.benplace.com
>
> On Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:29:34 -0400, Allan Streib <streib@CS.INDIANA.EDU>
> wrote:
>
>>If you've ever been on the shop owner side of the counter, you might have
>>a
> different perspective.  I personally have not but this is how it was
> explained to me by a person who has:
>>
>>Shops have two basic sources of revenue -- labor charges, and the markup
>>on
> parts.
>>
>>It's unlikely that you as an individual retail consumer can get parts
> "cheaper" than the shop can.  What you are seeing as cheaper is the shop
> markup.  100% is not uncommon.  Sounds like a lot but this covers some of
> the shop overhead and convenience to the customer.
>>
>>So if the owner has his costs and prices calculated assuming a markup on
> parts, and you show up with parts in hand, he's now LOSING MONEY by doing
> the work for you.  And of course if he does this too much he's either
> going
> to have to charge more for labor or go out of business.  That's why many
> shops dislike or refuse to install parts you bring in.
>>
>>Allan
>>--
>>1991 Vanagon GL
>