Date: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 20:20:51 -0500
Reply-To: raceingcajun <raceingcajun@COMMUNICOMM.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: raceingcajun <raceingcajun@COMMUNICOMM.COM>
Subject: Re: Ordering Parts Online ADD: A GOOD MECHANIC VERSE A
PROFESSIOAL TECHNICAN, OR Prevent a fire, Not put one out!
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
"In this day of Attorneys on speed dial". Good Technicians must be many
things, he must have a crystal ball, must be able to leap tall buildings in
a single bound, must be able to put Smokey the Bear to shame fighting fires,
and of course prevent any and all problems in advance, he must be able to
fix anything in five minutes, at no charge and with no parts!
Before I got older that dirt, and retired. When ever I had a job with a
chance of broken stripped bolts/studs, such as exhaust work, and pulled
spark plug threads. Sometimes you get resistance on a bolt/plug and know, I
would advise the customer in advance. Also, I would invite the customer to
watch or give him the option to remove the bolt/spark plug in question his
self!. Saving old parts is always a good idea. Also, I advise you should
never try to pull a plug with an impact wrench, you lose the "feel" of a
pulling thread.
In the many years of my customer pay auto repair experience, I found it
much easer to prevent a fire that to try and put one out! When you explain
corroded spark plug threads pulling out with a plug, that Mr. ASE, DYI
customer has installed dry himself with that little extra "eump". Hand him
the wrench and then let it happen to "Him". Its a much easier pill for him
to swallow. So is the straight time of customer pay labor @ $95.00 per!
Our work orders had a disclaimer printed in bold type:
NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR BROKEN OR STRIPPED BOLTS STUDS OR THREADS - MISSING
ITEMS OR ANY DAMAGE BEYOND OUR CONTROL
In defense, I was not particularly happy to have to go to this extreme
measure, but the times required it. Along with a environmental waste
disposal charge on each ticket. I visited a friends shop the other day, and
noticed he had a sign in the customer lounge stating there was a flat fee of
$25.00 per job, for quote "SHOP FEE'S". He told me he applied this to waste
disposal, shop towels, expendables like WD-40, silicone, and even floor
sweep, he also said he is considering a customer shuttle fee, to cover the
insurance price increase. Of course in the big picture all these fee's must
be paid by the customer, or these luxuries must be canceled!
Howard
>Good mechanics and bad mechanics both accidentally break things. it's
>inevitable. The difference between the two is that, with the >good
>mechanic, you will never know. He will own his mistake, fix it and move on.
>That is part of charging $90/ hr for your work.
| 
