Date: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 20:00:42 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Ohana <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Ohana <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Organization: Cosmic Reminders
Subject: Re: Ordering Parts Online ADD: A GOOD MECHANIC VERSE A
PROFESSIOAL TECHNICAN, OR Prevent a fire, Not put one out!
In-Reply-To: <97485836863347DAADEA3A9B5F5F733E@MAINFRAME>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Ifonly shops that charge 90 per hourdid good work.
there is no relationship between 'what they charge' and quality of work,
or degree of responsility.
People can get work done at the most expensive shops there are, and
still get bad work.
a very experienced technician knows when something wants to break,
and has about 40 tricks to prevent breakage, or deal with it when the
rare inevitable bad thing occurs.
not responsible for broken bolts..
that's a pure joke !
in other words, 'we reserve the right to work fast and in a careless
manner. If we break something of yours working that way, we won't be
responsible.'
'if only' .people were trustworthy and knew how to trust each other.
Some do ..
but not nearly enoughof them.
Speaking with the experience of honest........ upwards of 10,000
professional carrepair jobsthat I have done.
about 2 % of customers are super bad news.
about 30 % of car mechanics do really poor work.
ok..maybe only 20 % ..
and each time I talk to a shop before they work on someone's car ...they
still do sloppy inexcusable stuff.
Just a joke really, a sad joke.
On 6/23/2013 6:20 PM, raceingcajun wrote:
> "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.
>
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