Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 13:49:18 -0500
Reply-To: "G. Matthew Bulley" <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "G. Matthew Bulley" <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Subject: Philosophy, long, working on VW's
Folks-Still lurking on T-2, off of Vanagon.com. I had a few hours this
morning, and need to offer a contrasting opinion on something. Forgive the
length...it's a soapbox issue for me.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY-Never work on your VW. --- why you should use your time
more wisely and how to pay someone to service your car flawlessly.
Flesh Reading Ease: 68.8%
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Est.: 7.3
Word count: 1,804
George Lyle wrote: "No mechanic is going to be as careful as you can be
when working on your bus. I'd recommend that you do as much of the work as
you can. Unless you have a real "guru" mechanic, _you_ are more
knowledgeable about how to fix buses, simply because you read the list!"
Mr. Lyle is right. A few mechanics can be careless, and you do have a lot
of knowledge available to you through this list. However, these reasons may
not be enough for you to waste time mucking around under the car. I offer
an opposing opinion, to the "you've ought to work on your own car," phil
osophy.
First, one must do a little soul-searching and ask, do I TRULY ENJOY
working on my VW? Is it my "hobby"? Is there nothing in the world I would
rather do than work on my car? If so, my argument will fall on deaf ears.
Further, if you live in Jordan, Montana, and you truly have no competent
service person within 400 miles, this argument may be invalid.
For the rest of you: This discussion will explore whether it is truly
REWARDING to forego important stuff like spending time with your kids, or
spouse, or camping, or taking classes or whatever to spin a wrench on your
VW. Read on.
I own daily-driver VW's, these are # 12 & 13 for me; an '85 Jetta TD and an
'82 White Westy. I started working on VW mechanisms half a lifetime ago,
when, at 18 years old I bought an unbelievably crappy 914 for $1,000
(compression: 60, 90, 30, and 100). Eventually, I rebuilt VW & Porsche
air-cooled motors professionally. I know how to work on VW's.
At one point in life, (college) times were tight, and I found some joy in
the diagnosis and resolution of motor problems at my hand. My motivation
however, was primarily financial. I was sure that I was "saving" by not
paying someone $40-$55 an hour to spin a wrench. Eventually, however, I
recognized that the savings just weren't there. I wish to share what I have
learned since. For example, during a motor rebuild on my (former) 1976 bus.
If I recall the numbers correctly, I got an estimate from a reputable shop.
With an appointment, I could drop the van in early in the morning, and pick
it up late in the evening, same day; they could even take me to work and
pick me up in the evening. Cost: $1,100 for a 6 month warrantee motor, and
labor of $600 to R/R. Additional parts (motor mounts, clutch disc, oil,
etc) brought the bill up another $350, for a total of $2,050. Caesar got
$90, for a grand total of about $2,150. Next, I checked on parts and
machining prices and found that I could get all the parts I needed for
about $900, and the machine work would be about $350.
Prima facie, $2,050 was $800 more than$1,250, so I pulled the motor, split
the case, yatta-yatta-yatta.
Sixteen days later, I finished "saving myself $800". Right? Wrong.
Here's what the real tally looked like:
* I'd had to take two days off work to take parts, and retrieve parts from
the machinist and run related errands. ($100/day, at the time)
* I'd had to purchase a number of necessary tools and supplies, (jack
stands, piston ring compressor, solvents, Plastigauge, valve lapping paste,
etc.), the re-usability of which was near nil for me, since I don't often
perform major service
* I'd had to pay extra machine shop prices because of rusty studs I had
broken, etc. during disassembly
* I had ruined a pair of coveralls, a socket drive, numerous rags, and
permanently oiled the workbench and garage floor.
* I squandered countless late-night hours, wearily scrubbing my hands and
nails, to appear human to the general public.
* I suffered the scorn of my family and friends as they endured my
caustic-smelling, car-less, collapsed, corpus at the dinner table, and on
related errands.
* I permitted smelly car parts, tools, and clothing inside the sanctity of
my home
* I suffered elevated blood pressure and restless sleep as I pondered "Am I
doing this exactly right? -- Did I remember to torque the blah-blah to 80
ft/lbs.?? -- Was that rear oil seal installed straight, or was that a
slight bend I saw?"
In the end, the $800 would have been a small-priced toupee for eliminated
aggravation. This same scenario played itself out, to varying degrees, even
to the most minor service.
I am all for learning about your vehicle. I am all for learning enough to
recognize the severity of flaws, (a rough idle caused by aged spark plugs,
versus a rough idle caused by a burnt valve). I would, however encourage
this: use the information on the list to make a competent assessment of
your VW's problem, locate good parts at fair prices, and FIND A COMPETENT
AGENT TO FIX IT. Now, I know this runs a bit contrary to the VW
philosophy, so hear me out.
Your TIME and AGGRAVATION are worth something; that "something" is far more
than your current hourly wage. If you knew you only had a few HOURS to
live, what dollar figure would you pay per hour to hold a loved-one's hand
one more time, or spend a few minutes with your kids while they did their
homework? $20 per hour? $50? I'd imagine most of us would pay hundreds of
dollars per hour, if we knew it was our last chance to be with friends and
family. How much would you pay per hour so you could perform "Just one more
valve adjustment on my VW"? We never know when our time will come. Spend
your time like the precious commodity that it is. Spend time with people,
not things.
Financially speaking, a popular wealth-building philosophy gives us a
simple rule to guide action. If, instead of your current wage, you would
prefer to make $100,000 per year, find out how much you would need to make
per hour, and NEVER do any activity that compensates you less than that
amount. If you take out two weeks of unpaid leave, there remain 2,000
working hours in a year. If you want $100,000 per year, never do anything
that compensates you less than $50.00 per hour. While I haven't hit the
6-figure mark yet myself, my disposable income, time for volunteering, and
time for and self-enrichment jumped dramatically when I quit wasting time
on things that didn't exceed compensating me $50+ dollars per hour.
I stopped spending 15 minutes driving across town to get "$.49 per pound
Chicken", when the grocer down the block had them for $.79 per. I was
making a 30-minute round trip to save myself less than $5.00!!! I stopped
pressing my own shirts. I would spend 15-20 minutes per shirt, up to two
hours of my time, when the dry-cleaners would launder and press for a
dollar a shirt!!! A cleaning service takes care of many of the mundane
household chores. Most importantly, I keep the cars in top shape by taking
them to mechanics. I no longer have to carry tools, spare parts, or Aspirin
for worry-induced headaches. When I hear an odd noise, I investigate, buy
the parts, and have it repaired. End of story.
Smart businesses have adopted this same philosophy: "Do what you do BEST,
and OUTSOURCE the rest". I don't care what type of work you do. If you
enjoy what you do, eliminate the cluttering obligations in your life (like
working on your car) and concentrate on your work at least 40 hours each
week. You will get ahead faster than all the other "distracted" Joe's and
Jane's in the company. The money will follow. If you don't like what you
are doing, change jobs. Find what you love and do that. You'll never make
anything doing work you don't like. There has never been a time in our
economy when it was easier to find meaningful work; go get some.
In conclusion, keep your relationship with your vehicle in perspective. It
is an appliance for moving from one place to another. For VW owners, we are
fortunate in that (many believe) our appliances have souls, and those souls
respond quickly and favorably to fastidious maintenance. Use this list.
Learn to hear the difference between a CV going bad, and a wheel bearing
going bad. Crawl around under your VW and learn all the nooks and crannies,
cables and seals.
When something goes wrong, TAKE IT TO AN AGENT. Tell him what you believe
to be wrong, and what you believe would be a good fix. Discuss your
expectations explicitly, (I will need the car back no later than 4:00p.m.
tomorrow, and I don't want any greasy fingers on the bodywork; can you meet
those expectations?"). Listen carefully and thoughtfully to what he says.
When you come to pick up the vehicle, ask to speak with the person who
worked on your car. Allow some time to talk with him about what he found,
examine the decrepit parts, and the vehicle. Ask questions.
If there are any problems with the service, courteously reflect back to
your expectations, and ask them to remedy the problem. Keep in mind the old
adage "You catch more flies with honey than you do with Vinegar". Treat the
shop with respect, and they will respect you. Make this a relationship, not
a one-time transaction.
If all is in order, compliment him specifically on what you liked about the
service, (i.e. " I appreciate that you tightened the belts while you were
in there, and that there aren't any greasy fingerprints on the body.) If
the service warrants it, write a note of recommendation to the Better
Business Bureau, and send a copy to the garage. Most Garages rely heavily
on recommendations and referrals for marketing. This helps.
Last of all, discreetly give the mechanic who got filthy for you a
recognizable tip. He will be sure to take fastidious care of your VW when
he recalls the crisp pair of Jackson's you gave him last time around. Base
the amount on the quality of service, and don't be miserly. If you can't
afford to tip today, come back when you get paid. It will be appreciated
even more when they realize it was a bit of a sacrifice. If a lesser tip is
warranted, so be it. Your agent will make the Great Service = Big Tip,
Crappy Service = Small Tip connection.
Like all relationships, endure the problems, and make it work. Spending a
little time on this relationship is far more efficient than spending time
on your back with oil dripping in your face.
Think it over. And have a great weekend no matter what you do.
Camping this weekend near Salisbury, if the weather isn't too foul,
G. Matthew Bulley
Minister of Innovation and Efficiency
Bulley-Hewlett & Associates
www.bulley-hewlett.com
(888) 468-4880 toll free
|