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A Mechanic's Life - Tales From Under the Hood

2966 messages,  Last post on May 25, 2013 at 3:16 PM

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Messages Page 139 of 298

#1375 of 2966 Re: Diplomacy isn't my strongsuit [steve_] by thecardoc3

Feb 14, 2013 (11:08 am)

Replying to: steve_ (Feb 14, 2013 10:46 am)
Wiki says you must have your Tesla inspected by a Tesla certified tech annually. If you don't or if you get it repaired by an indy, you forfeit the warranty.
 
That's a "who cares" IMO. First it makes absolutely no sense to invest anything in the way of time to study or for the tools for a car that has about a .000001% chance of ever visiting our shop. (about 1 in 100,000,000, or something close to the chances of winning the powerball)
 
Now we can think about how Tesla will handle warranty claims. One thing they could do is open up shops where they sell lots of cars and hire their own mechanics and "really" factory train them. If state laws let them
 
They would have to sell lots of those cars to support a shop. It would make sense to cross train their techs to be able to support other manufacturers EV's and hybrids in order to try have a steady workflow. Even then they would probably have to use a tiered labor rate.

#1376 of 2966 Re: Diplomacy isn't my strongsuit [xwesx] by thecardoc3

Feb 14, 2013 (11:12 am)

Replying to: xwesx (Feb 13, 2013 10:30 am)
I could not, in good conscience, encourage him to become a professional automotive technician.
 
Sad isn't it? If someone likes to be challenged to learn something new all of the time, there are few careers that can even come close to what we have to do today. It should be a very rewarding career but all people usually find in it is unsecure dead end jobs....

#1377 of 2966 Re: Diplomacy isn't my strongsuit [thecardoc3] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Feb 14, 2013 (11:14 am)

Replying to: thecardoc3 (Feb 14, 2013 11:08 am)
I don't see Tesla as being around too much longer anyway. Don't get me wrong, it's a great product, but you can't survive selling so few units and to ramp up requires enormous, staggering amounts of capital.
 
As a GM executive once said of Henry Kaiser when he decided to go into the auto business in the 1940s, and announced his "We have X millions in capital to begin!"----the remark was
 
"give that man one poker chip"

#1378 of 2966 Re: Diplomacy isn't my strongsuit [Mr_Shiftright] by thecardoc3

Feb 14, 2013 (11:57 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 14, 2013 11:14 am)
http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/how_to_make_a_small_fort- une_on_wall_street_start_with_a_large_one/

#1379 of 2966 Re: How would you have handeled this? [srs_49] by thecardoc3

Feb 14, 2013 (12:36 pm)

Replying to: srs_49 (Feb 14, 2013 5:47 am)
So then, how do I, the consumer, determine if $80/hr, $100/hr, or $130/hr is a reasonable rate
 
To be blunt about it, without all of the details you can't. Which is why it isn't being honest to even try.

#1380 of 2966 Re: Diplomacy isn't my strongsuit [srs_49] by busiris

Feb 14, 2013 (1:06 pm)

Replying to: srs_49 (Feb 14, 2013 6:01 am)
My son just finished his residency last year and started his medical practice. His income expectations have been cut in half from what those in his field were making 9 years ago when he started medical school. While he is still making a good salary, he has doubts as to whether or not it will be worth all the pain and costs he went through.
 
My daughter finishes her clinical rotations out on the West Coast in April of this year.
 
The medical environment is one of rapid and dramatic change, but on the bright side, any position that requires direct patient contact is one that is difficult to export overseas, which I define as a bright spot in today's employment scenario...

#1381 of 2966 Re: Diplomacy isn't my strongsuit [thecardoc3] by steve_ HOST

Feb 14, 2013 (1:48 pm)

Replying to: thecardoc3 (Feb 14, 2013 11:08 am)
That's a "who cares" IMO.
 
It's a "who cares" because it applies to GM and Ford too and any newcomer that wants to try to set up a car business in the US (Tata or Chery, for example).
 
Tesla was used as the example because we were talking about the dealers association in MA suing Musk.
 
Let's assume Ford wants to do their own warranty service and take that chore away from the dealers (because dealers can charge them "retail rates" in some states under state law), and let's assume that their existing franchise agreements would allow them to do so.
 
If the dealers don't like that idea, they'll just go to their state legislature and make it illegal for manufacturers to directly furnish warranty service. Dealers in Maine did something similar in '03 after the courts ruled against them. (SSRN)
 
Forget Tesla, this stuff can happen with the majors. And it pads the dealers' pockets at the expense of consumers.

#1382 of 2966 Rates by bartbarter

Feb 14, 2013 (1:50 pm)

Cardoc I'm curious. I understand what you mean, but... perhaps if a going average rate is say $100, and one looks at Yip or Yelp (? ) and sees one is rated higher or lower, wouldn't that be a fair indicator of $110 or $90?

#1383 of 2966 Re: Rates [bartbarter] by thecardoc3

Feb 14, 2013 (2:13 pm)

Replying to: bartbarter (Feb 14, 2013 1:50 pm)
http://yelp-sucks.com/tell-your-yelp-story/
 
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57535140-93/yelp-clamps-down-on-paid-reviews-wi- th-new-consumer-alert/
 
http://www.submitexpress.com/yelp-negative-review-repair.html
 
http://www.prweb.com/releases/paid-yelp-reviews/craigslist-sting/prweb10077116.h- tm

#1384 of 2966 Re: Diplomacy isn't my strongsuit [thecardoc3] by xwesx

Feb 14, 2013 (2:35 pm)

Replying to: thecardoc3 (Feb 14, 2013 11:12 am)
I agree on both counts. I have several friends who are techs. Great guys, but they're only satisfied with their career when they're actually working on cars. When the day is done, they complain about the circumstances.

Messages Page 139 of 298

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