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A Mechanic's Life - Tales From Under the Hood

2938 messages,  Last post on May 24, 2013 at 1:09 PM

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What is this discussion about? Auto Repair, Hatchback, Truck, Sedan

     This topic is primarily for professional mechanics, current or retired, or ardent amateurs who would like to share the suprises, victories, tricks and challenges of working on the modern automobile. All Forums members are invited, of course, to ask technicians about their work, or comment on your own experiences dealing with mechanics.
 
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Messages Page 2 of 294

#8 of 2938 Re: Thanks for forming this new forum [zaken1] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

May 10, 2012 (5:05 pm)

Replying to: zaken1 (May 10, 2012 4:03 pm)
Well greed is a subjective issue in many cases.
 
For instance, if you come to my shop, for which I pay a lot of $$$ + staff + tools + whatever, and you want to know what your check engine light means, am I really supposed to drop what I'm doing and scan your car for free? Or, do I charge you $60 and tell you what it all means and then suggest that we'll deduct that should you let us repair the vehicle?
 
To some people, this scenario suggests greed, but not to me.
 
As for certificates, as far as I know, you don't legally need any training whatsoever to hang out an "Auto Repair" shingle. Am I wrong about that?

#9 of 2938 Re: Thanks for forming this new forum [Mr_Shiftright] by zaken1

May 10, 2012 (5:39 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (May 10, 2012 5:05 pm)
"Well greed is a subjective issue in many cases." But it is objective in others. My dentist charges a sliding fee scale; depending on the income level of a client. That seems like an objective, non greedy way of dealing with the 2 level economy in which we now live. The fees from higher income clients offset the low fees from poor people. I occasionally did that in my work; but it depended on how I felt about the client; their car, and what they claimed about their finances. I know I can't please everyone; but that is no reason to not try when it seems appropriate.
 
I don't need your shop to drop what they're doing in order to scan my computer. Auto Zone does it for free (or so I've been told). But if you give me a senior citizen price break if I bring the car in; I'd find that attractive. The shop where I last had my car smogged did that. They also gave me a printout of how to adjust my idle speed (no, I did not need it) so I could drive down the street and slow the idle down in order for the car to be testable. And they did not charge extra for the retest.
 
I'm not asking for people to suffer for poor people's sake; just to be kind once in a while (when and how is optional). Besides; it comes back multiplied...
 
I didn't mean to imply that certifications are required to do auto repair. I just meant that pricey shops often make a big point of posting certifications on the wall where clients can see them; because they impress some people.

#10 of 2938 Re: Thanks for forming this new forum [zaken1] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

May 10, 2012 (5:49 pm)

Replying to: zaken1 (May 10, 2012 5:39 pm)
Well that's called "goodwill"--the opposite of goodwill is probably more accurately----selfishness.
 
Greed, to me, is blatant overcharging, not being stingy with your time.
 
As for a sliding scale, that becomes more difficult for a mechanic than a dentist, because you didn't just spend $30,000 on a new set of German teeth, but you might roll in with a brand new, or new-ish car---that sort of upsets the generosity equation for most mechanics.

#11 of 2938 Re: Thanks for forming this new forum [Mr_Shiftright] by berri

May 10, 2012 (6:09 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (May 10, 2012 5:49 pm)
The dentist may get off easier too if people have insurance. Customers seem to get more upset at their dealer service department after the warranty expires. Unfortunately, I also think that too many dealers are putting in misplaced incentives that turn the service writers into commison based sleazebags. The mechanics aren't the problem!

#12 of 2938 Re: Thanks for forming this new forum [berri] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

May 10, 2012 (6:12 pm)

Replying to: berri (May 10, 2012 6:09 pm)
Exactly--being a line mechanic at a dealership is no picnic.

#13 of 2938 Re: Thanks for forming this new forum [Mr_Shiftright] by isellhondas

May 11, 2012 (7:48 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (May 10, 2012 6:12 pm)
"Being a line mechanic at a dealership is no picnic"
 
No, it's not. A guy I know just retired from a busy domestic store at age 65. You won't see very many guys working the line that are past 50. It is hard, frustrating work and it is no longer easy to "beat the clock" like it was in the "old days".
 
His shop charged something like 110.00/hr and he got paid 20.00 per flat rate hour. On slow days, he was lucky to flag three hours. He no longer overhauled engines or even starters. These days, everything is replaced rather than rebuilt.
 
This friend of mine started in the 60's. When a car cam in running badly he knew it was one of maybe four things and he was quickly able to nail down the problem and fix the car. He was a excellent mechanic (notice I didn't say technician?").
 
Because of his skills he was often able to "flat rate" a job and complete a three hour job in two hours. Those days have, for the most part, ended.
 
Mechanics/Technicians buy their own tools and they don't buy them (usually) from Sears or Harbor Freight. They buy the good stuff that they know will hold up.
 
It is pretty common for a technician to have 40,000 or more invested in tools and new tools are always needed as the cars change.
 
My recently retired friend does his best to talk young guys out of joining the trade for the reasons I mentioned. Pretty sad.
 
Shop owners have it tough too! Overhead is staggering and the new equipment that is always required is beyond expensive!
 
All an all, it is a damm tough business anymore and I have nothing but respect for the guys who manage to stick with it and do an honest job!

#14 of 2938 late to the party by qbrozen

May 15, 2012 (10:21 am)

While I can't call myself an older master mechanic, I did learn from one of the best. I also started when I was about 5 years old helping out in his shop, so I guess my knowledge does go back quite a ways. I did work in a professional capacity for him, on and off, all through school. The most intensive were my summers home from college.
 
What I've found interesting, and possibly a bit distressing, over the past couple of decades is how, mostly due to cars becoming electrical marvels, as Dick pointed out, so many younger mechanics are completely deprived of "old fashioned" troubleshooting techniques. Essentially, if their computer doesn't tell them what is wrong, they are often at a loss. They can diagnose a new BMW, but show them a pre-OBD car with a vacuum leak and they are as useful as a Jiffy Lube Oil Change Monkey.
 
I fear that, at some point, older cars will die off more from the lack of ability to repair than anything else.

#15 of 2938 Re: late to the party [qbrozen] by lovemygrandam

May 15, 2012 (3:10 pm)

Replying to: qbrozen (May 15, 2012 10:21 am)
so many younger mechanics are completely deprived of "old fashioned" troubleshooting techniques.
 
That was kinda my point about many of the modern mechanics, and the reason that the current philosophy seems to be, "keep replacing parts until it starts working again." I agree with zaken1 when he says the test of a good mechanic is to "know which parts do not need to be replaced; and to only replace parts which actually are defective.", but I know for a fact that, at least among GM dealers, it's hard to keep a mechanic that has those skills. Working at GM's Proving Ground, I met at least a half dozen excellent mechanics who had started their career at dealerships, and once they had proven their worth, had been hired (stolen from the dealership) by the Company. So we have excellent mechanics within the company, but out there in the public sector, where they can make an impression on the customer, we are left with the less-experienced diagnosticians. We need to re-think our philosophy if we want to keep our customers happy.
 
I had one more thought (well, OK, maybe 3 more thoughts) about auto repair, (looking at it from a do-it-yourself standpoint. Two basic things are necessary to repair a modern automobile.
1. The service manual for that particular vehicle.
2. An inexpensive diagnostic tool for reading trouble codes.
 
Without these tools, you're working blind.
 
Oh, I forgot... one more thing....
You must be able and willing to read!
 
Dick Berger

#16 of 2938 Re: late to the party [lovemygrandam] by qbrozen

May 16, 2012 (6:55 am)

Replying to: lovemygrandam (May 15, 2012 3:10 pm)
1. The service manual for that particular vehicle.
2. An inexpensive diagnostic tool for reading trouble codes.
 
Yes, this is true ... to an extent. I just might substitute a couple of things. A manual is not absolutely necessary when you have the internet. I haven't referred to a manual in a couple of years now because I've found the info on the net to be more comprehensive.
 
As for the diagnostic tool ... an inexpensive one won't always get the job done, at least on late-model vehicles. Not a generic one, anyway. On my VW and bimmer, a generic code reader would have been less than useful. Fortunately, there are cheap aftermarket solutions that are car-specific in these 2 cases. Nowadays, the proprietary systems give you much more specific information than the generic readers do, and there are many cases where that proprietary system is only available at a dealer or a specialist who has invested the money.

#17 of 2938 Warranting parts by euphonium

May 22, 2012 (11:37 am)

The mechanic purchased the part and installed it. He marked up the cost from his wholesale cost to retail price. The part failed soon & a replacement was needed. He charged for his labor again for R&R the defective part. I maintain he should not have charged for his labor in replacing the defective part because when he took a profit on it, he took responsibility for its effectiveness.

Messages Page 2 of 294

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