I don’t see a need to take supplying pages from a service manual so personally. I suppose it’s all in how it’s done. “Hey, I found the pages in my service manual for this repair. Torque specs are in there too. I went ahead and printed them off for you so you wouldn’t need to look up the specs”.
Doesn’t have to be a huge deal, really if you phrase it right.
I did complain to the manufacturer and supposedly they updated the information provided to their dealers here in Canada. The mechanic I got to do the work was pleased to try but would not guaranty the fix. It has worked fine for 3 years now. I know others have had the same repair done since.
Please I am not looking to insult anyone. I take an interest in my vehicle and I like to think that I can share that with someone who has made it their profession. I have simply explained that when I have a mechanic do a repair involving parts that I have supplied I will also print out the relevant parts diagram showing torque values, and leave it on the seat with the parts and my wheel nut lock. I am not being an a-hole standing there watching you and telling you what to do.
And in answer to Mike earlier, I know exactly what you mean and I have great admiration for the knowledge of mechanics and their skill at overcoming certain engineering decisions that did not have ease of servicing as the main consideration.
Aren’t we going in circles here?
So the steak house can buy a $6 rib eye, use it as part of a $20 meal, and it’s ok. But if I buy a $60 alternator and use it in the course of a $200 repair I’m overcharging?
You approve the job every step of the way. If your car stops running on the way to work tomorrow and the AAA tow truck driver asks you where to take your car, you get to choose my shop or any other. When your car arrives we will say “Mr. Jones, it will cost $109 for us to do whatever testing and inspection is needed to determine why your engine does not start and what needs to be done to fix it. Is that OK with you?” You can agree to the work or take your car to another shop, there are several near by.
Later we will call/email/text you to say “Mr. Jones, your car has a faulty fuel pump. We can get your car running by installing a new pump assembly, replacing the fuel filter, and putting in a new fuel pump relay for $650. Would you like us to take care of that for you?” Again, you can agree to the work or take your car to another shop. You can try to negotiate a lower price or ask for the fuel pump only without the filter and relay. If we come to a mutual agreement the car gets fixed, if not we put it back the way it came to us and you can take it somewhere else. It’s really not much different than ordering a meal, especially for someone who wants a mechanic not because he is not able to fix his own car but because he doesn’t have the time.
Absolutely. If you want to bring your own parts I can give you the names of 2 shops within 3 miles from whose workmanship I trust.
I have found that to be the case for every profession out there, no exceptions.
Heh heh, if we were having coffee, this is where I’d look at my watch and go gee I’m late and go pay my bill, or fake a call. That’s why I like to drive myself so I can just leave when I want.
That might intimidate a mechanic into borrowing a torque wrench and use it on your vehicle. I have worked in all types of shops and most techs, especially those respected by management use air tools to tighten everything. Most people don’t know what goes on behind the curtain.
As far as repairs being routine and performed 100 times before, there are so many different vehicles and different engines today that each day presents a new challenge, the only thing routine is brake pad/rotor replacements but even that is changing.
I think you should read all my posts and you would better understand the specifics I am talking about. Way too many generalizations here, and one size fits all thinking.
Asemaster stick to mechanics because logic is not your forte. My fuel pump assembly includes the filter and its a 15 minute job to swap it out. Relay will run us what? Anyway in this beauty example of yours we are looking at what 200-250 in parts including your markup and 450 for your labor and shop costs??? Of course in the real world I am not driving into your shop to have you diagnose a fuel pump, especially when its causing a no start condition. But you know what I would not be towing it to your shop to begin with as I would take to a mechanic I have used in the past who does excellent work and is a great diagnostician but somehow has none of your attitude.
Two things will survive the nuclear apocalypse - cockroaches and this thread…
@cdaquila. Maybe it’s time to close this thread.
When my former employer decided to open their own auto shops, my staff and I developed a set of forms to be used in the shops. Since my wife is a plaintiff’s trial attorney, I asked her to review the forms. When she got to the form where the customer releases the shop from liability if the customer brings his own parts, she snorted. She said I’m an idiot if I let the customer bring his own parts, and I just need two signs at each shop that say " no customer supplied parts will be installed".
Yeah. I grew up as the son of a lawyer. Liability releases only get you so far. They might allow you to prevail in a lawsuit, but they won’t prevent the lawsuit from being filed. Once you’re sued, you’ve already lost because you’re going to have to spend time and money defending yourself in court instead of working on cars.
And, liability releases can be tossed out if it’s determined you were overly negligent. As in, “a reasonably prudent mechanic should have known that this part was poor-quality and should have refused to install it.” And it probably wouldn’t be hard to dig up someone with “automotive expertise” to testify to that effect. It’s unlikely the judge has any of his own expertise on car work, so that might be enough to sway him even if you really didn’t do anything wrong.
That kind of thing happens with doctors in personal injury suits all the time. Some doctors will reach any medical conclusion the plaintiff’s attorney wants, for a fee.
The only reason to stop this thread is that it has been taken over by types who do not want to discuss it. We are not talking auto part prices or mark ups we are being told that we have to buy our parts through a garage that marks them up a further 40% over a supplier such as NAPA’s retail prices, or for dealer only 40% over that, and those insisting upon this are slagging their fellow mechanics who are willing to work with a client like me. Then we are being told that the top quality parts we are supplying are substandard because they were not bought through the garage, and that somehow we are exposing them to liability for something other than their own potential to perform shoddy work. Complete load of BS. Of course, it’s completely unthinkable that your parts place might supply you with a defective part and that you get a comeback…
Look as I said you are welcome to run your business the way you like. I think the times are a changing, and I am going to buy things and purchase services the way I like. But I would like you to display a little more awareness as to how many of your car owners have experienced substandard work or even been fleeced by others who claim to be mechanical professionals just like you. If your struggling to find examples just read through some threads on this very website.
There is no logical reason to flag Bing’s last post . Someone is being way to sensitive .
293 posts puts this in the top 20 ALL TIME most-posted threads, this has been discussed in every way possible…
Back in the late 1970s, I had a friend, a single mother, who had a Saab. We live in a Midwest town with no Saab dealer and in that time period, front wheel drive was not common. The clutch was going out on the Saab. When my friend went to different shops, each claimed that they couldn’t get parts for a Saab. My friend managed to get a clutch from a Saab dealer in Chicago and had it shipped to her address. She then went back to the shops where she had gone before. Each shop then claimed that they didn’t know how to replace the clutch on a Saab. I directed her to a mechanic I knew who had a little garage out in the country. He accepted the job and my friend picked up the car, the mechanic said to her, “I have a confession to make. I never even heard of a Saab before you brought your Saab to me”. When my friend asked me how I knew he could fix her car, I said that I was at his shop the week before and he had a rotary engine Mazda apart. He had never worked on a Rotary engine, but was curious as to how they worked. A day later, he had the Mazda backed on its feet. I happened to be out in his area and he was anxious to describe to me how the rotary engine worked and how he replaced the rotor tips. In neither the case of the Mazda Rotary or the Saab was he supplied a shop manual.
This mechanic lived simply. About once a month, he and his wife would make a trip to the southern part of the state in an old dump truck he had fixed up, fish the abandoned strip mines, pick up a load of coal to heat his house and shop. He didn’t advertise–his customers came by word of mouth. My son was in elementary school at the time and loved to go to this shop with me because there were always puppies to play with.
This mechanic was truly a mechanical genius. He loved to take on jobs other mechanics wouldn’t touch.
Mr. Quinlan, if you came into one of my former employer’s shops with your own parts and your attitude, and the shop manager called me seeking some direction, I’d ask him to inform you that we do not install customer supplied parts and suggest you find another shop that would comply with your wishes.
Well it is kind of entertaining, isn’t it?
I’m enjoying it
It’s your car, your money, and your time, and you don’t HAVE to do anything. Take your car where you like, spend your money where you like, fix your car however you want. If my shop is not the right place for you, I can direct you to a shop that is.
I have to say I still don’t fully understand what your quibble with my business model is. You seem to take exception to the notion that a business is free to not to take on a client it sees as less profitable or more troublesome than others. Shops just don’t need every potential customer that comes through the door.
My attitude speaks for itself by the full schedule at the shop.
Every customer that comes through our door comes there by choice–there are a dozen other places they can take their car. We take that very seriously, and have put more time and effort than you can imagine to cultivate the appropriate customer for our shop. Don’t be offended that you’re not one of those customers. It’s not personal, it’s just business.
I am keenly aware of just how miserable an experience getting your car fixed can be. Unfortunately, often the first misstep in choosing a shop is comparing price. I strive to provide the highest quality repairs and maintenance, offer you a convenient location and hours, 3 year/36K mile warranty, give you shuttle service, loaner cars if needed, a comfortable quiet waiting room, pick up and deliver your car to work or home, and a host of other things to make your experience pleasant. I will never sell you something you don’t need. At no point in this process do I consider comparing my prices to anyone else. It costs what it costs.
I suppose if one has some rare automobile for which parts are scarce, then a mechanic who accepts the work may want the owner to supply the parts. For instance, suppose one has a 1946 Lincoln Zephyr. Now I doubt that this would be a daily driver. In this case, the mechanic may just say “I’ll install the part if you can get one”. The shop manual for the 1946 Lincoln might even be helpful to the mechanic.
However, for vehicles that see daily service and are common cars for the region, to me it makes sense to trust that the shop will provide and install the part.
Years ago, when I was buying a used car for transportation, a mechanic friend recommended that I stick with Chevrolet or Ford as parts were readily available and every mechanic had worked on one.This was back in the early 1960s. Today, if that mechanic were alive, he might suggest sticking with a Honda Civic or a Toyota Corolla. Keep in mind that I look at a car for its transportation value.
I should have followed the mechanic’s advice and not purchased a 1955 Pontiac. The engine was unique to the Pontiac. The passages in the studs that supported the rocker arm plugged up and the rocker arms didn’t get oil. It was a real problem to pull the studs and clean out the passages. Had I owned a 1955 Ford instead of the Pontiac, an outside oil line kit was available to bypass the internal passages in the head in order to get oil to the rocker arms.
Through the years, I’ve learned to drive popular makes and let a mechanic worry about supplying and installing the correct part to fix a problem.
We had a neighbor years ago that had been s mechanic. He said when he worked as a mechanic and a Nash or Hudson came into the shop, he hid in an empty oil drum.
I live in a city that has no Nissan, Subaru, or VW dealer. For that reason, I won’t consider these makes. I don’t want the nearest dealer 55 miles away.
Gee I’m glad I got outta here when I did. Gotta go again got work to do. Snow is coming.
Hey all you folks down there in sunshine country, batten down the hatches and good luck.