Don’t sweat it. I don’t understand the upheaval about the torque specs. “How dare you!”
At the end of the day, it’s your money. And your car. You’ve got all the power, to be honest. Reading this thread, you’d think the shop was the almighty. Nope.
It’s my car. So that is “how dare I”. I’ve got more skin in the game than the shop. If a shop wants to kick up because I requested a certain service or questioned their pricing…there are other shops, but I’ve got a finite amount of vehicles. So, who’s got something to prove to the other party? If they want my business, the shop does. If they don’t, I don’t want them doing the work anyway.
I surely know I was placed on such a list… for politely pointing out the shop lies (which I proved to them being deliberate and knowingly committed) and insisting them to take a financial responsibility for reverting everything to the original (before alleged “repair”) state.
As accountant was processing a refund, the owner was banging on the keyboard with such a force I was not sure he would not break it either on the table or atop of my head
As I asked why to write that much, he pointed he makes a “historical record of the incident”.
Somehow I’m not sure the scales tipped to my favor in that review.
Ah… about the thread subject… I was happy to pay $200 for $100 part they sourced, as long as it was warranted to be replaced.
Apparently, they totally ignored my ready-to-go diagnostic I came to them with and insisted my diagnosis is wrong without even checking the exhaust system for the leaks (which codes clearly indicated), while told me they “smoked” it, then blindly started throwing parts against the problem.
Now I’m called a cheap-skate is some “secret list” for failing to blindly pay up for their non-professional work.
I doubt your specs handed to a service advisor make it past bin 13. So I trust my shop, had to get my golf clubs out because repair was behind schedule, sorry you will have to wait a few minutes as he is torquing the oil pan bolts. So I watched as he finished, then they lowered the car so I could get my clubs. If you think you need to supply info to your mechanic you need a new mechanic!!!
Absolutely. The first thing you need to do is to do business with a shop you feel comfortable with. If that’s my shop, great. If that’s the shop down the street, that’s great too. But that works both ways, right? If a customer walks/calls/emails in and it just doesn’t seem like a good fit, we find a way to refer the customer elsewhere. We’re not mean about it or spiteful.
Way back about 300 posts ago, I talked about a man who had us inspect and estimate repairs for his van. He made an appointment to have the work done, but did not tell us he wanted to bring his own parts. He waited until we had written up his repair order and quoted (again) the total price. Then he said “Oh, it will be labor only because I have the parts in the van.”
Had he said that when he scheduled the work I would never have taken the appointment. Instead, I told him it was our policy not to install outside parts and suggested he see XYZ down the street. In fact, XYZ was able to help him that same day.
Customer got what he wanted.
XYZ got a job they were happy with.
I was able to turn away a low-profit customer.
Everyone wins.
I wish a few of you would consider what I have written here, instead of distorting, taking out of context, engaging in one size fits all thinking, and in making generalizations about a person.
I am just glad that the only place I have ever dealt with this is here and that in the real world I am able to have my car serviced as I like. I never realized to what an extent I am lucky to have found the two shops I use, and that the owners are so special because they will actually talk with me and share an interest in my car. They must really hate the customers I have sent their way and the great online reviews I have posted about their shops.
I have been thanked and given the pages back covered with greasy fingerprints. Some people are more focussed on doing a good job rather than worrying if they have somehow been disrespected.
My friend, I was not trying to write an exhaustive definition of the term, simply to elaborate on a previous post that supposed I would be somehow supervising their work and causing annoyance. I explained I would not even be at the garage. Frankly, you are leaping to conclusions that have no basis in fact.
And tell you what Marnet, you can add the last word here because I no longer have any interest in discussing the matter further.
I am tone deaf in a certain way. There are frequencies I can’t hear but I can hear a lot below them and some above them.
You are tone deaf in a different way. You can’t hear contrary opinions and you certainly can’t read between the lines.
You don’t know what you lack, but believe me, you lack it.
Goodbye Mr Quinlan. I will not read or reply to any more of your posts.
No i’m not. I’m making valid arguments only on what you said. And every time someone does…you sidestep it of start another straw argument. You are WRONG. Be an adult and admit it.
At the risk of being flagged again as off topic, my gosh, 353 replies to a non-sense issue in the first place? There are several that always need to be the last word so this could go on and on saying the same thing over and over.
Once again, this is the good ole US of A where businesses can charge what they want for what they want. Customers can choose to use them or go elsewhere. There is no law yet limiting the mark-up on parts.
I’ll only add that factory service manuals are not always correct and a good service provider will make adjustments. For a novice to insist that the book be followed would end up with a less than perfect job. I had this happen with injector pump timing where the book called for lining the timing marks up. This was wrong and once I took it to a professional diesel shop, the car never ran as good.
“So here, I brought the instructions for you, and the parts, and here’s a tube of sealer and some towels so don’t charge me for shop supplies. And put everything in this bag and don’t charge me for disposal. Oh and here are my Craftsman sockets to use on the job so you’ll have the correct size. And I’ll just be watching you through the window if you have any questions, while I’m having a free cup of coffee and a donut.” Sheesh.
Whatever the case, agree or disagree, can we at least keep the discussion going for another 45 posts? If we get to 400 that has to be some kind of record @cdaquila?
A record here or on forums in general? The overall record is probably on a 4x4 truck forum where one of the moderators posted asking how to get Herculiner off of his, er, privates. Seems using the bathroom when halfway through applying it without taking off your gloves is a very bad idea. Nearly caused a riot on the forum. Jokes flew for pages and pages… And years.
Last time I looked, they were still re-opening the thread once a year on the OP anniversary just so they could give poor Gerald more grief.
I want the last word. I already commented when I had a dental implant, the bone is drilled and then tapped. The implant is then screwed in with a little torque wrench. The periodontist did not want me to bring in the specs as to how much torque should be applied. He also would not let me bring in my own implant part. The week before my dental work for the implant, I had taken my dog to the veterinarian for a deep cleaning of his teeth. Now my dog is 11 years old. In people years, he is my age. While my dog was under the anesthesia, the veterinarian called and informed me that my dog’s teeth were in perfect shape. I immediately called the periodontist and told him that I would supply the implant. I was going to have the veterinarian remove one of my dog’s teeth. I figured he wouldn’t miss one tooth and I would have the implant. The periodontist would not let me supply my own part. The dog kept all his teeth.
In the same vein, I don’t supply parts or information to the mechanic who takes care of my car.
Now if a person drives some rare or old or exotic car, then it might be helpful to the mechanic if the person supplied the part and the necessary pages from the shop.manual for installing that part. I am thinking of a Citroen from the 1950s. However, with a common car, that isn’t necessary. If I was a werewolf, my dentist might want me to bring my own implant with directions for installing it. However, since I have common human teeth, he supplies the implant and is aware of the torque specifications.
Not if you’ve been on this forum in it’s prior incarnations. The chicken thread is probably still the all time record…I guess we need to have an asterisk- * in the modern era
