I agree that these sound like uncommonly understanding customers, at least compared to what I am used to. The belief around my area seems to be that mechanics are rich, greedy scum with the world’s easiest job because all they have to do is plug in a $50 code reader and replace whatever part the code reader says to replace, and they make huge money off of it. I think that’s what we have with the OP here.
Here’s a “diagnostic fee” story: I went to the doctor’s office a few years ago for an infection caused by an ingrown toenail. I really just wanted it cut out, and some antibiotics so I wouldn’t die from it. The doctor came into the room, looked at it, told me that looked really messed up and that I needed to see a specialist for it. He wrote me a referral and said to schedule an appointment on my way out. He spend less than three minutes with me. Charge? $175. And I had no medical insurance at the time.
I don’t personally know of any mechanics who would be considered wealthy. Many people see a 500 dollar tab and somehow assume 90% of that goes into someone’s pocket. The reality is that it gets broken down many ways and goes into a lot of peoples’ pockets; not all of them inside the mechanic shop.
Over 20 years ago I was in a car wreck and referred to a specialist neurosurgeon. The preliminary visit was about 5 minutes long and this guy charged me 300 dollars. Figure that in today’s dollars.
A small independent shop owner isn’t going to be wealthy.
There are a few large independent shops (7-10 mechanics) who are quite wealthy.
A typical dealership makes 50% or more of their profit from their shop floor. My daughter sent to a private high school with the daughter of a smallish local dealer…When his daughter graduated from school he made a nice (at least a hundred thousand dollar) donation to the school. He may not be a Bill Gates…but he has a lot more money then I do.
Friend from high-school who owns several dealerships in upstate NY is quite wealthy. Third generation family owned business. Started as a Pontiac dealership by his grandfather some 60+ years ago. Now sells at least 3 (maybe 4) different manufacturer vehicles.
Mad Dr,
You must also add another variable to the equasion.
That ‘‘code already known’’ is just that…ONE code, just one.
Many times the code reader can go no further than the first ‘‘locked door’’ it encounters and shows that code.
That un-passable door has to be opened ( a repair made to that circuit ) for the code reader to move forward to investigate any further locked doors and so on.
Granted it can check many unrelated circuits at once but same remains true in each circuit path.
Knowing just one code may not be the entire repair !
I have, on several occasions, recommended that car owners who wish to take advantage of the McPart’s stores diagnosis should buy whatever the counter man recommends along with whatever tools and equipment are needed to make the repair. Then, if the problem is not solved they can return to the store and ask for a refund. More often than not the diagnosis leads to replacing parts unnecessarily.
Myself and others here and elsewhere recommend worried drivers drop by a McParts store for the free diagnosis and get back to us for our opinion. We do that in an effort to determine if the problem needs immediate attention or might be dangerous. We might save someone the cost of missing a half day at work and a $100 diagnostic for a loose gas cap. I would guess that half the O2 sensors, fuel filters, MAF sensors, EGR valve and angle sensors sold at McParts stores were not needed.
I would agree with Rod Knox about half of those things not being needed.
As to mechanics being wealthy, a shop owner or car dealer may be but the guy who has bleeding knuckles and paying for tools on a weekly basis is not.
I’d figure a mechanic who makes 100 grand a year, gross, as being very wealthy but with only a very few exceptions that ain’t gonna happen; and especially at a car dealer where warranty is a time killer to the nth degree.
Do the math. At 100 grand a year (and omitting 2 weeks paid vacation which is often only a fraction of a week’s pay) that means a mechanic will have to be flagging 50 hours a week flat rate every single week at 40 dollars per flat hour hour.
A mechanic making 20 dollars an hour will have to flag 100 hours per week and a 25 dollar rate means 80 hours per week, with the norm being around 20 to 25 instead of 40.
A mechanic who flags those kind of hours week and week out usually has one, or many, non-family friendly names and situations applied to them.
At the high-end a good mechanic with years of experience here in NH/MA can maybe clear $100k/yr. While it’s good money for most people…you’re NOT going to get rich. And most mechanics don’t make that. Most don’t make half that.
A good independent may GROSS much more then $100k/yr…he also has a lot of overhead that he has to pay out. In the end he’d be lucky to be making $70k/yr. I know a good small shop with 3-4 mechanics where the owner makes about $150k/yr. He does SOME work…but not much. Most of the work is done by his employees. He just runs the jobs and diagnose problems.