And, if someone loses electrons, they can always claim that it was because the electrical system was rigged, and that there was cheating.
Yep, you can also R&R (some anyway) a cylinder head (at least on an inline engine and pre VVT??) without removing the timing belt…
I have worked with some great female service writers and managers (even a store manager once), as well as some of the best commercial parts managers over the years… And yes most women trust another female service advisors over a male any day of the week… Heck even some men trust women advisors more then other men… lol
I’ll accept that…HOWEVER there are still many common steps that they would be charging me for.
Unfortunately not many provisions in the labor guides for overlapping labors… Like replacing plugs wires cap and rotor button on an old Honda Civic for an example, not much left to replacing the ignition wires when both ends are already removed for the cap and plugs… In those cases I would discus it with the tech to see if he is ok with 1/2 labor or whatever on that one item just to get the job, most would because they new they would still beat the labor time and or it was just the right thing to do…
Me personally, I would not charge any labor for doing the ignition wires on most I4’s and only 1/2 labor on most V engines when doing plugs, wires, cap & rotor button…
Sorry to hear I feel what way? That more women work in government than auto repair? Or that women are underrepresented in auto service? I think both of my sentiments are true.
We were talking about the RAV-4 hybrid powertrain, with an electric motor that drives the rear differential to create AWD. One guy asked “Why don’t we run the car on the front motor and use the rear to regen to recharge the battery while we drive?” He was kidding, and he understood that the system is “rigged” to make that not work…
Sounds like the “slip and slide” head gaskets on the early Neon engines. Also pulled many Toyota 22R heads without taking the chain off the sprocket. Nissans too.
Timing belt replacement for 1990 Honda Accord; the labor guide shows 4.2 hours plus 0.4 to replace the camshaft seal.
4.6 hours, minus 0.8 paid by the manufacture is 3.8 hours.
Whether the repair quote was for 4.6, 4.2 or 3.8 hours, I suspect the response would have been the same.
I have been asked why EVs don’t do that… And these people were seriously asking that question.
You probably remember when we got started in this business things like this were just “menu” pricing. Tune-up labor was $34.99 for a 4 cyl, $39.95 for 6 cyl, $44.95 for 8 cyl, plus parts. I loved doing tune-up with cap and rotor on a Honda, not so much on a Chevy Citation.
I was writing up a battery replacement and the customer asked “Don’t they make a battery that doesn’t ever have to be replaced?”
We had a couple of Cobalts and never had to replace the battery, even with 9 or more years of use. It was in the trunk, and it seems like the benign environment stretched battery life. My normal battery life in other cars with the battery under the hood has been about 3 years. I understand that the batteries in the Cobalts would have needed replacement eventually, but getting a decade of use was amazing to me.
The 2009 Vibe/Matrix (interstate) battery just died after 10 years of use…
Sometimes it is just either you have a good battery or not… 
I’ve replaced a few interstates of my own under warranty, but in the same vehicle, had the same part number last 9-10 years…
I’ve also replaced a lot of (newer) BMW trunk mounted (same location as the Cobalt) battery’s over the years… 
Our Audi’s trunk mounted battery apparently lasted 7 years even though the car has always been in Florida.
The under hood batteries are subjected to much more heat and die much earlier. There are virtually no batteries with more than a 36 month warranty sold in SW Florida.