Topic: Can't trust mechanics at all. Talk about gouging hours...

[Yota Up]

I read a thread where a guy said a local shop swapped out his 3rd in the rear for $50.
I called around my local f*gz, and they said it was a 3 HOUR job and it would be like $350+.  Just to swap a 4:10 rear for a V6 4:88 LSD rear...
Cheapest price given was like $300.

Reason why I was being a wuss in the first place = I have 2 busted thumbs right now.  Ouch.

Anyway, can't pay that so screw it, I did it myself tonight.  I'm as rookie as they come(in another thread I mention how my 2nd time ever with grinder and welder was making those half-doors).

I did the whole job(filling gear oil and all) in 2 and a half hours.  That includes finding rocks to prop the front tires, looking around through different toolkits to find the right sockets, having my wife bring me beers, stopping to check torque specs, stopping to BS with the neighbors, using a bottle jack with 3 pieces of wood, loosing and finding a lug nut, and taking off the 3rd when I remembered to put gasket maker on it, and driving it off the jack to make sure the limited slip is working.

All that - for a SUPER ROOKIE(with disabled thumbs! I'm as good as a monkey) - took only 2.5 hours.

Shop quoted 3 hours.  WTF?

Are people really THAT greedy?  Come on crooks, you're not performing miracles here...

P.S.:  I would really, REALLY appreciate any recommendations for a good, honest mechanic in the East Bay area(I live in Walnut Creek) - for those times when I really need a shop due to a press or machining or something.

[Rockcrawlintoy]

just wait with some practice u will have it down to less then 30 minutes

Drew

[Duffil]

a shop quotes whatever the book says it will take to perform the task.  They are in business to make money, after all. 

[Yota Up [OP]]

And a big thanks to Marlin himself for hooking me up with info on setting the backlash.  Had that printout and got it dialed in just right.  I think I'll be taking HIM out to dinner instead...

Thanks boys.  Now seriously, we know there's some things I'm not gonna do.  Some stuff that only the shop has.  So - any recommendations on a good place or folks around my parts?

[Rockcrawlintoy]

what else do you need to do. i have been investing in tools to do the work myself. its have been cheaper so far and i get the knowledge of how to do it

Drew

[bruise82]

a shop quotes whatever the book says it will take to perform the task.  They are in business to make money, after all. 

Its called 'flat rate' and it is based on the amount of time an average mechanic can complete said task at hand. its not really cheating you at all, http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_money_does_an_auto_mechanic_earn  the downside to this system is it encourages sloppy work and/or taking shortcuts to maximize output with the least amount of time input. blame the flat rate labor guide not the shops....

just my .02

[Tallchevy]

a shop quotes whatever the book says it will take to perform the task.  They are in business to make money, after all. 

X2 I was a service writer/mechanic at a heavy truck dealership. There is a book that has labor times. They go by that. They get the times from the manufacturer & the manufacturer get this time by actually doing the job numerous times with different tech's doing the jobs then they get an average."Industry Standard" is what it's called. This way everyone charges the same amount of time, the only difference is what the shop labor rate is. The guy that wrote that thread might be were the labor rate is cheaper than where you are located. I know here in the SF Bay Area the labor rate is anywhere from $75 to $150 per hr if not more  

[Tallchevy]

Its called 'flat rate' and it is based on the amount of time an average mechanic can complete said task at hand. its not really cheating you at all, http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_money_does_an_auto_mechanic_earn  the downside to this system is it encourages sloppy work and/or taking shortcuts to maximize output with the least amount of time input. blame the flat rate labor guide not the shops....

just my .02

Flat Rate is different. The mechanic gets a Flat Rate for doing the job weather he beats or goes over the time given. The faster you are the more money you can make. But some jobs you just can't beat the times 

I worked at an hourly shop. I got paid by the hr not by the job. That way if I went over which sometimes I did, the company looses money, not me 

[brainlessfool]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Its called 'flat rate' and it is based on the amount of time an average mechanic can complete said task at hand. its not really cheating you at all, http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_money_does_an_auto_mechanic_earn  the downside to this system is it encourages sloppy work and/or taking shortcuts to maximize output with the least amount of time input. blame the flat rate labor guide not the shops....

just my .02

Flat Rate is different. The mechanic gets a Flat Rate for doing the job weather he beats or goes over the time given. The faster you are the more money you can make. But some jobs you just can't beat the times 

sounds the same to me.

[Tallchevy]

sounds the same to me.

I does but it's not. With Flat Rate if they gave you 4 hrs to do a job & you did it in 2 then you made 4 hrs in wages for your self. If they gave you 4 hrs & you did it in 6, you get paid 4 hrs.

Hourly, they give you 4 hrs to do a job & you do it in 2, the company charges 4 hrs & you make the company money. If they give you 4 hrs & you do it in 6, you get your 6 hrs of pay & the company can only charge 4, the company looses 2 hrs.

[brainlessfool]

I does but it's not. With Flat Rate if they gave you 4 hrs to do a job & you did it in 2 then you made 4 hrs in wages for your self. If they gave you 4 hrs & you did it in 6, you get paid 4 hrs.

Hourly, they give you 4 hrs to do a job & you do it in 2, the company charges 4 hrs & you make the company money. If they give you 4 hrs & you do it in 6, you get your 6 hrs of pay & the company can only charge 4, the company looses 2 hrs.

ok, I went back and reread the posts, did not see any mention of "hourly" till this.
or of anything that sounded like it.


and I worked "Flat Rate" for many years as a wrench turner. know what that is, never seen a shop that charged "hourly". but don't dought there out there.

[4XFlyin]

For $50.00 I hope you will bring your own oil, gasket, cleaner, take the old oil home, bring a t-shirt for rags and then be nice enough to give it to me nicely (with grease to ease the pain). Don't mind there is rent to pay, liability insurance, maybe health insurance, employee wages, god forbid a fair hourly wage is earned. Making a good living would be nice too.

If you can't afford it, do it your self (as you did). Certainly something to be proud of.

[rednk1980]

this is kinda a little off in left field but i have a buddy who had a shop build his rig and i've pretty much built mine all on my own, however his was done is five weeks and mine is still a work in progress however he couldn't tell you how to change the tire (he has beadlocks) on his rig and i know how to totally dissasemble the motor down to a bare block and rebuild it. IMO it is better to build by youself or with help of friends (that know what their dooing aka Marlin Board) and only take your rig to a mechanic when you absolutly have to you gain more know how and intelegence on how your rig is put together and what it will hold up against. More knowledge is more help than who has the best rig. 

[jimbo74]

where i used to work, they charged $85 an hour... and the job was assessed by whatever the book said it was to do it...

i see it this way, you do it yourself or pay someone... if you feel they are charging too much, you haggle, if they wont budge you do it yourself....

[Yota Up [OP]]

Oh yeah, always do it on my own if I can.  I actually enjoy the work.
But it's a little hard when you are nursing two broken thumbs. (!)

And by the way, 4X Flyin - anytime I do have a mechanic or shop work on my stuff - I am the nicest guy you're ever dealt with.  Ask Marlin - I offered them lunch, beer, etc.  Trust me, not only would I bring everything and clean up - I'd have my wife baking you brownies.



The first truck should be bought, so you don't have to wait to live life.
Then, when you have the luxury - build and learn and do it right.

[4XFlyin]

I once took my transmission as bench work to a shop to be rebuilt. I figured I would save some money if it was bench work. Wrong.... The quote to fix it was beyond what I could afford by a long shot. I ended up bringing the now totally dis-assembled tranny home. I had no choice, but to do it myself. I was so scared, because this was the one mechanical thing I said I would never do myself. I bought the manual and parts figuring I am really going to FkkK this up or by miracle it would work. I remember getting in the truck just after putting it back in. I hesitantly put it in 1st gear and started rolling, than 2nd and so on. I kept waiting for some ugly sound to come out. Next thing you know I am in 5th rolling down the road with the biggest smile on my face. Drove straight to the liquor store and bought a sixer to celebrate. Best feeling in the world.

[Yota Up [OP]]

4x - I owe you a beer or two just for that story.  You ever see my white nightmare truck or my Yota Up 4runner - come over and say hi.

My buddy up north is like you.  Blew a headgasket - and just tore into it.  No BOOKS!  He actually did it all on his own, and it worked.  Truck still kicks ass right now.

[abnormaltoy]

I know here in the SF Bay Area the labor rate is anywhere from $75 to $150 per hr if not more  

I hope you mean the "shop" rate is $75 to $150...not the labor rate.

This is scary...at Bombardier Aviation our shop rate for A&P crap (airframe and powerplant) was, at the time $109. The average Lexus rate was $135. If I'm not mistaken...the engine on a Lexus quits, you can coast to the shoulder. When a aircraft engine quits at 45,000 ft., you become a rock.

[kneedownnate]

at Bombardier Aviation our shop rate

You worked for bombardier?  I work on their piece of boat motors every day and wouldn't wanna chance my life in the sky on their poorly engineered and poorly built junk

[Tallchevy]

I hope you mean the "shop" rate is $75 to $150...not the labor rate.

Yeah, I meant the shop labor rate

[abnormaltoy]

You worked for bombardier?  I work on their piece of boat motors every day and wouldn't wanna chance my life in the sky on their poorly engineered and poorly built junk

Well...they are French-Canadian. You'd think Froggies could do better in the water than in the air!

[kneedownnate]

Well...they are French-Canadian. You'd think Froggies could do better in the water than in the air!

  No kiddin.  I especially like when we call em cause we keep having the same breakage issues with certain parts on the newer motors and they tell us there's not a problem   

[abnormaltoy]

  No kiddin.  I especially like when we call em cause we keep having the same breakage issues with certain parts on the newer motors and they tell us there's not a problem   

Ello, eh! Dere is no problem wit de product. You ar not de enjineer, you ar only mech-a-nik. So it mus be de fault of you...unerstan, eh?

[kneedownnate]

That's aboot it too

[havik]

no matter what i will never trust a mechanic. iam always nervous droping my truck off to get worked on. if i do it has to be the last resort.

[NT-OUTBACK]

I "was" a tech for six years; I worked at one shop that paid me by the hour if I had a thumb in my butt or a wrench in my hand. The shop was a great place to work everyone was friends. When I left, I worked at another shop that was flat rate which totally sucked other mechanics would stab you in the back and the shop atmosphere was hostile.

For your Redding folk, I had the brief experience of working for a Miller. Talk about a joke I had a car that I was doing a certified pre owned inspection on catch fire. Battery was so tall in this POS it arced and welded itself to the under side of the hood bracing catching the battery box, fuse box, battery cables on fire. I put it out, and I stared at the jelly/blob like remains of where at battery once resided.

I told the big cheese and they wanted to know when it would be ready to put on the lot.  Shaking my head and I stated the car needed to go to wholesale. They replied we will fix it; tell us what parts we need. Long as the paint was not damaged was their only other concern. No it was not.  I packed up my box and quit.

I now know that when you see a pill bottle of Aspirin cut out as make shift battery post protector with a zip tie on it, to be careful closing a hood.

Note to self in a future life, become a doctor

[kneedownnate]

For your Redding folk, I had the brief experience of working for a Miller. Talk about a joke

You worked at miller?  They're crooks!  I seriously have no idea how those asshats are able to stay in business.  They must be throwing some major payoffs at some city folk cause they've repeatedly been popped for many illegal selling tactics, selling flood or rental cars and not divulging that to the customer.  So many people know about them and their tactics, that's why I'm surprised they're still in business. 

[NT-OUTBACK]

You worked at miller?  They're crooks!  I seriously have no idea how those asshats are able to stay in business.  They must be throwing some major payoffs at some city folk cause they've repeatedly been popped for many illegal selling tactics, selling flood or rental cars and not divulging that to the customer.  So many people know about them and their tactics, that's why I'm surprised they're still in business. 

Yeah, some of the used cars they were trying to sell when I worked there in late 06 were garbage. I did an inspection on a late model F250 powerstroke and the truck was clean and needed only one part to make in 100%. They said no it's good enough to stick on the lot.

The part was an oil cap, the one on the truck looked like it was dropped at one time and cracked and reglued back together. You could see oil vapor coming out of the cap. 

[Rockcrawlintoy]

my g/f worked at miller a while ago she can say that it is the worse place to work at and the worst place to buy a car.