- This topic has 22 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 10 months ago by Candice.
First service – HOSED
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May 13, 2009 at 3:36 am #18429MunchParticipant
again….depending on vehicles condition. Not saying bigguy’s is bad. Not sure how the cycling industry works but with automotive it is set by a person with his/her tools set out and timed to figure out what that flat rate is. Do enough of it ..yes you get quick at it. So then should we as mechanics get penalized in pay for doing a good job? Not to mention the abused vehicles that come through that “we” lose said time on. I am not saying the prices are always fair. Hell I argue that with my boss man a lot. Especially on those cars I know I am geting paid an hour for but because it’s a rust bucket from the beach or fresh out of winter I will spend 2 to 3 times as long on it as I should. For instance… at the Hot Rocks… I get .6 of an hour to do 4 tires… that’s 6 tenths of an hour… hypothetically lets say I get paid $10 an hour. I just got paid $6 to put tires on your vehicle….including the mounting and balancing (which you get charged for). He will come out on these rich b!tch cars and be happy that it was a $1300 sale… guess what… I still only get the .6 of an hour to mount them.
May 13, 2009 at 4:21 am #18431MunchParticipantApologies…. after a hot shower and a hot dawg ( yes its spelt correctly…I am from the south remember) I realize your not bashing mechanics and was just concerned about the price. If you were to ask the manager most times you will get a typical “thats the industry standard” remark with no explanation of why it got so high. However if they cut the prices from what they are used to …guess who else pay gets cut… I’ve seen it happen to many times. They will still hit their profit margins and we (techs) will still be breaking our backs doing the hard work for less then before.
We as mechanics and techs… well the good few of us that are out there. Get berated, belittled and cussed because we can do our jobs quickly and efficiently by those who do not take time to see things past their nose. Never mind I had to get trained, never mind in my shop specifically I have to be knowledgeable about every make of car, truck and van in production…never mind that I had to pay out of my pocket for the $25000 worth of tools to work on said car……but the biggest thing that baffles me….
While “you” are fussing that it took to long, or “I” did it faster then the labor rate “you” paid for customers never stop and think that “I” am responsible for “your” safety as you toodle along home at 75+mph. And for the non bikers I get insult to injury by being cut off, nearly run down and whatever other screwy situation I can think of and some that I can’t.
So…. my apologies for going off on a rant. No one on here justifies it. But I will leave it up there to get a point across to hopefully open an eye or two.May 13, 2009 at 11:36 am #18432Zig308ParticipantThat’s what gas tax is supposed to be for right?
May 13, 2009 at 12:25 pm #18435bigguybbrParticipantI thought that was to pay for the $5000 coffee makers
May 14, 2009 at 10:01 pm #18527Gary856ParticipantI recently had my ’01 GS500 serviced at a local, independent motorcycle shop. Oil change alone added up to about $90-$100, parts and labor. Compared to a $30 oil change for a car that seems unreasonable, but it is what it is. In addiion, they changed the spark plugs, topped off the brake fluid, lubed the brake lever and the chain, cleaned the air filter, adjusted the clutch (which I had to adjust back to my own liking), adjusted the tire pressure (which I also had to re-adjust). The total came to about $260. Yes, that seemed high, and I could have done most of the work myself to save money, but it was my decision to pay a professional shop to do the work while I used my time for something else.
Given what I just paid, it seems like what the dealership just charged you was in the ball park of the going rate. I’m not saying it’s cheap, just that that’s what services cost nowadays.
May 15, 2009 at 1:03 pm #18552bigguybbrParticipantI never blame the guy who’s turning the wrench unless they break something or I have to come back again and again for the same problem.
Service managers however…
Well when I picked up my bike, I found out that part of the labor charge on my bill was spent on cleaning the carburetor… MY BIKE IS FUEL INJECTED!!!! THERE IS NO CARBURETOR!!!!
I argued and shouted loud enough for the sales floor to hear me and after calling them a bunch of crooks, they knocked my bill down $100 bucks. Never going back to that dealership again. Now I’m left looking for a new place to take my bike for service.
May 15, 2009 at 1:35 pm #18556Clay DowlingParticipantOil changes are so trivially easy on a motorcycle, and if it’s not necessary for warranty it’s worth doing yourself. It will cost you twenty minutes and twenty bucks. About the same amount of time I’d spend driving to a mechanic and back to get the oil changed.
May 15, 2009 at 1:51 pm #18560CandiceParticipantOh shit! Good thing you investigated! Unfortunately you were dealing with a shyster. At least you know not to go back and you can tell others too.
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