x2 ^
The title invites criticism as if it's a good idea to piss other people but leave your mechanic alone. :drama:
Don't piss off your mechanic
- Thread starter 541joseph
- Start date
x2 ^
The title invites criticism as if it's a good idea to piss other people but leave your mechanic alone. :drama:
RunninInGA
New member
To me, the title suggests OP believes some mechanics are devious and would intentionally do harm to you or your vehicle if you piss them off - which is clearly immoral and illegal. Is this what the OP is suggesting? And if so, what dealership /auto shop does he represent with this kind of herpyderpy BS?:brick:
541joseph
New member
That's not what I'm saying at all actually. I just know that when stupid ass people think they can fix some thing bring it in half apart and expect you to take time off and ask why it cost so much and you tell them because that's what we get paid for this job and then 2 days later come in for the old part and you tell them exactly where it is and they still can't find it after you point at the part in the middle of the floor , it's just stupid is as stupid does
RunninInGA
New member
No offense meant but I would encourage you to find another outlet for venting frustrations with your job.:tape:
zopperman
Moderator
Are you telling a forum full of DIY'ers not to try and DIY something with the possibility of failing and having to bring it to a mechanic? because that may make the mechanic grumpy? :noidea:
txbonds
Senior Member
Well as the customer, here are,things that tick me off about mechanics:
1) When I stop in to inquire about service and they start off with how busy they are and they have 7 people ahead of me and act pissy about it. Just tell me when you can do it or offer to schedule an appointment and I'll come back. Busy should be good, no?
2.) When they do work that I have to go elsewhere to get fixed because I can no longer trust the shop. People that mounted my MTRs on my SCS rims last year used stick on weights that used some sort of cheap double sided foam that must have been an afterthought. First rain they started falling off so I had to go to another place and pay to have them rebalanced with better quality stick on weights.
3.) places that sell you on buying the lifetime or multi year product like alignment but act pissed if you come back. I just paid for alignment, bought 4 year policy and thought front end had moved since service. Go back and ask them to double check and get an ear full about their $40k machine,and I'm not qualified to say its out of alignment by look or feel. So much for the extra years as they seem less than motivated when there isn't new money involved.
4.) why does it always take multiple hours to do any project or service that I've been told will only take about an hour. You can pretty much count on spending half a day at a dealership to get an oil change even though it's a quick service job.
5.) when I know more about the vehicle, part, repair and process than the mechanic. This one usually makes me walk as it scares me if I know more about it than them and I ride a desk for a living.
Etc, etc, etc
As you can see, the stream flows both ways here. :violin:
1) When I stop in to inquire about service and they start off with how busy they are and they have 7 people ahead of me and act pissy about it. Just tell me when you can do it or offer to schedule an appointment and I'll come back. Busy should be good, no?
2.) When they do work that I have to go elsewhere to get fixed because I can no longer trust the shop. People that mounted my MTRs on my SCS rims last year used stick on weights that used some sort of cheap double sided foam that must have been an afterthought. First rain they started falling off so I had to go to another place and pay to have them rebalanced with better quality stick on weights.
3.) places that sell you on buying the lifetime or multi year product like alignment but act pissed if you come back. I just paid for alignment, bought 4 year policy and thought front end had moved since service. Go back and ask them to double check and get an ear full about their $40k machine,and I'm not qualified to say its out of alignment by look or feel. So much for the extra years as they seem less than motivated when there isn't new money involved.
4.) why does it always take multiple hours to do any project or service that I've been told will only take about an hour. You can pretty much count on spending half a day at a dealership to get an oil change even though it's a quick service job.
5.) when I know more about the vehicle, part, repair and process than the mechanic. This one usually makes me walk as it scares me if I know more about it than them and I ride a desk for a living.
Etc, etc, etc
As you can see, the stream flows both ways here. :violin:
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nevada
Senior Member
yes to all of that.
that is one of the worst things, to start working on something, only to discover some jackass already attempted it once. with advice he got "off the internet"
whatever you do, don't try to tell him he/they were wrong...
nevada
Senior Member
i'll address #4. the job itself may only take so long, but that depends on when they get started.
if someone asks me how long a job takes, I tell them 1 hour. then we run into issues on the car before them. THEIR original job will likely still take that 1 hour, it will just be starting at a later time.
txbonds
Senior Member
I get that one. However shouldn't dealerships, as they seem to be the worse at this, stay more on top of their work flow so when a new service customer comes in they can quote realistic wait times? I don't care how long the service takes if I still have to wait 3 times as long. Just tell me total time.
Heck even an 18 hole golf course has a better handle on the pulse and can usually tell within a few minutes accurate wait times. A sophisticated shop with computers and tons of people should be able to do half as well at least, right?
My gripe isn't directed at anyone specifically here by the way. LOL
RunninInGA
New member
Wait times are subjective. 3 hours may be no problem for you, but may be an eternity for the next guy or girl and could be a deal breaker for some. How many times have you tried to diagnose a problem with some piece of equipment and it take longer than you initially expected - or when you ran into problems you didn't know to account for? Shizz happens to professionals too.
541joseph
New member
There is only so much mechanics can do. We have had this truck come in for months because we couldn't make it squeak. The other day we finally got it to squeak. Dealerships will most of the time just blow it off. And yes as a mechanic if we have to figure out how to put something back together that is half ass started it will likely cost more and your mechanic will likely tell you not to do that again
bofa
New member
I can't speak for all, but I have much better things to do that sit in a waiting room for 8 hours. If I bring it in, it's for a reason.
Here's a recent example... the 4R was making this clicking sound whenever we turned and it was coming from the steering column. They had us there for 4 hours the first time and couldn't replicate. Told us it was impossible that it was coming from the steering column. We mentioned it again at the next service because the issue persisted. 3 hours later they come out with the same answer. So I offered to take them for a ride. It turns out the tech doesn't use his turn signal when turning. Apparently there was a little piece of plastic that failed (the piece that turns the signal off following a turn I guess).
nevada
Senior Member
exactly. how much time am I supposed to spend on diagnosing something? do I still get to charge you if I spend several hours and still cant duplicate the problem?
a lot of the time, the problem IS the customer, and who/what they are doing to make "a noise".
we will usually check it, determine if its still safe to drive, and if we cant find it, tell them to bring it back if it gets worse.
nevada
Senior Member
I'm just grateful I no longer make a living working on consumer cars.
a few years ago a customer stopped in for something, turns out he was the first tech I worked with, years ago.
I asked him what he was doing now, as he was a very experienced and certified technician. his answer, "delivering pizza" :lookout:
he said he was happy doing it.
wnelax04sr5
New member
i don't know what experiences you have had, but i used to work as a heavy equip mechanic, working on john deeres, bobcats, excavators, etc. and often times it would be a case of a DIY owner trying to fix/replace something only to tear it down and find out he needed a special tool that he didn't have, and they'd bring it to the shop. It didn't piss me off that someone tried it themselves, hell i made money when they brought it in, usually a good tip too.
I never got mad at someone because they wanted to do something themselves, only if they broke something trying to do it themselves and expected me to fix it
A friend who's a independent contractor loves the DIY'ers and the Home Fixit shows and websites that show how easy it is to do your own projects. He says he gets a good deal of work taking over where they left off after finding they were over their heads.
