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Posted: 6/30/2008 8:36:33 PM EDT
All my brothers of the wrench, be you independent techs, dealer guys, owner/operators, how's things going? Whatcha been up to?
The work load in my hood has fallen off drastically. It should be the busiest time of the year, with several cars left over from the day before, but we've been running out of work at around 10-11 AM for the past month or so. Things are looking pretty ugly...and management hired two more technicians, when we don't have the work load to support what we've got. Fortunately at least, with the weather, A/C work has been fairly consistent. I ain't been doing great, but I've been holding my own...barely. |
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Posted: 6/30/2008 8:48:55 PM EDT
[#1]
yesterday my wife complained of a chattering sound when she runs the A/C on her car. how much to put a new compressor etc (tensioner, dryer, expansion valve) in a 1999 bmw 323i ???  ar-jedi |
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Posted: 6/30/2008 8:50:30 PM EDT
[#2]
More work than I've ever had.
Turning it away. Hiring new people. Hoping it stays that way. You've read my thread. And to ar-jedi: A lot. |
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Posted: 6/30/2008 9:30:21 PM EDT
[#3]
I hear you Quintin...most of the shops around here are dead too. It probably has a lot to do with the economy, people aren't doing things to their cars unless it's an emergency.
We happen to be lucky, we have a really large customer base and they are loyal, plus we have a few Fleets that we maintain. Today I installed a GM Factory Rebuilt tranny in a AWD GMC Safari minivan, it was an '01...and after that I did a nice job on a Honda Civic...timing belt, water pump, radiator, hoses, and T-Stat, and finally an A/C service on a Town Car from the Limo fleet . |
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Posted: 6/30/2008 9:33:05 PM EDT
[#4]
Ever consider relocating to southeast Georgia? Or do you have a room you can rent out in your shop? 
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Posted: 6/30/2008 10:40:53 PM EDT
[#5]
Wow. Sounds just like our place, and other shops are slow compared to us! Some of us have been trying to convince the SM that we don't need the new idiot he hired (he can't fix sh*t, gets grease on everything, breaks things, etc, you get the picture), but the owners hired a "consultant" who told them we needed more techs. Yeah, right. |
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Posted: 6/30/2008 11:08:30 PM EDT
[#6]
I think most every place has at least one dude like that. Ours has told management that he ain't doing any training, he slacks off for half a day, rips people off, comes and goes about as he pleases, can't fix a sandwich much less an electrical problem - if it involves the use of a service manual, scan tool, and/or multimeter, he's lost. I'm waiting for half ass to get a brake job on a hybrid Mariner or Escape, watch him get his fingers smashed compressing the caliper pistons back into their bores. I wouldn't piss on this dude if he were on fire. Management doesn't care though, he turns a lot of time, turning rotors and hanging pads and banging in ball joints. |
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Posted: 6/30/2008 11:20:37 PM EDT
[#7]
Ours doesn't even make time. I was in the SM's office this morning complaining about him after he reflashed a program card we use for recalls - of which we can't download the program. The SM told me I wouldn't have to worry about it much longer. I asked him, "How much longer. Are we talking lunch break or 4:30". 
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Posted: 7/1/2008 12:45:47 AM EDT
[#8]
LOL Quintin and Pathfinder
 I had one of those guys at my last shop. Friend of the owner and pretty much useless, after a while he was only used to repair a flat or mount/balance a tire. HE could install front pads but when it came to rear shoes it would take him about two hours...TO ALMOST FINISH ONE SIDE...and then I'd have to jump off my job and finish the brakes for him. |
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USA
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Posted: 7/1/2008 1:52:31 AM EDT
[#9]
If I had known how hard it was to find good technicians, I'd probably still be one.
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Posted: 7/1/2008 8:03:52 AM EDT
[#10]
I'm in the same boat as quintin. We usuallly don't get any work until almost an hour after we are open, and then run out around 11 or 12.
Nobody is spending any money at all. People are declining brake jobs with the light on the dash coming on. Much of my diagnostic estimates are declined, customer leaves with nothing. I'm down to 40 hours a week, and its a fight to get that. Our shop is at capacity with techs, and the boss isn't firing people even when given the GOLDEN, PERFECT opportunity to do so. I've gotten better at my tetris game. Friday, I took this week off because there isn't enough work to justify me coming in. I gave up. All the tool guys are paid off, and now I just have to stay away from spending any money. |
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Posted: 7/1/2008 8:33:17 AM EDT
[#11]
I'm not sure why I'm busy. We don't offer a significant savings over the dealership, and are actually one of the more expensive independents in the area. I can talk about specialization, and reputations, but I don't really know. Most of the other shops I talk to are dead, with a few having wild swings of work and not. A very few have work like I do. The local dealerships are the same as you guys describe: no work, techs at capacity (or more) with most of the techs being "questionable" in ability and ethics or fresh out of school. They always try and deny it, but they're really hurting. Case in point: We put a sunroof cassette in an E36 M3 sedan in August of last year. The tilt mechanism broke a few weeks ago (fairly common). We called BMW and got a new cassette coming under warranty. At which point they called and asked to do the work. BMW will pay their labor for parts warranties, and they offered to do it for us "because they can make sure it's right" for free. But they're really busy.
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Posted: 7/1/2008 9:43:47 AM EDT
[#12]
Busy, busy, busy here. Thats the way it is with a one man show. I thank God everyday that I don't work on automobiles. I don't know how you guys do it.
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Posted: 7/1/2008 10:04:32 AM EDT
[#13]
Shade tree mechanic here. Sory guys but I can't afford you unless it's a dire issue. I maintain both my cars, my two bikes and my Girl Friends fleet of cars and her bike.
I simply could not afford to keep my gas miser Geo Metro on the road if I was paying a mechanic to fix all the shit that breaks on that little bastard. |
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Posted: 7/1/2008 1:22:47 PM EDT
[Last Edit: ar-jedi]
[#14]
apparently, $1631 incl tax.  $1192 in parts, $332 in labor. sounds like a lot for the parts. i found a "kit" on the web -- compressor + drier + expansion valve for $597. www.oembimmerparts.com/catalog/item/4340439/4288640.htm ar-jedi |
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Posted: 7/1/2008 1:30:24 PM EDT
[#15]
ps: how do you pro mechanics feel when folks come in and ask, " i have the bulk of the parts, how much to install"? thanks, ar-jedi |
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Posted: 7/1/2008 1:58:30 PM EDT
[#16]
I don't mind at my shop. I may charge a little more in labor to compensate for lost money with parts but not much. I'm definitely in the minority on that. No warranty, however. You buy the parts, I'm not warranting them. The price seems right to slightly high. Depends on where they get their parts. |
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Posted: 7/1/2008 5:21:30 PM EDT
[#17]
I believe it was thursday..... I had a customer bring me their own door control module. I plugged it in and the fucker caught fire in my hands. So no, I don't like installing other people's parts. Of course the customer probably thinks I am a thieving bastard who messed up their perfectly good junkyard part so I could sell them a new one. So they just had me reinstall the old one.  I know with independants, the guys can be choosy about what brand of parts they like to install for their own reasons. Me, I like OEM parts. I know they will work, work properly, and if there is a problem, we can take care of it immediately ourselves. |
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Posted: 7/1/2008 6:43:16 PM EDT
[#18]
I'm kinda impartial about it. As a dealership, we make a lot of money off the sale of parts, so when the customer provides their own parts, the parts department is getting screwed out of their money, meaning the dealership is getting screwed out of their money. That said, I don't necessarily mind installing parts that the customer brought, so long as we're clear that I ain't responsible for any parts failures, and given the questionable nature of the parts, I can't warranty my labor installing other folks' parts. |
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Posted: 7/1/2008 6:44:51 PM EDT
[#19]
Our pay week ends on Tuesdays. I added up my time and had 23.6 hours for last week. I too would have made more time if I went on vacation. 
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Posted: 7/1/2008 9:24:32 PM EDT
[#20]
While most shops in my area frown upon it, I welcome anyone who brings their own parts. The only downside to this practice is really on the customers end, because we too won't warranty the job if we didn't supply the parts. Basically, if the parts are defective you will have to pay again to have the replacement parts installed. However, if you buy quality parts then you should be fine. For big, labor intensive, or technical jobs, it's always in YOUR best interest -as a customer- to have the technician supply all the parts. If any part we supply proves to be a defect, we will replace it at no cost to you. With new parts, I've seen two or three in a row malfunction right out of the box. Anyone who has turned wrenches for a few years can probably attest to this...and you wouldn't want to pay for the same job two or three times over.
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Posted: 7/1/2008 9:45:14 PM EDT
[#21]
Yeah, a lot of good techs are leaving, not just the dealerships, but the automotive field itself. Some of the young techs that I see coming up in this field don't seem very qualified, but it's cheaper for management to hire two fresh bodies than to keep a seasoned tech on the payroll. The logic behind that escapes me, but it's almost a standard practice today. IMO, one seasoned tech is worth more than a dozen young-bloods just out of school, |
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Posted: 7/1/2008 10:28:18 PM EDT
[#22]
Most dealership owners came through sales and have no real idea how a service department should work. Those that do know a good service dept is a money maker. They know they need to keep the good techs and blow out the marginal ones. Bad techs are bad for business. One thing I think some SMs and owners don't understand (mine for sure) is that the world has changed. It's not 1965/1975/1985/1995 anymore. People don't beat a path to the dealer because they believe that's the only place to get good work done. They look for price first, quality second. But no matter how the world changes basic economics rules. A shop has to provide a product (service) that's better than the next company, at a better price. If demand is low and price is high, then just like any other product the price has to come down to increase the demand. Most dealership service dept RAISE prices when things get slow (except for those stupid coupon mailers). |
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Posted: 7/1/2008 10:33:03 PM EDT
[#23]
Holy Crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was short 14 clock hours in the 2 week pay period just ended (admittedly I got in more hours than most of the guys), but produced 135%, so it wasn't total crap. But I was lucky and got most of my recommendations up sold. |
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Posted: 7/2/2008 7:10:13 PM EDT
[#24]
Yeah, most everything I've been quoting has been declined, or they buy the job ala carte - instead of fixing the whole thing at once, they'll do a little here and there, do some of the work themselves (which is kinda scary), and/or take it down to Leroy's Garage on the corner of some street and another to get the repairs done.
Parts prices don't help matters much. I had an older Town Car that needed both catalytic converters and a MAF sensor. Parts knocked their heads off to the tune of $2000 or so for the converters alone, I think cost is $5-600/ea. Midas can do them for like $1K, we can't compete with that. Finished up a warranty A/C job today, evaporator in a Town Car. Didn't pay worth a flip, but I was at least able to beat the time. Alternator/battery in an Eclipse, got an LS with a tank of watery fuel and a bad fuel injector on #8 to look forward to tomorrow. The day before a holiday is usually pretty slack, everyone from management takes the day off and leaves us grunts to work, so hopefully when we run out of work they'll turn us a'loose a little early. |
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Posted: 7/2/2008 7:17:52 PM EDT
[#25]
They try that aftermarket catalyst shit with us sometimes too. They never last.
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Posted: 7/2/2008 7:59:15 PM EDT
[#26]
I've had mixed results out of them. Sometimes they're good to go, sometimes they don't make it a year. |
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Posted: 7/3/2008 2:15:09 AM EDT
[#27]
bleh. I was running 160 hrs per 2 weeks this time last year. Now its down to 60-70 and sometimes as low as 40 for 2 weeks. Our dealership also hired more techs. IDIOTS! needless to say I have left mitsubishi even though I just achieved 'master elite' None of the other mitsu dealers have the work to hire. Going independent at a very busy shop that is bumping my rate over 40% :D
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Posted: 7/4/2008 12:21:58 PM EDT
[#28]
We are absolutely slammed...two weeks out for an appointment...and I've got a backlog of cars awaiting my attention...we're trying to add a Tech..but not having much luck in finding someone qualified.
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Posted: 7/4/2008 1:33:09 PM EDT
[#29]
The dealerships need to do A LOT more to keep their good techs from leaving. Sadly, they take the attitude that they can easily be replaced. I've seen them do so by hiring two young bloods in place of a seasoned tech. I'm not knocking the young techs, we all started there before...it's really the BLATANT LACK OF LOYALTY to the guys that put in the years with the company that I'm knocking. That was, and still is a big issue for me. |
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Posted: 7/4/2008 2:20:37 PM EDT
[Last Edit: MoparMike]
[#30]
I usually look up the symptoms online, having a 25yr old car... Being a Benz, its still more complicated than previous cars of that era I've owned, but I'm not afraid to dive into something that isn't hardcore electronics, transmission, or the innards of a carburetor/injection system. Getting things done myself (like cleaning out an Idle Control Valve and making it last another 5 years or removing a $500 wafer of defective silicon and re-soldering the 20yr old joints by hand and making it work again) is a cost-effective means of not only enjoying the hands-on style of automotive ownership, but also learning what makes an automobile tick. Doing it a little here and a little there is the only means one may have of keeping a running car and keeping food on the table. Finding OEM parts online (from filters to oil pumps and brake pads) at cost instead of list is a great way for the shadetree mechanic to keep his ride going and keep his cupboard full. Its just the marketplace meeting demand, and the shops with $130/hr labor aren't meeting the market's frugal demands. Personally, I take my car to an independent shop. Its had a reputation of quality work that brings people from 100mi away to here instead of their local dealer shops who usually have a higher markup and labor rates of at least $40 more per hour. I asked my shop to replace my exhaust system that couldn't be put off any more (that I screwed up, a long story that the shop owner knows) with as much used parts as he could find, and to let me know how much his price had gone up since I got a quote 4 years ago (money is tight). He couldn't find a good exhaust system in his parts bin, so he gave me a new center muffler and rear muffler that lists for a total of $1280 for his cost of $570. I haven't seen a dealer yet that would spit on a car for cost. That's not the fault of a tech, its the fault of a money-grubbing dealer. 
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Posted: 7/5/2008 12:14:18 AM EDT
[#31]
my shop has actually picked up recently ( thank you Lord) but it seems to always be tight. I specialize in BMW and get business from all up and down the east coast. Have one coming in from RI this week
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Posted: 7/5/2008 12:21:13 AM EDT
[#32]
I was a transmission mechanic for 10 years...
12 years ago, I started my career as a firefighter/paramedic (buisiness is ALWAYS good) Now, I only turn wrenches on my own vehicles...or as favors for friends (if Im REALLY feeling like being a nice guy)
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Posted: 7/5/2008 12:36:45 AM EDT
[#33]
We're dying a slow death out here, in AZ. I checked for the week, on Thursday, and was barely at 40 hours. Should be around 60 or so, for the first 4 days of the week. No body's trading in cars, and we're turning away SUV's before they even get the blue book ran on 'em.
The Mitsu store around the corner, went under back at the end of May. Now it's a huge used car lot. The Suzuki store that went out business 6 months ago, is still vacant. Not looking good. I was told earlier today, that we had no work for tomorrow, and Monday might be a good day to take off as well. Time to look for something else to do, after 20 years in the business, I'm ready to get out. |
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Posted: 7/8/2008 6:12:26 PM EDT
[#34]
5.8 hours today.
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Posted: 7/8/2008 6:32:11 PM EDT
[#35]
Righty tighty lefty loosey. |
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Posted: 7/8/2008 6:39:54 PM EDT
[#36]
I am glad I'm out of the biz. Even with the price of fuel etc... people still want to jump out of planes.
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Posted: 7/8/2008 7:19:03 PM EDT
[#37]
I came away with 4.something. Got a car beating me to death with some misfire issues, I think I about got it figured out. Gotta drive it tomorrow morning cold and see if it's gonna act up. |
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Posted: 7/8/2008 8:01:15 PM EDT
[#38]
Sooooo glad I got out of that field when I did, I don't miss it one bit.....
Got me a nice shiney desk making more then I ever made wrenching, AND i dont walk like I am 100 years old when I wake up.
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Posted: 7/8/2008 9:53:31 PM EDT
[#39]
You beat me by 2 or 3 tenths. However, lined up for tomorrow, I've got two window regs in a Mini Cooper, and possibly an A/c compressor, plus a water pump and a radiatior in a 'Vette. all gravy, and I should double my hours for all day today, by noon! |
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Posted: 7/9/2008 7:17:31 PM EDT
[#40]
Ugh, what a miserable day. You could cut the humidity with a knife. Fixed a couple driveability concerns, finished my misfire problem on an LS, TPS/reprogram on a Town Car going into fail safe mode.
Spent the rest of the day installing a remote starter in a Mark LT...I hate remote starters. The part number on the box, the part number in the instructions, and the part number in the parts catalog were all different, but it was the right kit according to the folks at the audiotronics hotline. The wiring diagram in the instructions, the colors and pinouts on the starter kit, and the wiring in the truck didn't match or correspond. Got it all installed, wired up, hit the button and the engine cranks and runs for about five seconds, and stops. Runs, stops. Runs, stops. Sigh... I'm going to a training class next week though, so that'll be a little break away from the rat race on the company's dime, the only highlight of the trip. |
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Posted: 7/9/2008 7:32:41 PM EDT
[#41]
I did very little today. As I was leaving at 4:30 a DVD player installation showed up, so I got started on that.
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Posted: 7/9/2008 7:46:32 PM EDT
[#42]
I assume that's because there's no transponder in a key in the ignition switch. That's exactly what my non-initialized Evo key does. Am I right? I won't install those things. "That's the shop down the street." |
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Posted: 7/9/2008 8:27:41 PM EDT
[#43]
There's a bypass module that's installed and programmed to defeat the transponder keys, it's programmed and working normally. I think I don't have an option set correctly in the module...and naturally, the instructions don't tell me which option bank is which, I just gotta kinda blindly fumble around, trying each option bank off then on, seeing which combination works. I think the remote start module doesn't see a tach signal/voltage change. It doesn't know that the engine is actually running. This particular truck has an anti-grind starter circuit; with the engine running, turning the key to start, the PCM will not energize the starter relay because the PCM knows the engine is running. The remote start module is programmed to crank the engine for like seven seconds or until it sees a tach signal (or until it sees 13.0 volts or more - it looks for the alternator charging to tell that the engine is running), whichever comes first. If my module isn't seeing a tach signal, it uses an internal timer (the seven seconds) to crank the engine...and since this truck has an anti-grind starter circuit, the module itself is trying to crank the engine while it's running but the PCM won't allow it. After seven seconds, the remote start module assumes the engine will not start, shuts everything down, pauses, then tries again. And the cycle repeats for three times before the remote start module gives up, thinking something is wrong with the engine or starter/starter circuit. There is a tachless option, where the module uses just the internal timer, but even with the tachless option on it's still acting up. It's like the blind leading the visually impaired. This is the third remote starter kit I've done, and I've ran into drama on each one. I foolishly thought that the third time's a charm, I learned from the first two and know what to expect. Yeah, right.
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Posted: 7/10/2008 4:55:17 PM EDT
[#44]
7 hours today. I have like 26 for the week, and I'm told that is double what some of the guys have.
Seems like shit is coming apart at the seams for some of us already. |
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USA
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Posted: 7/10/2008 5:12:10 PM EDT
[#45]
Hang in there, man. I have a theory. It might be right, it might be wrong. But I'll share it with you anyway. I believe that the auto repair industry is pretty much recession-proof. You will always be working on the same vehicles, they will just have different owners. What's happening right now is a lull in the action because of gas prices and the economy. People are holding back, because they are unsure of what's going to happen. But they continue to drive, and their vehicle's needs continue to accumulate. There will certainly be more heart-ache, when the owner that thought that he couldn't afford pads and turns finds out how much pads and rotors are. The guy that thought that he couldn't afford a tune-up finds out how much a tune-up and a set of kittys cost. The guy that thought that he couldn't afford a transmission service finds out how much a transmission costs. That's where a strong front-end team comes into play. A strong Service Consultant has to wear a lot of hats, including marriage counselor. They have to be able to think outside the box and find creative ways to get the job. The work is still out there- nobody can argue that. It's getting it into your stall that's going to be the task at hand. |
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Posted: 7/10/2008 6:46:48 PM EDT
[#46]
I made three skydives today.
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Posted: 7/14/2008 3:51:21 PM EDT
[#47]
Three hours today. I am probably going to actively pursue something else now. I can't make it like this.
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WI, USA
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Posted: 7/14/2008 5:35:15 PM EDT
[#48]
Sales are up.
1.8billion in sales in Q2 of 08'.. |
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Posted: 7/14/2008 6:41:56 PM EDT
[#49]
I had a decent day, all things considered. Flagged about six and didn't really kill myself to do it. I'll be training the next three days, and I'll probably make more money sitting in school than I will at the shop.
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Posted: 7/14/2008 10:24:15 PM EDT
[#50]
And we can't get help..
..I'm inundated from start till finish.
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