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There may be some ethical line between serving humanity and being selfish. I am unsure what that line is. I have observed many excellent professionals trade services or undercharge through their careers, and have seen the worst of the worst overcharge people. None of that is right.
An automotive technician has to use his own horsepower to make money---when he stops, the money stops. It's not like some other kinds of more "passive" income, where you can make money by collecting rent or making investments.
1. She misheard the SA
2. The SA is totally inept, or
3. This is one of the dealerships that throws out wildly inflated maintenance/repair numbers to scare people into either buying extended warranties or trading cars before any warranties expire(I know of a few dealers that put ridiculously high numbers on the service receipts for covered maintenance so the SA can say, "See, this is why ya' need them extended warranties and service agreements").
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Few of us have rental properties. I suspect what you are talking about, "feast or famine" is the reality for many independent professionals, including programmers, engineers, lawyers, and architects. The real delineation is working for a Fortune type company and having a steady salary and benefits (and no control over anything) vs. being independent, having a great deal of control, but having to hustle for one's next meal. Over the past 30 years, I have seen awesome professionals in these categories go without paychecks for extended periods of time. Relatively speaking their costs may be similar to a mechanic's tools, such as $5,000 yearly state certifications and expensive yearly code updates.
Go back and look at every story (advertisement?) ever written that included CarMD. (there are several here in Edmunds) Look at what the consumer has been told about diagnostics. Heck Steve has just about made it a crusade to promote google guesses over really doing diagnostics. The NBC story that Mr. Reed of Edmunds was involved in that got my attention a few years back criticized shops that charged for diagnostics on top of harping about the ones that really were rip-offs. Do you know what was the worst thing they did when that aired? They praised the ones that didn't charge anything. They portrayed him as a knowledgeable expert and he failed to correct that important detail. Was it ignorance of just what it has been taking for shops/techs to keep pace with the technology in the cars or was it deliberate? Only he can answer that for sure but the snippets that I have shared here are routed on how I (and other top techs around the country) have been approaching diagnostics for more than twenty years.
It comes down to this one basic rule of business. Most businesses, especially service businesses, survive on REPEAT customers. Every bit of goodwill you invest in will come back to you, one way or the other.
That's not at all the same as selling yourself cheaply.
Of course, being intermittent, we won't be sure if that was the actual cause until I drive it for awhile.
My first time using them (VW/Audi specialist). Very good communication, very clean shop/waiting area, and very friendly/personable. (And, I'm not just saying that, because it turned out to be a minor repair).
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But yeah, info is good and I research everything. I may not find the answer but I can converse with my mechanic or doc or realtor or whoever.
This is where this got interesting, I found out that they no longer do code pulls for customers. This happened quietly, I hadn't heard anything about them abandoning the practice. They have a list of shops that they recommend the customers visit and wanted to know if I wanted to be on the list. The next question was, would I do it for free?
With today's highly networked cars every diagnostic event needs to start by pulling information from every module on the car, not just the one with the warning light on in the dash. That's why the O.E. scan tools are the best choice for any given vehicle since they have that strategy engineered into them. That little fact also means that to even try and give a customer an accurate, complete baseline description the shop might have to pay for a short term subscription if they don't pay for the full year subscription. Short term subscriptions range anywhere from $20 to $50 for three days usage. Just pulling the OBDII codes for a check engine light isn't enough in a large percentage of the cases and it has been very misleading to the consumers for anyone to try and suggest that it is. The Pacifica mentioned above had several very important codes in some other modules that could have led to a customer being disappointed by only addressing the ABS issue. That didn't mean these other issues had to be repaired right away, but they needed to be recorded as part of the service visit. Meanwhile a Chevrolet Silverado with an air bag light on and no communication with the air bag module as well as Toyota Prius that was towed in for a no-start each produced the same type of concerns. So no, I won't be doing code pulls for free. But I am on the list.
I don't know Doc - I think a free or cheap diagnosis service would be a great way to get business. May be a plan for a new shop owner to grow the business, but I understand the flipside where you only do work for a living wage.
It's really sad watching this and knowing its something that there isn't any way to solve it other than to let the trade fail until it gets small enough that it can start all over again. New start-ups with flawed business plans are only going to make the bottom come faster.
My guess is that AutoZone took away a lot of biz from the indy shops.
Auto Zone did a lot of things that hurt independent shops when they came into a market. For one, they sold parts over the counter for less than they sold them to shops and started doing the curbside battery installs. They also were selling very poor quality starters and alternators with lifetime guarantees and that created a lot of friction between shops and consumers at every level of the service. It was an interesting visit the last time one of their reps visited my shop asking for my business. I told him he had no chance and should save himself some time and head on down the road unless he really wanted to know why. He decided he wanted to know why, and when I was done explaining each of the details he thanked me and agreed that if the roles were reversed he would feel the same as I do.
Indy shops and dealers, on the other hand, have a perfect track record and never screw up a job.
Mistakes happen, defective parts happen. Reducing those problems to that level takes attention to detail and a lot of hard work.
But anyway, I gave you something to really comment on, how a simple O2 sensor heater circuit was tested and all you could do was disparage. Those sensors were from AutoZone. The customer replaced them with O.E. sensors and the truck was fixed.
Mistakes happen, defective parts happen. Reducing those problems to that level takes attention to detail and a lot of hard work.
But anyway, I gave you something to really comment on, how a simple O2 sensor heater circuit was tested and all you could do was disparage. Those sensors were from AutoZone. The customer replaced them with O.E. sensors and the truck was fixed.
But for the new 2016 Accord I just got I skipped the extended warranty, because I never used it on my 2002 Accord or 2008 Accord, both kept for c. 8 years and 80k or so. It's too soon to tell if we'll use it on my wife's 2013 Accord, but even though it's more or less cheap insurance I skipped it to save money.
But now you've got me a little worried because in addition to everything on my 2008 the 2016 has direct injection, side and back-up cameras, AndroidAuto, etc. I did skip the warning light and beep partially-drive-your-car-in-certain-situations HondaSensing, in part because I wanted to drive my own darn car myself without interference, but also so that there would be less to break.
Anyway, I think I have a year to potentially get the HondaCare for $1,100 or so, and maybe I should? On the other hand, my past Hondas have been so reliable that it seems a waste....
On your example of a 5-year old used car that costs $30-40k, what basic type of car would that be? A BMW 7 series or MB S-class?
I remember vaguely thinking c. 25 years ago that there wouldn't be many people who would be able to work on an Infiniti Q45, or whatever they were called, when they were 10 years old. But I guess that's why as a percentage of sales more high-end cars are in the junkyard at age 10-15 than Toyotas, Nissans, Hondas, etc.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
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The only right answer every time is to test and prove what is going on, period. It's misleading to the consumer and especially to young technicians to waffle back and forth to what ever perspective wasn't the one taken. Where consumers have been misled time and time again by people pretending to know starts with the idea that pulling codes equals diagnostics, it does not. Pulling codes is only one step of just the beginning of the routine. If everyone tested exactly as I did, there would be no mistakes. The best part is it really doesn't take all that long to do once you have made the investment to learn how to do it. But that's really the rub isn't it? Other than techs like myself almost no-one else has made anywhere near that kind of investment and admitting that would have them expose themselves as being fakes.
She thinks having to pay for diagnostics is lame, is afraid to drive the car, etc. How about you tell her what part to throw at it without someone really testing it correctly. Or else, why don't you explain to her why it does cost to have the problem investigated by a skilled technician following the right routine.
And yet we have to pay for all that bumbling around and hope we get lucky. (Here's this morning's example - took three trips and two shops to fix an AC issue).
And you wonder why people try to figure out the problem on the net themselves?
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Are dipsticks usually dirty (i.e., the dealer put oil in the truck but didn't check the level with the dipstick after wiping it off)? When I change my oil, it seems to get dirty real fast, unlike the honey you have in your Explorer, @thecardoc3. Maybe the tech really drove it around the block to check for leaks.
Or maybe you get what you pay for?
The reason the oil in my Escape barely gets dark at all is because it has never once been allowed to fail, plus I change the oil at somewhere between six to eight week intervals when the reminder says that it has less than 10% life left.
http://www.ratchetandwrench.com/RatchetWrench/August-2016/Arrests-Made-for-Suspension-of-Vehicle-Hacking/?utm_source=KnowledgeMarketing&utm_medium=RW - Newsletter Emails&utm_term=RW - RW Insider&utm_content=RW_RWInsider_0805&utm_campaign=NADA Calls for Mandated Vehicle Inspections&eid=276170960&bid=1489284
Should have limited screwdriver sales to licensed techs years ago and fixed that problem.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
From your July 2012 link "I was able to start a 1989 Suburban after dismantling the steering column with the screwdriver. Mr. Derocher couldn't get his later model SUV to start, but, "you're in neutral, and you can steer," he said."
The 2007 SUV wasn't started, but it was compromised since the guy broke the steering and shifter interlocks, but even that isn't what they are talking about with the Ratchet and Wrench article from earlier this week. They are talking about thieves exploiting open source uploading software which allows them to bypass the security system and then actually starting the car and driving it away without any key at all. They had stolen some 100 cars before they got caught. In the end it was just a matter of time, the pressure to have open source outweighed common sense and now that Pandora's box is open good luck closing it.
It's all the same old exploiting a weakness, just using a different method with a laptop. As soon as this weakness is fixed the crooks will figure out another angle. It's not the end of the world and it's certainly not a good reason to kill open source.
Our forum software is open source.
allboth of them. Yep, it's an open source proggie.btw, got a real question for you (and anyone else). Who should I trust for an opinion on the condition of my minivan tires? The wear bars are visible but not close to being even with the tread. My usual mechanic or a place like Discount Tire? Or just ask both?
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
The shops are supposed to measure the tread, inspect to see if ANY of the wear bars contact the road and advise from there. They have been portrayed as being wrong ( greedy, etc.) if they recommend that you replace the tires right now, but if you have an accident in rain because of hydroplaning a cop could easily write you a ticket because of the current condition of your tires. I've seen shops end up in court when tire wear was blamed as the cause of an accident, and yet the shops couldn't fail the tire(s) when they saw the car because they were just like yours are right now. So in typical fashion, they are wrong if the tell you to replace them (based on just this information) and if you have an accident they will get to be wrong if they don't tell you to replace them.
If they were mine, (or my daughters) they would already have been replaced. This is the point in time when a lot of people end up in a situation where they say, "I'd pay anything if I could only go back in time and...."
I'll say, you have looked at them and they are on your mind as being questionable. How much do you like to have peace of mind?
And, yes, that tire looks like hell. I'd have replaced them already.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S