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Work included new pads, new rotors, and a brake fluid flush/replacement with Motul 600.
What do you think is the right amount of labor for this job?
A. 2 hours
B. 2.5 hours
C. 3 hours
CA labor rate of my preferred shop is $110/hour so half hours matter.
Hopefully this doesn't influence your answer, but actual time spent couldn't have been more than 2 hours, but they used just about every minute of that 2 hours. And it was 15 minutes after closing time.... And I was about 15 minutes late for my appointment.
'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
Now for the fun part.
The warranty time for the pads and rotors is .7
There isn't a listed time for the fluid flush that I know of but if there was one it would probably be about .3 for a total of about one hour. FWIW I would expect to beat that time.
As of right now, I pay a good shop to do all my work. Not cheap, but they don't make mistakes.
'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
'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
My father, who was a professional mechanic, taught me to never use an open end wrench if it were possible to use something better. Back in the 1950's and 1960's, my father always bought Craftsman hand tools. He said they were 90% as good as Snapon for half the price (or less). I still have quite a few Craftsman hand tools that I inherited from him.
Sadly, being a transient, I carried all my tools in a large tool box in the bed of my truck. One day, a group of guys decided to steal that box, and I had to start over again on tools. I was a broke bugger at that point, and my tools represented a small fortune to me back then (well over $1,000, in 1990s dollars), so most of what replaced them was cheap Taiwan crap (and, yes, back then almost everything from China/Taiwan WAS cheap AND crappy!), because at that point I needed quantity over quality in order to stretch every dollar.
Now, twenty years later, I actually still have most of that stuff (Allied, Stanley, etc.). Newer additions are typically ChannelLock, Craftsman, Milwaukee, and similar, but now nearly all tools are China-made. Only a few specialty manufacturers still have US factories. However, all of the historically good tools are still good tools. When we still had Sears up here, I would look for the tools that were hiding in the back and covered with dust, as usually those were still the US-made ones. Honestly, though, I'm not sure that there was any discernable difference between the two (I just felt better not buying something made half-a-world away).
Is there a story here?
'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
That event definitely solidified my zero tolerance policy on thievery. It literally shocks me how tolerant others are of this behavior, though.
I have a jack from Harbor Freight. It's great. My jackstands are really good ones. My shade tree neighbor who did mechanical work in his garage always had really tuff stands. One day I drove by going home and saw a car rotated about 30 degrees along the long axis. The jack on one side had slipped and the stands didn't catch the right parts because the car moved, but the stands and jack on the middle and other side had worked. He was lifting the whole car to do something...
I also have one of his old jacks missing the saddle that catches the body. He asked if I wanted it because I occasionally borrowed one of his jacks so I could lift front and rear of the Cobalt to rotate tires.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
https://www.autonews.com/fixed-ops-journal/ex-tech-says-he-left-auto-retail-more-control-less-politics
For former dealership service technician Dan Jentel, the final straw came after a seven-week strike in 2017 by union techs in the Chicago area.
Local 701 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers gained some improvements in pay and work rules. But Jentel says the work environment in his shop became even more acrimonious between management and labor than it was before the strike — a charge the dealership disputes.
Jentel had been on the union's bargaining committee during the contract negotiations. He says he decided that moving to another dealership wasn't the answer.
"You think it's just localized, that it's just happening here," Jentel says. "But when I got into dealing with the union [negotiations] and I'm talking to these other members, it seems like it's an industrywide problem.
"Somebody else is controlling your paycheck and your work assignments," he says. "I didn't want to start over again and maybe get myself into the same situation."
Jentel left the dealership, Marquardt of Barrington, in early 2018. Daniel Marquardt, one of the dealership's owners, disputes Jentel's claims of poor union-management relations in the shop.
"That's his perception, but I don't believe that it's legitimate," Marquardt says. "We have a good relationship with our union steward" and other employees, he says.
Jentel says he found that he could apply many of the skills he had used in the service department to his new job maintaining industrial machinery at a company that makes office supplies.
His pay is slightly higher than the base wage of $35.30 an hour that union dealership techs in the Chicago area earn. But now he works a consistent 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekday shift, instead of having to work nights or weekends. If he works more than 40 hours, he gets time-and-a-half.
"The dealership was hard on me mentally and it's a very physical job, which I didn't mind," Jentel says, Money wasn't the main issue, he insists. "It's what you had to do and endure to make that money," he says, pointing to "the politics." "I love working on cars, but I would be hard-pressed to find myself in a dealership again, knowing what the atmosphere is like."
Man leaves job for better paying position elsewhere. Didn't like former management. More at 10!
'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
I get there, unload the bike, talk to the service manager.... they are *really* backed up on the recalls! Apparently Subaru sent them four pallets of parts for the recall, then immediately sent letters to all regional owners to let them know to schedule their appointments. With two techs, they just can't get to them as fast as people are expecting.
So, I said no worries, tell me when is likely better for same day: He said May 8th, so May 8th it is! I loaded up the bike, drove to work, unloaded the bike, and did my errands with it anyway.
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
That was a job I didn’t look forward to tackling, so I was especially grateful.
So, I should be good to go for another year.
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
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
My service regimen continues to be an annual oil change(about 6k miles) and coolant and brake fluid every 2 years.
Here's hoping; it really is a fun car and is perfectly suited to a relatively low key daily commute.
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
https://jobs.ksl.com/listing/833129
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
I thought I had nailed it, as the sound came and went, but seemed to be getting worse, and I googled "exhaust leak noise" and came up with metal clicking or rock-like clanking as possible noises from such a problem.
Turns out my first guess was closer, it was the left rear wheel bearing going bad (thought I might have a rock stuck in the Left Rear Wheel (of course on visual inspection nothing). They replaced the bearing, and a bolt, and now I'm noise-free. Turns out it was more of a metal rattle/clicking/clanking sound. Took them all day to "duplicate" the sound though, so they had my car 2 full 24-hour rotations. They also replaced my two side mirror motors as they were starting to sound noisy and strained when closing the side mirrors each time I park (though they were functional). Lastly, they handled the recent recall on Takata airbags (yes, apparently still in use in 2016 models).
Great service, and all covered under warranty. Had a TDI V6 Q5 as a loaner, man that thing is fast up to 90 MPH; it could keep up with an SQ5 I think. After 90 MPH it loses steam though.
Now sure some are still getting by right now and will for the foreseeable future, but their turn is coming and when it really gets tough for them many will be just like some of the owners mentioned in the article and will choose to close up and walk away. Some will continue to fight and even go through relocation challenges if need be, but that is only going to further erode their ability to pay their current staff on par with what the career should really generate and that will in turn discourage the next generation from considering the vocation.