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Yesterday as work a customer paid for a brake inspection. To me this cues up the notion that the customer knows their brakes are worn and need replaced.
I wrote on the work order the pads were at 2 mm, and rotors were heavily grooved. I never have, nor I ever will lie. And I am always more than happy to show the customer exactly what I see.
That isn’t the issue though. Customers come to us for warranty work, and oil changes because we have cheaper oil changes. But when it comes to brakes, radiator flush, brake service and the such. They get a free estimate from us and RTFO down the street to Tire Discounters, Firestone, Grismer, you name it.
Right now we are really really slow. And I’ve never seen Firestone, or TD get to slow. Even in the winter time. We are located in an area with a lot of traffic so you would think we would see more people.
I’m starting to wonder if being a dealership tech is the cats pajamas like I was led to believe.
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You’ll find that happen a lot working in dealerships They’ll come in for a free VHC let you spend the time to tell them what’s wrong then take that to a discount garage and get them to carry out the work,they come to the main dealer to get the service stamp and carry out warranty work
That being said here at least we offer fixed priced servicing disc + pad changes clutches timing belts etc
At my old place the fixed prices were cheaper than most independent shops in the area.
Not sure what it’s like there but it’s always slow this time of year in the Uk the new model years come in march that things pick up again it’s steady from about mid/late jan but nobody wants to spend money on there car just after Christmas.
[quote=”Fmxvxx” post=123406]You’ll find that happen a lot working in dealerships They’ll come in for a free VHC let you spend the time to tell them what’s wrong then take that to a discount garage and get them to carry out the work,they come to the main dealer to get the service stamp and carry out warranty work
That being said here at least we offer fixed priced servicing disc + pad changes clutches timing belts etc
At my old place the fixed prices were cheaper than most independent shops in the area.
Not sure what it’s like there but it’s always slow this time of year in the Uk the new model years come in march that things pick up again it’s steady from about mid/late jan but nobody wants to spend money on there car just after Christmas.[/quote]
This is mostly what I was touching on. I get that everyone slows down. Honestly everything does. Cable installation to engineering work with field testing, all slows down during the winter time.
I guess people doing the whole “free inspection and quote” thing is everywhere. Some people think dealerships are a rip off, some people think only great techs work at dealerships and independent shops are nothing but hacks and independent shops offer the best prices.
They are 100% right and wrong at the same time.
One thing I didn’t think about is the fact that most people come to us for an oil change, and any work we recommend they accept and pay for.
Its the people that come for free work that dip out and try to get something for free.
[quote=”Pitt” post=123393]They get a free estimate from us and RTFO down the street to Tire Discounters, Firestone, Grismer, you name it.[/quote]
I’m at one of those shops down the street. They come to us and say the dealer/last shop said they needed this and that. Then they want a second opinion or an estimate on the spot without letting us look at the car. First, my salesman has to argue with them why we refuse to quote any work based on another shop’s say so. Then we actually get the car in for an inspection. Then we give them our quote and reasons why we found the last shop was right or wrong in what they were trying to sell. Then they go RTFO the door to that cousin or that drinking buddy who’ll do the work for a 12 pack. This happens often enough no matter which shop you’re working at.
I want to get off topic a little to make a point about doing work based on other shop quotes because today gave me a great example to tell you about. A Hyundai came in today from a dealer garage and the customer said that she was told she needed all four ball joints and an alignment. Another tech at my shop was doing the inspection and asked me for a second opinion. All four ball joints were intact and tight but something wasn’t quite right. A closer look showed the upper control arm bushings were shot. I shook the wheels one time by myself and found a loose inner tie rod too.
I’m not trying to point a dirty finger at the last shop. Customers never give you the whole story and the truth can be something people don’t like to tell anymore. Sometimes, they just don’t know how to communicate what they were told. People can be fearful of the technical stuff so they don’t even try to effectively communicate their problems. It took me a couple rounds with my other tech to find out there was a noise complaint with the car too.
So maybe the tech made a mistake, maybe he was inept, or maybe he was a greedy thieving bastard trying to pad an estimate. I’ll never know. BUT, we did find a reason to disagree with the other shop’s evaluation. I’m sure you’ve already got a good idea of what would hit the fan had we replaced the dealer recommended parts.
Sometimes, you’re better off being the second opinion for the customer. Pitt, it may not have been that your customer was trying to undercut the price. Trust is a hard thing for people to give you sometimes. So they come to me, suspicious of you, and sometimes I can tell a customer that the last guy that looked at the car was right on. Then they just decide to give me the work because they’re already there at my shop. I’ve been on the winning and losing side of that game too.
Just wait till you get those moments where drinking buddy didn’t fix the car right and then the customer finally comes to you to get it done right. The estimate goes up almost every time. You’ll still have the original problem and the new problems caused because drinking buddy finished the 12 pack before he finished the car.
Whoops…I’ll shut up now.
I have had to follow behind bad shops as that drinking buddy, but I don’t drink so…. There is a T-shirt that is perfect for this:
http://teespring.com/mechanicrates
With that being said, I agree with the trust thing. When I end up taking a look at a car I tell the person everything that is wrong with it as I look it over they suddenly don’t trust their mechanics any more. Sometimes for good reason other times I tell them no its fine most of the stuff is minor. That is with friends/family.
When I am at work it is a completely different animal. I see stuff from flate rate shops that make me cringe on a daily basis. Things that are safety issues all over the place etc. I am not saying flat rate doesn’t work but, in the big rig truck world the vehicle goes 600 miles a day roughly 3k a week. The devil is in the details with our stuff and the details are the first to go if you aren’t making book times and can’t eat.
It is refreshing to hear that it isn’t just dealerships. I think it’s the trade in general that gets a black eye. People seem to think they can go 30k miles without an oil change, then nothing major will happen on their car.
And I’m guilty of this also. My car has had some trouble starting the last couple days. I asked a tech at work that I trust what the issue might be. He asked me when the last time I changed my spark plugs. I hung my head and said “uh…. never”. So we changed my spark plugs, did a fuel system treatment. Then BOOM, my engine runs smoother and I gained 5mpg.
People do tend to get that glassy look to their eyes when I try to explain technical things. I even explain things like they are 8 years old and I’m telling them how a wheel rolls. But I do it with respect and courtesy. 99% of the time people can understand pretty complex subjects, or issues with their car.
When I see people RTFO from the dealership with a quote in hand, I see money leaving and a dangerous car on the road with my family.
Honestly earlier today I was legitimately worrying I was at the wrong place and I need to move on to Firestone or something. Now I understand it’s just stupid customers everywhere trying to get something for nothing.
All shops have slumps in business, especially right now. Some shops slump more than others. People have the post-holiday hangover and empty bank accounts, and a resulting cutback in spending. You want to try and set money back and pay off credit cards before the season so that you can weather the slump. A lot of guys get discouraged right now with the inspections, free lug nut rotations and rolling out the door. Here’s the catch, if you’re doing your job and your service writer is doing theirs, when tax refunds start coming in, you’ll be busy. Lot of people start getting estimates for work, might do the bare essential, and return later with tax money in hand. Late February into march is when you normally see the swing in business from my experience. As far as dealerships vs independents, I’m biased since I have never worked the dealer side of things. You can have good techs at dealerships just as much as indys, but IME you tend to find more resourceful techs and better overall techs outside of the dealership. You tend to see people more interested in repairing their cars, not just bringing them in for warranty stuff that pays sub par rates. If we have a part go bad and we have to warranty it, I get paid the same labor as I did originally. Shops like firestone do a decent business, especially with the tire sales to draw in work. Other chain shops like Midas, etc have struggled to adapt to the changing business and continue to struggle. I nearly doubled by yearly income when I left that world and went to the independent shops. Making $30-$34 an hour at a chain store means nothing, even with the guaranteed min. wage if you’re only bringing in 15-25hrs a week. Why is that? Pumping the shops with oil changes, marketing brake jobs, hammering the customers with work from their inspections, only to stand around for chunks of the day is a losing proposition. Oil changes and brakes, two areas that are requiring less and less frequent services, is not an area you want to market as your business model. Brake work is C tech work in most cases, yet they have everyone doing it, same thing with oil changes. Instead of building relationships with their customers, they try to get everything they can while the vehicle is there, knowing they will likely never see it again. Go figure, lol. All of those things are important in the modern shop, however the successful shops manage it correctly, and have the right staff doing the work. I could go on all night about chain stores, but I’ll move along, lol. Some people do better at independents, while some succeed at dealerships. Sometimes you need to get your feet muddy in both to see what you’re better at. Either way, there are always downturns in business. The good shops have less of them.
I quit working for dealers a long time ago. Other than one dealer, things always got a bit slow around Christmas and the first few months of the new year.
I’ve been in situations where mechanics all stood around until lunchtime without ever unlocking the toolbox. It gets a bit tense on flat rate with no guarantee.As to Firestone, I’ve never worked for an outfit like that but knew a couple of guys that did for a short time. Their pay system is not as good as perceived in spite of the work load according to them. That’s why they moved on to greener pastures.
If you’re still green, you could choose to go with a big box chain and be indoctrinated. Income potential wise, you’re going to be better off at an independent shop. Avoid the dumpy fly by night shops. If it looks like a dump, it probably is. Talk to the tool guys, they can sometimes be a source of info, as they are the ones who listen to us whining about this job or that job. Stick to the nice operations that don’t settle for being the cheapest in town.
If you are still hourly stick it out and see what it is really like when things start to take off you are getting paid hourly regardless. It is just a slow time it happens every year. Dealerships are great for learning and once learned independent shops are better for pay. There are some things you need to realize though with an independent shop you have to worry about the business model, how well its managed, favoritism, and lack of shop tools or no shop tools. Also at a place like NTB or Firestone or Pep-Boys most of the stuff you do is tires, brakes, batteries, oil change, filter change and repeat. It gets very boring very fast. Also even in the chains I have seen and been in it slows down around this time of year. Also the pay only seems better at most chain stores until you realize what they give you for time to do things, how your lunches work, etc.
Most of the time you get .3 to do an oil change and another .3 to fill out the car inspection sheet. Which is barely enough time on an easy car. Most of the places like NTB and Firestone don’t even have those sheets and you will give you .3 and if your good you might and I stress might get 2 bays.
I had a friend that worked at jiffy lube he said it was that way he got .3 per car for oil changes and he would run 2-3 bays at a time. But, he was always exhausted and complained of his pay.
[quote=”MDK22″ post=123568]If you are still hourly stick it out and see what it is really like when things start to take off you are getting paid hourly regardless. It is just a slow time it happens every year. Dealerships are great for learning and once learned independent shops are better for pay. There are some things you need to realize though with an independent shop you have to worry about the business model, how well its managed, favoritism, and lack of shop tools or no shop tools. Also at a place like NTB or Firestone or Pep-Boys most of the stuff you do is tires, brakes, batteries, oil change, filter change and repeat. It gets very boring very fast. Also even in the chains I have seen and been in it slows down around this time of year. Also the pay only seems better at most chain stores until you realize what they give you for time to do things, how your lunches work, etc.
Most of the time you get .3 to do an oil change and another .3 to fill out the car inspection sheet. Which is barely enough time on an easy car. Most of the places like NTB and Firestone don’t even have those sheets and you will give you .3 and if your good you might and I stress might get 2 bays.
I had a friend that worked at jiffy lube he said it was that way he got .3 per car for oil changes and he would run 2-3 bays at a time. But, he was always exhausted and complained of his pay.[/quote]
Thank you brother. This is why I come here. Sage wisdom from the guys that have been there before me and know the lay of the land.
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