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I’m not sure the analogy is that accurate as unless you’re working on the car while it’s driving there isn’t any risk to the customer if the jobs done right cheap tools or not sure they make break or round a bolt but if the jobs done right it doesn’t matter what tools you use as long as you’re using the correct tools for the job.
That being said As an owner of cheap tools I personally think there a sound investment They allowed me to get a lot more for my money then buying S/O and therefore able to tackle a wider range of jobs, Sure I’m slowly replacing the cheapy stuff with good quality tools but the cheapy stuff is all of reasonable quality and goes into my home box.
Used this tool a fair bit It’s ok but for the money but It really depends on what you want out of a scan tool It wont do a lot of things Much cheaper units will do that are more brand specific but if you’re looking for an entry dealer level tool it’s not a bad choice.
[quote=”Chevyman21″ post=129142][quote=”Fmxvxx” post=129140]No habour freight no sears We have Machine mart which I guess is comparable generally cheap stuff that’ll get you out of a bind They have the best prices on there Clarke range of tools but everything else can be found online generally cheaper as well, other than machine mart and halfords you’re pretty stuffed if you need a tool there and then.
Tool companies In england There aren’t many to be honest Sealey Draper trident Signet Teng all supply tools here but pretty sure it’s all made over seas Same with Knipex Bacho Facom.[/quote] That’s a shame, the UK used to have a bigger manufacturing base from what I’ve been told. Made in England must be a thing of the past. Being on an island in the English channel can’t help things either.[/quote]
Seeing Made in England on a product usually means it was made a long while ago, We still make a lot of stuff but it’s more specialist gear now Mass produced tools from abroad just flooded the market and a lot of the smaller companies either adapted to compete or went under.
No habour freight no sears We have Machine mart which I guess is comparable generally cheap stuff that’ll get you out of a bind They have the best prices on there Clarke range of tools but everything else can be found online generally cheaper as well, other than machine mart and halfords you’re pretty stuffed if you need a tool there and then.
Tool companies In england There aren’t many to be honest Sealey Draper trident Signet Teng all supply tools here but pretty sure it’s all made over seas Same with Knipex Bacho Facom.
[quote=”Chevyman21″ post=129127][quote=”Fmxvxx” post=129119]seems to be the case here Most of the half decent stuff cant be found online so you’re stuck going through trade catalogues and direct ordering the SO man comes right to your door and you can actually see the products before you buy I Think the other tool trucks would make money but they need to actually show up I’d buy from Mac if I was able to but without a dealer in the area and no option online I can Pay them so they send me a catalogue -_- or I can Scroll through a tedious 500 page pdf looking for what i want then call them up on my lunch hour as that’s the only time i’m free to make calls then wait 1-2 weeks for my product to arrive, way to much hassle.[/quote] Ya, not having options or limited options must be rough. See, the problem with limited options or only one option is that they can raise prices to crazy heights. There is a reason monopolies are illegal…one company sets the prices. So let’s use your across the pond example. I’m sure you already pay inflated prices due to where you live, now let’s take into account that your only option is SO for a top tier brand(unless the UK has a brand I don’t know about). This allows SO to almost rob you of your money. Since SO here has become more prominent in more recent years pushing the MAC trucks out, the prices have gone up for SO stuff. This is one of the reasons the elitism is a bad thing. MAC, Matco, and Cornwell are just as good if not better than SO yet because of elitism, SO thrives while the others get pushed aside.[/quote
The prices of things not on special can get stupid on average It’s about 40% more direct from snap on but Tool trucks have there own mark ups on tools and they can put upto 30% mark up on items if they wish.
Unfortunately it’s this way with all tools coming from the US here IR 2235 is $560 from most uk stores Can import it from the US myself even after paying import taxes etc still works out a chunk cheaper Just issues with Warranty then.
But Yeah I’d love to see some more choice around here, I’d think a tool truck offering some decent tools at some more reasonable prices could do very well.
seems to be the case here Most of the half decent stuff cant be found online so you’re stuck going through trade catalogues and direct ordering the SO man comes right to your door and you can actually see the products before you buy I Think the other tool trucks would make money but they need to actually show up I’d buy from Mac if I was able to but without a dealer in the area and no option online I can Pay them so they send me a catalogue -_- or I can Scroll through a tedious 500 page pdf looking for what i want then call them up on my lunch hour as that’s the only time i’m free to make calls then wait 1-2 weeks for my product to arrive, way to much hassle.
I Took the all theory approach and did a full time course for 3 years Yes there were practical elements to it but much of it was class room based, In theory this is good and you will learn about systems quite in depth but no amount of class room experience can replicate working in a garage and if you got all theory you will really struggle with applying the knowledge to practical applications.
With hind site I would of taken a more practical oriented approach to learning.
I have no interest in what make a tool is if it does the job and it does it well then I’m not sure why it matters I buy snap on I like snap on Dual 80 ratchets picks sockets etc they’re great but buying extra long torx bits or stubby torx semi deep sockets etc it’s just makes no sense to me to buy snap on If I dont use the tool on a weekly basis chances are it’s not snap on.
Love to try mac cornwell etc but Over the pond are choices are a little more limited we have a mac guy but he doesn’t visit my shop So it’s either Snap or try and source it online And seeing as mac dont sell online here they really dont make it easy to buy from them.
Basically it mean the prices are set by the manufacturer and include parts + labour.
We get doubly screwed by it one because of our location is very expensive and labour rates run about $160/h
and 2 because the it’s fixed is not car specific the $160 brake job is the same on a little city car with $30 pads or a big mpv with $100 pads.
Found a great one today had a big alambra in for a few items that fell under are “It’s fixed” pricing great for the customer but guess who gets shafted?
Looked at the invoice and saw it was a $1300 bill thinking great will get some good hours for it, will i fuck
Front pads Fixed price 0.3
rear discs + pads 0.9 (electric handbrake)
replace tyre 0.1
Brake fluid change 0.3 ( not great but even worse as our machine is broken atm and we have to do it the old school way till it’s fixed)
AC regas 0.5
and coolant flush 0.3
Fixed price kills us with our high labour rate not much we can do about it and no one really cares as it’s the techs getting shafted.
[quote=”no_common_sense” post=127910][quote=”Chevyman21″ post=127884]It’s such a shame too. We don’t tell them how to do their jobs…don’t tell us how to do ours. Patience is a virtue.[/quote]
[B]Just in case you missed it.<—Click that link[/B]
Patience is also a scarcity. I'm about out of it with those people that expect everything should be free to them. What's worse is sniveling, whining, and bitching attitude and they're the victim for having to pay for anything. And it's usually the same asshole that has the stones walk through that door that says "EMPLOYEES ONLY" and then bitch at me asking why his car isn't ready when I'm clearly not working on his car while I'm holding that heavy transmission over my head to line up that input shaft to the clutch.
Anyway, to the OP. That VHC is probably not much more than a visual inspection, bulb, and fluid checks. You don't owe it to him to give away more than that. The whole point of such a checkup is to start upselling services like that standard diag time. Just stand your ground with him and let him walk away in a huff when he doesn't get what he wants.[/quote]
Tried and failed sadly most dealerships seem more interested in CSS than actual profit large chunk of my bonus is on CSS as well actual better for me bonus wise to get CSS then hit productivity figures unless i hit 115% productivity.
And on a car under warranty it has to be done warranty don't pay for diagnostic time At all and cant ask the customer to pay for diagnostic time unless the problem is found to be a non warranty issue.
Had a lovely one today the car was a 62 (late 2012) so under warranty still the actual job card was for EML light on – fine no problem there, Then in pen under the actual job card the following lines are added
Windows went down when snowing.
C/R door operation
Fuel smell from cabin
Asses N/s/f damage to wing
C/r Tmps light is on
And carry out a VHC (free vehicle health check)
And the customer wanted all this done for free while waiting in the showroom
spent 15 mins and told the service advisor’s he can leave it here or rebook because it’s just taking the piss.
nearly 2 hours spent on the car and not a penny made refused everything on the VHC and went on his way
Not flat rate so still getting paid but my OTE bonus is about $1000 a month and losing parts of it because of crap like this hurts.
The 2135 is a solid impact gun but for me I pull out the 1/2 impact after my cordless has already failed so max power is really what i’m after I spend most of my time doing diagnostic work over repairs as I’m going through the training for my master tech.
Snap on mg725 is $600 here which is why i will never buy it.
IR 2235 is $400
My gun is a snap on but it’s from a retired mechanic seen plenty of use from both me and him Was having a play with it today and i think i’m going to retire it to a home use gun and get the 2235 for the garage.
To me buying new makes no sense as a car can lose 60% of it’s new sale price within the first 2 years. and the cost saving from buying used that alone would buy me a whole new engine and trans with money still in my pocket. personally I don’t keep cars long 2 weeks 2 months a year There are so many cars out there I tend to just buy something run it till i get bored and move onto the next, that being said the new company i work for has a very good car scheme so I’ll probably be moving onto that fairly soon.
All said and done there is no right answer My friends still got his first car that he paid $500 for it’s cost him over $3000 to keep it road worthy but to him it’ll always be his first car and that is priceless
Throwing money at a junk car is a waste in my eye almost anything gearbox related is going to cost more than the car is worth to sort only thing i’d do is plug it in check the for fault codes give the trans fluid a flush if it’s still the same I’d put it on ebay.