Car Repair Prices: There Are No Honest Mechanics!
I enjoy reading the tips and suggestions on finding an honest or good mechanic. These can be found on various government and consumer websites, and in a variety of auto repair articles. I think the same guy wrote all the suggestions, and for all 50 states!
You’ll be advised to check around by word of mouth (WOM), and make sure that you see ASE or AAA posted somewhere. Check out the facility—make sure it’s clean. Check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). You’ll be acronymed and common-sense-suggested to death. Unfortunately, none of it will really help either for quality or price.
I know AAA certified shops that can barely change oil. I have worked with ASE certified technicians that frightened me with their diagnostic theories. I know shops that are considered great that have serious BBB scars.
And WOM is the worst method. I have heard clients rave about how wonderful a particular shop is when “I KNOW it’s run by a thief!”
The sad fact is that very few people know what goes on with car repair, and even less comprehend repair pricing—even shop managers and purported experts in the field know very little.
Tips and suggestions only scratch at the surface of the automotive underworld. Sure, some tips might help. But what’s really needed is experienced insider information.
The consumer needs to know what really goes on with repair “pricing” in order to make sense of auto repair costs. With the right guidance and information, the playing field can be leveled, and the automotive customer can easily take charge of car repair prices.
Traditional tips and suggestions are only a band-aid on an open, gaping wound. Relying on these is like trusting a blind man to lead you across a major interstate. You might make it, but wouldn’t you rather follow a traffic cop.
Theodore Olson
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/car-repair-prices-there-are-no-honest-mechanics-71601.html
Consumers & Mechanics, Please Read And Offer Your Opinion?
Manufacturer
The manufacturer screams about being ripped off by the dealership for inflating warranty repair hours, and that the dealership is doing unnecessary warranty repairs. Both accusations are probably correct, but not necessarily for the reasons suggested by the manufacturer.
Dealership
The dealership moans and groans about how unfairly the manufacturer establishes and even reduces the hours allowed for each warranty repair. They also claim they have no say in how the hours were established in the first place. Both of these accusations are entirely correct. Manufacturers also have a policy of not paying for repeated warranty repairs to fix the same malfunction. How does the dealership respond to this? It’s not good. If the dealership sees a repeat problem, they must somehow make it appear to be different that the original malfunction. Charitably, this can lead to untruthfully describing a problem on the repair order. Remember, four repair attempts for the same problem is one of the criteria that defines what is and is not a lemon. Where’s the incentive to do honest, quality work?
Mechanic
The immediate effect of manufacturers cutting the flat rate (piece work) times is a reduction in the mechanics paycheck. In order to maintain the same pay rate the mechanic must work that much faster. Faster is not consistent with quality repairs, quite the contrary. At the same time the manufacturer is demanding higher quality repairs. It’s a Catch 22 wherein everyone loses. Add to this inadequate training at best and one has a recipe for the Lemon connection.
Consumer
The consumer has no idea about the complex business relationships that exist between manufacturers and dealers, nor do they have any interest. Why should they? The consumer’s needs are quite simple. Sell me a car for a decent price that does what the advertisements say it will. If it needs a repair, have someone competent and well trained do the work and for Pete’s sake get it right the first time.
Final Thoughts
There’s something seriously wrong with the system. It’s a system that rewards all the wrong things. Like many such systems in other parts of American business, this system rewards quantity, not quality.
There seems to be an inherent inability among business managers to draw a connection between quality and business success. The manufacturer sets up quality rewards systems, such as Ford’s Blue Oval, then turn around and cut the work/task hours arbitrarily, probably to allow a senior executive to look good by improving the bottom line of a quarterly report. The result is an immediate drop in quality work at the dealership. There are so many contentious viewpoints, and so little willingness among the players to correct the situation.
Well, I work in a Trucking Dealership
(Diesel Technition) and warranty work is just
time wasted. For instance, to pull a transmission
on a VIN Volvo and replace the clutch, Warranty says it should take 4 hrs. NOT!!
6 hrs + in reality. Warranty figgures the most ideal conditions with sometimes the part that needs replaced on a model sitting on the floor. No mud, ice, snow, rust, to deal with. No siezed parts, No
rounded off bolts…
Warranty is a rip-off!
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Everyone looses. Except the CEO’s who just get richer at everyone Else expense.
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yep, you nailed it. the system is very fucked up. thats why i work for an independent, for a hourly salary. i will never work flat rate again, unless the system gets a serious reform. (not very likely, without drastically taking up the labor rate) good observation. if only people knew……
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