Re: Follow-up to Independent Mechanics
 

In article <djsoe3tn5u9lqakdp6pvv7qft51jla2s6f@4ax.com>,
reboot <reboot@nothere.com> wrote:

> job done, car runs well.

Good for them.

> they didn't drop the diagnostics charge.

Good for them.

> don't mind paying for professional services, especially jobs i don't
> have the tools or experience for.

Well, that _does_ appear to be the case here.

> just bugs me paying somebody $$$ for doing a job I would have easily
> and quickly done if I were in town.

And what about when she (daughter) was in town?

Seems to be; your venting is/was you taking your inabilities out
on that repair shop.

Re: Independent Mechanics
 

XS11E proclaimed:
> "Big Tex" <big_tex_1@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>> But this guy looks like he charges the same as a dealer would!
>
> Why not? I'll bet his mechanics shop at the same stores and pay the
> same prices as the dealers mechanics do, why should they earn less?

I've been willing to pay more at an independent to get mechanics with a
pulse and a service manager who is an actual mechanic rather than a
business major or thinly disguised sales type. Even better is if the
shop owner is the service manager or a very good mechanic as well. Have
had excellent luck, including one shop where the owner had the Motor
Trend trophy awarded to Volvo, and another where the owner raced Mazda
rotaries. Sure wish the heck I could find an independent that knows
Jeep drivetrains... the local dealer is OK, but have only encountered
two dealers in my life that were as good as an independent.

Re: Independent Mechanics
 

XS11E proclaimed:
> "Big Tex" <big_tex_1@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>> But this guy looks like he charges the same as a dealer would!
>
> Why not? I'll bet his mechanics shop at the same stores and pay the
> same prices as the dealers mechanics do, why should they earn less?

I've been willing to pay more at an independent to get mechanics with a
pulse and a service manager who is an actual mechanic rather than a
business major or thinly disguised sales type. Even better is if the
shop owner is the service manager or a very good mechanic as well. Have
had excellent luck, including one shop where the owner had the Motor
Trend trophy awarded to Volvo, and another where the owner raced Mazda
rotaries. Sure wish the heck I could find an independent that knows
Jeep drivetrains... the local dealer is OK, but have only encountered
two dealers in my life that were as good as an independent.

Re: Independent Mechanics
 

XS11E proclaimed:
> "Big Tex" <big_tex_1@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>> But this guy looks like he charges the same as a dealer would!
>
> Why not? I'll bet his mechanics shop at the same stores and pay the
> same prices as the dealers mechanics do, why should they earn less?

I've been willing to pay more at an independent to get mechanics with a
pulse and a service manager who is an actual mechanic rather than a
business major or thinly disguised sales type. Even better is if the
shop owner is the service manager or a very good mechanic as well. Have
had excellent luck, including one shop where the owner had the Motor
Trend trophy awarded to Volvo, and another where the owner raced Mazda
rotaries. Sure wish the heck I could find an independent that knows
Jeep drivetrains... the local dealer is OK, but have only encountered
two dealers in my life that were as good as an independent.

Re: Independent Mechanics
 

XS11E proclaimed:
> "Big Tex" <big_tex_1@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>> But this guy looks like he charges the same as a dealer would!
>
> Why not? I'll bet his mechanics shop at the same stores and pay the
> same prices as the dealers mechanics do, why should they earn less?

I've been willing to pay more at an independent to get mechanics with a
pulse and a service manager who is an actual mechanic rather than a
business major or thinly disguised sales type. Even better is if the
shop owner is the service manager or a very good mechanic as well. Have
had excellent luck, including one shop where the owner had the Motor
Trend trophy awarded to Volvo, and another where the owner raced Mazda
rotaries. Sure wish the heck I could find an independent that knows
Jeep drivetrains... the local dealer is OK, but have only encountered
two dealers in my life that were as good as an independent.

Re: Follow-up to Independent Mechanics
 

reboot wrote:

> don't mind paying for professional services, especially jobs i don't
> have the tools or experience for.
>
> just bugs me paying somebody $$$ for doing a job I would have easily
> and quickly done if I were in town.

Reminds me of the story told of Tesla and Westinghouse.

In the early days of electric power generation, Tesla got worked over pretty
good by G. Westinghouse regarding patents. After Tesla left the company,
Westinghouse installed some new, humongous generators at the then-new
Niagara Falls plant and could never keep them on line because they
overheated in a hurry. Finally, they called in Tesla. He showed up, as
the story goes, borrowed a step ladder and pulled a piece of chalk from his
pocket which he used to draw a one foot square on the case of the
generator. "Cut a hole there" he told them and left. The generator then
ran fine.

He sent a bill to Westinghouse for $10,000 and old George had a fit - ten
large was serious money in the late 1800's. Told Tesla he couldn't pay
that kind of money for drawing a chalk square, so Tesla re-submitted the
bill: Drawing chalk square - $10. Knowing WHERE to draw chalk square -
$9,990.

You pay for a lot more than what shows when you get professional service.
Sometimes you feel shorted but I've chased too many bugs for too many hours
and thrown too many parts at problems where competent mechanics provided
the correct solution in a few minutes.

--
Will Honea

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Re: Follow-up to Independent Mechanics
 

reboot wrote:

> don't mind paying for professional services, especially jobs i don't
> have the tools or experience for.
>
> just bugs me paying somebody $$$ for doing a job I would have easily
> and quickly done if I were in town.

Reminds me of the story told of Tesla and Westinghouse.

In the early days of electric power generation, Tesla got worked over pretty
good by G. Westinghouse regarding patents. After Tesla left the company,
Westinghouse installed some new, humongous generators at the then-new
Niagara Falls plant and could never keep them on line because they
overheated in a hurry. Finally, they called in Tesla. He showed up, as
the story goes, borrowed a step ladder and pulled a piece of chalk from his
pocket which he used to draw a one foot square on the case of the
generator. "Cut a hole there" he told them and left. The generator then
ran fine.

He sent a bill to Westinghouse for $10,000 and old George had a fit - ten
large was serious money in the late 1800's. Told Tesla he couldn't pay
that kind of money for drawing a chalk square, so Tesla re-submitted the
bill: Drawing chalk square - $10. Knowing WHERE to draw chalk square -
$9,990.

You pay for a lot more than what shows when you get professional service.
Sometimes you feel shorted but I've chased too many bugs for too many hours
and thrown too many parts at problems where competent mechanics provided
the correct solution in a few minutes.

--
Will Honea

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Re: Follow-up to Independent Mechanics
 

reboot wrote:

> don't mind paying for professional services, especially jobs i don't
> have the tools or experience for.
>
> just bugs me paying somebody $$$ for doing a job I would have easily
> and quickly done if I were in town.

Reminds me of the story told of Tesla and Westinghouse.

In the early days of electric power generation, Tesla got worked over pretty
good by G. Westinghouse regarding patents. After Tesla left the company,
Westinghouse installed some new, humongous generators at the then-new
Niagara Falls plant and could never keep them on line because they
overheated in a hurry. Finally, they called in Tesla. He showed up, as
the story goes, borrowed a step ladder and pulled a piece of chalk from his
pocket which he used to draw a one foot square on the case of the
generator. "Cut a hole there" he told them and left. The generator then
ran fine.

He sent a bill to Westinghouse for $10,000 and old George had a fit - ten
large was serious money in the late 1800's. Told Tesla he couldn't pay
that kind of money for drawing a chalk square, so Tesla re-submitted the
bill: Drawing chalk square - $10. Knowing WHERE to draw chalk square -
$9,990.

You pay for a lot more than what shows when you get professional service.
Sometimes you feel shorted but I've chased too many bugs for too many hours
and thrown too many parts at problems where competent mechanics provided
the correct solution in a few minutes.

--
Will Honea

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Re: Follow-up to Independent Mechanics
 

reboot wrote:

> don't mind paying for professional services, especially jobs i don't
> have the tools or experience for.
>
> just bugs me paying somebody $$$ for doing a job I would have easily
> and quickly done if I were in town.

Reminds me of the story told of Tesla and Westinghouse.

In the early days of electric power generation, Tesla got worked over pretty
good by G. Westinghouse regarding patents. After Tesla left the company,
Westinghouse installed some new, humongous generators at the then-new
Niagara Falls plant and could never keep them on line because they
overheated in a hurry. Finally, they called in Tesla. He showed up, as
the story goes, borrowed a step ladder and pulled a piece of chalk from his
pocket which he used to draw a one foot square on the case of the
generator. "Cut a hole there" he told them and left. The generator then
ran fine.

He sent a bill to Westinghouse for $10,000 and old George had a fit - ten
large was serious money in the late 1800's. Told Tesla he couldn't pay
that kind of money for drawing a chalk square, so Tesla re-submitted the
bill: Drawing chalk square - $10. Knowing WHERE to draw chalk square -
$9,990.

You pay for a lot more than what shows when you get professional service.
Sometimes you feel shorted but I've chased too many bugs for too many hours
and thrown too many parts at problems where competent mechanics provided
the correct solution in a few minutes.

--
Will Honea

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Re: Independent Mechanics
 

In article <E6KdnUXBOJKn4nHbnZ2dnUVZ_ryqnZ2d@comcast.com>,
lon.stowell@comcast.net says...
> XS11E proclaimed:
> > "Big Tex" <big_tex_1@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> >
> >> But this guy looks like he charges the same as a dealer would!
> >
> > Why not? I'll bet his mechanics shop at the same stores and pay the
> > same prices as the dealers mechanics do, why should they earn less?
>
> I've been willing to pay more at an independent to get mechanics with a
> pulse and a service manager who is an actual mechanic rather than a
> business major or thinly disguised sales type. Even better is if the
> shop owner is the service manager or a very good mechanic as well.

Agreed. A lot of service advisors/managers suck.

If people really want to lessen the cost of car repairs they need to
stop buying cars that require a gazillion very expensive special tools.
They also need to stop messing with the a/c system and dumping in
oddball gases. They need to stop buying cars with options out the ying
yang. They need to stop the Gov from mandating expensive safety and
emissions requirements. And finally they need to buy cars that are all
alike...or they need to stop driving. I didn't drive the price of car
repair over 60 bucks an hour, the cost of staying in business did.

I thought $270 bucks for those repairs was more than reasonable.