Re: What does the Mechanic get
 

This is why you see lots of small shops run by father and son
mechanics.

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 17:52:09 GMT, "Nathan Collier"
<JeepMail@7SlotGrille.com> wrote:

>a typical dealership mechanic averages around $15-$17 an hour. the
>dealership has to pay for all the shop expenses including insurance and
>match the mechanics ss deductions but its still a rip to charge $75 an hour.
>they do it because they can.

Re: What does the Mechanic get
 

This is why you see lots of small shops run by father and son
mechanics.

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 17:52:09 GMT, "Nathan Collier"
<JeepMail@7SlotGrille.com> wrote:

>a typical dealership mechanic averages around $15-$17 an hour. the
>dealership has to pay for all the shop expenses including insurance and
>match the mechanics ss deductions but its still a rip to charge $75 an hour.
>they do it because they can.

Re: What does the Mechanic get
 

I think it goes both ways, Dave. Every day, there are cars that come to my
dealership that were referred by the corner garage. The story is always the
same: "My mechanic says he doesn't know what he is doing with this, told me
to take it to the dealer."

Who could be more qualified to work on a specific model of vehicle than a
guy who works on nothing but that model for eight hours every day? If you
needed brain surgery, it stands to reason that you would want to be operated
on by someone that does it daily, not a doctor that operates on feet, and
stomachs, and bungholes.

Jerry


"Dave Milne" <jeep@_nospam_milne.info> wrote in message
news:2W_Mb.15015$E_.165496064@news-text.cableinet.net...
> Possibly, but the fact remains that every day they turn away business to
> cheaper mechanics who do a better job..
>
> Dave Milne, Scotland

Re: What does the Mechanic get
 

I think it goes both ways, Dave. Every day, there are cars that come to my
dealership that were referred by the corner garage. The story is always the
same: "My mechanic says he doesn't know what he is doing with this, told me
to take it to the dealer."

Who could be more qualified to work on a specific model of vehicle than a
guy who works on nothing but that model for eight hours every day? If you
needed brain surgery, it stands to reason that you would want to be operated
on by someone that does it daily, not a doctor that operates on feet, and
stomachs, and bungholes.

Jerry


"Dave Milne" <jeep@_nospam_milne.info> wrote in message
news:2W_Mb.15015$E_.165496064@news-text.cableinet.net...
> Possibly, but the fact remains that every day they turn away business to
> cheaper mechanics who do a better job..
>
> Dave Milne, Scotland

Re: What does the Mechanic get
 

I think it goes both ways, Dave. Every day, there are cars that come to my
dealership that were referred by the corner garage. The story is always the
same: "My mechanic says he doesn't know what he is doing with this, told me
to take it to the dealer."

Who could be more qualified to work on a specific model of vehicle than a
guy who works on nothing but that model for eight hours every day? If you
needed brain surgery, it stands to reason that you would want to be operated
on by someone that does it daily, not a doctor that operates on feet, and
stomachs, and bungholes.

Jerry


"Dave Milne" <jeep@_nospam_milne.info> wrote in message
news:2W_Mb.15015$E_.165496064@news-text.cableinet.net...
> Possibly, but the fact remains that every day they turn away business to
> cheaper mechanics who do a better job..
>
> Dave Milne, Scotland

Re: What does the Mechanic get
 

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 Jeepster wrote:

>This is why you see lots of small shops run by father and son
>mechanics.

Not as many as you used to, unfortunately. That's why whenever I pick
one of my vehicles up at the local garage, I make sure the shop fridge
is full :-)

I just heard a story on the radio this week that some organization
representing independent shops is lobbying congress to require auto
makers to provide diagnostic information, schematics, etc to
independent shops. That would be a good thing, so it'll probably never
happen.

-Ed

Re: What does the Mechanic get
 

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 Jeepster wrote:

>This is why you see lots of small shops run by father and son
>mechanics.

Not as many as you used to, unfortunately. That's why whenever I pick
one of my vehicles up at the local garage, I make sure the shop fridge
is full :-)

I just heard a story on the radio this week that some organization
representing independent shops is lobbying congress to require auto
makers to provide diagnostic information, schematics, etc to
independent shops. That would be a good thing, so it'll probably never
happen.

-Ed

Re: What does the Mechanic get
 

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 Jeepster wrote:

>This is why you see lots of small shops run by father and son
>mechanics.

Not as many as you used to, unfortunately. That's why whenever I pick
one of my vehicles up at the local garage, I make sure the shop fridge
is full :-)

I just heard a story on the radio this week that some organization
representing independent shops is lobbying congress to require auto
makers to provide diagnostic information, schematics, etc to
independent shops. That would be a good thing, so it'll probably never
happen.

-Ed

Re: What does the Mechanic get
 

They don't "do it because they can", Nathan. The overhead of my particular
service department, before paying the tech, is about $42 an hour. This
isn't a gas station, this is a 23 bay repair facility, with every special
tool and piece of equipment necessary to fix anything on the cars we work
on. We don't have the luxury of telling an owner "you will have to take it
somewhere else, we don't do that here."

Refrigerant recovery machines are about $5000. A brake lathe that is
capable of turning out rotors with less that .001 lateral runout while
turning 50 rotors per day is about $10,000. A handheld scan tool with which
to diagnose and reprogram your car is about $3000. These are just three
examples of shop equipment. We need two recovery machines, four brake
lathes, and five scan tools. You do the math. This is just the tip of the
iceberg.

Factory training isn't free. It also isn't voluntary. If you want to work
at the dealership level, you have to attend training, as the manufacturers
make changes every year to major components and electrical/electronic
systems. We can't be five years behind the curve like the gas station guys,
then learn it as we go.

For all of the complaining about the cost of dealership labor, there are
still cars lined up out to the street, waiting to be serviced. It defies
logic. You would think that a shop that supposedly gouges customers
"because we can" wouldn't be in business for 50+ years.

Seems there was a thread on this topic just a month or so ago. Perhaps Lon
can refresh our memories.

Jerry



"Nathan Collier" <JeepMail@7SlotGrille.com> wrote in message
news:dfWMb.221803$Vu5.16486442@twister.southeast.r r.com...
> a typical dealership mechanic averages around $15-$17 an hour. the
> dealership has to pay for all the shop expenses including insurance and
> match the mechanics ss deductions but its still a rip to charge $75 an
hour.
> they do it because they can.
>
> --
> Nathan W. Collier
> http://7SlotGrille.com
> http://UtilityOffRoad.com
>
>
>

Re: What does the Mechanic get
 

They don't "do it because they can", Nathan. The overhead of my particular
service department, before paying the tech, is about $42 an hour. This
isn't a gas station, this is a 23 bay repair facility, with every special
tool and piece of equipment necessary to fix anything on the cars we work
on. We don't have the luxury of telling an owner "you will have to take it
somewhere else, we don't do that here."

Refrigerant recovery machines are about $5000. A brake lathe that is
capable of turning out rotors with less that .001 lateral runout while
turning 50 rotors per day is about $10,000. A handheld scan tool with which
to diagnose and reprogram your car is about $3000. These are just three
examples of shop equipment. We need two recovery machines, four brake
lathes, and five scan tools. You do the math. This is just the tip of the
iceberg.

Factory training isn't free. It also isn't voluntary. If you want to work
at the dealership level, you have to attend training, as the manufacturers
make changes every year to major components and electrical/electronic
systems. We can't be five years behind the curve like the gas station guys,
then learn it as we go.

For all of the complaining about the cost of dealership labor, there are
still cars lined up out to the street, waiting to be serviced. It defies
logic. You would think that a shop that supposedly gouges customers
"because we can" wouldn't be in business for 50+ years.

Seems there was a thread on this topic just a month or so ago. Perhaps Lon
can refresh our memories.

Jerry



"Nathan Collier" <JeepMail@7SlotGrille.com> wrote in message
news:dfWMb.221803$Vu5.16486442@twister.southeast.r r.com...
> a typical dealership mechanic averages around $15-$17 an hour. the
> dealership has to pay for all the shop expenses including insurance and
> match the mechanics ss deductions but its still a rip to charge $75 an
hour.
> they do it because they can.
>
> --
> Nathan W. Collier
> http://7SlotGrille.com
> http://UtilityOffRoad.com
>
>
>