Re: <REPOSTED> OT Re: Repair Fraud?

aarcuda69062 wrote:
>
> In article <ZZCdnbBM8NRMRNjeRVn-tw@xxxxxxxxxxx>,
> Agave <idon't@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> > As far as the OP's egg, bacon, and bread breakfast analogy, I
> > interpreted it in the context of the entire thread, and came away with -
> > whereas in order to save money on auto repairs you can walk into your
> > mechanic's shop with your own parts, however, the same can't be said for
> > your local Denny's. And as such, you don't even think of complaining
> > even when you know the real cost for that Gut Bustin' All American
> > breakfast feast is much less than the total on the check, but you're
> > quick to complain when the same situation arise with your mechanic
> > (plumber, electrician, carpenter, et al).
>
> I'll point out where Mr. Underwood's brain meets the brick wall.
>
> The bring your own eggs and bacon into Denny's analogy wasn't
> invented in this thread, it has existed for as long as I've been
> a mechanic (over 35 years) and as such, it IS the prevalent
> belief/practice in the auto repair industry.
> Parts are marked up because there is a time and labor element
> associated with their procurement, inventory and management.
> There is also a represented investment in having them sit on a
> shelf, i.e., if I put $10,000 in a bank, it earns interest, why
> shouldn't that same $10,000 tied up in parts give me a monetary
> return also?
> Any shop that foregoes making a profit on parts is run by a fool
> who is soon to be broke.

Um, the auto parts place down the street maintains a larger inventory,
has employees who only deal with parts, and yet they still make a
profit.

The local small garage has a smaller inventory and does not (usually)
have employees dedicated to parts, and yet they need to charge from
2x-4x what the parts place down the street charges? Total BS.

> Any shop that allows customers to supply parts is ignorant of
> liability and obviously lacks experience and hasn't considered
> what happens (lost time) when the part is wrong for the
> application, defective out of the box or needs warranty
> consideration at some later point.

No liability for customer supplied parts. The invoice states customer
supplied parts, no warranty. They only have liability for the work they
performed.

> The shop owner gets to set the rules, and more importantly, he is
> responsible for maintaining control over that shop. Can't be done
> with customers like Underwood who cart in their own cheap crappy
> parts .

The shop owner does indeed set the rules, and if he sets them such that
it drives away customers, he fails.

>
> Those who bemoan parts and labor being listed separately have
> obviously never owned or run a business and are ignorant of
> possible tax laws, inventory control and basic record keeping.

Um, no, I ran a business for a while, although it was a service business
with no inventory to speak of.

> If a job was done three months ago and needed warranty, wouldn't
> it make sense for the shop to be able to refer to their records
> in order to determine exactly what parts were involved or what
> maintenance needs might be due?

Records and an invoice are not the same thing. There should be records
for each time the particular customer has patronized the establishment,
not just a mess of invoice copies with no way to cross reference them.

> If you went into Best Buy and bought a DVD player, wouldn't you
> expect the receipt to _actually_ list the product and stock
> number, or would you be satisfied with a receipt that merely said;
> Electronic gizmo......... $150.00?

How exactly does that relate to a sale that includes services (labor) in
addition to parts? Try purchasing a home theater systems *installed*
from a retailer. Will that same DVD player that they sell uninstalled
for $150.00 suddenly appear on the invoice as $300.00? Hell no, the
parts will show the same parts price, and the installation labor line
will show the labor cost. Anything other that this ranges from deceptive
to fraudulent.

>
> Anyone who has a problem with these two concepts merely needs to
> pony up to the pump, take the necessary classes, sink fifty or
> sixty grand into hand tools, another forty grand+ into capitol
> equipment and fix their own vehicle.

I in fact do this since I have been unable to find an independent
mechanic or dealer that is able to do quality work and have it done when
promised. Two examples of this problem:

Timeliness: Made an appointment a couple days in advance to have all
brakes on my truck done, along with rear axle seals (5 min when you have
the axle apart for the brakes). I told them that I would drop the truck
off the night before so they would have it when the mechanic got in at
7am, and that it had to be ready for pickup by 5pm the same day. 10
hours is enough time to do this job several times over, even working at
a very leisurely pace. I got back into town at about 4pm and called to
check on the truck only to find that they hadn't even started on it. I
of course went down, picked up the untouched truck, and ripped them a
few new bodily orifices while I was at it. They lost that business.

Quality: Brought my truck in to the dealer to get the clutch replaced.
Why it needed to be replaced is another story of warrantee fraud as a
clutch should not die at 25,000 miles. My other truck at the time was at
165,000 miles on the original clutch. At any rate I picked up the
completed truck (on time amazingly) and proceeded to drive home. Along
the way I periodically heard a rapid clunking sound. I stopped in a
parking lot to take a look, but without fully crawling under the truck I
didn't see anything obviously wrong. When I got home I got on the
creeper to inspect more thoroughly and found the the center carrier
bearing for the drive shaft was not bolted to the cross member. The
clunking sound was the U joint smacking the side of the fuel tank under
the appropriate loading (forget whether it was accel or decel). It
chewed a hole through the plastic fuel tank shield, but fortunately did
not damage the actual fuel tank.

>
> > IMHO, to sum up what was best said by others is - you shop around for a
> > good mechanic, when you find one stop shopping. Stick with him or her,
> > because in the long haul you'll make out much better than researching,
> > comparing, getting estimates, and wasting your own time every time you
> > need a win nut tightened (sarcasm intended, if not apparent).
>
> Very good advice. price shoppers (choppers) receive very little
> of my attention/time.

I know there are good mechanics out there somewhere, but so far I
haven't found one.

Pete C.

>
> > FWIW, I apply the same sentiment to my barber and accountant. I found a
> > good barber, then I moved. Now I have to drive an hour (one way) to see
> > her and get my hair cut...sure hope my accountant doesn't move to
> > Arizona like he's talked about...It'll be a long drive there from
> > NJ...but, I digress...
.

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