Went to check on truck a few minutes ago..
 

Well...I went over to the shop to see if they maybe were done with my truck (I dropped it in at 8am) Well..nope, it's up on the lift, with the front end off and all sitting on the ground (springs/arms/spindles/rotors/shocks) I seen that the new shocks were already on the truck (seen em hangin down) From the spindles being on the ground, I assume they're putting them on...but MAN! They COULDN'T have started at 8am! Cuz I mean, I freakin could do that job in 8 hours!! I'll fight like hell if they try to charge me for more than 6 hours! (Originally stated 5 hours, $50 p/h)
BTW: They ARE aligning it too.
They told me it'll be done @ 5 today..then the pics will come rollin in :D

dayum!! 250 bones! :(

try $400 :( He said that they're charging me 7 hours labor and that it won't be done till monday, because a few bolts were stripped and the COULDN'T get some stuff off. (He said he quoted me 5 hours not including shocks and spindles and crap) What a freakin crappy place. Seriously...:(

They kinda gotcha by the doo-dads huh?

If you could do it in 8hrs, why did you take it to a shop?

Cuz that's a TOUGH 8 hours..they quoted me 5 to begin with...:(

I hate to say it, but this is why no one touches my truck except me. It's never what they quote you. I don't know who's the worst, mechanics or used car salesmen.

I believe the problem isn't with the mechanics. They only do their job and price it on some preset values.

blame it on the service writers and leave the techs alone

I agree. The mechanics usually are working "flag hours" rather than stadard hours. This means that say they are given say 3 hours per the shop manual book (don't know the name of this) to complete the job for that vehicle. If the mechanic gets it done in half the time then they still get paid for 3hrs. work but get to start on next vehicle to work on and get paid with double time labor since the 1.5hrs are overlapping. Now if the mechanic runs into trouble like they say they did with yours then the mechanic still gets only the hours quoted by the book (3) even if it takes him longer. Now you see what they try to get them in and out so fast and sometimes not caring too much at all.

I'm with Mike. If I can do it I will. Now stuff like rebuilding a tranny or rear end I'll leave that to experts. I always try to find the best shop/person to take it to and not always the cheapest but with a good reputation goes along way in my book.

He never took it to a dealer, thank God, or he would be paying three times as much.

He said a shop, so I'm guessing it's a private owned place. This is what I was refering to. If you want to pay to get something worked on, be prepared to pay out the wahzoo and then hope like hell it's right when you get it back.

I work at a shop and theres nothing that pisses me off more than guys like you. they come in 10 times a day and ***** cause it wasnt done in time if you really think you can do it faster take it home and do it yourself. and just cause you drop the truck off at 8am does not mean that they are going to start at 8am phone calls interruptions a great deal of things can affect the time they start and finish. I agree with 79big10 i know how it is with service manuals you charge for what they say i the book u dont use a stopwatch and clock every minute that you are working on the vehicle....................feels better to get out ahhhhh

A "Flat Rate Manual" is written on average times to repair an average vehicle. On my truck, (1979) this manual was written in 1979 when the truck was new. My truck is now 24 years old. I dont think anyone can remove bolts that have been rusted together for 24 years as fast as when the truck was new. An average vehicle is not 24 years old & it has not been repaired & screwed up for 24 years by several different people. I would be pissed if someone could fix my truck in "Flat Rate" time. They would be rushing threw it & would surly do a poor quality job. If you want good work be prepared to pay for good work. If you want cheep work dont *****. However, you should be informed as to any problems while the work is in progress that excedes 10% of the estimate on parts or labor. :flag:

What is a "mechanic" ????
Some of these posts refer to one and I have never seen one.
Where do they come from??
Do they have two arms and two legs like most of us???
I looked it up in my phone book and couldn't find one; Seems that section was torn out by me when I got the book new.

If you folks see one of those "mechanics" out anywhere get a pic and post it so some of us that do our own work can see what one looks like. ;)

I dont have money to do either so i guess you can feel lucky.:)

I don't care if I had 17 billion to spare,
NO one is laying a hand on what I drive.
NOT NOW, NOT EVER.

Ya i agree i have never in my life had anyone work on my trucks or cars i have always done them. i was just refering to the money part.lol

I don't know about S. Oregon but the mechanics around here are so bad the only thing they are good for is backdrops you stick a target to at the range.
You keep working on your ride and with a little luck you will get to where you are going when you want to get there.

I would have to say the mechanics now are not as good as when my dad was doing the work with his friend in his shop he had at his home. I have taken stuff to mechanics to see there opinion and i end up arguing with them since they are usally far off. but i will work on my truck it will take time and sometimes i get a little impatient and have to take a step back. i have owned a few trucks before and they where not totaly what i wanted but the truck i have now is what i have always wanted she my baby and when theres stuff wrong it really gets to you. but i know in due time i will get it where i want it.

I am with you man!:D Nobody touches the twins but me..........

:gmc:

I am the same way when you say no one touches your truck but you. At least i know I will get to where I want to go, and knowing it was done right. Theres only two things I won't touch: The Tranny and the Rear End. Cuz, if you mess those up, you ain't going nowhere.





:gmc:

You know you hate auto techs when:

It's time to buy new tires, but instead you put your spare on, and take that one tire in to have the new one put on.

Then you drive home, put your new tire assembly back on and put the spare on a different corner.

Drive back to the tire shop and get them to change tire number 2.

Continue to do this until all 4 are changed.

*Hate* waiting for a vehicle, and *hate* when they use air guns to reinstall my tires!

DJS

Mike , Real Estate agents are leaps & bounds ahead of both of them and only one footstep behind lawyers. my .02 ( d@mn I'm down to .88 cents now, that means only 44 more smart a$$ replies left :-) , DAVE

One time I went to a tire shop to get four new tires on "a" ride.

I pulled the car into the lot and parked as far as I could from the service bays.
I got out the factory jack and started removing the wheels and the "service writer/owner" walked out and said "we will do that for you".

I politely (as I could) handed him a lug nut and said "do you have any titanium lug nuts like this if your guys strip one?"

He said "no, I have never seen any of these"
I then continued my work removing the tires.
Those lug nuts were over $100 a piece.

Titanium lug nuts huh? Pretty cheap at a 100 bucks a pop I'd say. :D