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oddspot
Location: Small Town Alberta Gender: Male Total Likes: 1 like
| | | Re: Automotive Scams < Reply # 27 on 1/22/2010 2:37 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by steponmebbbboom which is what i don't want a mechanic to do with my car... i want it done thoroughly, methodically, and soundly and flat rate rewards the opposite.
| not entirely the case. If a flat rate tech makes a mistake, he pays for it not once but twice. When the car returns for the dreaded COMEBACK, not only does he have to repair it on his own time and not get paid, he is also not picking up any jobs that may be queued up in the mean time. DOUBLE WHAMMY! I have always had strict policies in place at shops i've run, that myself or a supervisor is with a tech side by side diagnosing a come back so he can not claim 'defective part' or some shit to get his warranty time. (unlike a number of my friends over the years who were hired by dealerships and had to sit playing cards in the lunchroom half the day and only getting paid for the other half because dealerships can afford to overstaff their shops when they don't have to pay mechanics who are sitting idle)... and the ones who make a killing on flat rate are doing so at MY expense because i basically paid for wrench time i did not get.
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There will be no successful shop (OEm or otherwise) who play the overstaff flat rate tech game very long. Why? Because techs making 20 units a week won't stick around very long when they're broke and starving. That means high turn over. Turnover is a HUGE liability to a business. It creates inconsistent quality levels, re-training every time a new guy walks in which is expensive but to be fair heavy equipment and forklift is a bit more relaxed about shop turnover than car garages not just any MBA in a $300 suit can open a heavy equipment shop you need good business contacts and some knowledge of the industry and that has a lot more to do with profitability of the business than how fast a tech can crank out work orders versus a car garage where 95% of your business are walk-ins off the street...
| In my experience, most auto shop owners are NOT MBA suits. They are in fact licensed techs who were working at a shop of whatever sort and decided they could "build a better widget" and open their own shops. ******* I'm all for flat rate techs. I believe that a person should be rewarded for skill, knowledge and in this case, investing in the right tools. If a tech has seen the same problem in a vehicle 50 times... like a leaking 3.1L GM or a broken Ford coil spring and his learned the most efficient effective way to complete the job, why shouldn't he be rewarded accordingly? Everyone benefits. the tech makes more money, the shop makes more money and the owner gets his car back quicker. Hourly techs get penalized...or at very least not rewarded for developing skill or investing in tools and equipment. Hard to be motivated when you're not rewarded!
| Even A Genius Has Questions!?! I do things because I choose to, not because I have to. My Life, My Rules - No Exceptions! |
| A. Lien
Location: Fantasy Island B.C. Gender: Male Total Likes: 17 likes
Abductees Anonymous all welcome
| | | Re: Automotive Scams < Reply # 29 on 1/22/2010 8:55 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Canadian Tire and Midas are the worst. Can Tire charges full rates, but their mechanics are 'apprentices' or something. I'm fine with on the job training, but only if someone with superior training is actually, say, in the shop that day. Even worse, the manager was a dork and didn't listen, and 'assumed' my Jeep had a non adjustable alternator tensioner. Never again, the guy couldn't even replace a fuel pump in my '90 Jeep Cherokee. I stood and watched and told him, no, the fuel pump you have installed is defective. There is gas in my tank, you don't need to add more gas. At least 15 years ago before the '90 I had and '86 Cherokee. Took it to Midas for rear shocks. The guy got it on the hoist, and I told him; The rear shock mounts are known to rust, spray them with WD 40 or something before trying to loosen them. He said: We don't do that. There was a can of the stuff on the floor. I said; what's that, he said, it's empty. I think he was the boss's nephew or something. I don't like to hassle mechanics, but if you say nothing and trust them, then (sometimes/often) you'lle get hosed. So I just ask to check underneath when it's on the hoist, and ask a few questions. Tried Midas recently with my parents (still running ) '94 Voyager. The dealer has always been a joke, and the nearest Midas is way too close to them. I asked to look at the bill, they said, we can't print it until you pay! Unbelievable. Looking at the bill, they charged 50.00 to test the charging system, and 135.00 for an Interstate battery, which I believe is a decent brand, although I've always done well with, and like Diehards. They charged 35.00 more than I've ever paid for a battery, and the test charge is a joke. Corporate pigs looking to vacuum peoples wallets. I've found a local mechanic last year who does good work for a fair price. Here's a clue. If they are booked up until next week, there's a good chance they do good work and are worth the wait. If they say, bring it in tomorrow morning, they are way too not busy. Fuel saving gadgets? Lol, the only one I trust has cards attached to the spokes
| My sister is Charlotte Light and Dark. Who am I? Farewell and thank you... "I was doing something that I thought could have some impact someday. In many ways, it's really these photographs that kept me going creatively." Dennis Hopper |
| bandi Lippy Mechanic Bastard
Location: Trent Hills, ON Gender: Male Total Likes: 734 likes
A liminal mind is all I've ever known.
| | | | Re: Automotive Scams < Reply # 33 on 1/22/2010 6:10 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by steponmebbbboom which is what i don't want a mechanic to do with my car... i want it done thoroughly, methodically, and soundly and flat rate rewards the opposite.
| Were you born with your foot in your mouth? I have to keep a standard of work quality or a)I get paid less/lose my job, and b)The dealership service score goes down, which in turn causes our warranty pay rate to go down. I'm expected to fix things properly, I HAVE to fix things properly, and I do fix things properly. I'm expected to do training every few weeks to keep up to date. If the shop is dead, we don't play cards. We do training, which we get paid to do. We had a mechanic here who liked to take short cuts, and he's gone. If a comeback happens, it goes on the tech's record. I found working hourly in a shop to be merciless... they seemed to want everything done a hell of a lot faster, which does lead to mistakes, and I don't benefit at all if I get more done. Now, if I work hard, I see the results on my paycheque. I haven't been asked to hurry a job while on flat rate yet... so I'm not sure where you're coming from there. Congrats on being a mechanic though.
| hi i like cars |
| steponmebbbboom
Total Likes: 0 likes
*NSFW*
| | | Re: Automotive Scams < Reply # 38 on 1/22/2010 10:34 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by Samurai I think he's making $12 or 13 something an hour, 40 hours a week.
| holy COW, i'm making more than twice that amount. Why is this guy killing himself for less than half my wage? Posted by bandiI found working hourly in a shop to be merciless... they seemed to want everything done a hell of a lot faster, which does lead to mistakes, | why would a manager rush you if he's getting straight time for your work, theres no benefit to fast turnover all that matters in a straight time shop is utilization (hours billed for hours worked) unless he's fudging your labour times which is FRAUD and has nothing to do with the straight time system. he/she wants your bay to get as close to 40 hours billed as possible and could care less how you spent those hours as long as you billed them and made customers happy. ive spent twelve years in the trade under this system in the shop and on the road at customers jobsites and it makes money just fine without pressuring me to work faster. Were you born with your foot in your mouth? | lol, cute...
| Mentos... The Freshmaker |
| That 1 Guy
Location: Illinois Gender: Male Total Likes: 0 likes
| | | Re: Automotive Scams < Reply # 39 on 1/23/2010 12:00 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by steponmebbbboom ive spent twelve years in the trade under this system in the shop and on the road at customers jobsites and it makes money just fine without pressuring me to work faster.
| I think you are trying to compare apples to oranges. If I got what you are saying right, you are a forklift mechanic. In other words, you are employed by the company who owns the forklifts. Naturally they are going to pay you straight time. I was a line tech at a GM dealership for 12 years. After that I was a road mechanic for 15 years at a company that rented high-reach and heavy-lift equipment. There is no comparison in the way you earn your money between the two. The nearest thing I can think of is what we named "call-out" time. Essentially, you got four hours of pay when you were called out after hours even if the call only took a half hour. Flat rate seems to be a difficult concept for people to understand when they've never had to earn a living that way.
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