DIY auto repair means not having to deal with obnoxious auto repair shop prices
- Thread starter pacem
- Start date
The OP is at least in his 60's-accoring to what he says/how he says it. You know what...if you want to find the jack points-raise up your vehicle and work on it when you are in your 60's-more power to you.
Just don't cast dispersions on those who do this for a living wage....I don't want some idiot being paid McDonald wages to put brakes on my vehicles.
It costs what is costs.....
Just don't cast dispersions on those who do this for a living wage....I don't want some idiot being paid McDonald wages to put brakes on my vehicles.
It costs what is costs.....
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
I finally started to use WalMart for my balance and rotations plus use their road hazard as well. Those things saved me lots of money some years back when we were having construction work going on all around us and I was catching flat tires over and over with a couple being a nail or screw in the sidewall so they had to replace those with new tires (No Charge).
I'm very fortunate that if I can't sneak a car on a lift at work on a Saturday, a friend has a small detached 5K ft garage in his backyard with some lifts that he lets me use. I am one of those rare parts people who turned wrenches first and then realized my back didn't want to do that for a living.
One thing that scares me is struts purely because I had one blow up on me when I worked at Sears and it just freaks me out. When I did the struts on the Mustang I waited until one of the alignment shops called for parts and asked them how much. They said $100 cash. I sent my driver to them with the cash in an envelope and when it was done they wanted to give me money back. I told them it was beer money or charity money for whoever needed it. I don't mind paying for something I don't want to do or can do but just can't at that time.
There are dishonest/shady people in every profession, I've been a Mechanic for over 30 years & could count how many true scumbag mechanic's I've encountered on one hand.
Service Managers, Service Advisers, And a lot of times the owner of the business are NOT Mechanic's. Paint & Body guys are rarely considered Mechanics....So it could've been ignorance selling a Alternator & Battery.
Inexperience & Ignorance shouldn't be confused with malice/intent.....We are losing more good/experienced mechanic's each year than we gain through retirement, death, & jumping fields. To attract good talent means paying better wages which in-turn requires raising prices.
I save money changing oil myself so I can pay for brake work. I HATE BRAKE WORK!
Good mechanics are in demand here in Silicon Valley. A local Community College offers Auto Technology and is always impacted. They just added an EV section. It is a well respected program.
De Anza Auto Tech
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2024
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- 129
Two of my vehicles have aged out and shops will not even work on them (79 Caddy, 92 Chevy truck). So, I do my own repairs & maintenance. I'll probably be pushing up daisies by the time my '19 4Runner needs something fixed (19k right now)!
Aging out is an interesting concept to me. In the rust belt, I kinda get it. Or honestly I understand some shops not wanting to troubleshoot carbs, but I don't understand avoiding EFI, even OBD-I
But whatever-- I support the free market and businesses can make their own rules. They can even refuse to bake a wedding cake for an old car. The free market will either support the business, or not.....
Small world. I took a few classes at De Anza a very long time ago, including welding. I especially enjoyed learning TIG, but I've used only gas and MIG since then. Also, I still remember some of the concepts I learned in a Materials and Processes class. And then there was Philosophy--don't ask.
De Anza College is an incredible place. Changed my life.
I think now is there a huge discrepancy in the relationship between the value of the service and the actual cost. And worse, is the actual shop techs are stuck in the middle. And and and…customers are starting to question it and it does catch service advisors by surprise and shop owners too.
Recently, I called around for a price for an alignment. I have an 2000 Grand Cherokee 4WD. Highest price was for me 239.00. I asked to explain what I get for that price and I was told I need a 4 wheel alignment because I have 4WD and includes all replacement hardware.
So I asked like if I need a tie rod, a bushing, a sleeve it’s included? “Oh no, those are extra…hardware is like nuts, bolts, washers…”
I asked what is the price for a 2 wheel alignment and was told “I can’t sell you a 2WD service as you have 4WD” which at this point, I let the cat out of the bag and said “You can’t adjust anything on the rear on these Jeeps…so I don’t see the value here. What’s your price?”
“Well, we are the experts here sir, we are doing this in the best interest of you…” then I said no thank you, and hung up…
Most other places were around 120-150 and that was for all 4 wheels. Pitched all of them have top of line alignment machines. Then I found a place that I liked…..
Owner answered the phone, he said “Oh your WJ is easy, I can do an alignment the old school way even using basically a slide rule and yard sticks! No point doing the rear wheels since there’s nothing you can adjust, but I’ll look to make sure it’s looking right…flat 100 good? It’s only an hour of work.”
Recently, I called around for a price for an alignment. I have an 2000 Grand Cherokee 4WD. Highest price was for me 239.00. I asked to explain what I get for that price and I was told I need a 4 wheel alignment because I have 4WD and includes all replacement hardware.
So I asked like if I need a tie rod, a bushing, a sleeve it’s included? “Oh no, those are extra…hardware is like nuts, bolts, washers…”
I asked what is the price for a 2 wheel alignment and was told “I can’t sell you a 2WD service as you have 4WD” which at this point, I let the cat out of the bag and said “You can’t adjust anything on the rear on these Jeeps…so I don’t see the value here. What’s your price?”
“Well, we are the experts here sir, we are doing this in the best interest of you…” then I said no thank you, and hung up…
Most other places were around 120-150 and that was for all 4 wheels. Pitched all of them have top of line alignment machines. Then I found a place that I liked…..
Owner answered the phone, he said “Oh your WJ is easy, I can do an alignment the old school way even using basically a slide rule and yard sticks! No point doing the rear wheels since there’s nothing you can adjust, but I’ll look to make sure it’s looking right…flat 100 good? It’s only an hour of work.”
Hello fellow ham. All nails hit squarely on the head.
Profit margins are slimmer...To the point of losing money working on 25+ year old vehicles. I only take them in on a special case basis with the client understanding it's Time & Materials.
I personally have to work on the older vehicles I do take in because my guys aren't trained/didn't experience it in real time.
'13-'18 model years is where the meat & potato's is right now in the independent auto repair industry
No such person exists, We have a saying.....Ex is a has been & a Spurt is a drip under pressure!
4WD
$50 site donor 2025
Like a fixed Tom Cat
After hitting a curb which added some negative camber, I paid a reputable indy shop around $180 to get a 4-wheel alignment on my 2016 Mustang. That included a camber bolt kit to allow for front camber adjustment beyond what a "camber pull" would accomplish. No adjustments required to the rear IFS, but I gladly paid to have it checked. Drove home knowing everything was better than in-spec. Easily worth the money. 
Even if a vehicle's front end alignment checks perfectly, that doesn't necessarily mean the rear tires will follow the fronts exactly as they should. May not be a the case with a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but I have seen more than one solid rear axle vehicle that crabbed down the road. My truck at the left got new trailing arm bushings and a little "persuasion" to rid itself of the crabs.
Even if a vehicle's front end alignment checks perfectly, that doesn't necessarily mean the rear tires will follow the fronts exactly as they should. May not be a the case with a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but I have seen more than one solid rear axle vehicle that crabbed down the road. My truck at the left got new trailing arm bushings and a little "persuasion" to rid itself of the crabs.
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I've also driven vehicles that visibly crab-walked but you couldn't tell from the driver's seat.After hitting a curb which added some negative camber, I paid a reputable indy shop around $180 to get a 4-wheel alignment on my 2016 Mustang. That included a camber bolt kit to allow for front camber adjustment beyond what a "camber pull" would accomplish. No adjustments required to the rear IFS, but I gladly paid to have it checked. Drove home knowing everything was better than in-spec. Easily worth the money.
Even if a vehicle's front end alignment checks perfectly, that doesn't necessarily mean the rear tires will follow the fronts exactly as they should. May not be a the case with a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but I have seen more than one solid rear axle vehicle that crabbed down the road. My truck at the left got new trailing arm bushings and a little "persuasion" to rid itself of the crabs.
I'm sure a professional driver might notice, and it surely can't help emergency handling or braking, so I'm not saying it's a good thing. I was just surprised it didn't cause more obvious problems than it did.
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