Ever refuse to work on a vehicle?

I have refused to do a few jobs for various reasons from safety to the customer not wanting the job done the right. I also refuse to take cars that smell like pot/weed. I cannot stand the smell as it make me sick. I won't work on them.
 
I’ve refused jobs too where the customer insists on standing there being picky like the Craftsman guy at work. But when I did road service when I started at the shop I’m at now I refused a few people who either wanted it done a certain way or who were just annoying and don’t understand why they can’t stand there if I’m cutting something or heating something or welding something or customers who I know will stand there all day long and talk and hold you up. At my shop now we can’t refuse those customers per boss orders but when I did the road service I did refuse people like that.
 
Cars like that aren’t worth getting your hands on to. One brake job turns into 5 other things that are broke because it’s being held together by the worn brakes.

I’ve turned away a few cheap, European beaters. Guy came in wanting to get a new key paired. But the car had so many other electrical issues I wasn’t sure if it was the key that’s acting up. Last thing I want to do is deal with a pissed off customer when a new key still doesn’t work. And idk if $85 diagnostics fee will cover the amount of module tracing I need to do.
 
GMBoy said:
I have refused to do a few jobs for various reasons from safety to the customer not wanting the job done the right. I also refuse to take cars that smell like pot/weed. I cannot stand the smell as it make me sick. I won't work on them.
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Lol when I was managing a chain repair stop 1 in 5 cars came in reeking of weed, had on dude in a convertible camaro that came into the bay (with the top down I might add) that smelled so stron one of the customers in the waiting area mentioned it this was during covid and everyone had to have masks on. I joked with my tech (alot were under state supervision) not to work on the car if they had a drug test coming up. We even had a car come in that had weed all over the carpet and seats, the owner "hit"a curb to avoid an animal on the road and needed a wheel,tire and some suspension work plus every body panel was dented and scratched
 
Yeah we’ve refused repairs on cars/trucks with holes in the frame. Happens quite a bit actually.

And two years ago we didn’t see a hole in a frame...the truck bent in half on the lift. The bed just broke and went to the floor while the rest of the truck was still in the air. It was still attached. Customer politely/not so politely tried to blame us. Truck was old, we told him it needed to go straight to a junk yard. He said, but the engine in it is brand new, it only has 140,000 miles on it!

Surprisingly we won that battle. Because quite honestly I guess the guy could have said it was our fault...that we shouldn’t have lifted the thing with a hole in the frame (like I said, we didn’t see it, it was tucked behind the gas tank). That he came in there for a simple oil change and tire rotation and left with his truck bent in half. That he’s always had a hole in the frame and never a problem. Lol. Stuff like that. Surprisingly he had it towed to a junk yard and we refunded him the oil and filter we put in it (which was worth more than the truck).

And we have one customer (a different one) that has a hole in the frame of his 4Runner...and he got all mad that we wouldn’t work on it. He even tried coming back a year later with it (we still wouldn’t work on it). He came in two weeks ago and said, well, it finally broke in half pulling into my driveway. Now he has a Camry. So, I guess we’ll work on that (if the frame isn’t rotted out).
 
I have with a few friends and family. My ‘rents, brother, or even in laws (if asked) I’d do anything for, but I’d be likely getting help too.

Most recent, the wife had a co worker that said she needed an 02 sensor. Not being familiar with the car or even certain it was the issue, I passed. Her sister also asked if I could do their brake booster on a newer Mazda. Once again, not being familiar with the car, I passed. I was offered payment for both.

If it takes longer than expected, they could very well be out a vehicle or if something else went wrong, her sister is unfortunately the kind of person to pass the blame. They don’t do any PM until something goes wrong and I’m able to drive my in laws vehicles while she isn’t. 😶
 
This reminds me of a guy a know. I stopped doing his oil changes. He knew enough to change oil, but never bothered to check it or do anything else to his car, so I'd change his oil and it would have almost nothing in it. Riding around with him once, there was an awful clunking coming from his CV joint. Boots were torn, joint was grinding itself up. Told him he needs to get it fixed soon, or it's going to fail, leaving him stranded. Months later, he's griping that his CV joint "failed without any warning", and left him stranded on the side of the road. I asked him if he remembers that clunking noise that it's been making for months, the one I told him was his CV joint failing that would leave him stranded someday. THEN he remembered.
 
AutoMechanic said:
I’ve refused jobs too where the customer insists on standing there being picky like the Craftsman guy at work. But when I did road service when I started at the shop I’m at now I refused a few people who either wanted it done a certain way or who were just annoying and don’t understand why they can’t stand there if I’m cutting something or heating something or welding something or customers who I know will stand there all day long and talk and hold you up. At my shop now we can’t refuse those customers per boss orders but when I did the road service I did refuse people like that.
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Your boss is going to end up losing employees eventually.

Customers should DEFINITELY NOT BE hanging around you when you are working, not only holds you up but the distraction could be dangerous too. The boss needs to keep customers out of the shop unless there is a specific reason you need information from them.
 
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Snowflake White said:
Your boss is going to end up losing employees eventually.

Customers should DEFINITELY NOT BE handing around you when you are working, not only holds you up but the distraction could be dangerous too. The boss needs to keep customers out of the shop unless there is a specific reason you need a information from them.
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I agree 100%. Also if they request to drive their car in and out and wait in it we can’t refuse that either. Not per boss order but per the state mandate that says we have to offer contactless service if we are going to be open. The last thing I want is too be run over by a customer, we had one of them who rolled back into someone on a hill in the parking lot because they couldn’t control a manual on a hill lol. We didn’t know it was part of the mandate till a customer turned us in so now we have to let them drive it in. Drives me insane.
 
AutoMechanic said:
I agree 100%. Also if they request to drive their car in and out and wait in it we can’t refuse that either. Not per boss order but per the state mandate that says we have to offer contactless service if we are going to be open. The last thing I want is too be run over by a customer, we had one of them who rolled back into someone on a hill in the parking lot because they couldn’t control a manual on a hill lol. We didn’t know it was part of the mandate till a customer turned us in so now we have to let them drive it in. Drives me insane.
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When someone gets hurt have the shops legal council sue the state! 😛
 
Dinoburner said:
All the shops around here have or claim to have insurance restrictions against anyone other than employees on the shop floor.
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Yeah I’ve seen that. I have no idea if ours does or not. Most mechanics have told me it’s a lie to keep customers from standing over people like our customers do.
 
AutoMechanic said:
Yeah I’ve seen that. I have no idea if ours does or not. Most mechanics have told me it’s a lie to keep customers from standing over people like our customers do.
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In any case it is absolutely true that it is DANGEROUS in many situations for customers to be hanging around in the shop, at the very minimum they can be a distraction.

I wish more shops would go back to having a big window that allows the customers to have a clear view of the techs working on their cars.
 
Snowflake White said:
In any case it is absolutely true that it is DANGEROUS in many situations for customers to be hanging around in the shop, at the very minimum they can be a distraction.

I wish more shops would go back to having a big window that allows the customers to have a clear view of the techs working on their cars.
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Yeah I agree. You don’t see that anymore in shops.
 
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