That is not easy. Right now I need him, even a bad employee is better than no employee. Things are getting done. Just not on time or very cost effectively.
Mechanic won’t use oil I’ve chosen
- Thread starter Spike555
- Start date
That is not easy. Right now I need him, even a bad employee is better than no employee. Things are getting done. Just not on time or very cost effectively.
Sounds like kind of a unique arrangement.
Personally if any of my customers started bringing me supplies and telling me what products to use, or expected me to sell parts at my cost (assuming none of that was in the original contract) I wouldn't be very happy about it, to say the least. If you trust me to service the vehicles, let me service the vehicles. If you (not you specifically) decide halfway through that you don't like my pricing, you still have to uphold your end of the contract. And again all that information should be in the original contract anyway.
If the guy is not a good mechanic that is another story, but is somewhat of a separate issue from parts supply.
Taking folks for all they're worth is not a great way to build a long term relationship.
Absolutely.
Based on what he's been willing to do to fraudulently pad his bottom line, I wouldn't be surprised by even more nefarious acts.
Examples of what he could possibly do, with plausible deniability, have already been given in this thread.
Good luck, OP.
you can smell desperation from a mile away. owner operators are money piñatas, my boss’ words not mine
when you have big money you move your maintenance in house and keep the techs on a short leash
So he is running an independent garage. You are paying him a flat amount of money per year to maintain this fleet but he is not supposed to charge you labor time or make mark up on parts because you will supply them. Am I interpreting this correctly?
Sounds like a horrible deal for both parties. You’re not getting good service because he makes no additional money by providing additional services preventative or otherwise. So he’s doing the bare minimum to just keep them operational.
He’s losing paying customer money every minute one of your vehicles is in a bay due to the fact that your labor money is already in his bank account and you’re providing the parts so no profit there.
Sounds like a horrible deal for both parties. You’re not getting good service because he makes no additional money by providing additional services preventative or otherwise. So he’s doing the bare minimum to just keep them operational.
He’s losing paying customer money every minute one of your vehicles is in a bay due to the fact that your labor money is already in his bank account and you’re providing the parts so no profit there.
It was already explained to me that he can work on other customer vehicles so he is not providing 100% of his services for their fleet. I don't know how busy he is but sounds like he is prioritizing his business with all of the other customers and then filling in the other time towards the fleet.
Mostly correct. He get’s “X” per week, we pay for the building. So his expenses are minimal.
He can make more money by up charging others.
If he really wanted to make money he’d have every thing done on time because he has been up charging the hand that feeds him.
I fully expect a Indy shop to up charge for parts, that is standard practice. This is my shop, he runs his business out of it.
He is a old school mechanic, he’s always done it his way and always will. He’s great at making due and Jerry rigging things to get them through the day.
Problem is, then he doesn’t go back and make it correct.
Installing the dash camera’s, I told him I wanted them mounted a certain way, he went ahead and mounted them in a way that was easier for him.
So a half hour job was done in 10 min and now the camera’s are coming out of alignment.
And now he doesn’t have time to install them the way I asked him to in the first place.
Therein lies one problem, if not used up over a short time the oil additives will settle at the bottom of the barrel and ought to be shaken up to redristibute them. Not really practical Full synthetics have a much lower if even none of this.
Actually this is not cost, this is "price" Cost is the consequence of what this oil causes, tell your boss this. I think that in your situation full synthetic will cost less as it will protect your engines much better at high temperature than conventional. This in turn will generate a slightly higher price at purchase but will cost less in maintenance. Good luck with your boss he ought to reward you for caring.
This does not sound like a guy who will fall in line. If you are okay with this then keep him on.
But either you are making the decisions or he is. Who is the manager here?
If you are going to be the manager, end this.
If you are going to let him tell you how to do things ( which is what he is doing passively), then continue on.
I manage people, and I would not put up with this.
Now the question, are you up to the task of managing this/him?
Not everyone is.
You need the ability to listen then give firm concise instructions, and hold him fully accountable, no wiggle room, no chickening out, and not dealing with him as a manager.
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Thing is he isn't an employee, he is contract labor.
What he can do and what you can do is controlled by the contract - which is why I keep asking about it.
There are situations where you can create an employee relationship by doing certain things... need to be careful here because managing contract labor like you would manage an employee may be one of those things - which might entitle him to benefits and expose to company to liability.
If there is any chance of this relationship continuing someone needs to get to writing an iron clad contract frankly it sounds like a situation that was doomed to failure from the beginning and you'd be better off exercising some method of getting out of the contract and finding someone to actually employ...
What he can do and what you can do is controlled by the contract - which is why I keep asking about it.
There are situations where you can create an employee relationship by doing certain things... need to be careful here because managing contract labor like you would manage an employee may be one of those things - which might entitle him to benefits and expose to company to liability.
If there is any chance of this relationship continuing someone needs to get to writing an iron clad contract frankly it sounds like a situation that was doomed to failure from the beginning and you'd be better off exercising some method of getting out of the contract and finding someone to actually employ...
This situation is akin to hiring a contractor to redo your master bath, and then complaining about which thinset, silicone, and grout brands he's using. Who cares. What really matters is the finish materials (the vehicles) and fit and finish (how well they're maintained).
End the contract. Go with someone else. My friend purchased a business not long ago with a subpar mechanic. Thats what he did. Now he gets better service and better pricing.
Sorry I may have missed it, but how long does this contract with the mechanic go for?
It sounds like you need him right now, but there are problems, use this time to research and implement a plan B, so when the contract expires (or you terminate it) you can thank him for his time, and move to plan B.
It sounds like you own the lease for the actual shop space, when does this expire? Again, you could research alternatives.
I would design a plan of where you want to be in 6mths or a years time, then put out a tender/expression of interest to all, then ask you mechanic if he is interested in bidding. You don't have to accept his bid, but it lets him know you are moving forward and he needs to decide if he is with you or not.
I would separate the now (one issue) from the future (separate issue).
It sounds like you need him right now, but there are problems, use this time to research and implement a plan B, so when the contract expires (or you terminate it) you can thank him for his time, and move to plan B.
It sounds like you own the lease for the actual shop space, when does this expire? Again, you could research alternatives.
I would design a plan of where you want to be in 6mths or a years time, then put out a tender/expression of interest to all, then ask you mechanic if he is interested in bidding. You don't have to accept his bid, but it lets him know you are moving forward and he needs to decide if he is with you or not.
I would separate the now (one issue) from the future (separate issue).
That just isn't accurate unless by a short time you mean several years.
I go through enough oil for age to not be a concern. One gas engine takes 2 gal of oil. One diesel takes 5 gal.
Using full synthetic does not lower my price for PM’s, the quality of full synthetic that I’m willing to pay for will not hold up to the demands my equipment will put on it.
I’ve been in this business for a very long time. Friends of mine who work for different companies use two different motor oils.
One uses dino 5w-30 and replaces engines every ~150k. PM’s are 4500-6000 miles.
One uses full synthetic 5w-30, replaces engines every ~200k. PM’s are 5000-7000 miles.
Shortening the PM schedule is not practical or cost effective. It needs to be as long as possible.
THAT is why I have chosen the motor oil that I have. The price of the PM needs to be as low as possible while maximizing the life of the equipment and keeping it on the road.
If those wheels are not turning, that unit is costing me money. A day off the road for a PM is lost revenue.
I still have to make the payment. Pay insurance. Pay for the dash camera cell service. That unit needs to be on the road every single day.
Each unit averages 1000 miles a week. Average miles per year per unit is almost 60k. The miles driven to/from the tire shop, the repair shop, etc are not counted in the weekly average.
Currently in the market for one.
Not even close to the same thing.
One unit is $70k new. I need it to last 20 yrs. That is the expected service life. You re-grout your bathroom every couple of years, it’s not expensive to do and the grout brands are all pretty close in quality.
Motor oil‘s vary in quality by large margins. The minimum quality required will not provide the long term protection needed to maximize service life of the units.
