Saved BIG $$$ on Engine Mount Replacement

For you folks who feel this shop should be charging more, and that they are foolish or poor businessmen for not latching on to as much as can be grabbed, there is one very big consideration that you're overlooking: Location. The two shops I mentioned are in a blue-collar town, a small workingman's town, distant in miles and attitude from Berkeley. They could never command Berkeley prices or pretense.

Neither of these shops is burdened with high overhead, they don't have a dozen or so people on the payroll, and they have a personal, hands-on approach to their customers. Theirs is a completely different way of doing business than Berkeley, etc.
The guy that I apprenticed for after trade school owned a small shop he got from his father who got it from his father, first opened in the late teens IIRC. No waiting room, no coffee machines or snacks and no service writer. He didn't charge the big money but did very very good work. Pete was one of the best mechanics I ever knew, his customer base was large and loyal for a small shop, no shortage of work. The man taught me more than mechanics or making money and it has served me well my whole adult life.
People always got just a little more than they paid for eg if we did a front brake job he would flush the system out for them and not charge them any more.
 
The guy that I apprenticed for after trade school owned a small shop he got from his father who got it from his father, first opened in the late teens IIRC. No waiting room, no coffee machines or snacks and no service writer. He didn't charge the big money but did very very good work. Pete was one of the best mechanics I ever knew, his customer base was large and loyal for a small shop, no shortage of work. The man taught me more than mechanics or making money and it has served me well my whole adult life.
People always got just a little more than they paid for eg if we did a front brake job he would flush the system out for them and not charge them any more.
Sometimes it's as simple as checking the pressure on their spare while the truck is on the lift -- something no one ever thinks to do.

I've got an older gentleman who likes to wait as I change his oil. He's a nice guy and I don't mind. We chat about everything and nothing.

Welcome to my customer lounge
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I love some of the “hero” mentality of techs and shops. There’s always someone to do it cheaper.

Most of us want to make a living doing good competent repairs with quality parts in a nice facility.

Some of the losses I have seen people take over the years by trying to be a hero is mind boggling. They are typically the techs that are on the bottom end of the income scale in the industry.

Some of the repairs work out and they save someone quite a bit of money but this day and age it’s about covering your buns and making sure you an stand behind the repair and the person isn’t half repaired and comes back with issues a lawyer or whatever

Great you found someone willing to work for half the going rate of your area. Hope it works out
 
I love some of the “hero” mentality of techs and shops. There’s always someone to do it cheaper.

Most of us want to make a living doing good competent repairs with quality parts in a nice facility.

Some of the losses I have seen people take over the years by trying to be a hero is mind boggling. They are typically the techs that are on the bottom end of the income scale in the industry.

Some of the repairs work out and they save someone quite a bit of money but this day and age it’s about covering your buns and making sure you an stand behind the repair and the person isn’t half repaired and comes back with issues a lawyer or whatever

Great you found someone willing to work for half the going rate of your area. Hope it works out
This video is very timely:

 
This video is very timely:


fitting because this guy’s shop went under

you can make a living undercutting the local shops, especially foreign specialists, and refusing big jobs. there’s a difference between being a hero and getting temporary business from the lowest common denominator
 
Sometimes it's as simple as checking the pressure on their spare while the truck is on the lift -- something no one ever thinks to do.
I got in trouble for that when I worked at a Sears Auto. I would always check the spare pressure, since most were in the 5psi range. Had a customer file a complaint about me because I went in their trunk. Everyone in the main store management was too stupid to realize I was doing the person a favor.
 
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So he wants to put an engine in it without doing a proper diagnosis? That is what I got out of the...
Well, the engine drinks an absurd amount of oil. I suppose you can do compression and leakdown tests, but the conclusion is really the same - it either needs pistons or another engine.
 
Well, the engine drinks an absurd amount of oil. I suppose you can do compression and leakdown tests, but the conclusion is really the same - it either needs pistons or another engine.

It might need pistons or rings.

I admit I stopped watching the video about then, I found the dude hard to watch. However I highly doubt the engine had “no oil”, low or extremely low probably. Was it 2 quarts low in 5000 miles? 3? He seems to think a PCV might reduce it? How much?

What’s Honda say is normal consumption ( probably 1qt/1000)

A little coaching the lady to check and add as required isn’t being a “Hero” IMO.
 
It’s funny because aftermarket warranty companies always want you to “tear it down” I laugh and tell them x amount of money and it DOES NOT go toward the repair that’s already quoted with no tear down.

Most shops are not machine shops or have super clean areas to “be the hero” to put a single piston or sleeve etc in a vehicle with 100k+ on it that the owner hasn’t maintained worth a crap. It’s a liability because now you have worked on it if it spins a rod bearing 6 months from now the customer has the vehicle towed there and expects free repair
 
In a former life over 20 yes ago I would solicit business banking and always enjoyed talking shop with local automotive shops. I remember talking to a franchise owner of a Midas shop which at the time did more than just exhaust work. The 4-bay shop had been there for decades and his wife would help out at the front desk. At the time (yr 2000) the owner was making about $40k/yr. This location was in an economically mixed section of N Atlanta on a major street right off a major highway.

Let me tell you, his cash flow was tight. The overhead was astronomical. I felt so bad for the guy because he was in his 50's putting in over 55 hrs a week making only $40k/yr and wife was working for free. He sure was proud that he had technicians who had been with him for years and he was plenty busy. Unless he was skimming I don't know how he did it.

The shop failed during the Great Recession of 2008.
 
Most shops are not machine shops or have super clean areas to “be the hero” to put a single piston or sleeve etc in a vehicle with 100k+ on it that the owner hasn’t maintained worth a crap. It’s a liability because now you have worked on it if it spins a rod bearing 6 months from now the customer has the vehicle towed there and expects free repair
Very true, I find that in my line of work. The last person who touched it, no matter how long ago, is the guilty party.

I will examine a job very closely and then offer up my best educated opinion on the possible success rate, MTBF, and all different levels of repair if it is applicable.

Most times customers are very happy with this approach.

I have also walked away from jobs too. Customer's equipment is too old, too damaged, or in an inappropriate location (improper initial installation that caused the failure).

Having more experience in this line of work is essential (IMO) to properly repairing equipment and also staying in business.

Question then becomes - how to get the necessary experience?

Doctors, lawyers, and engineers are all experts in their field. They have diplomas to prove it. BUT, none of them have business experience and the understanding of how to run an office, comply with local, state, and federal laws regarding employment, taxes, regulations, and requirements (think of the costs of professional insurance for example) to stay in business. That's why most, if not all start with bigger firms before going out on their own. The ones who go out on their own first rarely make it as they have no acumen for the tasks required to stay in business.

Then, after gaining experience, if you want to go out on your own, have at it. At least then you kind of have an idea of what's coming. E and O in this area for engineers can cost over 14K annually.

Smaller shops may have smaller overhead, but the liability is the same. Just depends on the number of "work" pieces out on the road. A lot of small shops that don't charge a lot are one lawsuit away from bankruptcy. Doesn't matter if the customer loves you, if the claim involves potential "inferior part" or "inferior work" (not to "workman like" standard), the cost to defend puts them out of business. Don't think an insurance company won't go after the last shop with attorneys if a tire fails and someone thinks "tire alignment" was the cause. Better have good records to support the work being done right.

If the shop charging less is doing so because they are not keeping records, not keeping up with manufacturer requirements for a specific repair (think about body shops that don't follow manufacturer guidelines for welding on the high strength steels, or aluminum frame components), then the lower price you pay will at some point cost the shop more than what they can stand to stay in business. They will fail because it will come back to them at some point.

Maybe not with you, but with someone. It's only a matter of time.

Nothing wrong with supporting this local business, and good that you found them to do the work. I just suspect they charge less because they don't know any better and are underinsured, or worse, have no insurance. I hope they can stay in business and continue for years to come - good shops are hard to find!
 
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I’m out of touch a bit as far as automotive repair pricing goes, as I haven’t been in a shop for probably 10 years or more, but I’m not sure what’s the big deal here.
OP shopped around, found a shop willing to do the work for the price he was willing to pay and is happy with their work. What’s all this talk about being a hero? Or not charging the “market” rate?

That business charges what it wants to charge, it is nobody’s business to tell them how much they should charge. It’s the basis of a free market.
 
It might need pistons or rings.

I admit I stopped watching the video about then, I found the dude hard to watch. However I highly doubt the engine had “no oil”, low or extremely low probably. Was it 2 quarts low in 5000 miles? 3? He seems to think a PCV might reduce it? How much?

What’s Honda say is normal consumption ( probably 1qt/1000)

A little coaching the lady to check and add as required isn’t being a “Hero” IMO.
You'd think so but I service a '98 CR-V that's the same situation. Last time I checked it it was down 2.75 qts which is an obscene amount given crankcase capacity. I told the girl (last year of college student) she's GOTTA check the oil more regularly. I know for a fact she isn't doing it. Oh well, she's been warned and she's technically an adult.

Sometimes you're not a hero, you're just a guy talking that blah blah blah guy stuff. Blah blah blah
 
most of the time toyota’s book uses a drunk golden retriever to determine how long a tech should take the complete a job
Yes. Toyota/Lexus list a Pre detail inspection at an hour but all of the mechanics went through it in 30 minutes
 
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