I have no problem with women in shops at all. After all, women certainly have the capacity to be much smarter than men. However I that shop would put me off I think.
The Future of Auto Shops?
- Thread starter The Critic
- Start date
- Status
Originally Posted By: Nick R
I have no problem with women in shops at all. After all, women certainly have the capacity to be much smarter than men.
Now, where is Popinski when you need him?
I have no problem with women in shops at all. After all, women certainly have the capacity to be much smarter than men.
Now, where is Popinski when you need him?
Originally Posted By: teambeechstreet
$110 for an oil change and safety inspection? That's f'n ridiculous. Not surprised it's in SF.
It isn't just San Francisco. My local Acura dealer quoted me $140 yesterday to flush and replace the brake fluid (which I declined).
$110 for an oil change and safety inspection? That's f'n ridiculous. Not surprised it's in SF.
It isn't just San Francisco. My local Acura dealer quoted me $140 yesterday to flush and replace the brake fluid (which I declined).
There is something to the model or brand specialization on newer cars. A lot of repairs require dealer level reprogramming. There is a highly regarded independent shop here that has 10 manufacturer scan tools that he spent $175k on to be able to do dealer level repairs. People on here would be surprised how many cars we get from shops for programming or module installation that they cannot do due to not wanted to drop $10k on a Ford scan tool that will only work on Ford products and requires $3-5k a year in updates or else Ford will shut the unit down remotely.
Exactly, and the specialists who run them usually spent years in dealer shops learning the tricks and the trade.
They also maintain contact with dealer shops to gain informal access to diagnostic tools beyond OBD II, and return the favor by buying OEM parts from the same dealer.
I have a Honda indie with such a background, and I have another guy for technically simple but fairly hard jobs I no longer wish to do, like clutches.
He also has contatcts with the dealer shop he used to work for, and can informally access their resources.
Bottom line is that a shop is defined by the quality of its techs, not their gender or location.
Most of the best make specialists come out of dealer shops of the same make.
A guy who paid his mortgage changing LIMs on GM V-6s is not the guy you want diagnosing what you can't figure out on your BMW, while the sharp BMW guy is probably not the best choice for the LIMs on your GM V-6.
Horses for courses.
They also maintain contact with dealer shops to gain informal access to diagnostic tools beyond OBD II, and return the favor by buying OEM parts from the same dealer.
I have a Honda indie with such a background, and I have another guy for technically simple but fairly hard jobs I no longer wish to do, like clutches.
He also has contatcts with the dealer shop he used to work for, and can informally access their resources.
Bottom line is that a shop is defined by the quality of its techs, not their gender or location.
Most of the best make specialists come out of dealer shops of the same make.
A guy who paid his mortgage changing LIMs on GM V-6s is not the guy you want diagnosing what you can't figure out on your BMW, while the sharp BMW guy is probably not the best choice for the LIMs on your GM V-6.
Horses for courses.
Originally Posted By: MoparDak05
Originally Posted By: teambeechstreet
"Luscious Garage is woman-owned and operated." First sign to stay away lol!
I'm sorry, but not a snowball's chance I'd ever go there. That's like when I see "Female Owned" on a used car ad. I immediately move on. I'm not sure why this was ever considered to be a selling point. The first thing I think is "Neglected service and dents...lots and lots of dents...". There are exceptions, but I wouldn't risk it.
Are you trolling or just being a troll?
Women have an equal capacity to be smart, stupid, possess critical thinking skills, be abrasive and/or any one of a number skills/traits that the average man has the capacity for.
On the topic of the garage in question, (IMO) the silly name aside, I'm sure it's a perfectly good place. In fact I've read about it in Motor Magazine(Or another trade magazine) and it was praised for being the specialists they are.
Originally Posted By: teambeechstreet
"Luscious Garage is woman-owned and operated." First sign to stay away lol!
I'm sorry, but not a snowball's chance I'd ever go there. That's like when I see "Female Owned" on a used car ad. I immediately move on. I'm not sure why this was ever considered to be a selling point. The first thing I think is "Neglected service and dents...lots and lots of dents...". There are exceptions, but I wouldn't risk it.
Are you trolling or just being a troll?
Women have an equal capacity to be smart, stupid, possess critical thinking skills, be abrasive and/or any one of a number skills/traits that the average man has the capacity for.
On the topic of the garage in question, (IMO) the silly name aside, I'm sure it's a perfectly good place. In fact I've read about it in Motor Magazine(Or another trade magazine) and it was praised for being the specialists they are.
The service went well today. You get to talk to the person working on your car, which in my case was the Carolyn who started the business.
The shop is clean and well-organized. They use all genuine parts and even stock the correct washers for drain plugs. All of the shop's operations and the building design itself were designed with sustainability in mind. I was able to talk to the mechanic while she was working on the car and it was clear that she knew these cars very, very well.
The cost of the transaxle drain and refill was $98 total. $60 for labor (1/2 hr), $32 for fluid ($8/qt), $2 for washers (one for drain and one for fill), and the rest was for taxes and disposal fees. Dealers around here charge $11/qt for ATF-WS, but I usually am able to get it for $8/qt. So, there was very little parts mark-up for my service.
There was however, a slight misunderstanding regarding the price that I was quoted for the service by e-mail. I was quoted $80, but that was actually the price for their taxi program. So to make up for that, they did my oil change for no charge-- I already had the oil and filter with me. Since I originally planned to spend the $80 + $20 (or so) for the oil change labor anyway, it worked out in the end and was not a big deal at all.
Overall, I would definitely return for future service. They are familiar with the cars, they do the job correctly, and do it efficiently.
The shop is clean and well-organized. They use all genuine parts and even stock the correct washers for drain plugs. All of the shop's operations and the building design itself were designed with sustainability in mind. I was able to talk to the mechanic while she was working on the car and it was clear that she knew these cars very, very well.
The cost of the transaxle drain and refill was $98 total. $60 for labor (1/2 hr), $32 for fluid ($8/qt), $2 for washers (one for drain and one for fill), and the rest was for taxes and disposal fees. Dealers around here charge $11/qt for ATF-WS, but I usually am able to get it for $8/qt. So, there was very little parts mark-up for my service.
There was however, a slight misunderstanding regarding the price that I was quoted for the service by e-mail. I was quoted $80, but that was actually the price for their taxi program. So to make up for that, they did my oil change for no charge-- I already had the oil and filter with me. Since I originally planned to spend the $80 + $20 (or so) for the oil change labor anyway, it worked out in the end and was not a big deal at all.
Overall, I would definitely return for future service. They are familiar with the cars, they do the job correctly, and do it efficiently.
Last edited:
How much does the dealer charge to change the transaxle fluid??
Sounds like it would be a simple rhino ramp job.....
Sounds like it would be a simple rhino ramp job.....
Originally Posted By: silverrat
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
How much does the dealer charge to change the transaxle fluid??
Sounds like it would be a simple rhino ramp job.....
I don't think this model has a dipstick so it's not as easy as you think it is.
I so hate that. It seems OEMs are ditching tranny dipsticks so you have to take it in to get it serviced.
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
How much does the dealer charge to change the transaxle fluid??
Sounds like it would be a simple rhino ramp job.....
I don't think this model has a dipstick so it's not as easy as you think it is.
I so hate that. It seems OEMs are ditching tranny dipsticks so you have to take it in to get it serviced.
I'd have no problem taking a car to a specialty shop for a knotty problem. My folks had to do that with their Subaru when the center differential went out. It was a pretty penny, and the car's been driving fine for years now.
Specialty shops have always existed. We might see a few more pop up, and be willing to tackle the basics on other cars to get started.
Specialty shops have always existed. We might see a few more pop up, and be willing to tackle the basics on other cars to get started.
Originally Posted By: css9450
Originally Posted By: The Critic
The service went well today. You get to talk to the person working on your car, which in my case was the Carolyn who started the business.
Any pics?
Her video is on the website that Critic posted when he started this thread.
Originally Posted By: The Critic
The service went well today. You get to talk to the person working on your car, which in my case was the Carolyn who started the business.
Any pics?
Her video is on the website that Critic posted when he started this thread.
Originally Posted By: css9450
Originally Posted By: The Critic
The service went well today. You get to talk to the person working on your car, which in my case was the Carolyn who started the business.
Any pics?
Originally Posted By: The Critic
The service went well today. You get to talk to the person working on your car, which in my case was the Carolyn who started the business.
Any pics?
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: css9450
Originally Posted By: The Critic
The service went well today. You get to talk to the person working on your car, which in my case was the Carolyn who started the business.
Any pics?
Her video is on the website that Critic posted when he started this thread.
Dang, she's 35-40 and owns her own shop. And she has pictures of the shop. And Mike's infiltrated the place. Go, go, BITOG!
Originally Posted By: css9450
Originally Posted By: The Critic
The service went well today. You get to talk to the person working on your car, which in my case was the Carolyn who started the business.
Any pics?
Her video is on the website that Critic posted when he started this thread.
Dang, she's 35-40 and owns her own shop. And she has pictures of the shop. And Mike's infiltrated the place. Go, go, BITOG!
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Most of the best make specialists come out of dealer shops of the same make.
A guy who paid his mortgage changing LIMs on GM V-6s is not the guy you want diagnosing what you can't figure out on your BMW, while the sharp BMW guy is probably not the best choice for the LIMs on your GM V-6.
Horses for courses.
I agree with that statement. I needed work on my Saturn. The local shop was just bought out by a 10 year master BMW tech. His prices were competitive, but when the ignition switch broke while doing other repairs, I was teaching him about the intricacies of a S-Series Saturn. Bottom line he was fair and provided some free labor and cut a good deal on some parts. I will use him again if needed.
Based on what the Critic described, the shop treated him fairly. It was a good experience. Their knowledge of the vehicle was reassuring which may be more critical (no pun intended) in your high tech horseless carriage.
Most of the best make specialists come out of dealer shops of the same make.
A guy who paid his mortgage changing LIMs on GM V-6s is not the guy you want diagnosing what you can't figure out on your BMW, while the sharp BMW guy is probably not the best choice for the LIMs on your GM V-6.
Horses for courses.
I agree with that statement. I needed work on my Saturn. The local shop was just bought out by a 10 year master BMW tech. His prices were competitive, but when the ignition switch broke while doing other repairs, I was teaching him about the intricacies of a S-Series Saturn. Bottom line he was fair and provided some free labor and cut a good deal on some parts. I will use him again if needed.
Based on what the Critic described, the shop treated him fairly. It was a good experience. Their knowledge of the vehicle was reassuring which may be more critical (no pun intended) in your high tech horseless carriage.
Originally Posted By: MONKEYMAN
Based on what the Critic described, the shop treated him fairly. It was a good experience. Their knowledge of the vehicle was reassuring which may be more critical (no pun intended) in your high tech horseless carriage.
Most independents [in my neck of the woods anyway] are Ok for changing the oil for the most part but anything else you are taking a chance..Just changing some hoses and flushing out the coolant is to much for most of them to handle..Most of them will use a universal fluid or whatever they have laying around..9 out of 10 times they can not diagnose your problem if you have one..That leaves only the stearlership or a place like the Critic went to.
Based on what the Critic described, the shop treated him fairly. It was a good experience. Their knowledge of the vehicle was reassuring which may be more critical (no pun intended) in your high tech horseless carriage.
Most independents [in my neck of the woods anyway] are Ok for changing the oil for the most part but anything else you are taking a chance..Just changing some hoses and flushing out the coolant is to much for most of them to handle..Most of them will use a universal fluid or whatever they have laying around..9 out of 10 times they can not diagnose your problem if you have one..That leaves only the stearlership or a place like the Critic went to.
- Status
