Why don't auto manufactures pay a supplement to "job hours" for vehicles in rust belt states?

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Why don't auto manufacturers pay a supplement to book hours to mechanics working on vehicles in rust belt states?

I have never understood how an auto manufacture "book hours" for repairs is the same across the USA. An example, replacing a fuel pump on a 2000 Chevy Blazer that lived its life in El Paso, TX, is likely two hours (or more) less labor than replacing the fuel pump on the same vehicle that lived its life in Milwaukee, WI.

The Milwaukee, WI Blazer will have gas tank straps that won't come off, the fuel pump ring will be frozen in place, etc. The same Blazer in El Paso will have none of these issues.

How can the book hours for the repair be the same? The time needed to perform the repair will be significantly different.
 
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Why don't auto manufacturers pay a supplement to book hours to mechanics working on vehicles in rust belt states?

I have never understood how an auto manufacture "book hours" for repairs is the same across the USA. An example, replacing a fuel pump on a 2000 Chevy Blazer that lived its life in El Paso, TX, is likely two hours (or more) less labor than replacing the fuel pump on the same vehicle that lived its life in Milwaukee, WI.

The Milwaukee, WI Blazer will have gas tank straps that won't come off, the fuel pump ring will be frozen in place, etc. The same Blazer in El Paso will have none of these issues.

How can the book hours for the repair be the same? The time needed to perform the repair will be significantly different.

They are not in the paying business, they are in the getting paid business

We got 2.5 hours to change the clutch on an AWD manual Hyundai Tucson. Including diagnostics and test drive afterwards.
 
Auto manufacturers would only be paying labor for warranty claims on new vehicles, and anything under warranty shouldn't be rusty enough to slow a repair down.

Maybe not in Phoenix, but I've had sonatas where the rear lower control arms were seized solid on a vehicle that was still in the showroom. In fact we didn't have a single one where the bolts came out, I guess that was the reason for the recall, those bolts also served to set the tracking.
 
By making Work Time Estimates

Those Blazers could have lived two different lives. What if the one in Milwaukee was a well-maintained garage queen with low miles, but the one in El Paso was pushing 300k miles as a daily driver for a rancher?

The formula that I learned for Work Time Estimates from one of my college courses is the average of: 1 best case scenario, 4 "typical" scenarios, and 1 worse-case scenario

If you have to replace the fuel pump on 6 Blazers, the best-case takes 30 minutes, four "typical" jobs take 60 minutes, and the one worse-case is 90 minutes, the Work Time Estimate would be 1 hour. Everyone gets billed 1 hour to replace that part
 
Most customers have no idea of "book hours". A shop is going to quote a total repair cost based on experience and condition of the car and just use the book hours as a guide. If a rustbelt shop reads the time listed as 2 hours, but the car is a rust bucket, they will just quote based on 4 hours.
The implied center of gravity of this thread is why a mechanic in let's say Milwaukee, WI receives no more "book" compensation for the same job being performed in El Paso, TX. Very likely repairs for a job in Milwaukee will take more time than the same job in El Paso.

What a customer pays for a job was not the intent of this thread.
 
By making Work Time Estimates

Those Blazers could have lived two different lives. What if the one in Milwaukee was a well-maintained garage queen with low miles, but the one in El Paso was pushing 300k miles as a daily driver for a rancher?

The formula that I learned for Work Time Estimates from one of my college courses is the average of: 1 best case scenario, 4 "typical" scenarios, and 1 worse-case scenario

So, if a factory fresh part replacement takes 30 minutes, "typical" is 60 minutes, and worse-case is 90 minutes, the Work Time Estimate would be 1 hour. Everyone gets billed 1 hour to replace that part
On a "MICRO" level, a job could take less labor in Milwaukee than in El Paso. On a "MACRO" basis, no possible way.
 
Most customers have no idea of "book hours". A shop is going to quote a total repair cost based on experience and condition of the car and just use the book hours as a guide. If a rustbelt shop reads the time listed as 2 hours, but the car is a rust bucket, they will just quote based on 4 hours.

Yes but can't do that for warranty work
 
Maybe because they have zero responsibility for municipalities/governments putting salt on the roads and ruining vehicles? The shop should bill Milwaukee the additional hours.

And the owner chose to drive through it, and the dealer chose to sell a vehicle that will be exposed to salt. You can keep going round in circles. dealership pays if it's warranty work, owner pays after warranty. or if the mechs are paid flat rate, they pay.
 
Why don't auto manufacturers pay a supplement to book hours to mechanics working on vehicles in rust belt states?

I have never understood how an auto manufacture "book hours" for repairs is the same across the USA. An example, replacing a fuel pump on a 2000 Chevy Blazer that lived its life in El Paso, TX, is likely two hours (or more) less labor than replacing the fuel pump on the same vehicle that lived its life in Milwaukee, WI.

The Milwaukee, WI Blazer will have gas tank straps that won't come off, the fuel pump ring will be frozen in place, etc. The same Blazer in El Paso will have none of these issues.

How can the book hours for the repair be the same? The time needed to perform the repair will be significantly different.
It's the responsibility of the shop not the automaker to adjust hours based on their own market area.
 
How does book time pay vs what the dealer is actually paying mechanics? Anyone know? Would a dealer put experienced mechs on warranty to make time but at higher $/hr pay or newer mechs who might take longer at lower $/hr, or not worry about it?
 
The implied center of gravity of this thread is why a mechanic in let's say Milwaukee, WI receives no more "book" compensation for the same job being performed in El Paso, TX. Very likely repairs for a job in Milwaukee will take more time than the same job in El Paso.

What a customer pays for a job was not the intent of this thread.
Ok but I would assume, at least in a small shop or where the owner(s) are the mechanics, they will pay themselves or the mechanics more for difficult rusty jobs which in turn will be paid by the customer.
 
On a "MICRO" level, a job could take less labor in Milwaukee than in El Paso. On a "MACRO" basis, no possible way.
Macro is the law of averages and the whole point of the book of hours. If a job goes far beyond billed hours, a shop could bill for exigent circumstances
 
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