MECHANICS: Is this a good price?

[Eye of the Tiger]

I believe I left the car with 1/8 tank of gas. It usually takes 20-30 miles for it to get to E (even though there are usually still 2 gallons left in the tank). I wish I would have recorded the miles before I left, but I'm thinking 20-30 miles.

gas gauges are horrible for gauging how much gas was actually used

[the Teuton]

gas gauges are horrible for gauging how much gas was actually used

It has 628 on the trip odometer. I know I left it with right around 600ish because I left work with it at 580 the other day, and it takes about 20 miles to get home. Still, water under the bridge. I only put $7 of gas in it last week.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Your exhaust is swiss cheez. It will soon be time for a Flowmasta.

[r0tor]

lolz at the durability of welding metal to rust...

[Eye of the Tiger]

lolz at the durability of welding metal to rust...

they should have made it from plastic. never rusts, and continually renews and remolds itself using exhaust heat to melt it

[the Teuton]

lolz at the durability of welding metal to rust...

It's gonna last 'til New York and back or I will just take some tin snips to it.

[Eye of the Tiger]

It's gonna last 'til New York and back or I will just take some tin snips to it.

Keep some wire clothes hangers and dykes in your car.

[Onslaught]

Keep some wire clothes hangers and dykes in your car.

What is Ellen DeGeneres going to do? Jack up the car?

[the Teuton]

What is Ellen DeGeneres going to do? Jack up the car?

Rosie might.

I have a 2-ton jack and jackstands in the trunk.

[Onslaught]

Rosie might.

I have a 2-ton jack and jackstands in the trunk.

She'd eat the car with you in it.

[the Teuton]

She'd eat the car with you in it.

You trying to give me nightmares?

[The Pirate]

Keep some wire clothes hangers and dykes in your car.

This is excellent advice.  Ever since the exhaust drop/raccoon termination saga with the Civic, I keep several coat hangers and appropriate tools in the car.

[Eye of the Tiger]

This is excellent advice.  Ever since the exhaust drop/raccoon termination saga with the Civic, I keep several coat hangers and appropriate tools in the car.

I always keep my Gerber multi tool in my glovebox. If that can't fix it, it ain't worth fixin!

[Minpin]

I always keep my Gerber multi tool duct tape in my glovebox. If that can't fix it, it ain't worth fixin!

Fixed.

[Rupert]

Duct tape and wire.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Fixed.

Duh, but it dont fit in da glovbawcks lesss I take it off tha roll.

[Minpin]

Duh, but it dont fit in da glovbawcks lesss I take it off tha roll.

I thought you had uberkooler glovebox?

[Eye of the Tiger]

I thought you had uberkooler glovebox?

I NO HAS CALIPER

The last time I had an exhaust fall off, I think I used some scrap 16 ga lectric wire... I cant member. Anyway, most cars are just full of wire, snd you don't really need them all.

[Byteme]

So pretend my car was a little newer and had 5 lugs instead of 4. This is basically what happened with my car -- the flange rusted apart from the pipe. The car has been driven about 300 miles since it happened, and the pipe has been beaten to shit on the part where it's rubbing the ground. I am working with an independent mechanic right now to get it fixed, so it should be done tomorrow night at the earliest. He is cutting off the rusted flange, the beaten-to-hell part of the pipe, and welding a new piece of pipe in its place. The quote I got was $80 for everything.

Good price? I know it's still under $100, but the other day, some of you were quoting $50-60 for such things, so I thought I would ask if this all seems fair.

So the mechanic is removing the flange from the cat converter and welding a piece of pipe onto the old pipe behind the cat and onto the cat.  IIRC, the cat is stainless and not the easiest to weld. Overall $80 doesn't seem excessive considering the clock really starts from the moment someone gets in the car to put it on the lift and ends when the car is back in the customer lot.

[the Teuton]

So the mechanic is removing the flange from the cat converter and welding a piece of pipe onto the old pipe behind the cat and onto the cat.  IIRC, the cat is stainless and not the easiest to weld. Overall $80 doesn't seem excessive considering the clock really starts from the moment someone gets in the car to put it on the lift and ends when the car is back in the customer lot.

The car is eerily quiet right now. Trust me, it was worth it.

[AutobahnSHO]

I need to get mine fixed.
Last winter when it got cold a heatshield musta come lose- it rattles like crazy.

I cut what I thought the offender was off, but it must have been more than one, or a new one rattling.. 

[JWC]

So the mechanic is removing the flange from the cat converter and welding a piece of pipe onto the old pipe behind the cat and onto the cat.  IIRC, the cat is stainless and not the easiest to weld. Overall $80 doesn't seem excessive considering the clock really starts from the moment someone gets in the car to put it on the lift and ends when the car is back in the customer lot.

Plus, wear and tear on the welder and other tools.  I have to add that in to my expenses for cameras, strobes, and computers.  Many people forget that is a major expense and only think about the time involved.

I had a customer accuse me (shop really) of driving his car 600 miles while we had it.  I told him we didn't drive it but 10-15 miles to road check it, but he insisted I pay for his missing gas.  It finally went to the parts service director's office for resolution.  Let's say I was very embarrassed.  I should have realized that we only had the car for three or four hours....six hundred miles was pretty much impossible to do in that time frame taking into account the repair time too.

[Eye of the Tiger]

It takes like ten seconds to weld a piece of straight pipe in, even on stainless. If it takes longer than that, then the mechanic is not a skilled welder, and therefore, should not be charging a full hourly rate.

[JWC]

It takes like ten seconds to weld a piece of straight pipe in, even on stainless. If it takes longer than that, then the mechanic is not a skilled welder, and therefore, should not be charging a full hourly rate.

So, the best way to bring money into your shop is to hire someone with no experience and charge you for that time. 

Then, there is business insurance, health insurance, building rent, shop equipment, business licenses.....

[Eye of the Tiger]

So, the best way to bring money into your shop is to hire someone with no experience and charge you for that time. 

Then, there is business insurance, health insurance, building rent, shop equipment, business licenses.....

You're talking about the best way to roll in the dough for a shop for whatever reason; I'm talking about getting the best deal as a customer, because Teuton is a customer.

[JWC]

I guess there's nothing wrong in getting a deal, unless every one gets one and the place goes out of business. 

[Eye of the Tiger]

I guess there's nothing wrong in getting a deal, unless every one gets one and the place goes out of business. 

I don't get it; tell me again why anyone should pay $80 for something that is worth $40. Oh, because it's impossible to stay in business by specializing in one skill and undercutting the big, puffed-up ASE certified do-it-all we got a million dollars worth of tools and fifty employees shop. Yeah, because I didn't go to the same hole-in-the-wall two-guy exhaust shop to have work done on at least six different vehicles over a period of five years because they were damn good at what they did and didn't charge an arm and a leg. The guys weren't rich, but they were damn respectable, and were always busy.

[Onslaught]

I don't get it; tell me again why anyone should pay $80 for something that is worth $40.

That's an easy one. Because unless you can do it yourself then we'll charge whatever we want to. Don't like it? Figure out how to do it then.

[S204STi]

Pretty much.

[Onslaught]

Pretty much.

Yep. And then go buy all the shit we had to so you can do the job. Have fun with that one.