MECHANICS: Is this a good price?

Started by the Teuton, February 13, 2010, 07:56:33 PM

Eye of the Tiger

Quote from: the Teuton on February 16, 2010, 10:39:52 AM
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
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

the Teuton

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on February 16, 2010, 10:40:57 AM
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.
2. 1995 Saturn SL2 5-speed, 126,500 miles. 5,000 miles in two and a half months. That works out to 24,000 miles per year if I can keep up the pace.

Quote from: CJ on April 06, 2010, 10:48:54 PM
I don't care about all that shit.  I'll be going to college to get an education at a cost to my parents.  I'm not going to fool around.
Quote from: MrH on January 14, 2011, 01:13:53 PM
She'll hate diesel passenger cars, all things Ford, and fiat currency.  They will masturbate to old interviews of Ayn Rand an youtube together.
You can take the troll out of the Subaru, but you can't take the Subaru out of the troll!

Eye of the Tiger

Your exhaust is swiss cheez. It will soon be time for a Flowmasta. :devil:
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

r0tor

lolz at the durability of welding metal to rust...
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee No Speed -- 2004 Mazda RX8 6 speed -- 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia All Speed

Eye of the Tiger

Quote from: r0tor on February 16, 2010, 10:52:36 AM
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
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

the Teuton

Quote from: r0tor on February 16, 2010, 10:52:36 AM
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.
2. 1995 Saturn SL2 5-speed, 126,500 miles. 5,000 miles in two and a half months. That works out to 24,000 miles per year if I can keep up the pace.

Quote from: CJ on April 06, 2010, 10:48:54 PM
I don't care about all that shit.  I'll be going to college to get an education at a cost to my parents.  I'm not going to fool around.
Quote from: MrH on January 14, 2011, 01:13:53 PM
She'll hate diesel passenger cars, all things Ford, and fiat currency.  They will masturbate to old interviews of Ayn Rand an youtube together.
You can take the troll out of the Subaru, but you can't take the Subaru out of the troll!

Eye of the Tiger

Quote from: the Teuton on February 16, 2010, 01:05:04 PM
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.
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

Onslaught

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on February 16, 2010, 01:12:22 PM
Keep some wire clothes hangers and dykes in your car.
What is Ellen DeGeneres going to do? Jack up the car?

the Teuton

Quote from: Onslaught on February 16, 2010, 01:30:47 PM
What is Ellen DeGeneres going to do? Jack up the car?

Rosie might. :lol:

I have a 2-ton jack and jackstands in the trunk.
2. 1995 Saturn SL2 5-speed, 126,500 miles. 5,000 miles in two and a half months. That works out to 24,000 miles per year if I can keep up the pace.

Quote from: CJ on April 06, 2010, 10:48:54 PM
I don't care about all that shit.  I'll be going to college to get an education at a cost to my parents.  I'm not going to fool around.
Quote from: MrH on January 14, 2011, 01:13:53 PM
She'll hate diesel passenger cars, all things Ford, and fiat currency.  They will masturbate to old interviews of Ayn Rand an youtube together.
You can take the troll out of the Subaru, but you can't take the Subaru out of the troll!

Onslaught

Quote from: the Teuton on February 16, 2010, 01:33:42 PM
Rosie might. :lol:

I have a 2-ton jack and jackstands in the trunk.
She'd eat the car with you in it.

the Teuton

2. 1995 Saturn SL2 5-speed, 126,500 miles. 5,000 miles in two and a half months. That works out to 24,000 miles per year if I can keep up the pace.

Quote from: CJ on April 06, 2010, 10:48:54 PM
I don't care about all that shit.  I'll be going to college to get an education at a cost to my parents.  I'm not going to fool around.
Quote from: MrH on January 14, 2011, 01:13:53 PM
She'll hate diesel passenger cars, all things Ford, and fiat currency.  They will masturbate to old interviews of Ayn Rand an youtube together.
You can take the troll out of the Subaru, but you can't take the Subaru out of the troll!

The Pirate

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on February 16, 2010, 01:12:22 PM
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.
1989 Audi 80 quattro, 2001 Mazda Protege ES

Secretary of the "I Survived the Volvo S80 thread" Club

Quote from: omicron on July 10, 2007, 10:58:12 PM
After you wake up with the sun at 6am on someone's floor, coughing up cigarette butts and tasting like warm beer, you may well change your opinion on this matter.

Eye of the Tiger

Quote from: The Pirate on February 16, 2010, 11:04:30 PM
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!
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

Minpin

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on February 16, 2010, 11:09:44 PM
I always keep my Gerber multi tool duct tape in my glovebox. If that can't fix it, it ain't worth fixin!

Fixed.
?Do you expect me to talk?"
"No, Mr Bond. I expect you to die!?

Rupert

Novarolla-Miata-Trooper-Jeep-Volvo-Trooper-Ranger-MGB-Explorer-944-Fiat-Alfa-XTerra

13 cars, 60 cylinders, 52 manual forward gears and 9 automatic, 2 FWD, 42 doors, 1988 average year of manufacture, 3 convertibles, 22 average mpg, and no wheel covers.
PRO TENACIA NULLA VIA EST INVIA

Eye of the Tiger

Quote from: Minpin on February 16, 2010, 11:10:20 PM
Fixed.

Duh, but it dont fit in da glovbawcks lesss I take it off tha roll.
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

Minpin

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on February 16, 2010, 11:11:41 PM
Duh, but it dont fit in da glovbawcks lesss I take it off tha roll.

I thought you had uberkooler glovebox?
?Do you expect me to talk?"
"No, Mr Bond. I expect you to die!?

Eye of the Tiger

Quote from: Minpin on February 16, 2010, 11:13:05 PM
I thought you had uberkooler glovebox?

I NO HAS CALIPER :heated:

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.
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

Byteme

Quote from: the Teuton on February 13, 2010, 07:56:33 PM

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

Quote from: EtypeJohn on February 17, 2010, 12:06:54 PM
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.
2. 1995 Saturn SL2 5-speed, 126,500 miles. 5,000 miles in two and a half months. That works out to 24,000 miles per year if I can keep up the pace.

Quote from: CJ on April 06, 2010, 10:48:54 PM
I don't care about all that shit.  I'll be going to college to get an education at a cost to my parents.  I'm not going to fool around.
Quote from: MrH on January 14, 2011, 01:13:53 PM
She'll hate diesel passenger cars, all things Ford, and fiat currency.  They will masturbate to old interviews of Ayn Rand an youtube together.
You can take the troll out of the Subaru, but you can't take the Subaru out of the troll!

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.. 
Will

JWC

Quote from: EtypeJohn on February 17, 2010, 12:06:54 PM
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.
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

JWC

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on February 17, 2010, 07:51:44 PM
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

Quote from: JWC on February 17, 2010, 07:57:28 PM
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.
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

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

Quote from: JWC on February 17, 2010, 09:24:21 PM
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.
2024 Mitsubishi Mirage ES

Onslaught

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on February 17, 2010, 10:00:12 PM
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.


Onslaught

Quote from: R-inge on February 18, 2010, 07:40:19 AM
Pretty much.
Yep. And then go buy all the shit we had to so you can do the job. Have fun with that one.