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Posted

I don't do some things at my shop at the moment like timing belts. I would like to offer this to my customers also but I will have to farm the job out to someone. I'm friends with a ASE master mechanic that I trust but I really don't know how to work a quote up for my customer to see if is even worth my time and if I can make any money off this job even though I'm the middle man. From my past experience I'm thinking the belt the water pump and the pulleys. But I'm not sure. The guy I know says it'll cost me $660 to do it all. What would this kind of job cost at your shops? It's a 2004 Acura TL 3.2. And how should I take a payment on this when I have to pay the guy I know. Thanks for your input.



Posted

Alldata for timing belt w/water pump service 5 Hours + 1 hour incidentals

Gates kit TCKWP329 ( WP+gskt, tensioner, rollers, belt) $205

Drive belt $22

Thermostat $19

Coolant 2 gals $26

 

Labor 6 x $110= $660.00

Parts $272 x 2= $544.00

Sell at $1204.00 +ss+tax=$$$

 

Nice professional job with quality parts.

  • Like 1
Posted

A timing belt is not that difficult. Why would you sub this out? And how would you handle warranty? Would the work be done at your shop with insurance or your buddy's driveway?

Posted

We shy away from timing belts and big engine jobs as well. We don't farm them out though - in my opinion that's a horrible idea lol - we avoid them for expensive failure possibilities. A volvo s80 came in this week with a broken belt - recently done at another shop. It's getting a motor on their dime. Some work just isn't as profitable or worth the possible cost down the road. This was 1 year into a 2 year warranty.

 

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Posted

We do them all: VW, Audi, Hyundai, KIa, etc. We always install complete T-belt kits and have shop foreman check before cranking. We might have had to do one redo and fix a head in the 16+ years I have been in the business.

Posted

I have just never gotten into doing timing belts since I've been in the business. It has been a time thing for me. I've always been told it takes a long time as you guys said like 5 plus hours of work. I'm a 1 man shop so I've stayed away from them. At this point I stay so busy right now with all my other work and I don't have any experience in doing them so I would just feel better dining it out. Are they really that easy just time consuming?

Posted

Would this job really sale for $1,200 ?? I'm thinking if it does I might just need to start doing them. What advice would you guys give me since this would be new to me? Like education, tricks and just what ever you can think of to help me feel more comfortable doing them. To me it's the uneasiness of the unknown.

Posted

Would this job really sale for $1,200 ?? I'm thinking if it does I might just need to start doing them. What advice would you guys give me since this would be new to me? Like education, tricks and just what ever you can think of to help me feel more comfortable doing them. To me it's the uneasiness of the unknown.

 

I have sold this job for $1,600+ with some amenities thrown in like pick up and drop off, and car wash and original (OEM) parts. And have just done the belt for $650.00. The difference being I have profiled my customer, in the first instance, they are a couple that live in a condo, dual income no kids., he is an engineer and she a nurse. In the later instance single mom, looking to keep the car for just another year, very tight budget.

 

The couple received priority and the single mom, had to wait until the rush people were taken care of.

 

1. Define the expectations 2. Inform your customers. 3. Under promise and over deliver.

 

Risks? Charging too little (under pricing) for work.

 

If you use quality parts, you minimize the risks of comebacks and having to re-do your work.

 

If you train well and completely understand your work, you can do it well, efficiently and with minimize the risk of comeback - re-doing the work.

  • Like 1
Posted

Timing belts are good money jobs if you have the staff and time to do them. Lately we've been so busy doing tires/brakes/gravy there's no way I would tie up a tech half a day on a timing belt. You really need to be firm about doing the job right. Example: VW 1.8 turbo 105k svc; you must replace the belt, tensioner, water pump, pulley, and a few bolts. If you let the customer convince you into doing just the belt or use cheap rock bottom parts you get to buy him a new engine in a few months if your unlucky number comes up. Put in cheap hydraulic tensioners and I'll bet you get to do it again.

 

I've condemned probably 50 dohc Subaru's in the last 5 years with blown motors with new timing belts on them from other shops. Broken cam pulleys, broken idlers, all caused by $299.99 t-belt jobs.

 

Back to the original post topic, risking your reputation on another shops work is risky. I sublet paint work only, everything else say transmission rebuilds I just send the customer to the tranny shop. I exclude myself from the profit and the warranty issues.

  • Like 3
Posted

Back to the original post topic, risking your reputation on another shops work is risky.

 

This is what is all about, one's reputation. The biggest obstacle in farming work out, is assuming the risk the contractor will do a quality job, because if any issues pop up, you will be the one answering to the customer.

 

Farming out could work, but sure enough it won't be easy money.

  • Like 1
Posted

Sell a job. Farm it out. Let the master tech buddy walk you through the whole thing.

Every timing belt job I've ever done was completely different than the one before and one after. Between access issues (2004-05 vw tdi's for instance), special tools for each job, tensioned side vs slack side etc - it's nearly impossible to show someone how to do it. Frustrating belt jobs I send to dealers - why? They do that exact job often, the tools are on the shelf and if it does come back, it's not as painful to them!

 

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         0 comments
      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
      One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.
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