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Great article.. I am that guy with my health, If I had followed up with my sinus issues I wouldn't of had to have such a big surgery to remove the tumor and most of my sinus on one side.. but even that has not pushed me enough to get my PM done.. It is funny that after what you went through I decided to get my annual PM done , well the funny part is it should of been done 2.5 years ago I have been putting it off, ahhh I feel okay etc.... so July 5th I have my annual PM visit.. I don't know why guys are so pig headed with this stuff we just are guess we need to change that.

Did you have a wrist band on that they scanned before giving you anything? When my wife was in hospital that is what they did. Everything even a new pillow they scanned her then a code in a book.. Amazing .. Well glad you are doing better Keep up the good work !

okay, okay lol, everyone has their own opinion like they say opinions are like assholes everyone has one.. LOL.. but that being said this is just like anything else in the world.. it is divided. There are democrats, republicans etc.. some like Trump some don't. Some people like a nice T-bone steak some like a nice salad, just because someones opinion is not the same as someone else's it doesn't mean you or they are wrong.. for anything ever to take place people need to work together. Debating things is usually how things get hashed out. Although hashing things out we need to understand someone else's opinion and listen to them with a level head so we can come to a bipartisan conclusion ..

I am with you completely on this, I know I have heard over and over when I bring this up about how they don't want the government controlling more of their lives "they already control enough" well sometimes their are reasons for this.. If there were no rules there would be total chaos, well sort of how it is in a lot of the automotive industry.. Just like you hear people saying they don't like that the government is watching them or has the ability to listen to their phone calls. Hey if you are not doing anything wrong why the hell do you care.. They can follow me listen to my conversations I don't care it would probably bore them LOL.. Then yes they are always worried about how it is going to be funded, well they are already dipping into the state inspections where I live.. they are electronic every one you do you pay 3 bucks to the state. Which we incorporated into the cost of the inspections. I mean do you really think that it would be enough to damage your business ? I don't not to mention a level playing field, getting rid of all the hack shops would only mean more customers for your shop so it is one of those things where does the pros out weight the cons. Well I think that it would in the long run

I need a Gonzo near me LOL.. actually Im not to sure it is a venture I want to take on anymore.. Too much change and not in the right direction.

It looks by the "likes" that the man himself has made a return to the forum , Welcome back Gonzo !

I don't see anything wrong with enticing a customers in with a "cheap oil change" but you are also using a full synthetic a good oil, and I am sure that you are not offering all your services at a cheap price as I think is more or less the topic of this discussion. Some shops are giving all services at a very low price, I don't know how they could even stay afloat . Also if you have the right techs or a dedicated guy for those oil changes I don't think there would be any problems, but some techs don't like to do the oil changes especially if they are on a commission pay base. You have to remember that a lot of people that go for the cheap oil change are there just for that. You may find work off the cars but may have a more difficult time selling it. But that being said as long as it is working for you keep it up. One other thing that will play a role in things is demographics .

yes this has been going on for a long time in my area, the problem around here is that the big name parts houses are catering to the public, they are giving them the same price as we get parts for. Then the next piece to the puzzle is the hack shops and shade tree mechanics on the street under cutting shops prices big time .. How do you compete? Well I am not to sure there is anything that can be done about this but as time goes on people will have to start looking for a place that can actually repair their car and not throw part after part at it . It is hard to deal with but I stand firm on my prices. I explain that my price may be a little higher, but you will have a warranty with the work and that the work will be done right the first time. So you pay for what you get. Cheap work isn't good , good work isn't cheap ! Until some sort of standards are set on who can actually work on cars etc. this type of thing will go on and on, but also you have to figure that the shop doing the cheap work is just looking for the quick turn around, thus the work is not going to be done properly. A/C recharge for 59 bucks, well may only be good for 59 minutes before needing another recharge and a 19.95 oil change how is that possible? Recycled oil? cheapest filter on the marked.. I think time will sort these shops out as people become fed up going back to them for things to be made right and the shops will get annoyed with the costumer complaining all the time and black list them so in the end it may take time, but I think will work it self out.

They just posted that he is out of the ICU and on the regular ward now a day early !

Yes Frank, I am sure it will be a good one... The man knows how to tell a good story... apparently today he is doing very well Joking and caring on.. I think when one can make light of a terrible situation they are in, shows a good spirit, a strong mind, and a will to live and make others smile. I think Gonzo 2.0 will have some good stories for us all !

Don't know if anyone has heard yet, but Gonzo's wife posted that he is out of surgery and in the icu.. The surgery was a little more involved than first thought but the outcome was outstanding.. He still has a breathing tube in but apparently is Good old Gonzo interacting and joking the best he can with his hands LOL.. So now it is just all best wishes for a speedy recovery ! He will be in the icu for two days then in the heart hospital for another 3-4 days

xrac, Some have the attitude you must take care of all the customers, but over the years I have found that this only leads to problems of all sorts.. A lot of the time it is best to let them go especially when they try to make their problems your problems.. I don't know about you but I have enough of my own problems I don't need someones else's . Besides, half the time you take more time arguing over price than the repair takes LOL !

Great read Gonzo ! In the article you mention about cost of repairs etc.. I had a customer yesterday come in for a simple mindless tire plug, we charge 16.00 cheapest around. They guy bitched about the price. I told him go across to the station across the street and see what they charge, I know for a fact they charge 23.00 . Then he went on to say how he fixes his own cars since everyone charges too much.. of course that makes my blood boil since we are not charging enough for repairs.. I told him I use to make good money, put money away, now I pay bills. The price of repair has not kept up with the advancements in the automobile. I told him there is no more replacing parts everything needs to be programmed or calibrated and to do so you need someone with the know how and the proper tools none of which is cheap. He then asked about his A/C , we are cheap here too I told him 140.00 to vacuum, charge, dye and check for leaks (his system was very low cycling fast) again I can just get a can of Freon and do it my self.. Go for it ! They are fast to bark at a price for their cars, but if it was their home a/c and they guy comes out stays 30 minutes charges 500.00 they don't blink an eye .. people just don't know about auto repair anymore . So I urged the guy to use other stations in the area for repair and when he was fed up with them come back and see me. Have a nice day oh and I didn't plug his tire in the end since he wanted it done for 10 bucks.

in my experience with shops bad mouthing others is that the shop doing the bad mouthing is in a bad way trying to get customers, the reason being that they are probably a worse shop than the one that they are bad mouthing

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very good ! The way I look at the labor hour is the same I look at this whole funny business we are in.. You have good customers, bad customers, good week/months, bad weeks/months , sometimes you kill the labor guide sometimes it kills you .. ( I always mention there may be a diagnostic charge when giving an estimate over the phone ) . That being said, it seems to be the same as the game of life, there are the ups and downs, but hopefully in the end it all balances out.

Kenk, economical? is that even a thing anymore? or just a word used to describe higher gas mileages ? As Gonzo said in the article mechanics will be using scopes, scanner, DVOMs etc.. to diagnose a car. That has something that has already started. I would much prefer hooking up a scanner and doing diagnostic work than doing a brake job or some gravy work like that. I think that as telematics evolves it is going to help the industry, it will start to weed out the shops and hacks out there. I give support weather advice or taking on the cars for a few shops in the area, I find it easy to just get them to bring me the car since once you start to tell them how to check things you might as well be talking to the car itself . I think true mechanics are far and in between now a days and it is just going to become more and more apparent as technology takes hold. My hat is off to all the good ones out there, the problem is going to be how do you entice the younger generation to get involved and learn this trade when it is so smeared by the public and pay isn't that great for what we do? Heck grade school teachers are passing the mechanics pay scale now. It is an industry I have been a part of for many years and seen thrive, peak, and go down hill, ever changing in so many different ways and levels.

Where I work now when I first started 26 years ago we use to have a second shift come in from 5-10 pm . We slowly got rid of it since the night guys would pick and choose what they wanted and leave the rest for the day shift. It got to the point where they were setting up all the Gravy "easy" work for the nights and the daytime guys had all the difficult stuff. On another note we use to stock almost everything you needed of course back then cars were much simpler, as the years went by and parts houses became more abundant and delivery times came way down we got rid of all the stock. Also with the change in business it was better to get rid of all the overhead. That being said is it cost effective to have a second shift? Will it end up costing more keeping parts in house? Will it be a gain or a drain on the wallet? Lots of factors need to be looked at and analyzed before implementing such a plan just my $.02

Just out of curiosity how does one find out these laws for their state? I am in Maryland and don't think there are any real laws in place for an auto mechanic

Ahhh yes, but now a days it just isn't uncle bob or the other shop, we have the parts stores that read the codes " free diagnostics " ( far from diagnostics ) and the receipt from the failed emission tests. I get it all the time someone walks in with a register receipt with a code read out and a list of parts or the failed emissions report with the codes printed on it. " Have you seen this before, Do you know what this is? , Can you fix this? " My first response to them is in the form of a question " how much money do you have in your bank account " LOL. There may never be a correct answer to the question, or could it be Yes I will have seen it once I am done making the repair on your car. LOL Technology does change at a fast pace, tests done 20 years ago are no longer needed just like the good old armature growler and hacksaw blade! another good story we can all relate to Gonzo. Just like the old TV cars still do the same basic function get from A to B just a whole lot more complicated, TV the old ones let you watch movies or what ever your heart desires, the new ones do the same just a whole lot more complicated and simplistic for the user IE remote controls no more getting up to change channels or adjust the antenna. so all in all it is all relative the same beast just more complicated for the person who has to fix it.

I wish that was the case here.. It seems that in the automotive industry here there are far more "self proclaimed mechanics" which really hurt the good ones.. Also shops don't seem to care who they hire if you are able to utter the words I am a mechanic, you are hired.. sad state of affairs . Until regulation and laws are put into place here nothing is going to change. Yes you need a license to cut hair or do any other job, but mechanic the license is a simple phrase " I am a mechanic " .

I like this one.. Think it leans more towards auto repair , where the others seem more generic . This one with the wrench, piston, and clutch steel lets you know it is auto repair even if you can't read English. That would be my pick

another great story! Its funny you mention that form of shopping doesn't work at the gas pump. LOL since I work at a gas station I always get " I buy my gas there " , when it comes to these kinds of people I am always kinda of a hard ass ( I do it in a serious but joking way ) . I respond with well when you buy a load of groceries do you leave a gallon of milk in your cart and when they ask to ring it up say " well I always buy all my groceries here " no you pay for it.. If I get the call and they say well when you have it in the bay can you look at this too, then I let them know there will be a check out charge and if they complain I ask them if they are at work, usually they are and they reply yes. I then ask if they don't mind working the next hour for free since that is what you are asking me to do. They either give in or say they will bring it back . Educating the customer may be hard till we can have laws in place to weed out the " I am a Mechanic " mechanics, and actually have a majority of educated qualified mechanics out there! The saying use to be it takes two to raise a child ( like old cars it took an engine and a trans to make them move ) Now they say it takes a village to raise a child, just like cars it takes and engine , trans, and a ton of different computers and modules all working together to make the car move !

LOL, so true !! That leads to thoughts of your next story..... " I have terrible news " or " Let it go " Delivering the news that the car is not worth fixing or is dead. You always get the ones that don't want to let them go and ask " isn't there something you can do " ? Tears may even be shed, they finally agree and take the remains of what was a car at one point , in which we both know is about 3 years past the junkyard. Then a few days even a week later you get the call " what was the estimate to fix my car again? Then whole ordeal starts over again over the phone. Usually this time you can be compassionate again and tell them it doesn't matter the cost at this point you are not going to do the work since it is not worth it.. A few days or weeks pass that costumer comes in happy as can be with a new car and says , you won't be seeing much of me for a while I got a new car, and is very eager to show their new pride and joy. Little do they know "oh I will be seeing you , I have never met a car yet I didn't have to wrench on LOL "

I joined ASO about a year and a half ago , the main reason was I was very frustrated with a lot of aspects of this field. I was contemplating opening a shop, so I joined to get an idea and advice on that side of the business. I have worked at the same shop for 26 years and found it frustrating that there was a huge lack of good shops/mechanics out there. I found ASO to be a great place to vent frustrations and in doing so found that I am by far not alone in the way I feel. In the short time I have been a member I have come across a great array of great people who are willing to share all aspects of the career . ASO in my opinion is a great forum where you can learn a great deal about all aspects of this field and get the answers to all questions to make a life decision a little easier. It is also a great place to meet some of the top notch mechanics and shop owners and business people out there. It should be a first stop for anyone wanting to have a career in this field weather as a shop owner or as a mechanic. It is a great place to learn and have fun !! There are a lot of great members on here to steer you in the right direction, or at very least to let you know that you are not alone .