Supporting local shops..... hmmmm....

[Stpman]

I also try to shop privately owned stores and restaurants versus the big box stores. These local business owners are my neighbors and as long as they are good at what they do they will get my dollars.

I started learning about my cars out of necessity. I was an underemployed 17 year old teenager with a 69 Plymouth Satellite convertible that my father purchased from a secretary where he worked, the car was otherwise headed for the junk yard due to a front end accident (the front tires were bald). One of the first things I did was buy a metal tool box and some Craftsman tools (After I got some shocks and tires). The tool box was always in the trunk of the car if needed.... I too could not afford a mechanic and soon learned to distrust many of the local repair shops. I became familiar with Chilton's manuals and Hayne's manuals and soon had a close working relationship with my car.

I guess once you skin your greasy grimy knuckles and get all of that dirt and petroleum product(s) in your bloodstream you get infected with the I CAN FIX IT or MAKE IT BETTER fever. For many of us the fever never goes away.

Sounds like the same thing I went through only mine was a 69 Buick LeSabre that my mom drove till Dad bought her a newer Buick

 

[MYBAD79]

I know there are plenty of businesses out there that do quality work. Too bad there are many that are shady.... Just one example: last week a co-worker told me he lost power steering about 1/4 mile from a chain brand shop here in Orlando... the serpentine belt broke.... ok, he pulls into that shop's parking lot and asks them to "have a look"....
long story short: they replaced a serpentine belt for $90 .... now, the belt is under $20.... does it really cost $70 in labor to put a belt on a cr ?? ok, let's say $60 in labor considering $10 of the bill was tax.....

 

[big_G]

I know there are plenty of businesses out there that do quality work. Too bad there are many that are shady.... Just one example: last week a co-worker told me he lost power steering about 1/4 mile from a chain brand shop here in Orlando... the serpentine belt broke.... ok, he pulls into that shop's parking lot and asks them to "have a look"....
long story short: they replaced a serpentine belt for $90 .... now, the belt is under $20.... does it really cost $70 in labor to put a belt on a cr ?? ok, let's say $60 in labor considering $10 of the bill was tax.....

Sounds like a half hour labor charge and a decent mark-up on the belt. Playing "devils advocate" here...if you were the owner of the shop..what do you think a fair charge would be?

 

[MYBAD79]

Sounds like a half hour labor charge and a decent mark-up on the belt. Playing "devils advocate" here...if you were the owner of the shop..what do you think a fair charge would be?

if I owned that shop?? Charge whatever the belt costs plus mark-up, maybe $40 total.... how much "labor" is it ?? 3 minutes to find the socket and ratchet and another 2 minutes to pull the tensioner back and throw the belt on there ..... $40.... knowing that this new customer recommends my shop to others instead of bitching how he got ripped off.... heck, even AutoZone would have put that belt on at no charge....

I know it's an extreme example but unfortunately it's how things are here in central FL....

 

[turtlevette]

Sounds like a half hour labor charge and a decent mark-up on the belt. Playing "devils advocate" here...if you were the owner of the shop..what do you think a fair charge would be?

if I owned that shop?? Charge whatever the belt costs plus mark-up, maybe $40 total.... how much "labor" is it ?? 3 minutes to find the socket and ratchet and another 2 minutes to pull the tensioner back and throw the belt on there ..... $40.... knowing that this new customer recommends my shop to others instead of bitching how he got ripped off.... heck, even AutoZone would have put that belt on at no charge....

I know it's an extreme example but unfortunately it's how things are here in central FL....

The problem with the trades around here is the arrogance and strong union mentality. They truely feel that they deserve to make as much money as a doctor, lawyer, engineer etc, someone who's busted their ass doing 4-8 years of college plus professional registration. This is what ruined GM. They'll size you up when you come in and milk you for as much as they'll think you'll bear. Then the "i have a friend i'll send you to who'll give you a deal" really means they're sending their friend a sucker.

I need to bring the stang into Ford to fix a leak under warranty and i dread doing it. You have to hope and pray they don't frig up more than they fix.

 

[MYBAD79]

I need to bring the stang into Ford to fix a leak under warranty and i dread doing it. You have to hope and pray they don't frig up more than they fix.

like that day I took my C6 in to get a new steering rack, covered under warranty .... got a new rack but when I left their shop my steering wheel was at 30 degrees to the right when going straight.... wtf ??? they seriously told me that on their work order it only said to replace the rack, alignment was not included... :shocking: wtf ??? ... how can you replace a steering rack without alignment ?? even if you did, wouldn't you notice this crap on your test drive ???
well, they aligned it and got it right but why not do it right the first time ??

 

[1Michel]

I think we must not confuse dealer (strealers) with local shops.
There is a lot of great little shops locally and they are used by many.
Like Big G said, as business they have to make a profit to survive.

But 90 bucks for a belt change that cost 20 bucks and took 20 min is high and this shop lost a customer who might come back for much more work later.

Bad marketing strategy.

 

[DeeVeeEight]

I know there are plenty of businesses out there that do quality work. Too bad there are many that are shady.... Just one example: last week a co-worker told me he lost power steering about 1/4 mile from a chain brand shop here in Orlando... the serpentine belt broke.... ok, he pulls into that shop's parking lot and asks them to "have a look"....
long story short: they replaced a serpentine belt for $90 .... now, the belt is under $20.... does it really cost $70 in labor to put a belt on a cr ?? ok, let's say $60 in labor considering $10 of the bill was tax.....

Sounds like a half hour labor charge and a decent mark-up on the belt. Playing "devils advocate" here...if you were the owner of the shop..what do you think a fair charge would be?

I agree. I am self employed and charge $85 hr. for the work I do. I usually take little or no mark up on materials except to cover my expenses or time for getting them. I work out of my house and have very low overhead. If I had a commercial location and employees the $85 hr. labor rate would not be enough to make a profit. I have tried it and it does not work. I have to stay as a small business to stay competitive.

if I owned that shop?? Charge whatever the belt costs plus mark-up, maybe $40 total.... how much "labor" is it ?? 3 minutes to find the socket and ratchet and another 2 minutes to pull the tensioner back and throw the belt on there ..... $40.... knowing that this new customer recommends my shop to others instead of bitching how he got ripped off.... heck, even AutoZone would have put that belt on at no charge....

I know it's an extreme example but unfortunately it's how things are here in central FL....

So how long can you keep your doors open if you don't charge a small fee for your service? There are many times when I do CHARITY work but I can not do it too often or I'll starve. It's the main reason I can't work for dot-heads. They will let you work for charity all day and then bitch about the job when it's done, but I digress....
If I take my car to the shop I do not question the labor charges but in exchange I expect a highly satisfactory result. It is the same level of service and respect I offer my clients, why should I expect any more or less from any one else?

 

[mrvette]

I need to bring the stang into Ford to fix a leak under warranty and i dread doing it. You have to hope and pray they don't frig up more than they fix.

like that day I took my C6 in to get a new steering rack, covered under warranty .... got a new rack but when I left their shop my steering wheel was at 30 degrees to the right when going straight.... wtf ??? they seriously told me that on their work order it only said to replace the rack, alignment was not included... :shocking: wtf ??? ... how can you replace a steering rack without alignment ?? even if you did, wouldn't you notice this crap on your test drive ???
well, they aligned it and got it right but why not do it right the first time ??

??YGTBFKM.....:surrender::cussing:

 

[MYBAD79]

So how long can you keep your doors open if you don't charge a small fee for your service? There are many times when I do CHARITY work but I can not do it too often or I'll starve.

Small fee is ok but not like in this case $70 for 10 minutes work, heck, the car didn't even have to go on a lift or even inside the garage for that matter.... no business can afford having ex-customers badmouthing the business, once the reputation is ruined it's done... some Charity work can boost your business because those customers keep recommending your shop to others, word of mouth is very powerful. Look at Angie's list for example, a website where you can see reviews on local businesses.....

 

[BBShark]

So how long can you keep your doors open if you don't charge a small fee for your service? There are many times when I do CHARITY work but I can not do it too often or I'll starve.

Small fee is ok but not like in this case $70 for 10 minutes work, heck, the car didn't even have to go on a lift or even inside the garage for that matter.... no business can afford having ex-customers badmouthing the business, once the reputation is ruined it's done... some Charity work can boost your business because those customers keep recommending your shop to others, word of mouth is very powerful. Look at Angie's list for example, a website where you can see reviews on local businesses.....

You got that right. 20 years ago I was driving my C4 on the expressway when I cut a tire. These were the OEM Goodyear Gatorbacks. I put this little space saver spare on and took the next exit. I found a Goodyear store, dropped the car off, killed some time and went back about 4 hours later to pick up my car. The bill was almost $400.00! You could buy Gatorbacks for $140 at the independant stores but since I had no choice, they boned me. In addition, I asked if the old tire was repairable and they said no (but couldn't find the tire to show me).

So, it's been years since I saw a Goodyear tire store. I suppose there are some left but they are mostly doing mechanical repar work these days.

Moral to the story: In the long run, taking advantage of people will come back on you.

 

[Stpman]

So how long can you keep your doors open if you don't charge a small fee for your service? There are many times when I do CHARITY work but I can not do it too often or I'll starve.

Small fee is ok but not like in this case $70 for 10 minutes work, heck, the car didn't even have to go on a lift or even inside the garage for that matter.... no business can afford having ex-customers badmouthing the business, once the reputation is ruined it's done... some Charity work can boost your business because those customers keep recommending your shop to others, word of mouth is very powerful. Look at Angie's list for example, a website where you can see reviews on local businesses.....

I have to agree, the shop I use when I don't have time to do it myself once put a scan tool on my wifes car outside the shop and after reading the code told me to drive it inside on the lift. He then took the LF wheel off and checked the wheel bearing and found the sensor wires worn bare, he fixed the bare wires with silicon and tape, reset the code and told me to try that. On the wall was posted a minimun fee for connecting the code reader ($70) and a minimum 1 hr charge to check out/work on the car ($75), when i asked him what I owed him he told me nothing!!! I don't think he does that too many times or for just anyone but the result is I recommend his shop to anyone that needs work done.

 

[turtlevette]

So how long can you keep your doors open if you don't charge a small fee for your service? There are many times when I do CHARITY work but I can not do it too often or I'll starve.

Small fee is ok but not like in this case $70 for 10 minutes work, heck, the car didn't even have to go on a lift or even inside the garage for that matter.... no business can afford having ex-customers badmouthing the business, once the reputation is ruined it's done... some Charity work can boost your business because those customers keep recommending your shop to others, word of mouth is very powerful. Look at Angie's list for example, a website where you can see reviews on local businesses.....

You have to remember that 80% of dudes and 99% of women know nothing about cars or anything mechanical for that matter. To them a belt being replaced is magic. Most of the time these shops just don't have to worry about anyone calling them on their abuses.

We won't even get into all the perfectly good parts that get replaced until they find a problem.

 

[DeeVeeEight]

So how long can you keep your doors open if you don't charge a small fee for your service? There are many times when I do CHARITY work but I can not do it too often or I'll starve.

Small fee is ok but not like in this case $70 for 10 minutes work, heck, the car didn't even have to go on a lift or even inside the garage for that matter.... no business can afford having ex-customers badmouthing the business, once the reputation is ruined it's done... some Charity work can boost your business because those customers keep recommending your shop to others, word of mouth is very powerful. Look at Angie's list for example, a website where you can see reviews on local businesses.....

Don't get me started on Angie's list - what a scam! Once you as a business person get "hooked" into a review on Angie's list they start soliciting you with advertising upgrades - at a significant cost. If you don't wan't to pay, you don't get to play, then Angie's list tries the next "desperate" business person who needs a crutch for his business.

I do occasional jobs for free, it is like planting a seed, hopefully it will grow into a larger job.

 

[mrvette]

So how long can you keep your doors open if you don't charge a small fee for your service? There are many times when I do CHARITY work but I can not do it too often or I'll starve.

Small fee is ok but not like in this case $70 for 10 minutes work, heck, the car didn't even have to go on a lift or even inside the garage for that matter.... no business can afford having ex-customers badmouthing the business, once the reputation is ruined it's done... some Charity work can boost your business because those customers keep recommending your shop to others, word of mouth is very powerful. Look at Angie's list for example, a website where you can see reviews on local businesses.....

Don't get me started on Angie's list - what a scam! Once you as a business person get "hooked" into a review on Angie's list they start soliciting you with advertising upgrades - at a significant cost. If you don't wan't to pay, you don't get to play, then Angie's list tries the next "desperate" business person who needs a crutch for his business.

I do occasional jobs for free, it is like planting a seed, hopefully it will grow into a larger job.

I was wondering where the hook was for that operation, I looked at it maybe once some time ago, wondering what was in it for 'Angie'.....

:twitch:

 

[big2bird]

The best way to find a good shop is word of mouth. Us old timers KNOW who is reputable and fair. I trust NO chain stores at all.:thumbs:

 

[1Michel]

The best way to find a good shop is word of mouth. Us old timers KNOW who is reputable and fair. I trust NO chain stores at all.:thumbs:

I fully agree, THIS will get people to encourage and use local business!
That simple.

 

[DeeVeeEight]

The old saying that you get 95% of your business from 5% of your customers seems to apply to my business almost 100%. I get a lot of word of mouth advertising from my customers and some local businesses. :thumbs:

 

[clutchdust]

Interesting thread.
Last year my neighbor's 4-banger S-10 took a dump. Some guy he knew charged him $2500 to rebuild it. Yeah, no shit. Could have just bought a reman engine for that. Anyway, four months later he has it towed back to his house, just quit. I'm surprised it lasted that long, it sounded like it had a rod knock as soon as the guy finished it. He was asking me if I could trailer it to a shop for him. I told him I would be happy to at least look at it for him. That afternoon I determined it had blown a head gasket. The guy hadn't even put 2000 miles on it and it already blew the head gasket. So I fixed it for him, basically pulled the motor and started over. Put it all back together and fired it right up. The guy couldn't be happier and I sure as hell didn't charge him $2500 to do it.

 

[clutchdust]

You have to remember that 80% of dudes and 99% of women know nothing about cars or anything mechanical for that matter. To them a belt being replaced is magic. Most of the time these shops just don't have to worry about anyone calling them on their abuses.

We won't even get into all the perfectly good parts that get replaced until they find a problem.

You are so right. I can't even begin to tell you the number of people I've run into lately that don't know a bolt from a light bulb. Just amazing. And the Mrs still to this day is amazed that I can put an engine together and it runs. Like the bozos on an assembly line are much more than trained chimps.