Hey hey!! I used to be an auto mechanic!
I left because of the @$#%@#%$#@ customers who could'nt understand that by the time I spent 3 hours taking off #$@%$# rusted exhaust pipes just so I could get to the oil soaked starter(oil soaked from the valve cover leaking that the customer later says I caused), that some $#@^%$ engineer said, according to the book, that the starter could be changed in 30 minutes, and on top of that, the starter costs $450 because it's heavy duty and nobody remanufacturers them anymore, you have to buy new ones and not rebuilt, which is a good thing because the $49.95 rebuilt ones that have only been cleaned up and new brushes put in, only last a couple weeks and then it comes back and I have to put another one in for free that will also only last 2 weeks and eventually you end up just buying the customer a new starter for $450 just to keep them from coming back , after you have already put in 4 rebuilt ones over the last 2 months for free, so the best thing is to put a new one in to start with, and not all engines are 1970 chevy 350's where you can buy parts dirt cheap, and on top of all that the labor rate is $60 per hour for the shop and the mechanic is lucky if he gets $20 of that, not like it was in the "good ol days" when the shop split with the mechanic 50-50. Now for the 3 1/2 hours of cussing and fussing that I did to your truck and got paid $10, because the book said I should have been able to do it in 30 minutes and the bill came out to over $500 dollars because the parts were over $400 and the shop charged $100 for labor and another 29.95 for testing and $10 for "environmental fees" ( thats to get rid of used oil and filters because you can't just keep them in a barrel out back anymore and throw them in the dumpster when it gets full or burn the oil for heat in the winter because the EPA says it's bad for our health, probably is) and then the customer always argues with the mechanic because he is the one who worked on the truck so everything is his fault, and he's had enough and wants to go home and finally justs says #$@%^$ and keep the $10, thats why my $%#@^ tool box has wheels on it because it rolls out of this %$#^@ shop just as easy as it rolled in, and he then proceeds to back his truck to the door and load his tool box up and go to another shop so he doesn't have to look at those same %$#@#$% customers another day, he can look at some new $%#@#$ customers at the other shop until one day he gets fed up with it and decides to go into the pressure washing business and listen to more $#@%^$ customers tell him the the last guy did it for half that price, then why didn't you call the last @#$%$#@ guy to start with. Was it maybe because you chose the $49.95 job and over the $495 job and it only lasted 2 weeks? How about I get in my truck and you try doing it yourself this time you cheap #$@%$. The hell with work tommorrow, I'm going fishing!
Damn! I needed that LOL! I feel better now. LOL
Thanks Ron. By the way, that wasnt directed at you, you just opened the door.
Les
