Psychos in the Auto-Repair Business

[T3rminator]

Originally Posted by slowsnake

What car?
Everytime i bought parts for my Saab the price tripled, the 85 Corvette Coupe was worse, but $110 IN today's market, bring your own parts, that's worth it, and the bonus....meticulous work!
You lucky, most make their "beer" money from a 50% write up on the parts, so your deal is a beauty!...
Cheers King Billy

Falcon They go by the hour so type of car isn't really a factor. I have sent different cars in there and its the same. I also get a free courtesy car whilst its there, even if the job is only a couple of hours. Have built a pretty good rapport with them, to the point where they even let me bring my own coolant I have been using them for 8 years now.

I say "melb tax" because that is what my mates up in QLD call it. They always laugh when I tell them how much it is to do a job here.

[slowsnake]

Your very lucky T3, finding an honest anything nowadays is hard going, but when they are efficient, meticulous on top of that and you "trust" them, then they have no need to advertise really, word of mouth is the highest praise!


Cheers King Billy

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

I worked in a Melbourne inner city workshop and parking was a drama. Luckily the council Ranger was corrupt and wouldn’t book our cars in exchange for free services.

Yep I see some of those inner suburban workshops and I wonder how that works, corrupt council employees are a bonus

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Yep I see some of those inner suburban workshops and I wonder how that works, corrupt council employees are a bonus

Using terms like corruption or bribery makes it sound bad. The feel good term is greasing the wheels.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Local independent workshop across the road from work is $165/hour with minimum 1 hour diagnostic charge the moment they look at the car - which is fair enough.

I still reckon they're too cheap.

depends on what diagnostics are done...if there's a pool of water on the ground and the diagnostic is.."mate I think you are leaking fluid"...then...hmmmm...if it entails hooking up a laptop to the OBD port then sure...but even then $165 is still a rip.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAOq99LdsoY

That accent is pretty epic, I thought it was the real deal.

Then I did googling, oh my

[Ross 1]

Originally Posted by slowsnake

I offer you my condolences, and I do feel sorry for you, your logic is flawed and you can't see past your own nose.


Cheers Billy.

Feel free to post again when you can convey what you are trying to get across with all the references to pride, what is wrong with being proud of the work you do? Do feel free to check the different meanings of pride, ego, self worth, etc If you are confusing pride with arrogance let me know as your posts might make a bit more sense.

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by Ross 1

Feel free to post again when you can convey what you are trying to get across with all the references to pride, what is wrong with being proud of the work you do? Do feel free to check the different meanings of pride, ego, self worth, etc If you are confusing pride with arrogance let me know as your posts might make a bit more sense.

It seems my posts only seem to bother the folks who are trying to justify who they are, lots of folk always justify greed by attacking, and go into denial, sad really!



Cheers King Billy

[ratter]

Originally Posted by slowsnake

What car?

You lucky, most make their "beer" money from a 50% write up on the parts, so your deal is a beauty!...

50%

[Citroënbender]

On some car consumables now, there’s very little between typical discounted retail and wholesale trade price when you compare apples to apples. DIN55T batteries are one; maybe $20 fat on a decent CCA/warranty and you’re expected to fit it then put a meter across the charging system. I buy some stuff through my part-time workplace just to keep the account sales volume up.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by ratter

50%

My favourite one was a whole $1.74 difference between workshop price and retail from a Ford dealership

You're lucky if your margin is 20%.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

On some car consumables now, there’s very little between typical discounted retail and wholesale trade price when you compare apples to apples.

If you're running a small business, even buying through a "trade network" I can practically guarantee you that Supercarp can sell it to the public cheaper, and still make money. And their other great advantage is that their warranty obligation is limited to "nah, you must have fitted it wrong."

My daughter works for a major discount liquor chain (which just so happens to be owned by one of the biggest retail giants) and they have restaurants and even pubs buying their wines, spirits, and even some bottled beers.

When another daughter worked for a major pizza chain (I assume they are franchises) the Owner/Manager got so sick of being fleeced by CCA, that he started buying trolley loads of softdrink from the local supermarket.

But, there's a difference between that and the "gouging" that some mechanics still get up to.

There's a local bloke who "fixes" cars by fitting parts he scrounges from Wreckers, and cons people that he's doing them some huge favour "cos they don't make em anymore."

Now if my turbo has sharted itself after 80k, why the **** would I pay for your labour to fit something from a wreck that's probably done twice that?
and FYI it's a bog-standard MHI turbo, so yeah you can still buy the parts brand new. He refused to fit a new part, "cos of warranty issues" but reckoned he could provide warranty on some rusty piece of junk from a wreckers.
So yet another ****ing job I have to do myself.

[Yabbie]

Since I finished my trade I have worked all over Australia, big cities, little towns, remote, dealer workshops, mine sites, mum and dad outfits, for myself picking up skills both for my trade and people, so I understand both sides of the argument, now I work on what I want to work on, I accept a challenge and get quite proud when I can repair the so-called unrepairable / Stuffed what ever, I tend to work on the odd, old, different, or down right strange using the old skills that aren't taught to the younger people any more. Don't charge like a wounded bull and I am mobile. If I can't fix it or make it run / do the job they get it for free, usually I get paid my diesel to and from when I do remote or bush, I don't have to pay anyone else, BUT as always the parts / consumables have to be paid for. AS I have said before maybe I am Different but I have met more psycho's that are customers then us mechanics.

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

My favourite one was a whole $1.74 difference between workshop price and retail from a Ford dealership

You're lucky if your margin is 20%.

20% is better than 19%?
And everyone is different when it comes to pricing, used to be called a "handling charge"..


Cheers King Billy

[roKWiz]

Just caught up on the last few pages of this thread. Geeze I had a great chuckle.
Thanks.

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Just caught up on the last few pages of this thread. Geeze I had a great chuckle.
Thanks.

Then tell us your worst experience with Psycho's motor repairers?
You must have at least one bad experience!...lol


Cheers King Billy

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by slowsnake

Then tell us your worst experience with Psycho's motor repairers?
You must have at least one bad experience!...lol

Cheers King Billy

Billy, you got to keep up son. read reply no. 17 from back when this thread started.

[slowsnake]

I was only a baby then!...sucking on my dum-dum, lol.
Yes I will look directly, there are an awful lot of posts and threads in this forum!...lol...


Cheers King Billy

[slowsnake]

Well had a quick squizz, did you know that your post Number 17 is dated 08/08/2020....that's a year ago today!...Mmmm, must be providence, told you I was sucking a dum-dum....lol..hahaha...


Cheers King Billy

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by slowsnake

Well had a quick squizz, did you know that your post Number 17 is dated 08/08/2020....that's a year ago today!...Mmmm, must be providence, told you I was sucking a dum-dum....lol..hahaha...


Cheers King Billy

You do know its still July ?

[ford71V8]

I panicked, thought i was about to miss my old mans birthday

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

You do know its still July ?

We're due for Christmas celebrations end of this month I believe.

[ade123]

With previous vehicles I had much success using Christian mechanics. Figured they answered to a higher authority than the MTA lol.

Now I will only use the taxi mechanic who rebuilt my ride, mostly for diagnostic stuff or tuning. Plus not many gas mechanics left. Otherwise try to do as much as I can myself...thanks to FF and YouTube.

[None-ya]

Time to **** some people of but Christianity ( or just GOD) and greed are always two things that go side by side aren't they.

Reading back over this thread and . . . Just . . . Wtf .

[Interceptor]

Originally Posted by ade123

With previous vehicles I had much success using Christian mechanics. Figured they answered to a higher authority than the MTA lol.

A friend has quite the opposite experience, he sums it up as "They'll rip you off, screw you over and be forgiven their sins in church on sunday!"

[OneMadMan]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

When a customer shows their appreciation for a job well done, there is nothing better. Now of course, there is a monetary reason for the job to be well done, but the human nature responds well to gratitude. A smile, a thank you and well done will get you further in life than rudeness and belittlement.

Yes I know old thread an all, BUT,

This last xmas 2024.. I bought 2 cartons of beer. One for Kev, my numero uno goto suspension man. And the 2nd, was for Shannon at the best tyre shop I have found since the early 1990's.

My was of saying thanks in a way that ACTUALLY means something. Not just a simple, 'thanks man'.

When I worked in retail doing computer / IT work I only ever got thanked 3 times in 4 years. And each time it was when someone went out of their way to show me how great full they were to have someone:
Not over charge them,
someone who fixed the problem the first time,
someone they respected getting advice from, and put it to good use.



Cheers,


One Mad Man

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Interceptor

A friend has quite the opposite experience, he sums it up as "They'll rip you off, screw you over and be forgiven their sins in church on sunday!"

Only the Catholics, unfortunately the other Christian denominations, their versions don't forgive as easily

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by OneMadMan

Yes I know old thread an all, BUT,

[B]This last xmas 2024.. I bought 2 cartons of beer. One for Kev, my numero uno goto suspension man. And the 2nd, was for Shannon at the best tyre shop I have found since the early 1990's.

My was of saying thanks in a way that ACTUALLY means something. Not just a simple, 'thanks man'.

Had this a lot in my own workshop, at one point I had 11 slabs in the workshop customers had brought to us for getting them out of a jam, I reckon I did lifelong damage to my liver in those two years, at one point the only thing I had in my fridge at work on a hot day was captain morgans cans and we ended up getting wasted at work in the middle of the day, this old couple come in with their caravan and we drunkedly got them sorted, then they gave us a tip and were like buy yourself a beer

There was another local auto electrician who was a mobile guy on his own and the guy was wasted 24/7, I'm not sure if he's even still alive.

Free alcohol and 5 star reviews on Facebook, its spot on a little bit of gratitude goes a very long way with people.

Its always nice to receive a thanks, and a recognition of your efforts, few and far between with people these days.