Alignment ordeal

Its hard to want to come here and help others out when we just get smack talked all the time.

 

I think I am covered in knots and black and blue after what some of the people get through with me on the net sometimes. But I usually stick to my guns and go down buried in spent ammunition =) But not always.

Mechanics are ok for the most part. I just keep a eye on them generally. There is one I would not mind picking on for being so lazy. I guess he cannot help it Its almost as if I have to pickup all his stuff and do it myself or find another shop. (Which is what we did...) I don't know how they can employ him with such ... lackluster motivation to help fix people's sick vehicles. Why does he even bother?

Thats as far as I would go with that particular one. hes literally history. His name however is been made into a verb, we don't want any more so and so in our future shop work. One of our dealers in searcy has been stopped from doing just any work that the other shops can do. We had a famous cigerette lighter incident last year where the cell phone charger got stuck in it. Rather than me destroying the whole works ripping it out we asked the dealer to get it right quick.

Sure, you bet. That'll be 110.00 plus labor. A new lighter will be much extry.

WTF? Welp, thats the end of that episode. The other shop got it out for 5.00 and was able to save the lighter itself.

 

Yes
That is understood.
I just wouldn’t take it to personal unless it was directed directly about you.
If one thing I have learned on the mechanics side is you need to develop some what of a thick skin.
Mechanics is a profession where you could do everything right but your still the bad guy in the end.
A lot of times the scenario is by the time the customer gets to your shop they have had to pay for an expensive tow and are looking at a very expensive repair.
This unfortunately cause them to want you in a pine box before you ever open your mouth lol.
Emotions can certainly cloud reasonable thinking sometimes.
With that being said this is why I enjoy the trucking side so much.
My customers (snowbirds) are always smiling and happy to see me and there is never angry emotion in the mix when I arrive.

 

I'm willing to bet that the snowbird gig is very lucrative, at least during the Spring & Fall anyway, definitely a viable niche...

 

Don't take it personal like. You've been a big help to others on here, and I hope you continue to be.

The point is, good mechanic's, like good drivers, seem to be getting harder & harder to find. Couple that with repair shops that actively seek to rip you off, while producing inferior work and then try to blow smoke up your ###.

 

Different when you get paid to deal with it vs volunteering your time.

 

It works for my business model because I have the repair shop and dealership as well as other irons in the fire along with the trucking business.
If I had to depend solely on the trucking for income I don’t think it would work well.
My truck literally sits for six months a year yet the trucking expenses such as insurance and other expenses roll on year around.

 

Alignments are a crap shoot if you don't know and respect the mechanic doing the work. I once took a tractor into a T/A for an alignment because it was slightly pulling to the right as I drove. They did their alignment and it still pulled, and over the next couple weeks I noticed a drive tire wearing badly. Went to another T/A within the 30 day warranty period T/A offers, and the drive tire was now worn down to the sub-layer and illegal. Showed them my receipt, and they replaced the tire and fixed the alignment for free. They said that the toe was off by 2 inches, and the previous guy was an idiot.

Need to get my Utility reefer tandems aligned currently, but have to go to a dealer for that. Can't wait to see how much they want for the job.

 

If the bolts are rusted solid and the tie rod ends are rusted to the cross rod, it will have to be replaced. Can tell that until you start the job.

Here is what The Maintenance Council of the American Trucking Association says about bending axles:
“TMC’s target value is less than ¼ degree either side. You want to shoot for that. The camber angle is not adjustable. It is machined into both the axle beam and the knuckle. If you find that an axle beam is out of camber specs, you need to get us involved. In my 20 years with this company I’ve replaced three axle beams. Bending of axle beams is not recommended by axle manufacturers and will void the axle warranty.”
The front axle is only part of the equation. Adjusting the torque rods on the drive axles at 6 places, or more depending on the truck can be a very time consuming business on an older tractor that hasn't been touched in a long time. Parts will have to be torched off, and replaced, non of which can be predicted.

We will have to just agree to disagree on what constitutes a proper 3 axle alignment on a class 8 truck.