What do you want in a repair shop?

Exactly. The exhaust on my pickup rusted through a few weeks ago. I didn’t want to bother with it. Called the local muffler shop. They have been around forever. The guy is a jerk but good at what he does. Told him I need a quick repair. He says I need an appointment. I tell him I don’t have a schedule so I can’t do that, it’s a small job. 20 minutes at the most. He starts questioning me on how do I know its a small job?????

Because jerk off, its a exhaust pipe, not a transmission replacement. A common man can’t know what you know?!?!? $15 worth of parts. He could have charged $100 and I would have paid it.

 

Competence. We have all seen it. Mechanics who don’t know anything. A lot are very good! Not all. Even tires shops are getting bad. Take tire off. Put tire on. This isn’t rocket science. You’d think changing a valve stem wouldn’t be something you have to ask them to do, but at most places sadly it is. If the tire is old the valve stem is probably just as old! Replace it!

Next not for it to take a week. Why the big OEMs don’t have their own schools for mechanics I’ll never understand and if they do, they suck at it because all the major shops need people.

Next don’t screwing people over. Stop this bill 8 hours when it only took 4.5 and no you don’t get to then charge more if it took more than the “book” says because they would all slack off to charge more. If you finish before the clock should stop.

Next “shop supplies.” Enough charging for every little thing. You use a can of something or a shop towel that’s part of being in business and should be a part of that $160 per hour. At least give the driver whatever was left. The half empty bottle or whatever.

Last stop charging $160 an hour! My doctor is cheaper. We all know the only reason it’s so high is a lot of especially dealer work is warranty and/or work for giant corporations so they can charge whatever. The “new normal.” Well check yourself. Most things shouldn’t cost a driver a weeks wages. Enough!

 

Do you mean Competent mechanics and NOT parts changers?

I got a truck being held hostage by parts changers, they have replaced everything on the fuel system of the truck and still haven't figured out the problem.

 

I go get my oil and regular maintenance at the same guy just because he has recliners and an always maintained soda fountain in his waiting area.

Has a chip bowl in there sometimes to.

If he's that anal about having a perfectly working soda fountain he ought to be a good mechanic.

 

Break downs suck, but if you can get home. Then you can go home and wait.
But if on road i want.
1) A comfortable waiting room. Not some dingy dark room with used up old uncomfortable furniture.
2) List of local restautants who deliver
3) If gonna have to overnight. A list of local hotels. ( a negotiated discount would be nice, a ride to hotel would be awesome)

 

Had an issue with the air compressor building up and leaking at 155PSI. Took it to the TA in NC on i85/40. They replaced the governor. Got a new air dryer at the KW near Mobile AL. Problem was not fixed.

Went to the KW in Baytown Texas. I asked the service writer if I could speak to a tech. Why? “Because everyone wants to put a new governor or dryer on. If it isn’t either, what else could it be?”

Well sir, we can’t diagnose a problem without inspecting.”

After inspection,they tell me that it’s supposed to do that. Idiots!

Had a wheel seal on the steer replaced at Trak Ta Lube at Channelview. The owner says, “Hey Six, you’re missing this bolt out of the compressor. Without that bolt, the compressor will build crazy air pressure and the air dryer will constantly leak off.”

“Are you serious?”

The owner finds a bolt and a couple washers, run them into a hole on the compressor and no more issues. A 10 second fix.

 

Parts, knowledge mechanics, decent price range with honesty in their billing.



Good looking mechanic is a plus.

Who really wants to see the vehicle anyway, it’s broke down.

 

Was losing power coming through GA. Stopped at the TA at JacksonGA, asked the service writer about checking for boost leak. She said smugly“Boost leak…like in turbochargers? We don’t work on turbochargers.”

I tried to explain about boost leaks, but she was stuck on turbochargers. I walked. Met the manager coming in the door and I told him what I thought about his service writer. “Sir, give me a moment and I will educate her on boost leaks.”

 

it's legit not in the diesel tech job description to know anything, the corporate protocol is fault description then diagnosis, being knowledgeable or speculative is not in the corporate protocol, if it's a corporate setup repair facility you can't go in expecting "people" to "care" about anything outside of their job description, anything staffed by a "human resource" will by nature require protocol, if the labor is performed by a "human resource" following a service manual protocol, knowing what the problem is before hand is not part of the protocol, much less educating anybody else about it. knowing is not protocol, accommodating a customer's edification is not protocol, with increasing severity in modern times a "human resource" that does try to "help" outside of protocol learns really quick how "helping" what isn't actually yours can blow up in your face, so then you get the "human resource" stare when u try to ask questions.

makes sense though in that if it's a corporate trucking company and a "human resource" company driver reporting a defect on the company truck to a "human resource" diesel tech operating within corporate protocol, who is left in that scenario that actually really cares about any associated gnosis of the fault? that's the majority volume of business, that's what the interaction and diagnosis protocol has been built to accommodate. just workers. u don't need to care, just need to work. easy peasy. that bill shows up waaaaaaay down the road

an owner operator wants to know about his equipment but the diesel tech human resource isn't really on the spot to teach an OO about his own equipment lmaooooo, that's not the duty description or part of his diesel tech protocol. it helps everybody to care, even a little bit