MassSupra89 said:
My thoughts exactly. I can do a spark plug change in 20 minutes on my own car too, but does that mean I would charge $15?
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Do mechanics, car audio installers, etc, like working on your car?
- Thread starter born2drv
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My thoughts exactly. I can do a spark plug change in 20 minutes on my own car too, but does that mean I would charge $15?
the only things i've ever brought ANY of my vehicles to a shop for were:
allignments, tire changes/balancing, and i'm getting the supra painted by someone else, as i dont have the time to get it done. (and the price isn't bad, and the quality is amazing)
everything else is done by me.
-shaeff
allignments, tire changes/balancing, and i'm getting the supra painted by someone else, as i dont have the time to get it done. (and the price isn't bad, and the quality is amazing)
everything else is done by me.
-shaeff
im with shaeff. The only thing i needed a shop for was mounting and balancing tires along with an alignment. Everything from paint and body to motor work and drivetrain work I've done myself.
My mechanic used to LOVE working on my car. He drove it to me when he fixed it and he took me for a drive in it (was before I had my license.) Of course he also loved it because it was pretty much him getting paid as much as he desired for what ended up being a really really shitty job.
I dont agree becuase that isnt true. The pricing is standardized everywhere. At Toyota there is a book called T-TIPS. That is Toyota Total information pricing system. And the franchise is expected to follow it. But I can tell you the mom and pop dealer whose main business is GM might not follow it. They will follow Mitchell or Motors for pricing.MassSupra89 said:
A large task will include all the work. Removing a piston takes 30 seconds. But removing all the other things to remove the engine doesnt. That is why the time is listed high. And the technician does not determine any of it. He records the time in T-TIPS and that is sent to the service writer with the parts prices so he can prepare the estimate. Now a private shop, that is a different story. And Bubba might not have seen an engine that didnt have a rocker shaft before.
So if it takes a total of 2 hours to do something becuase one part takes 30 seconds, another takes 20 minutes, another takes 10, you add it up and that is what you get paid. It isnt a rip off. That defcon downpipe that was manfuactured for $40 and sold for $400 is a rip off.
I dont work on Toyota anymore. It is too easy, and that is the God's honest truth. Ask an ASE tech at Toyota if they want to work on a Toyota or Taurus. There is not a difference between a Supra, first(MKIII) or second gen(MKIV) and working on a Camry.
But believe me, they dont care if you blow your headgasket 4 times, or get rodknock 3 times because you tried it yourself and didnt know how, or read the post and said, I dont need to have tha block machined, I dont care what he said.
Nick M said:
I don't think there are many Supras being worked on at dealerships anymore. I talk to Toyota parts guys almost every day and they rarely see a Supra at a dealership these days. We have had the Toyota parts guys send us work! LOL
turbo mk3 is as easy to work on as a Camry? :biglaugh: "you so crazy"
Nick M said:
That's pretty much what I said... They charge you for all the work they have to do... not just the specified job.
We may say "120 bucks for spark plug labor??" because to us... getting past the obstacles is only part of the job, but to a tech it's added labor. I don't really see where we have such different ideas.
bigaaron said:
So true, I was waiting by the parts counter last week and some guy comes up to me and asks what he can get me to drive home with a small smile, I said "If you got any Supra's for a reasonable price I'll sign the papers right now."... ::Happy smile-Confused smile:: Then he looks on his little used cars list and goes "gee I don't think we have that" "No? oh man."
I felt like pointing to mine out the window and saying "I'll take that one!!!!" but I already got his hopes up and crushed them, I felt bad.
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Fuzz420
Are U Here 2 take My Baby
The biggest complaint ive heard was about the tight spaces, they always say its cause the japanese have small hands.
Fuzz420 said:
:biglaugh:
Thank god they had a tall dude design the front seats! I think an american designed the front seats and a midget japanese guy designed the back seats!
I like working on Supras. It makes me happy when another one is purring happily again because I fixed it right. The only part of fixing cars I don't like is having a boss.
The JDM cars I've ridden in/driven have really high/hard seating compared to the Aussie delivered cars!bigaaron said:
I would love it if a few supras rolled by my install bay, I'd love to work on some supras, simply cuz i can do the job right and not have another electrically fucked up supra on the road
I havent had any complaints yet. I got real lucky and found somebody in the area that specialises in Supras. and I have decided that I need to start getting my hands dirty. so gonna help with the Engine swap when it finaly shows up. and my experiance with Mechanics is they look at the book whch says X hours and they charge X hours + parts. I have had a job that was listed at 1 hour but the Mech spent over 4 hours doing the work but still only charged me for the 1 hour. we will see when I go to get the alarm installed.
When I got turned down, denied, and accepted, but raped with estimates, that's when I decided I'd go it alone.
I have yet to make a better decision.
I have yet to make a better decision.
I took my car to a Toyota dealer when I was living in Nasvhille and I got comments about how everybody loved my car. Even the mechanic mentioned that he liked it. Now that I'm back home, I take it to a brother/brother owned business. Both of the brothers have MKIIIs so that helps. They only complain about one or two of the customers that they get. I really don't have the time or the courage to work on it. I'm glad I could find a reputable shop that does good work and isn't so big that they don't know their customers. The only time somebody complained or turned me down was when I took my car into a muffler shop to get an exhaust gasket fixed I was told that they don't work on turbos.
Actually, for many things, it is much easier. You can pull a 7M, of either variety, and have it on the stand, in under 2 hours. Try that with a
1MZFE. Or any front driver.
It also depends on where you live. Growing up in Ohio, there werent many Toytotas, let alone a Supra. But living in Denver was completely different. Sales are much higher, and Cressidas, Supras, V6 4Runner, Land Cruiser, are all common place. The Cressida was a favorite of writers and management. Until the LS400 came out anyway.
Well sorry, that isnt what it looked like. I thought you said it was a rip off.
A similar thought on your tangent. I was home for a few weeks. And the overrun clutch in the starter was slipping. 15 year old Toyota starter, it was about normal to me. Anyway, in Toledo at Jim White, I walked in to parts and asked for a starter for the car. The dipshit behind the counter laughed and said good luck, and then went on about how hard it will be to find the starter for such a rare car. Never mind the total lack of proffessionalism from Jim White dealership, the clown would not have a job at the two Toyota dealers I worked at, but he made no effort. When in fact it was available the next day. And at Burt Toyota or Stevenson Toyota West in Denver, we had everything in stock that I ordered, except a piston set once. And that goes with out saying.
Some dealers just suck. I imagine the regional HQ management is not up to par in those areas of the country.