i'm glad you said that. please explain to me what a transmission flush and power steering flush is. i have never had any of this done to any of my vehicles ever and never had any issues. if the transmission fluid needs changing I change it, if the powering steering fluid needs topping off I top it off. i have always declined to have these things done when I take my truck in for oil changes. yes I can change my own oil, and I used to do it, but I just don't have time anymore like I used to. I still rotate my own tires though cause there is no way I'm payin what they want to do that.

 

You have time to rotate your own tires but no time to do an oil change? Wow...

 

hey, every little bit helps...plus when I change my own oil I have to bring the used oil down the road to the one of the shops to dispose of my oil. Rotating my tires once every 6,000 miles is just something I don't mind doing. I don't know why you care or why you are confused, but anyways, why would one need their transmission or power steering flushed?

 

Guage, How ya doin man?? We ran our cars years ago at Ennis, and it seems you got that thing running quite fast now!!

I own a successful shop in Arlington, and we take a different approach than most repair/performance shops. From previous bad experiences with Firestone, NTB, Pep Boys, etc., we learned how to NOT run a shop.

We NEVER upsell on parts the customer does not need. The one issue they have is relayed to them and we fix that one problem and send them on their way. We get cars in and out as quick and efficient as possible but while still providing them with good service. Our labor rate is cheaper than most shops. We guarantee the work. We give free diagnosis with the repair. I even do courtesy follow-up calls to see how the customers' car is doing! (95% of shops do not do this) I do not even have to pay to advertise - Our growth is strickly from positive referrals!

I think what you're saying is that you are not getting any better service or any better quality of work than what you could do/give yourself. You want the shops to go 1-2 extra miles to impress you, but, sadly that kind of service is not out there anymore or is very rare. That's why I believe more shops (not all) need to evaluate the way they do business and refrain from offering shady work and do away with all the parts changers. The service we all look for is just not there anymore, but, we hope to change that.

The issue I have is a lot of LS guys think they can all be mechanics and work on their own cars. If they know what they are doing, then go for it. Otherwise, they need to stop messing around by getting on Tech and asking less experienced guys how to fix a problem when they should have taken it to a shop in the first place! A free ride and a case of beer is not worth that stripped out spark plug hole or them spending hundreds/thousands of dollars on some problem a shop could've fixed the first time!!

 

Good post. The smaller shops do have their place, because most of the customers out there are not what I'd consider wrenchers. Take a tour of most of these shops, and you'll likely find cars owned by people who do not work on cars. Whether it is due to lack of time, tools, or knowledge. Some customers have the ability to do the work, but not the time. If their own income far exceeds the hourly rate of a shop, it is more efficient for them to go to their job and work, and pay an expert to work on their car. This will always be the case, and is what keeps shops in business.

Personally, I feel if someone don't own a complete set of tools and have the willingness to learn to work on their own car, they probably should have stopped at 350 rwhp. Then they wouldn't be breaking **** as often, and would enjoy their car more. Adding HP usually adds issues or extra maintenance, which can be costly over time. Learn how to diagnose and repair your car, and fully get into the car hobby. If something comes up that you don't feel confident in tackling yourself, then pay an expert. That is why they are here. Simply being a check-writer that attempts nothing, that is something I'll never understand. Almost like being half of a car enthusiast, which I can't comprehend. I think about cars from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep. Many times even in my sleep. Paying someone to wrench on my car is like paying them to go have fun for me.

Tony

 

Nice excuse. But..., what ever floats your boat.

Anyway... Back to topic, I guess.

 

AMEN!!!....I hate check writers, people that just pay someone to fix their car up to be fast without ever doing anything but signing the check...no research, no idea how to even put a air filter in, but good god they write a check and have 700rwhp car and try and act like they know what their tech did

 

I don't mind check writers at all. If someone has the means to pay for speed and they are into cars then so be it.

I doubt I'll ever be one to that extent, because I have a lot of fun wrenching on my car, but I certainly have no issues with them either.

 

to me you have to earn your stripes....not pay for them and then think your a general ya'know? All the check writers I have met have this air of arrogance about them, they talk down to you cause u spent all weekend tracing a problem down and busting your knuckles, but the second their uber car has a small hick-up they call a tow truck driver to run it to the other side of town for a loose spark plug wire they could have seen if they popped the hood. Those guys should just stick to showroom stock and not try and mingle with us gearheads

 

Just as a FYI, Ben does do 90% of the work on his car. When it was time for him to do the Cam and change the lifters he used my shop and helped every step of the way. He did not just drop off the car and wait for a call to pick up the car..

Just because he does not want to deal with the oil change and dispose of the oil "Properly" is his business.

 

Sure is. However, unless you live way out in the woods, disposing of it "properly" is really not that hard.

But, like I said, what ever floats his boat.

Still would be interesting to know about the transmission and power steering flush, though.

 

Another little annoying thing about shops is that the customer almost always pays full retail for parts, which is strange because the shop really shouldn't be buying the parts at full retail. Commercial discount can be as much as 50% of retail for some things yet the customer pays like they had to roll out to autozone and buy it themselves. Paying for labor and shop maintenance (tool use and such) is understandable but i can't stand paying full price for parts that i can take 10 seconds online and find much cheaper ( since i dont have a commercial account i can't just goto autoparts warehouse outlets or autozone and get those prices there). It's frustrating when you look at the bill and have to deal with that. And some shops dont warranty their work if you supply your own parts, even if they are identical to what the shop would have gotten.

 

It's called Capitalism....get use to it or buy your own parts and have them install it, thats what I usually do if I need a shop to do something for me, but I understand if I have to get the part through them that they must make some profit off of me, its what America is founded on


GO USA!!!!!

 

You fail at business 101. No business (except churches) can survive without a profit. Getting things for free or heavily discounted is the perfect way to go out of business. If I owned a performance shop, I'd have two different installation rates - one for parts I sell, and a much higher one for parts you bring in that I could have sold.

Cheap *** customers that lowball you for a few bucks aren't the type of customers any shop wants. Be sure to take care of those who take care of you. Pay a little more for better service and quality work. You'll then not regret it when they are still around years from now to keep helping you.

 

Wow, no it's not that hard, it just involves putting used oil in the back of my truck and then driving it to the local automotive shop and dumping it. I do this when I change the oil in my camaro. Very trivial as to why you are so curious about my oil changing habits. But whatever.

Still waiting to hear what a transmission and power steering flush does for me.

 

And that’s why you get charged a 2nd time if the part fails. For the few extra dollars the shop charges for the part is like a warrantee. If the part fails then they replace it, If you supply said part and it fails you get
charged.

A business cannot survive if someone brings them cheap defective parts and they change them for free. Most shops buy OEM parts so that they do not have to worry about part failure.

If you think shops makes so much money, build you a 100k shop and then stock it will 200k worth of equipment and see how lonng it takes you to make your money back without making a profit on parts.

 

Quote:
did u miss that part, and if my part fails I am fine using some part they wanna use or recommend. Plus if you noticed my project was at one time kinda unique when I started it and I had to supply my own parts since no one had done it at the time.

Cause I feel your comment was directed at me

 

I dont know why the shop owners got so offended by this post.

I remember my camaro that i had in 06 and had a problem with the dyno tune. My power fell off at 4900 rpm and my graph looked like a heartbeat monitor. My car went to four different shops (three of which were LS1tech sponsors). Each shop had a different diagnoses WITH OUT FULLY LOOKING AT MY CAR, talked about how stupid the other shops i talked to were, and even argued almost each other right in front of me. Each shop insisted that they had the right answer and told me looking any further into my problem was a waste of time.

I'm not going into all of the details of the events but i don't believe for a second that most of them had a clue what they were talking about.

Well thats not fair. ONE of the shops was able to diagnose my problems (as in multiple... not just one). And he was honest from the beginning. The guy told me he didn't know what my problem was but he would look at my car extensively. I had to wait about 2 weeks, but he was able to give an accurate diagnoses. As long as this shop is in buisness under the same owner i will continue to take my cars there. I do consider him a professional with a true understanding of the work he is doing.

 

I just don't have and even if I did I would not pay a shop for any mechanical or physical installation. Only thing I don't know how to do is electronic tune of the PCM or rebuild transmissions
That's out of my league and I accept it. But other than that no physical install I can't tackle. I bought a car and the engine is up FS simply because it's not one of mine.not built by my hand, not content with it

 

Wow let me know what companies offer these discounts and I will sell those parts exclusively!

Ive been a Warehouse Distributor for some of the best products out there for 10 years. Even on orders above 20K ive yet to see a 50% discount.

Dont get me started on shipping costs...