shop spectators

[krusty the clown]

There are several places out here where you can see into the kitchen, the Wonton place on Rt. 83 (N. of Oakton) has a glass wall separating the kitchen form the public areas.

sure.......and steak n' shake's motto is "in sight it must be right". but.......that practice doesn't seem good enough for most of the poster's here


after all, ALL mechanics are thieves and if the customer cannot stand next to us to make sure we do the job the way they want it done, we're f'n them........right?

 

[Mickey O]

sure.......and steak n' shake's motto is "in sight it must be right". but.......that practice doesn't seem good enough for most of the poster's here


after all, ALL mechanics are thieves and if the customer cannot stand next to us to make sure we do the job the way they want it done, we're f'n them........right?

A window in a shop or allowing the customer in a shop won't assure the customer of anything other than there's a window in the shop and they can walk around the shop.

 

[M900]

sure.......and steak n' shake's motto is "in sight it must be right". but.......that practice doesn't seem good enough for most of the poster's here


after all, ALL mechanics are thieves and if the customer cannot stand next to us to make sure we do the job the way they want it done, we're f'n them........right?

You really enjoy being down, dont you?
You always get upset about people complaining about mechanics...yet, you keep on reading about it.

Close the internet window, take a deep breath and smile.

Its wonderful!!

 

[krusty the clown]

You really enjoy being down, dont you?
You always get upset about people complaining about mechanics...yet, you keep on reading about it.

Close the internet window, take a deep breath and smile.

Its wonderful!!

thanks for the diagnosis dr. freud

 

[bgott]

Y'all don't like being the entertainment, try doing head gaskets on a Class "A" motorhome while the the customers from across the country are cooking, eating, watching TV, etc. in their living room. Which happens to be where you are bent over working on their engine. I've been stuck in that trick bag a couple of times.

 

[crewchief888]

when i was the service manager, i had customers calling wanting to speak to a tech, when i asked for their company info, so i could open a work order and charge them $94 an hr for "consultation" they stopped doing it.
same went for a customer that came in, looking for free advise, you can either take my diagnosis, and get what parts may solve the problem, or bring the machine in, or we can set up a field service call.
we try to help our customers solve simple problems, like get an fuel system bled after they run outta fuel, or recommend what parts they need to fix a leak ect. but like a lot of elctronic systems, the average "grease monkey" dont have the skills, tools or software to diagnose complex problems.
i',m a field service tech, and i tell my customers, the longer i talk to you, the longer this job will take, i'm on your clock from the time i leave our shop until the time i return, travel time and BS time adds up fast

 

[wesmamyke]

It has always been one of the more interesting things about working on bicycles. Very rarely will the work area be hidden or separated from the customers in any way.

Sometimes it's great....and then sometimes you get a customer who decides to hover. They also just got off a bicycle so they are sweaty and gross and standing 2 feet from you. But the mechanics are usually sweaty and gross too so I guess it works out.

 

[Deafautotech]

Y'all don't like being the entertainment, try doing head gaskets on a Class "A" motorhome while the the customers from across the country are cooking, eating, watching TV, etc. in their living room. Which happens to be where you are bent over working on their engine. I've been stuck in that trick bag a couple of times.

i am agree with you!

my service director asked me to look at customer's motorhome that has Ford trition V10 6.8L that act like misfires... so i did open the engine cover inside of big motorhome. i found the coil and spark plug was popped out. so i did inspected that damaged area and it need to do drill and put ford's insert kit on it. it take 5 hours. BUT customer told service director that he will wait as his motorhome is his resident as he dont have a house anymore... so customer was very nice to me as he wrote the paper and ask what i am doing next. i did explain him what will i do the step by step. that customer was cool and walk outside of motorhome and looking around the dealership while i did drill and clean then put new insert in and let it dry out before start it. i got it fixed and run fine. it was my first time to do drill and put new insert on it...

 

[caper]

Nothing like pulling a big motorhome in a dirty diesel shop for engine work.I hate having to take my boots off when I get in so I can walk to the back bedroom,lift up the customers bed and start pulling a greasy engine apart while trying not to end up with grease all over the carpet or upholstery.Pull out an injector and try not to let fuel drip on something clean.

 

[Deafautotech]

Nothing like pulling a big motorhome in a dirty diesel shop for engine work.I hate having to take my boots off when I get in so I can walk to the back bedroom,lift up the customers bed and start pulling a greasy engine apart while trying not to end up with grease all over the carpet or upholstery.Pull out an injector and try not to let fuel drip on something clean.

yeah... service advisor had put a lot of protective papers over the motorhome.. my service director decided that my work will do all services on motorhome as powertrains, tires, brakes, and everything except not body or thing that RV company who did build the body...

i had to drop the fuel tank because of fuel tank has welded spot leaking very little... that cause gas smelling outside... it was about 1,300 dollars but it is under warranty...

i had to use portable lifts that i can move the lifts and set it on front tires and rear tires to lift it up... it made easier for me to drop fuel tank while motorhome on lifts than do on shop floor!!

 

[jteck75]

I haven't had any customers persay watching over my shoulder in a great many years. But what I do have, is a bunch of line foremans who are nothing more than "college educated idiots" looking over my shoulder wanting to know how long their machine is going to be down. Some of the machines here cost about $850/min to be down,so you better have your game on when you get out there. Here's a typical exchange between me and Foreman"x"

Me-This machine has a bad frequency drive and we don't have one in stock.
Foreman X-What's a frequency drive?
Me-A frequency drive is that little box with wires hooked to it.It's what makes your sawblade motor go round and round.
Foreman X-Can we run without it?
Me-Sure you can run without it,just get sombody back there to keep the blade spinning real fast by hand,and you won't even know the difference.
Here's the Kicker!!
Foreman X-You said we didn't have one of these frequency drives in stock,can I run up to LOWES and get one?
Yeah, go on to Lowes,I think they are having an after-Christmas sale on Allen Bradley freq. drives while supplies last.

Belive it or not, I've been asked the Lowes question more than once.

 

[Coach James]

I don't hover over the guy working on my car but I will watch off and on from the waiting room or from outside the bay. 1, I'm bored..2, I'm interested in what he's doing. I usually have an idea what is wrong so I don't worry so much about being ripped off.

Plus the place I take it to has a great reputation. I've seen the owner spend 10 minutes explaining to someone in detail what is wrong with their car. I've seen them suggest very nicely to a ciustomer that they get a second opinion if they want to since the suggested repair is expensive. I've seen them inspect used cars that customers were considering buying and charge them nothing for doing so.

Coach

 

[sk farmer]

I think part of my problem is that my customers are all farmers. No offense intended to farmers as I'm a 5th generation farmer myself. Any fellow ag techs would probably agree with the following generalisations:

1. Farmers are cheap/tight/frugal
2. Farmers fancy themselves as mechanics
3. Farmers hate to admit they don't know how to fix it themselves
4. 60 year old farmers don't like 20 year olds working on their stuff

As I said, these are generalisations. However (aimed at Mr. Farmer), if you think I need your advice on how to do the job better/faster/cheaper, why am I doing it?

i think this may have been aimed at me way back in feb. but i may have missed it. i was having trouble with a repair that i was quoted a price on. it went from 2 to3, to 4 times the original estimate. i understandably complained and was upset by it and commented in a differant thread about it. none the less most people do not know a farmer and i feel some of these statements are true of some but not all farmers. someone else quoted and agreed with his statemants later in the thread. i have a few of my own comments.

1. we need to be frugal. we can't pass any sort of markup along to anyone. it is a fact of our busineesses. ever checked the price of any of our inputs lately?

2. we often know our particular machine better than the mechanic. we own it, service it and do most maintenance on it. we may not be trained in that particular machines complete teardown and repair but we are also by no means the village idiot.

3. farmers know they cannot fix everthing but when it is 6 pm on a saturday during harvest with no mechanic to be found and rain in the forecast we will try and fix damn near anthing. i have run for hours or even days on a repair that was told could not be done. not because i wanted to because i had to. i know what a proper repair is. mechanics hate to admit farmers can fix things the say are unrepairable.

4. my 80 year old father and i could care less how old the mechanic working on our stuff is if he can fix it. the problem is the 20 yr old with a brand new box of tools often does not know how to fix it. not becaue he is 20 but he does not have the experiance, especially on ag related eqipment. many pieces of ag equipment are seasonal. tough to get much experiance when that machine has only been used in 2 months of the previous 2 years and both months were a year apart.

i like the old saying. "don't complain about farmers with your mouth full."

addition to quote number 2. i aso know several mechanics who fancy themselves as mechanics.

 

[Coach James]

"i like the old saying. "don't complain about farmers with your mouth full." "

I like that.

Coach

 

[eborcim]

My dad and brother repaired and serviced every piece of farm equipment they owned. I should have paid more attention to what they did, I would have learned more. About the only thing they would send out were engine/trans rebuilds. Of course there was the time the dealership dropped a newly rebuilt combine engine while installing it and cracked the cast oil pan. The dealership tried to cover it up, but the mechanic owned up to it to my dad. That was really the only problem he ever had with that dealership.

 

[bgott]

Then there are the farmers that will wheel a piece of equipment up to the door of the dealership, run in to the first toolbox they see and grab a handful of tools and run back out to make an adjustment or tighten something up. Then they either dump the tools on the floor of the equipment or, if you are lucky, just inside the door on the floor and run back out and leave. But, they buy $300 or $400,000 worth of equipment a year, back in the days when that was a lot of money, so you didn't say anything to piss them off. I worked at a Sperry/ New Holland/ IHC dealership, we had tools, I started charging missing tools to the guy's account, there was a scene, I held my ground, he quit using my tools. He would keep doing it to the rest of the mechanics, he just left mine alone.

 

[eborcim]

Then there are the farmers that will wheel a piece of equipment up to the door of the dealership, run in to the first toolbox they see and grab a handful of tools and run back out to make an adjustment or tighten something up. Then they either dump the tools on the floor of the equipment or, if you are lucky, just inside the door on the floor and run back out and leave.

That's crazy and ballsy!

 

[sk farmer]

Then there are the farmers that will wheel a piece of equipment up to the door of the dealership, run in to the first toolbox they see and grab a handful of tools and run back out to make an adjustment or tighten something up. Then they either dump the tools on the floor of the equipment or, if you are lucky, just inside the door on the floor and run back out and leave. But, they buy $300 or $400,000 worth of equipment a year, back in the days when that was a lot of money, so you didn't say anything to piss them off. I worked at a Sperry/ New Holland/ IHC dealership, we had tools, I started charging missing tools to the guy's account, there was a scene, I held my ground, he quit using my tools. He would keep doing it to the rest of the mechanics, he just left mine alone.

i would not stick up for that type of behavior by anyone. there is good and bad behavior in every occupation. farmers, mechanics, police, doctors, etc. just not sure why so many people think most farmers are arrogant a-- holes. i have had service trucks pull up without the needed tools to do the job. they used mine. i did not care. we all won. for some reason you and guys like garfunkle 24 do not like farmers by the sounds of it. i just don't like being painted with the same brush just because you had a bad experiance with some. you and the guys in that shop need to take some of the blame for letting it happen. apparently somehow he got the idea that that was right. i would not do that and do not know to many who would. those that would do that pull that sort of **** everywhere. not just at the ag shop, but at every other place in town also.

 

[tcianci]

Well, most of the folks I have watching me do stuff to their cars are relatives, so that makes things even more awkward. I am a remodeler, and always let the customer know what I'm up to and often they love to get to understand what I'm doing and why and as some have mentioned it builds the contractor/customer confidence. On the other hand, I have been talking to a guy about rebuilding a 700R4 for my project truck. As I said in another post, I'm even thinking about rebuilding it myself. So because I was interested in learning about it in either event, I asked the guy if he would let me be there while he rebuilt it so I could learn about automatics. His reply was a flat no...He said that if he were to make a mistake by being distracted while attempting to pull off ****** 101 neither of us would be too happy...point well taken.

 

[j-easy]

I think it's probably a little weird to be watched though a window but I don't see anything wrong with it. It allows customers to watch the work being done and the window does provide a little bit of a barrier so they can't wander into where you are working.

 

[kaffine]

Mount cameras in each bay and have a set of monitors then the customer can select which one to watch. Make it so they can pan and zoom. This way the customer stays away and I wont know he is watching me. I would hate to see how much it cost to setup on a 30 bay shop though.

 

[Joe69]

The biggest problem I have is when I fix Mom's car. She wants me to explain what is wrong with it, and how everything works. She doesn't know a spark plug from an alternator. She also can't accept that things just wear out, she always wants to know what caused the problem. I also have a brother that thinks he knows everything, but wants my help fixing his cars. Then he has the nerve to tell me how to do it. I've been wrenching since I was 16, professionally since I was 18, and I'm now 40. I know what I'm doing, let me do it or fix it yourself.

Joe

 

[PhilR1957]

My Dad taught me that most things you can fix yourself. The washer, dryer, car, motorcycle , or any thing in and around the house, but to know your limits. When you are not comfrtable you pay some one, and let them do their job. It took me years to find a reliable and honest mechanic. There is a little hole in the wall garage in the town that I live in and one day my buddy asked me for a ride to pick up his truck. When we got there the mnechanic told him that he had a vacum leak, and he was able to fix his problem with some extra vacum hose he had and that he felt bad, but he had to charge him one hour labor minimum. It was 60. dollars. I saw that this was obviously an honest mechanic. When ever there is some thing I can't fix I call him for an appointment, he usually gets me in in a day or two. I drop the car off the night before, with a detailed note. He will call me to tell me the car is all set, and he leaves the car outside with the keys, and the bill locked inside. We get the car and usually go by in the next day or two, and pay it. His work is guerentteed for one year or twleve thousand miles. The one time there was a problem and I coulden't find the receipt he said no problem I have it on the computer. I feel very comfortable, and I don't feel a need to stand over him. Like my dad said just let him do his job. After all he does it as a living, and I do it as a hobby.

 

[krusty the clown]

My Dad taught me that most things you can fix yourself. The washer, dryer, car, motorcycle , or any thing in and around the house, but to know your limits. When you are not comfrtable you pay some one, and let them do their job. It took me years to find a reliable and honest mechanic. There is a little hole in the wall garage in the town that I live in and one day my buddy asked me for a ride to pick up his truck. When we got there the mnechanic told him that he had a vacum leak, and he was able to fix his problem with some extra vacum hose he had and that he felt bad, but he had to charge him one hour labor minimum. It was 60. dollars. I saw that this was obviously an honest mechanic. When ever there is some thing I can't fix I call him for an appointment, he usually gets me in in a day or two. I drop the car off the night before, with a detailed note. He will call me to tell me the car is all set, and he leaves the car outside with the keys, and the bill locked inside. We get the car and usually go by in the next day or two, and pay it. His work is guerentteed for one year or twleve thousand miles. The one time there was a problem and I coulden't find the receipt he said no problem I have it on the computer. I feel very comfortable, and I don't feel a need to stand over him. Like my dad said just let him do his job. After all he does it as a living, and I do it as a hobby.

your dad sounds like mine. he taught me that you NEVER tell a man how to do his job. if you don't think he's doing it right, ask him to stop, and pay him what he ask's for the job to that point. then find someone else to do the job. of course he could fix anything except his car, from the time i was 16 that was my job.

 

[Big Boi]

I dont trust anyone when it comes to my vehicles. Ive heard to many stories of abuse, and pure negligence. i.e. not replacing filters, half *** work, etc... I myself took my truck to a "Trusted" garage to have a head gasket fixed. $2K and one month later, I had a new engine, and a court case.

A friend of mine works at a local dealership. He once told me about the fishbowl thing. And says when the customer walks in the garagem, they all yell out. "Fish out of water.... Fish out of water!"

You just cant trust everybody anymore...

 

[Skyline]

I watch whenever I can. Too many of the shops around here hire idiots that need to be watched. I am too fussy about my cars.

I would prefer that my $800 wheels not be installed with an impact gun.

When I get my oil changed, I would prefer they take off the under engine tray, so it does not get covered in oil so my car drips and smokes for a week.

Seems like basic stuff, right? But nooooo.....

 

[eborcim]

When in the watching mode, I think building construction on a large scale is fascinating. But I really would not want to play dodgem with earthmovers and dozers.

 

[Joel 67]

I do my own work on my old cars, but my daily drivers are under warrentee so I am not really afraid of being charged for work not getting performed, etc.

That said, I watch because I find it more interesting than the 2 month old Sports Illustrated and Better Homes and Garden that I find in the waiting room. I watch because I am curious what kind of tools one tech in the shop owns vs. the other, and what type of box they have, and how they seem to organize their tools. I watch to see the sequence they decide to use when doing my service to see if I can pick up a new efficiency and to see if they did it they way I would have (not suggesting my way is better; I am sure it would be less efficient).

Mainly I watch for the same reason I watch Muscle Car, Hot Rod TV, and a handful of other shows: because I am a car guy and I enjoy watching people turn wrenches. For me (and many people I suspect) it has nothing to do with making sure they do what they say. It is simple curiousity.

 

[Joel 67]

When in the watching mode, I think building construction on a large scale is fascinating. But I really would not want to play dodgem with earthmovers and dozers.

I agree completely!

 

[krusty the clown]

got one right now..........wasting my time, telling me how he'd fix it or what happend to one he worked on back when he was a mechanic, but he quit because you couldn't get good parts anymore because blah blah blah blah.........

 

[Joel 67]

got one right now..........wasting my time, telling me how he'd fix it or what happend to one he worked on back when he was a mechanic, but he quit because you couldn't get good parts anymore because blah blah blah blah.........

How do you techs post during the workday? Do you have computer terminals with internet access or something? This question has been on my mind a while now . . .

 

[krusty the clown]

How do you techs post during the workday? Do you have computer terminals with internet access or something? This question has been on my mind a while now . . .

i use a laptop for diag and we have alldata online.....we are set up on wireless. most shops have online access to service info.

 

[CarCrafter]

got one right now..........wasting my time, telling me how he'd fix it or what happend to one he worked on back when he was a mechanic, but he quit because you couldn't get good parts anymore because blah blah blah blah.........

"back when I was working on cars, when REAL mechanics knew what they were doing, we only had hand tools, if you couldn't pull an engine out with just a screwdriver, a hammer and a couple of wrenches, you weren't any good, we'd walk to the shop, barefoot, uphills both ways. EVERY nut and bolt was rusted and we didn't have all this fancy equipment y'all have now."

One of them ???

 

[Art From De Leon]

When I had a spectator, when I worked at Weslaco Motors and Implement, I could always take a walk about over to the tractor shop to get away.

 

[bimmer1980]

yup, I'm one of them that watch..... Part of it is curiousity, partly protective of my car, and also to pick up hints and tips.

I've had tires put on a few times and that is usually where I really watch them. The kids at Sams don't instill a lot of trust.

I'm also taking opportunity to look at my car thru the window while it is on the lift with the wheels off. I like it even better when I can come out the shop. Talking with the guy while he is doing the work helps me to relax and then I usually take a step back and let them do their job.

I think most of us are protective of our vehicles, tools and garage....probably far more than the standard soccer moms.....

 

[ephotrod]

I watch at the bay door, I ask if it bothers them and if they would like a soda. Most times since I'm buying them a soda they are cool and invite me in, but i tend to stay at the bay door. Only one time have i asked the guy to stop and asked for another mech. Come to find out he was learning to change brakes on my car and I wasn't up for that.

I like several others think trust is earned.
Josh

 

[Amos Ives Root]

You could always go to work in a factory where you don't have to deal with customers spectating.

Instead you'd be watched by another employee with a stopwatch and clipboard.

As an auto mechanic, you are primarily working in the customer service field, not a technical one.

 

[herbet99]

i use a laptop for diag and we have alldata online.....we are set up on wireless. most shops have online access to service info.

Sounds like another reason to watch.

 

[krusty the clown]

Sounds like another reason to watch.

why is that buddy? do you think your being charged for the time i spend here? your wrong eienstien. you really have no fricking clue do you........

 

[benjamming]

... So because I was interested in learning about it in either event, I asked the guy if he would let me be there while he rebuilt it so I could learn about automatics. His reply was a flat no...He said that if he were to make a mistake by being distracted while attempting to pull off ****** 101 neither of us would be too happy...point well taken.

Sounds like an excuse to get you out of the way. Maybe someone else (in his shop) was going to actually be doing the work. In any case, if someone can't do the repair while explaining it, they can't do their work well. I mean if that really throws them off, there is something more to it. IMHO.