Some people need to have their tools taken away. I have had three in lately all butcher jobs with either the customer or someone else did. Monday, a semi truck with 3 broken off exhaust manifold studs in the head flush with the head and a broken off easy out in one of them. I was lucky to get them out welding a nut on them. Then leaking water pump that broke in the casting in a loader, tried to fix it welding it up. Customer's nephew did this and I put in a new one which was on Tuesday. Finally with a bulldozer throwing belts yesterday, found the harmonic balancer was bad which they tried to fix it drilling holes in it putting in screws. Have a new one on order coming in next week. Told them if they want to save time and money, leave it alone and have me work on it. They pay me to do it right the first time
There are hamburger repair people everywhere, too many stories to tell. Keeps good people working. Simon C
This is why I get scared to have my trucks worked on anywhere but somewhere I've been and know the service guys. Had some of the worse work done at dealers.
An used car dealer I do work for brought in a vehicle with 10 compression fittings on the brake lines once. Was in for a clunking noise complaint and called him telling him this. Told me get that out too fixing that as well wanting a safe vehicle on his lot. Bought it at the auction that way and I did replace the brake lines the right way. Good thing is he never complains about his bill
I have a customer like that. His son is not a conscientious operator....but he is in a machine every day..... I handed Dad a bill one time that was an attention getter. He asked "why did this part fail?" I just smiled and pointed at his son's right foot. Son hung his head, and Dad started peeling off the Hundreds....
Yeah, but then if you work for a cheapy outfit like I did, your forced to cut all kinds of corners. I've had to do many cheesy improper repairs not by choice but to get the machine back to work. If I didn't the screaming would start.
Been dealing with a job like that recently recently. Some people just aren't capable of doing work requiring more finesse than beating the **** out of something with a sledgehammer.
I call it job security. Same with bad operators
All of above remarks---Is the reason, main reason I moved over to working, managing fleet. Don't want and never needed to work for the public. Only had to deal with one person one person only. No first and second tier management clowns to deal with. I had control over which dealer performed warranty work. Didn't have to deal customer or small business attitudes--the happy one day miserable the next types. My job was to perform the mechanical duties along with managing the entire fleet repairs for one person. Only one personality to deal with, and even then some days were much better than others. Don't miss it one bit. * Dealers--the mid to upper level sack of manure to watch out for--dressed in fat *** Cotton Dockers with a golf shirt that needs to go on a diet. Spends his day looking important telling someone doing the work how to do it even though they can't do it themselves. * As far as mechanics go, some are some aren't.
I agree with you truck shop on this. But if you want to survive as a small business, you better have some attitude to fight back against all the big dogs trying to eat you for lunch. Every day could be the day your little business dream goes up in smoke. So yeah, I’ll give some attitude if you try to mess up my gravy boat.
Thats one thing I want to change in the future if I stay with doing what I am doing mechanic work is to go to a bigger shop were I am not the top dog and every thing is not on me . I don't want to be some where I fill like I have to be there every day and every one depends on me.
Then hope the breeze keeps blowing and sail on by, I never worked on gravy boats.